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Amsterdam Quartet #3
Before The Dawn
The third sophisticated and sinister book in Jake Woodhouse's Amsterdam Quartet: Before the Dawn. Jaap Rykel may be chasing a serial killer or - if possible - something worse
'Taut, expertly woven and beautifully written . . . in Inspector Jaap Rykel, Woodhouse has created a flawed gem'
Craig Robertson
***
A young woman's body is discovered on a small Dutch island, her head heavily wrapped in cling film. Inspector Jaap Rykel's been flown in to oversee the investigation and - hopefully - solve this gruesome murder swiftly.
When another body is discovered on the mainland however, head enveloped, Jaap's must accept that he might actually be hunting the first major serial killer in the Netherlands' history.
Whenever Jaap feels he's closing in on his culprit he's forced to change course. Is the killer unstable and erratic, or is someone deliberately pulling strings?
Perfect for fans of Ian Rankin and The Killing.
Acclaim for Jake Woodhouse:
'DOES FOR AMSTERDAM WHAT RANKIN DID FOR EDINBURGH' Crime Thriller Hound
'A strong sense of place is matched by a capacity for storytelling that keeps the plot accelerating' Daily Mail
'A complex, brilliantly written crime novel, which builds to a truly shocking climax' S.J. Sykes, author of Plague Land
'Dark, claustrophobic and non-stop' Crime Review
'Superficially, a cracking cops 'n' robbers story, but with a deep, dark heart. You will read it in just a few sessions and be gripped ... The conclusion is intense, violent and shocking ... it left me literally dry-mouthed ... For someone on only his second novel, he writes like an established master' Crime Fiction Lover
'Utterly enthralling ... Looks set to be one of the key sequences in modern crime fiction' Barry Forshaw,Crimetime
'Claustrophobic, disturbing and utterly thrilling' Crime Squad
'Jake Woodhouse's taut, twisty plots are expertly woven and beautifully written. They are peopled with complex characters that will have you turning the pages to see what becomes of them. He has created a flawed gem in Inspector Jaap Rykel, a cop with an assured literary future' Craig Robertson, author of Witness the Dead andThe Last Refuge
'As dark and twisty as the Amsterdam it navigates' Stav Sherez
'This is a great debut' Crime Fiction Lover
'This gripping detective novel will thrill fans of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and bears comparison to Fatherland ... Utterly unputdownable' Sun
'Complex ... intriguing ... keeps the reader hooked' Eurocrime
464 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 26, 2017
23 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Jake Woodhouse
10 books37 followersJake Woodhouse has worked as a musician, winemaker and entrepreneur. He now lives in London with his wife and their young gundog. After the Silence is the first book in his Amsterdam Quartet.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 11, 2017
The return of Inspector Jaap Rykel and the now divergent paths of his colleagues who formed the Amsterdam Murder Squad was well worth the long wait and it is most definitely one of the most exciting and fascinating police procedural novels of the year to date. After the sensational introduction to this gritty Netherlands set saga characterised by its realistic and weary cynical detectives who polarise opinion and it's hard hitting storylines it comes as a great relief to see it returning on the same sensational form as the debut! After The Silence, the first of the series was released to great acclaim and marked Jake Woodhouse out as an author to watch, but my reaction to the second novel, Into The Night, was much more ambivalent, largely due to the number of competing themes which fought for attention.
Remarkably, given the complicated back stories of the main protagonists, Before The Dawn works well as a stand-alone with Woodhouse weaving their stories through the first half in an unobtrusive manner. The central characters are a disparate bunch characterised by their own damaged histories, but are not so far-fetched that they are unidentifiable to readers. The introspective Inspector Jaap Rykel is beleaguered by his long battle with grief and most notably the death of his own daughter, Floortje. Inspector Tanya van der Mark's history of childhood abuse has seen her fight to escape her past, only to seek an inevitable face to face confrontation with her former abuser, foster father Ruud Staal, resulting in crippling panic attacks. Now disgraced, the former Inspector Kees Terpstra has spent time inside and is in a losing fight at the hands of a debilitating immune deficiency which will eventually claim his life. Station Chief Henk Smit is the slippery top dog with his own set of rules, an eye for his media profile and keeping his nose clean, whilst willingly sacrificing his underlings and very few of his staff have fond memories of their time working for him. Certainly no love is lost between Rykel, van der Mark or Terpstra and their superior.
