First published 1972
Piet Van der Valk sits behind a desk now, promoted away from real police work as he counts down to retirement. The Amsterdam detective still carries his old restless energy, though the department expects him to focus on paperwork. When a young man walks in worried about an antique gold watch, Van der Valk sees his chance to break free from administrative duties. He launches his own investigation, pulling in his French wife Arlette to help track down leads. Arlette takes the case into Amsterdam's art galleries and antique shops, following a trail that eventually leads her to a seedy sex establishment called The Golden Apples of the Hesperides. Somewhere in this maze of high culture and low vice lurks a killer with no name and no face. Van der Valk may be stuck in a quiet office job, but he refuses to let that stop him from hunting down the truth.
Genres: mystery, crime, thriller, detective
Vibes: atmospheric, fast-paced, suspenseful
Tropes: amateur-sleuth, found-family
Setting: Amsterdam, The Golden Apples of the Hesperides
Period: Retirement
250 pages · Hardcover · Hamilton
Content warnings: sexual-content, violence