Tumbleweed

Amsterdam Cops Mysteries #2

by Janwillem van de Wetering

Detectives Grijpstra and de Gier uncover evidence of sorcery as they investigate the murder of a high-class prostitute who lived in a canal houseboat

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Detective, 20th Century, Procedural, Mystery Thriller

215 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Jan Willem Lincoln "Janwillem" van de Wetering was the author of a number of works in English and Dutch.

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Description: Maria van Buren, a beautiful, high-class prostitute, is found dead with a knife in her back in her houseboat on an Amsterdam canal. Grijpstra and de Gier must solve the murder. Her tony clients all have sound alibis. Before the murderer is caught, the detectives and their commissaris will investigate allegations of black magic, travel to Curacao, and pursue clues to a chilly island off the coast of Holland.

Opening: ADJUTANT-DETECTIVE GRIJPSTRA FELT THAT THIS WAS not the best morning of the year. He sat slouched behind his gray steel desk in the large room in Headquarters that he shared with his assistant, Detective-Sargeant de Gier, and held his heavy square head between his hands.

Curaçao

Schiermonnikoog

This is the one with birdwatching, control merchants, and mandrake roots.

Let's have some music: Michelle Shocked "5 AM In Amsterdam"

4* Outsider in Amsterdam
3.5* Tumbleweed

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book and rate it a solid 4 stars out of 5. I received it through NetGalley from Soho crime. Soho crime is celebrating 25 years of publishing international crime fiction with a reading challenge. I'm reading my way through Janwillem van de Wetering over the next two months.

This is book 2 in the Grijpstra & de Gier series. Maria van Buren, a high class prostitute, is found murdered aboard a boat in an Amsterdam canal. She is originally from Curacao in the Caribbean.
How Grijpstra, de Gier and their boss, the commissaris, solve this murder makes an interesting and enjoyable read. There is a trip to Curacao, witchcraft, some tedious legwork-- checking alibis and some serendipity conversations which lead to the ingenious murderer. Grijpstra and de Gier are quirky detectives, not above stopping work in the middle of the day and going to de Gier's apartment to sit and relax.
Some quotes: "Society is all balls. A lot of egotists thinking of themselves only. Insects locked in a bottle and all they can do is bite each other."
"He used to remind me of a tumbleweed."

[Alexander · Rating 3 out of 5]

Beschaulich ist das Leben eines Amsterdamers Kripo-Beamten. Diesen Eindruck vermittelt jedenfalls dieser wunderbare Krimi. Van de Wetering zeichnet die Figuren mit feinen Strichen, mit Humor und einnehmend-leichter Ironie. Am Ende ist nicht nur der Täter gestellt und der Verantwortliche identifiziert. Der Leser weiß auch, was Amsterdamer Kripos machen, wenn gerade im Büro nichts zu zun ist: man lädt den Kollegen nach Hause ein und hört dorch die neueste Schallplatte- mit einer Einspielung von J.S. Bach.

[Cathy Cole · Rating 4 out of 5]

It had been several years since I first sampled the Grijpstra and de Gier series of Janwillem van de Wetering, so I thought I'd better pick up the second book, Tumbleweed. The book concentrates on the mystery and moves very quickly, and I discovered that, although a great deal of time had passed since I read that first book, I soon felt right at home.

Grijpstra is the older of the two detectives. He's married and a grouch. De Gier is single and likes to dress fashionably. They work together well and I liked both characters, but I have to admit that their superior officer the commissaris (who is never mentioned by name) was my favorite. The commissaris is an older man who's crippled by rheumatism yet not ready to retire. He has a lively mind and is interested in almost everything, and when he sent officers back to photograph the dead woman's bookshelves because "I am always interested in what people read," I was completely won over. Later on, his attitude toward travel was merely icing on the cake.

The mystery in Tumbleweed is intriguing, and the book reads quickly. Even though the emphasis is on the story, the characters are beguiling, and you can't help wanting to know more about them. One thing I do know for certain: I'll be grabbing the next book in the series in order to continue my literary love affair with the commissaris!

[Angie Boyter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's odd---I didn't like the last book I read (The Blackhouse by Peter May), and a big part of the reason was that there was too much about the protagonist's life. I could say the same thing about this book, but in this book it works. Maybe the difference is that these characters/people are likable, and I enjoy their interaction. I'm looking forward to the rest of the series!