A sensational start sees Inspector Jaap Rykel closing in on an investigation that has consumed him for the last three months, finally given a warrant to arrest the man he suspects of drugging and suffocating two women, both at the mercy of the Colombian sourced and hard to acquire drug, scopolamine, characterised by the obedience of those under its influence. Francesco Kamp, mid-thirties, train driver and single father after his wife died during childbirth is a man driven by his anger set in motion by what he regards as medical negligence that cost his wife her life. Glory hunter, Henk Smit comes alone for the ride and positive press coverage but a botched arrest sees the arrested man shot, but not before he has passionately denied killing the second victim, all the while admitting to the first. This makes no sense to Rykel, until a emergency phone call alerts him to another death which bears all of the hallmarks of the two prior incidents - cling film, duct tape, scopolamine and suffocation.
Parachuted in to investigate the latest incident in Vlieland, a disgruntled Station Chief Wieland Stuppor gives Rykel a distinctly frosty welcome, but rookie cop Arno Janssen goes out of his way to assist his colleague and in him Rykel recognises something of himself, repaying his efforts by involving him as the race against time progresses to Amsterdam to catch the man behind the murders. I certainly think Arno has potential and hope he features in the fourth novel of this quartet. As it gradually becomes clear that the murders have been cleverly orchestrated and not the sole work of a lone wolf, Rykel is pulled into a much more dangerous game and one that could cost him his life. The mutual loathing between Rykel and Smit adds an extra spark to proceedings and the frequent slights and riling keeps the tension at an optimum as the events play out to a climax.
Now expecting their first child together, Tanya van der Mark is separated from Rykel, seconded to Rotterdam and working with Inspector Harry Borst engaged in a drugs investigation. Recently released from prison, Kees Terpstra has been planted deep undercover, inveigling himself amid the Van der Pol empire at the request of former boss Smit, but his work is strictly in an unofficial capacity. With the menacing Van der Pol having a hand in everything from the drugs trade to sex trafficking young women, Kees Terpstra is sailing close to the wind, risking discovery but as a man with a limited future he sees nothing to lose. Unfolding over a tension filled six day period the pace never lets up and as the case hurtles to a conclusion, once again it seems that the paths of the three investigators are on a collision course, ensuring an electric denouement.
Jake Woodhouse's plotting is so tightly knit it would be difficult to wedge the proverbial fag paper in between and in common with the first two novels he opts for continuous forward momentum as opposed to the treading water and repetition that is often seen in novels once inroads have been made in a case. Short chapters keep the action unfolding and the edgy narrative keeps the tempo up. With dialogue characterised by a wry undertone and an eye for pithy life observations and the niggles of modern life, from phishing emails and the no win no fee voicemails when you are expecting an all important call, Before The Dawn has a very realistic edge.
As Jake Woodhouse takes his readers far and wide across the Netherlands he brings to life the varied locations, from the tight alleyways of Amsterdam to the rolling expanse of the surrounding islands where the population is outnumbered by wildfire. Woodhouse portrays a vibrant country and I have been enamoured by his descriptions of the country. Role on the fourth instalment! Before The Dawn is a highly memorable police procedural with a series of sadistic killings never gratuitously described, an highly original method characterising each murder and a believable motive. Woodhouse rotates his spotlight, keeping all three characters progress developing and gaining ground. An intelligent and fascinating novel with an air of corruption abounding with both the cops and the gangs leakier than the proverbial sieve!
This stunning third novel in the series reprises the form of the first, setting up for an explosive end to the Amsterdam Quartet and after the cliffhanger ending of Before The Dawn, I cannot wait!
