First published 2007
Inspector Van der Valk walks through Amsterdam with Lucienne Engelbert on his mind. She is the daughter of a famous conductor, now dead, leaving her alone and wild in the city. Van der Valk loves her, but everywhere he turns in his murder investigation, he sees connections to Lucienne. An angry piano dealer reminds him of her. A remote fishing lodge brings her to mind. A talkative mechanic makes him think of her troubles. Even an expensive car left behind points back to her world. Van der Valk follows each lead, but they all circle back to the same beautiful, damaged woman. The inspector must face a terrible question. Does his heart deceive him, or does the woman he loves have blood on her hands?
Genres: suspense, mystery, crime, detective
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Amsterdam
Period: 20th-Century
226 pages · Paperback · Felony & Mayhem