[Greg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dame Agatha Christie and Her Peers
1976
Encountering a new author to me, I'm always surprised to see 2 dates after a name is mentioned: de Wetering left us in 2008. How can that be: in a way we are both in the here and now? He's gotta be typing away somewhere...just like me right now.
CAST - 4 stars: De Gier is the handsome, single half of our police duo. He's a horndog: when the cops find 3 potted plants on the houseboat of a beautiful, murdered prostitute, he grabs the biggest, heaviest pot before anyone else has a chance. His other half, Grijpstra, is a bit overweight and married. They are in fact opposites in many ways. I do like that Grijpstra does admit that he envys his very handsome friend, but this is just one of many parts of this relationship. Maria Van Buren is our extremely exclusive, expensive prostitute. She has 3 main clients: a Belgian diplomat, an American army office, and a dutch big-shot business executive. One of them may have killed Maria. A neighbor, Bart De Jong, 40ish, might know a thing or 2 about Maria. Then there is the odd guy in a red coat hanging around. And a cat. Very good cast.
ATMOSPHERE - 4 stars: Life on a houseboat is a bit different in Amsterdam than Travis McGee's life on his Busted Flush. Maria enjoys raising, among other things, poisonous plants. And I like very much the comparison of cop life on the streets vs cop life on the water. And there is a mandrake description that tells us it is sperm from which mandrake roots form! Then there is a fascinating trip to Curacao and bits of black magic everywhere. One of the 2 cops is a believer in bad magic. Nice city details add to the pleasure of reading this.
CRIME - 3 stars: Maria is murdered early by a knife in her back. But it's been thrown at her from a distance. AND, it's a military knife, a rare one. But was someone high on some kind of plant?
INVESTIGATION - 2 stars: Unlike the first in this series, this one seems to sag toward the end, as if 50 pages of investigations could have been edited out.
RESOLUTION - 2 stars: MAYBE. But maybe not. I didn't fully believe the end of this story.
SUMMARY: 3.0 stars. A good police procedural, but not as good as the first in the series. But I'll read more by de Wetering. Interesting cop/partners are THE main ingredient in good police procedurals, I think.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series of mysteries teaches me, as an American, a few things:

1. I get a flavor for life in Holland, of course during the period in which the mysteries take place.
2. The Buddhist overtones, lessons really, are subtle, seemingly random, and very welcome.
3. This is easy reading and quite funny at times.

I can recommend at least the first two books in the series. I will be starting the next one later today.

[Diana Willemsen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gedateerd, te veel dialoog en pretentieus. Geen beste cozy crime.

[Pamela Mikita · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found this so boring! It just was not clever or inventive. Not for me I guess.

[Monica · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Maria van Buren is found dead in her boathouse on an Amsterdam canal. Grijpstra and de Gier must solve the murder. Her regular clients have sound alibis. Before the murderer is caught the detectives and their commisaris will investigate allegations of black magic, travel to Curacao, and pursue their clues to an island off the coast of Holland. “

Janwillem van de Weterig’s second mystery book in a series featuring Adjutant-Detective Henk Grijpstra and Detective-Sergeant Rinus de Gier is just as wonderful as the first. I love the humour in these books; the dialogue is often comedic and never fails to make me smile. But then perhaps I’m easily amused by comedic humour in my mystery reads.

“Sure,” de Gier said. “I even have a book on birds. I studied it last night. Oystercatchers with red beaks, and coot, two types of coot, with a white spot on the head and a with a red spot on the head, and mallards and…”
“Yes,” Grijpstra said in a loud voice.
“What yes?”
“I know. Don’t try to impress me. I know what a mallard is. A mallard is a plain silly fat Amsterdam duck sitting on the canal. Every day I see a hundred mallard, two hundred mallard, three hundred…”
His voice was rising.

Janwillem van de Weterig’s books are, as with many European mystery writers’ books, much more about how the puzzle and mystery are put together than who did it. The why...the philosophy behind the mystery...is paramount to these books. Not exactly for those who like sensational and gory murders in their books, but rather for those who want a closer look at the intricacies of human nature and why we are driven to behave the way we do.

[Mark]

A courtesan gets killed, her customers are important people and it might be possible that one of them killed her. Grijpstra & de Gier are on the case, as is the commissaris who as always is interested in more than just the law.

[Kit · Rating 5 out of 5]

superb entertainments. The extra dry humor is right up my alley. "'There's your hat,' de Gier said, 'and you have vomited on my sausage.'"

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

This novel was written in the 1970's and has a very different style from crime and suspense novels written in the past twenty years. The crime is presented quickly and is not very violent in nature although it is a murder. The focus is on the 2 detectives and their relationship and the approach of their immediate superior to the murder. I found the pace a little slow and was slightly bored while reading it. There is a murder and it is a puzzle as to who committed it but the presentation was so low key I really did not care after awhile. I cannot recommend this book as it did not entertain me.