Remarkably, given the complicated back stories of the main protagonists, Before The Dawn works well as a stand-alone with Woodhouse weaving their stories through the first half in an unobtrusive manner. The central characters are a disparate bunch characterised by their own damaged histories, but are not so far-fetched that they are unidentifiable to readers. The introspective Inspector Jaap Rykel is beleaguered by his long battle with grief and most notably the death of his own daughter, Floortje. Inspector Tanya van der Mark's history of childhood abuse has seen her fight to escape her past, only to seek an inevitable face to face confrontation with her former abuser, foster father Ruud Staal, resulting in crippling panic attacks. Now disgraced, the former Inspector Kees Terpstra has spent time inside and is in a losing fight at the hands of a debilitating immune deficiency which will eventually claim his life. Station Chief Henk Smit is the slippery top dog with his own set of rules, an eye for his media profile and keeping his nose clean, whilst willingly sacrificing his underlings and very few of his staff have fond memories of their time working for him. Certainly no love is lost between Rykel, van der Mark or Terpstra and their superior.
A sensational start sees Inspector Jaap Rykel closing in on an investigation that has consumed him for the last three months, finally given a warrant to arrest the man he suspects of drugging and suffocating two women, both at the mercy of the Colombian sourced and hard to acquire drug, scopolamine, characterised by the obedience of those under its influence. Francesco Kamp, mid-thirties, train driver and single father after his wife died during childbirth is a man driven by his anger set in motion by what he regards as medical negligence that cost his wife her life. Glory hunter, Henk Smit comes alone for the ride and positive press coverage but a botched arrest sees the arrested man shot, but not before he has passionately denied killing the second victim, all the while admitting to the first. This makes no sense to Rykel, until a emergency phone call alerts him to another death which bears all of the hallmarks of the two prior incidents - cling film, duct tape, scopolamine and suffocation.
Parachuted in to investigate the latest incident in Vlieland, a disgruntled Station Chief Wieland Stuppor gives Rykel a distinctly frosty welcome, but rookie cop Arno Janssen goes out of his way to assist his colleague and in him Rykel recognises something of himself, repaying his efforts by involving him as the race against time progresses to Amsterdam to catch the man behind the murders. I certainly think Arno has potential and hope he features in the fourth novel of this quartet. As it gradually becomes clear that the murders have been cleverly orchestrated and not the sole work of a lone wolf, Rykel is pulled into a much more dangerous game and one that could cost him his life. The mutual loathing between Rykel and Smit adds an extra spark to proceedings and the frequent slights and riling keeps the tension at an optimum as the events play out to a climax.
Now expecting their first child together, Tanya van der Mark is separated from Rykel, seconded to Rotterdam and working with Inspector Harry Borst engaged in a drugs investigation. Recently released from prison, Kees Terpstra has been planted deep undercover, inveigling himself amid the Van der Pol empire at the request of former boss Smit, but his work is strictly in an unofficial capacity. With the menacing Van der Pol having a hand in everything from the drugs trade to sex trafficking young women, Kees Terpstra is sailing close to the wind, risking discovery but as a man with a limited future he sees nothing to lose. Unfolding over a tension filled six day period the pace never lets up and as the case hurtles to a conclusion, once again it seems that the paths of the three investigators are on a collision course, ensuring an electric denouement.
Jake Woodhouse's plotting is so tightly knit it would be difficult to wedge the proverbial fag paper in between and in common with the first two novels he opts for continuous forward momentum as opposed to the treading water and repetition that is often seen in novels once inroads have been made in a case. Short chapters keep the action unfolding and the edgy narrative keeps the tempo up. With dialogue characterised by a wry undertone and an eye for pithy life observations and the niggles of modern life, from phishing emails and the no win no fee voicemails when you are expecting an all important call, Before The Dawn has a very realistic edge.
As Jake Woodhouse takes his readers far and wide across the Netherlands he brings to life the varied locations, from the tight alleyways of Amsterdam to the rolling expanse of the surrounding islands where the population is outnumbered by wildfire. Woodhouse portrays a vibrant country and I have been enamoured by his descriptions of the country. Role on the fourth instalment! Before The Dawn is a highly memorable police procedural with a series of sadistic killings never gratuitously described, an highly original method characterising each murder and a believable motive. Woodhouse rotates his spotlight, keeping all three characters progress developing and gaining ground. An intelligent and fascinating novel with an air of corruption abounding with both the cops and the gangs leakier than the proverbial sieve!
