De vierde gestalte

Van In #4

by Pieter Aspe

In al zijn duivelse boosheid pleegt Satan zich in vier gestaltes te manifesteren: hij verleidt, hij misleidt, hij manipuleert en hij bedriegt. De goddeloze en mysterieuze Venex is de incarnatie van Satan op aarde; hij is een geboren bedrieger, die er alles voor over heeft om zijn eeuwige honger naar macht en geld te stillen. Venex heeft allang gezien dat in ons tijdsgewricht onderwerpen als satanisme en esoterie op een ruime publieke belangstelling kunnen rekenen. In zijn mercantiele geest is het plan gerijpt om munt te slaan uit naïeve geloof in de nakende komst van de antichrist.

In een sloot bij een flatgebouw wordt op een dag het lijk gevonden van de jonge kalligrafe Trui Andries. Het onderzoek wijst uit dat Trui niet verdronken is, maar vergiftigd werd met een uiterst zeldzaam product dat, als het op de juiste wijze wordt toegediend, geen sporen achterlaat.
Bij zijn onderzoek naar de verdachte dood van deze jonge vrouw krijgt commissaris Pieter Van In lucht van een ingenieus en ultiem plan, dat door Venex is beraamd. Van In wil aan zijn gevaarlijke praktijken een eind maken. Voor Venex heiligt het doel echter de middelen. Hij wil slagen in zijn boze opzet, en daar heeft hij alles en iedereen voor veil...

Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Detective, Mystery, Crime, Ebooks

295 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

About the author

Pieter Aspe was het pseudoniem van Pierre Aspeslag. Hij studeerde Latijn-Wetenschappen aan het Sint-Leocollege in Brugge. Na zijn humanoria volgde hij gedurende korte tijd de universitaire opleiding sociologie. Hierna werkte hij als magazijnier, verkoper, bediende, seizoenagent bij de zeevaartpolitie, fotograaf, studiemeester, handelaar in brocante, handelaar in wijn en conciërge van de Heilig-Bloedkapel in Brugge. Sinds 1996 was hij voltijds schrijver van misdaadromans.

Pieter Aspe in de Nederlandstalige Wikipedia

Pieter Aspe was the pseudonym of Pierre Aspeslag. He studied Latin-Sciences at the Sint-Leo College in Bruges.

Pieter Aspe was a full time writer since 1996. Aspe wrote crime fiction novels with inspector Pieter Van In and D.A. Hannelore Martens as principal characters, who become lovers in the first book Het vierkant van de wraak. Most of the stories are situated in Bruges, Belgium. Next to this series, Aspe also wrote two YA novels, Bloedband and the sequel Luchtpost and two novellas, Grof Wild and De Japanse Tuin.

In 2001 Aspe received the Hercule Poirot Price for his novel Zoenoffer.

The first ten novels of Aspe were made into a TV series called Aspe by VTM (Flemish TV channel). This was followed up by a second and third season, but they weren’t television adaptations of the books. However the storyline of the TV series was further developed under the supervision of Pieter Aspe himself. After the first season of the series Aspe, the number of book sales increased significantly. He has currently sold over 1.5 million books in Belgium and The Netherlands.

His 24th novel Misleid was released in April 2009.

Translated from source: www.aspe.be

Pieter Aspe in the English Wikipedia


Pieter Aspe (nom de plume de Pierre Aspeslag) est un écrivain flamand.

Pieter Aspe dans la Wikipédia française

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 4 in the Van In series. Commissioner Pieter Van In is assigned to what looks like a suicide, but she is connected to a Satanic cult. There is a mysterious figure called Venex. Van In's wife is pregnant and his boss assigns a beautiful reporter to shadow him.. His personal and work life suffer but the ending resolves all the issues very well. The translation is excellent.
One quote: "The dry east wind was in sharp contrast to the previous day's torrential rains. That's Belgium for you, he thought, the only country in the world where the weather is crazier than the people who forecast it."
Thanks to NetGalley.com for this ebook.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This mystery series is set in Bruges which drew my attention immediately. I have been in love with Bruges since I saw the movie, "In Bruges" with Colin Farrell. This book gives you such a strong sense of place that I can picture myself walking down the cobblestone streets with churches from the 10th century. I'm drooling just thinking about it. I also love reading about the food they eat including French fries with mayonnaise, knuckles and eels. None of them make my mouth water but each to their own.