[A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story of a murdered (knife throwing) prostitute in Holland. Originally for Curacao and a bit of a witch (mandrake!) she enthralled three regular men regularly. Two detectives are excited to be on a murder case - so rare there and stumble along kidding each other along the way. Story kind of dragged in the beginning to the middle, but took for me when the detectives go to a little, rich island off the coast of Holland for a lead (and have to go bird watching to be genial) and their boss goes to Curacao for another lead. From then through the end, I was held. Will probably read another in the series.....

[Orinoco Womble (tidy bag and all) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd book, which develops the title story in the collection The Sergeant's Cat & Other Stories. I'm sure the original Dutch was much wittier than the English translation, which is odd to my mind, since the two languages are similar in many ways, along with the senses of humour. There is a shadow of humour in many scenes that was probably more evident in the original. But a quick, light read without gore or violence.

[Robert Hudder · Rating 3 out of 5]

This time morality lands with witchcraft, prostitution and mental health. What makes these work is the characters of the police officers. There is so much pfaff and small stuff that makes them feel like real people -ish.

Like Alexander McCall Smith's stuff, there is a certain quality that leaks out on the page with humour and humanity. Largely, this one is a procedural where as soon as the murderer is seen, you as a reader identify them. However, it is a few chapters more before you understand why it happened.

[Menno Beek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Iets stroever dan de eerste, en de plot komt ietwat langzaam op gang, en tegleijk, de interactie tussen de helden, de trommelaar en de fluiter, de dikke en de lange, de kalme en de onberekenbare, dat alles gecoordineerd door de commisaris, het is behoorlijk vermakelijk. De oplossing deed iets stroef aan, alsof van de Wetering daar net iets te lang over had nagedacht, en tegelijk zet hij een mooi stelletje Nederlndse speurders neer. Ik weet eigenlijk buiten MArtin Rasker, van het Duo J.J. de Lochte, geen betere Nederlandse policier.

[Maryanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book in the Detective Grijpstra and Sergeant de Gier police mystery series. It was an easy read, the characters with all their quirks are likable and the conversations thoughtful and funny at times. The police try to solve the murder of a woman on a houseboat, investigating several suspects, and finding that she may be a sorcerer with several men under her spell. The author's view of crime and criminals seem to be influenced by his Buddhist beliefs and teachings.

[Lindsey Horowitz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I liked this as a narrative but not as a mystery. I enjoyed the author’s style and how the story flowed, but I didn’t like how I couldn’t have solved the mystery with the clues provided. I would read another book in the series, though if it had another un-guessable end, then that would be it for me. I found the ending to be too neat and thus unsatisfying. I appreciated the character development of the commissaris in particular.

[Paul Madonna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is wonderfully succinct. The transitions between scenes can be a bit abrupt, making the reader wonder how they got from one place to the next, and yet, that can also be refreshing. There's little fluff in the transitions, and it helps you to see how little we actually need. It's the story we're after, and these books are tidy tales.

[Nik Maack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it. Fun dialogue. Silly moments. Profound moments. Lots of fun touches. A sort of meandering story with characters and details and I guess a kind of plot. It's the sort of book I really love. It doesn't try so hard. It just is. And it has fun with itself. Just lovely. And what a great ending.

[Jay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still deciding what I think because this is even more open ended / less defined than some of van de Wetering's other books - and that is saying something. Very relevant considering the current debate on how the police should function in the US. A kinder, gentler homicide investigation.

[Charlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed the way Grijpstra and de Gier relate to each other, banter, spat, exchange ideas. Most entertaining partners in crime ever. The matter-of-fact way they take on a case and follow it step by step, slowly and methodically, to its conclusion, is instructive and never boring.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rarely disappointed by the Soho Crime imprint - and this was also a really good read.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fine police procedural that's great to read over a day or two. Likable detectives and authorial restraint make this an interesting series. I'll pick up the third one when I'm in the mood.

[Carmen · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Tumbleweeds,” the commissaris said as they reached the gate and saw their host coming toward them. “I have heard about tumbleweeds before. Interesting, very.”

[Elena · Rating 3 out of 5]

"don't win. To try to win is childish"
awww

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

New author for me, found his name listed at the back of another “new” author. The setting is Amsterdam, so I had to try. I enjoyed the characters and the mystery.

[Sheila Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another very good novel in the series.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found at AirBnB. Generally enjoyable.