This stunning third novel in the series reprises the form of the first, setting up for an explosive end to the Amsterdam Quartet and after the cliffhanger ending of Before The Dawn, I cannot wait!
December 20, 2019
this keeps getting better
January 29, 2017
I would like to thank Netgalley and Penguin UK - Michael Joseph for an advance copy of Before The Dawn, the third novel in the Amsterdam Quartet of police procedurals.
Jaap Rykel is closing in on a killer when it all goes pear shaped. He arrests Francesco Kamp for suffocating two women but Kamp will only admit to one murder and is shot by Jaap's boss when he tries to escape. As this is happening Rykel gets word of another killing on the island of Vlieland. The case is deeper and far more wide reaching than even Rykel could imagine and it's solution comes at great personal cost to many of the people involved.
Wow! What a read. I loved After The Silence but was not impressed by the follow up, Into The Night, and probably would not have read Before The Dawn if I hadn't been offered a copy. That would have been a huge mistake as it is an excellent police procedural.
The novel is mostly told from the investigative point of view as Rykel tries to make sense of the meagre, conflicting information he has and in contrast to most novels in the genre where the investigation narrows, his widens into a much bigger, more dangerous scenario. It is masterfully done at a fairly steady pace so I was totally immersed, reluctant to put it down and seizing any opportunity to pick it up again.
I think, on reflection, that some of the plot should be hard to swallow but it all seems like a natural consequence of past actions at the time of reading so my disbelief never appeared. I know that this sounds vague but the plot takes some amazing turns and I can't mention them without issuing spoilers. All I will say is that it is clever in both plotting and style - Mr Woodhouse does an admirable job of drawing the reader in and holding their attention from start to finish.
Jaap Rykel is an honourable man doing a job many would shirk from at some personal cost, both physically and mentally. Essentially a loner he doesn't play well with others, especially his boss, Henk Smit, but he has a loving relationship with his pregnant partner, Tanya, even if she is keeping secrets from him. His sardonic asides on the trials and tribulations of life are very funny - most of which I could hear coming out my own mouth!
This is a fairly violent novel although none of it seems gratuitous, just in keeping with the subject matter so it may not appeal to all readers but for those who don't mind Before The Dawn is an excellent read which I wholeheartedly recommend.
Jaap Rykel is closing in on a killer when it all goes pear shaped. He arrests Francesco Kamp for suffocating two women but Kamp will only admit to one murder and is shot by Jaap's boss when he tries to escape. As this is happening Rykel gets word of another killing on the island of Vlieland. The case is deeper and far more wide reaching than even Rykel could imagine and it's solution comes at great personal cost to many of the people involved.
Wow! What a read. I loved After The Silence but was not impressed by the follow up, Into The Night, and probably would not have read Before The Dawn if I hadn't been offered a copy. That would have been a huge mistake as it is an excellent police procedural.
The novel is mostly told from the investigative point of view as Rykel tries to make sense of the meagre, conflicting information he has and in contrast to most novels in the genre where the investigation narrows, his widens into a much bigger, more dangerous scenario. It is masterfully done at a fairly steady pace so I was totally immersed, reluctant to put it down and seizing any opportunity to pick it up again.
I think, on reflection, that some of the plot should be hard to swallow but it all seems like a natural consequence of past actions at the time of reading so my disbelief never appeared. I know that this sounds vague but the plot takes some amazing turns and I can't mention them without issuing spoilers. All I will say is that it is clever in both plotting and style - Mr Woodhouse does an admirable job of drawing the reader in and holding their attention from start to finish.
Jaap Rykel is an honourable man doing a job many would shirk from at some personal cost, both physically and mentally. Essentially a loner he doesn't play well with others, especially his boss, Henk Smit, but he has a loving relationship with his pregnant partner, Tanya, even if she is keeping secrets from him. His sardonic asides on the trials and tribulations of life are very funny - most of which I could hear coming out my own mouth!
