De Cock en moord à la carte by A.C. Baantjer

Why read the book?

A plain menu from the Amsterdam hotel and restaurant the Poort van Eden holds a full confession. The writer admits to shooting a named blackmailer with an old Sauer pistol. The menu reaches De Cock and Vledder at the Warmoesstraat station.

They remember an old case. A man was found floating in the Prinsengracht with three bullet holes in his chest, and the killing was never solved. At the time it went straight to the drugs squad, who thought it was a gangland hit.

The detectives follow the menu and reach the present faster than they expected. More victims fall while they work, and they have to push themselves hard to stay safe. The murders happened in Amsterdam, but the hunt also takes them to Rotterdam, Bussum, Blaricum and Meppel.

Favourite quote

What I Loved

The hook is clever and concrete. A confession written on a menu is the kind of small, odd object that pulls you straight into the case. It links a cold killing to a live one in a clean way.

The travel across the Netherlands gives the story room, but it never loses De Cock's steady method. He follows the paper trail and lets it lead him.

Key Takeaway

An old unsolved case never really closes, and a single object can reopen it.

Note

This book is only available in Dutch

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