This is a fairly violent novel although none of it seems gratuitous, just in keeping with the subject matter so it may not appeal to all readers but for those who don't mind Before The Dawn is an excellent read which I wholeheartedly recommend.
April 27, 2019
The plot is interesting enough but too much violence against the main characters to make it enjoyable or believable.
January 1, 2017
Before the dawn, the third book in a series of four, again features inspector Jaap Rykel, his girlfriend Tanya, his boss Smit and some other characters that played a role in the first two books.
Now, being Dutch myself, I must say it was a rather funny (and sometimes strange) experience to read a crime novel in English where the setting is a large part of the Netherlands and all characters have Dutch names. The funny thing is that ‘Rykel’ is not a Dutch family name ;-) while all other family names in the book are indeed existing family names.
I have recently read another book that is supposed to be set in the Netherlands, and I must say I’m happy to see Jake Woodhouse didn’t make the obvious mistakes the other author made, as spelling the names of cities wrong and using the wrong numbers for highways. The only thing I don’t understand is why Jaap Rykel has no idea where Vlieland is. The Netherlands is a small country and every school child can tell you that Vlieland is the second of the ‘Waddeneilanden’.
Jaap Rykel is a very busy man in this book. Not only he has to work hard to solve the murder of several young women, he also discovers there is something not quite right within the police force in Amsterdam. On top of this, he is constantly worrying about Tanya, who is in the early stages of pregnancy. Tanya herself is mixed up in several cases and has to deal with things from her past.
It is that past that makes this book sometimes too complicated. There are so many characters in this book that it is difficult fort he reader to keep track of who is who. Moreover, when a new character is introduced, you have no idea whether this is a name you have to remember or that it is a character that plays a very minor role and will not return later in the book.
Futhermore, both Jaap and Tanya are constantly thinking about the past, about the things that happened in the first two books in the series. Although I can understand the author wants the reader to have some idea about the past of his main characters, this is just too much. It’s like reading three books at the time.
All in all, a good read but not the most unforgettable.
Now, being Dutch myself, I must say it was a rather funny (and sometimes strange) experience to read a crime novel in English where the setting is a large part of the Netherlands and all characters have Dutch names. The funny thing is that ‘Rykel’ is not a Dutch family name ;-) while all other family names in the book are indeed existing family names.
I have recently read another book that is supposed to be set in the Netherlands, and I must say I’m happy to see Jake Woodhouse didn’t make the obvious mistakes the other author made, as spelling the names of cities wrong and using the wrong numbers for highways. The only thing I don’t understand is why Jaap Rykel has no idea where Vlieland is. The Netherlands is a small country and every school child can tell you that Vlieland is the second of the ‘Waddeneilanden’.
Jaap Rykel is a very busy man in this book. Not only he has to work hard to solve the murder of several young women, he also discovers there is something not quite right within the police force in Amsterdam. On top of this, he is constantly worrying about Tanya, who is in the early stages of pregnancy. Tanya herself is mixed up in several cases and has to deal with things from her past.
It is that past that makes this book sometimes too complicated. There are so many characters in this book that it is difficult fort he reader to keep track of who is who. Moreover, when a new character is introduced, you have no idea whether this is a name you have to remember or that it is a character that plays a very minor role and will not return later in the book.
Futhermore, both Jaap and Tanya are constantly thinking about the past, about the things that happened in the first two books in the series. Although I can understand the author wants the reader to have some idea about the past of his main characters, this is just too much. It’s like reading three books at the time.
All in all, a good read but not the most unforgettable.
February 11, 2017
excellent read
l wasn't aware that it was part of a series until l read some of the reviews after l'd finished the book. This did not impair my enjoyment of the novel.
l had (correctly) guessed who the 'baddy' was long before it was revealed to us. Again this did not impair my enjoyment. Some of the scenes were rather gory, but if they had been'sanitised' the realism would have been lost.
l enjoyed reading the book
l wasn't aware that it was part of a series until l read some of the reviews after l'd finished the book. This did not impair my enjoyment of the novel.
l had (correctly) guessed who the 'baddy' was long before it was revealed to us. Again this did not impair my enjoyment. Some of the scenes were rather gory, but if they had been'sanitised' the realism would have been lost.
l enjoyed reading the book
June 12, 2022
I am generally wary about coming to a series of novels part way through, preferring to start from the beginning. Of course, jumping in midway can sometimes prove advantageous. After all, I doubt whether I would have bothered to read subsequent instalments in the chronicles of Dalziell and Pascoe if I had started reading that sequence with A Clubbable Woman, the first book in the series, as I found it very weak and unappealing. Fortunately I had leapt in with A Killing Kindness and Exit Lines, which were sufficiently good to make me want to go back to the beginning. In fact, I had a similar escape with Ian Rankin’s books featuring Detective inspector John Rebus. While far better than A Clubbable Woman, I doubt if his first book, Knots and Crosses was sufficiently good to encourage me to read the following books in the canon, and I would, as a consequence, have missed out on some excellent novels,
Before the Dawn is the third novel to feature Dutch copper, Detective Inspector Jaap Rykel, and we soon learn that in previous instalments he had been through the mill, suffering injury and loss of family. While the Netherlands setting may be new, we are in familiar territory, with Rykel being a bit of a maverick and enjoying/enduring a strained relationship with authority in general and his boss in particular.
As the novel opens, Rykel and his boss are present when a suspected serial killer is arrested, although owing to an oversight, the felon is not searched sufficiently rigorously, and is able to draw a gun and shoot himself, in front of the press who had gathered following a tip-off about the arrest from Rykel’s boss. As if this were not embarrassing enough, shortly afterwards another corpse is found showing exactly the same pattern of wounds as identified in the earlier killings, and the first felon has a watertight alibi.
Jake Woodhouse drives the story forward with great verve. He doesn’t delve too deeply into his character’s emotional lives, but they are far from two dimensional. The plot is hectic, with lots of twists, but never strays beyond the plausible.
Before the Dawn is the third novel to feature Dutch copper, Detective Inspector Jaap Rykel, and we soon learn that in previous instalments he had been through the mill, suffering injury and loss of family. While the Netherlands setting may be new, we are in familiar territory, with Rykel being a bit of a maverick and enjoying/enduring a strained relationship with authority in general and his boss in particular.
As the novel opens, Rykel and his boss are present when a suspected serial killer is arrested, although owing to an oversight, the felon is not searched sufficiently rigorously, and is able to draw a gun and shoot himself, in front of the press who had gathered following a tip-off about the arrest from Rykel’s boss. As if this were not embarrassing enough, shortly afterwards another corpse is found showing exactly the same pattern of wounds as identified in the earlier killings, and the first felon has a watertight alibi.
Jake Woodhouse drives the story forward with great verve. He doesn’t delve too deeply into his character’s emotional lives, but they are far from two dimensional. The plot is hectic, with lots of twists, but never strays beyond the plausible.
November 22, 2025
The third book from Jake Woodhouse features, Jaap Rykel chasing a serial killer or - if possible - something worse
After a body is found, the victim's head wrapped in cling film, hands tied behind their back on a small island. The island's police force requests help from Amsterdam's Murder Squad's and veteran Detective Inspector Jaap Rykel is sent.
A suspect confesses, but the killer has no history of violence, no motive, and no connection to the victim.
Across the country, a similar murder is reported and Rykel wonders if these are random senseless acts, or something far darker...?
Rykel walks the line between spotting patterns no one wants to see, and a sinister, sprawling case which will consume everything in its path.
Jaap Rykel is an ethical man doing a job many would shirk from at some personal cost, both physically and mentally. Essentially better when he works alone,which doesn't play well with others, especially his boss, Henk Smit, but he has a loving relationship with his pregnant partner, Tanya,
The book is mostly written from the investigative point of view as Rykel tries to make sense of the meagre, conflicting information he has and in contrast to most crime books where the investigation narrows, this widens into a much bigger, more dangerous scenario.
It is so well, done at a fairly steady pace so I was totally immersed and reluctant to put it down so devoured in almost one session.
Some of the plot could be hard to swallow but it seems to me like a natural consequence of past actions so at the time of reading it found it easy to believe. I know the plot takes some amazing turns and I can't mention them without a spoiler, but I will say is that it is clever in both plotting and style, it did an admirable job of drawing me in and holding my attention from start to finish
After a body is found, the victim's head wrapped in cling film, hands tied behind their back on a small island. The island's police force requests help from Amsterdam's Murder Squad's and veteran Detective Inspector Jaap Rykel is sent.
A suspect confesses, but the killer has no history of violence, no motive, and no connection to the victim.
Across the country, a similar murder is reported and Rykel wonders if these are random senseless acts, or something far darker...?
Rykel walks the line between spotting patterns no one wants to see, and a sinister, sprawling case which will consume everything in its path.
Jaap Rykel is an ethical man doing a job many would shirk from at some personal cost, both physically and mentally. Essentially better when he works alone,which doesn't play well with others, especially his boss, Henk Smit, but he has a loving relationship with his pregnant partner, Tanya,
The book is mostly written from the investigative point of view as Rykel tries to make sense of the meagre, conflicting information he has and in contrast to most crime books where the investigation narrows, this widens into a much bigger, more dangerous scenario.
It is so well, done at a fairly steady pace so I was totally immersed and reluctant to put it down so devoured in almost one session.
Some of the plot could be hard to swallow but it seems to me like a natural consequence of past actions so at the time of reading it found it easy to believe. I know the plot takes some amazing turns and I can't mention them without a spoiler, but I will say is that it is clever in both plotting and style, it did an admirable job of drawing me in and holding my attention from start to finish
October 16, 2017
The third installment in the Inspector Jaap Rykel saga finds the Amsterdam Murder Squad cop looking into muliple murders that have very similar appearances. The only thing is, he cannot seem to get a solid lead on who the murder (or murders) are. Will he find who did it?
This was my favourite of the three books so far, and I cannot wait for the fourth installment to be released.
There were some parts of the book, that in my opinion dragged on a little, but over all, it was a great read. If you liked the first two, you will almost certainly like this one too.
This was my favourite of the three books so far, and I cannot wait for the fourth installment to be released.
There were some parts of the book, that in my opinion dragged on a little, but over all, it was a great read. If you liked the first two, you will almost certainly like this one too.
August 18, 2023
pretty good, the book progressively work its way to the twist at the end. which was smits death and his dealings with van der pol. honestly, i saw it quite a few chapters back, a bent cop cannot get along with a straight one. they cant see eye to eye. many other hints add up as well, not just this. and i feel really sad for kees, he was a great character, the way his story was written broke my heart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 20, 2017
Third book in the Jaap Rykel series. Based in Holland I found this book a little flat, (pun intended) with a very slow start and never really hitting any high points of excitement, tension or suspense. It is however a decent story but not a thriller, an intricate plot surrounding the murders of unconnected people. Can you apply logic to be able to solve this mystery, Jaap uses all his skills to analyse the facts and try to find a lead. Although there is a twist at the end I was not satisfied with ending, but that may be only me wanting all the loose ends resolved. Could mean there will be a fourth story.
October 15, 2018
Took a long time for it to get started. I was thinking of giving up, but then things started happening and I got totally engrossed. A good story line. Good characters. just a shame it took so long for the actual story to come together.
September 18, 2019
I enjoyed it but always feel so sad at the storyline. I was left saying Noooooo! At the end of this! Can’t wait for the next..
January 14, 2020
Fast read, pacey and puzzling but a bit contrived as the DI's girlfriend suddenly becomes a potential victim. Not the best writing but interesting.
April 5, 2022
Slow to get into, did get better but then had a disappointing, inconclusive ending.
Read
November 11, 2022Third in Amsterdam Inspector Rykel series. Good. Really enjoyed it.
March 11, 2017
I received this book for free from Good Reads.
I enjoyed this book at the beginning, but there seemed to be too many twists & turns at the end, that it was a bit difficult to follow.
There were lots if hints dropped, which seemed to take a long time to become apparent. For example - the people who were doing the killings were all single men with a child. Also station chief - Henk Smith seemed to be involved from the beginning, although it was not picked up on till much later.
I also did not like the graphic accounts of Van Der Poll & his group members.
I enjoyed this book at the beginning, but there seemed to be too many twists & turns at the end, that it was a bit difficult to follow.
There were lots if hints dropped, which seemed to take a long time to become apparent. For example - the people who were doing the killings were all single men with a child. Also station chief - Henk Smith seemed to be involved from the beginning, although it was not picked up on till much later.
I also did not like the graphic accounts of Van Der Poll & his group members.
February 28, 2017
This is the third book in the DI Jaap Rykel series and builds on the foundations of the previous two books. This book is set in Holland but the author lives in the UK and it is not a translated book. The story revolves around a series of murders all showing the hallmarks of being committed by a single perpetrator, however after two murders a suspect only admits to one. Subsequent murders with the same MO all offer up difference suspects. DI Jaap Rykel has to square the circle of how these murders can have been committed by different people. A well written story and definitely worthy of a read.
December 6, 2018
Before The Dawn is a great read!!!! Now normally I read the blurb of a book and the decide yeah I like the sound of that I'll give it a go. But 4/5 don't live up to that initial promise. But Before The Dawn more than did I'm please to say, the crimes themselves are chilling and Jaap's investigative style is a pleasant change from the usual tortured alcoholic policeman! There is one complaint I have- it's not really a complaint though because it's a delayed pleasure at least for me- this is the 3rd book in a quartet! Therefore the issues of the past that continue to trouble Jaap and his girlfriend Tanya make for a slightly frustrating read- you began to feel that reading the first two would make this a much smoother read.
The only real criticism of this book is the volume of characters introduced- it is slightly overwhelming at points and meant I couldn't read this when I was tired! As the reader you're not certain if these characters are important and therefore need to be remembered or if they are incidental and therefore can be case aside! That said the story is really good and being set in the Netherlands really makes for a fresh change- not the moody and twisted scandy noir or the addict ridden divorcee policeman of Britain. It's a really well written book and although I couldn't testify to this, it seems to be well researched, as far as the Netherlands and that society!
So this book was enjoyable, the story was really engaging and kept me reading longer than I should have! It's not five stars only because it seems to need the reader to have read the previous two books in the series- I therefore believe that if the last book in the quartet is as good as this- and of course bearing in mind I haven't read the first two, this series could be a five star quartet! The writing is top class and Woodhouse really knows his audience, in that he knows just how to pace the story without making you feel it's too slow and you want to give up or that it's too fast and therefore lacking in depth! That is a talent because the genre of crime fiction is overloaded with poorly paced books with excellent stories!!
Now I'm off to buy the first two in the series and I wait very impatiently for the last in the series to see how it turns out for Jaap and Tanya!
The only real criticism of this book is the volume of characters introduced- it is slightly overwhelming at points and meant I couldn't read this when I was tired! As the reader you're not certain if these characters are important and therefore need to be remembered or if they are incidental and therefore can be case aside! That said the story is really good and being set in the Netherlands really makes for a fresh change- not the moody and twisted scandy noir or the addict ridden divorcee policeman of Britain. It's a really well written book and although I couldn't testify to this, it seems to be well researched, as far as the Netherlands and that society!
So this book was enjoyable, the story was really engaging and kept me reading longer than I should have! It's not five stars only because it seems to need the reader to have read the previous two books in the series- I therefore believe that if the last book in the quartet is as good as this- and of course bearing in mind I haven't read the first two, this series could be a five star quartet! The writing is top class and Woodhouse really knows his audience, in that he knows just how to pace the story without making you feel it's too slow and you want to give up or that it's too fast and therefore lacking in depth! That is a talent because the genre of crime fiction is overloaded with poorly paced books with excellent stories!!
Now I'm off to buy the first two in the series and I wait very impatiently for the last in the series to see how it turns out for Jaap and Tanya!
February 6, 2017
Just didn't get on with this and ended up skim reading a lot.
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