Commissioner Pieter Van In is the protagonist of the series. He seems to do just a few things in life- eat, drink, smoke cigarettes curse and solve crimes. He is not my favorite character in the world but he does get the job done. His wife, Hannelore, is pregnant and due to give birth any day. Pieter seizes the chance to have a flirtation with a beautiful girl assigned t assist him. This does not work out well.

There is a satanic cult operating in Bruges. It is connected with heroin dealing, a mass murder of 8 people at a cathedral and an orphanage. Pieter and his side kick, Guido plunge into the underworld of loathsome people to find the leader of the cult. I found the ending to be rather weak and think it would be a good "Law and Order SVU" episode.

The best part of the book, to me, is how Bruges comes alive.

[Bonnie Brody · Rating 3 out of 5]

Van In is a police officer in Bruges, Belgium. He, along with his best friend and partner Guido, is responsible for solving violent crimes. Luckily, violence is not that frequent an occurrence in Bruges. Van In's wife is pregnant and their child is due at any moment.

When an alleged suicide is discovered, Van In discovers that she was involved in a satanic sect. He sends her body for autopsy and quickly finds out that she was murdered with a usually undetectable toxin. Other murders follow and the victims all seem to be involved with Satanism and drugs. Throughout the investigation, a name comes up - Venex. Who is this mysterious person and how can he be found. Somehow, he is linked to all of the dead.

I liked the loose manner of characterization and the easy relationship between Van In and Guido. Guido is gay but no big deal is made of this in the book for which I am appreciative. Both of them drank to excess, sometimes beginning early in the morning, and I often wondered how they managed to get any good police work done. Despite their drinking, however, they are both top-notch cops.

What I didn't like about the book was how many characters played a role, making it difficult to differentiate who was who and how they were all connected. It was like a Rubric's Cube to try and put all the pieces together. I found the end to be a deus ex machina that appeared out of nowhere and was just a convenient 'Let's finish the book in some way or another'. I enjoyed the characterizations but wished it had been more centered with greater focus on fewer people.

The writing style is intelligent and literary, something I appreciate in a mystery, but I'm not sure I will seek out further books from this author.

[Geert Daelemans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een intrigerend en complex plot

Trui Andries, een kalligrafe uit Brugge, wordt dood aangetroffen in een sloot voor haar appartement. Al gauw blijkt dat ze niet verdronken is maar vergiftigd. Wanneer commissaris Pieter Van In zich met de zaak gaat bezighouden blijkt dat Trui gekoppeld was met een satanische beweging. Het duurt niet lang voor er een volgende dode valt. Van In beseft dat hij voor een puzzel staat die niet eenvoudig op te lossen is.

Het is nu ondertussen al wel duidelijk dat de schrijfstijl van Pieter Aspe erg knullig aanvoelt met de bij de haren getrokken vergelijkingen en sullige karakterbeschrijvingen. Je leest Aspe dan ook niet om de literaire kwaliteiten. Het leuke aan zijn boeken is vooral de plot. Niet altijd even realistisch of even doordacht, maar steeds intrigerend genoeg om de lezer geboeid te houden spint Aspe zijn verhaal met een jongensachtig enthousiasme. In De vierde gestalte is dit niet anders. Bij momenten mag je alleen maar hopen dat de echte politie geen voorbeeld neemt aan de onorthodoxe praktijken van de commissaris, maar dat is nu juist het leuke aan het karakter van Pieter Van In. Als extra biedt de relatie met zijn zwangere Hannelore nu ook een verhaallijn dat in tegenstelling tot zijn vorige boeken wel te pruimen valt.

[Carlo Hublet · Rating 3 out of 5]

Découverte du commissaire Van In. Que l'on pourrait surnommer commissaire Duvel. Agrémentant sa bière belge avec whisky, pékè, rhum et autres breuvages de même famille. En plus sans doute de 2 ou 3 paquets de clopes par jour. Un inspecteur rebelle toujours hors des clous, tempéré par son brigadier Guido-le-lettré. Dans le style du prolixe (dans son acception de "abondant") américain des années 50, que je dévorais adolescent (pour l'époque, c'était sulfureux), Carter Brown. Sexe et drogues (mais pas pour Van In), style populaire un peu baclé. Peter Aspe y ajoute de l'humour, un peu facile, parfois lourd, mais fort délassant. Au niveau des résultats, rien à redire, Van Im est aussi efficace que non procédurier. Pas de la grande littérature ni de recherches fouillées comme chez les Minier, Chattam, Thilliez (entre autres grands fouilleurs scientifiques), mais du rythme et un fil bien tissé. Petite balade bien plaisante dans le vieux Bruges, le vrai et celui des touristes chinois, au passage. Un moment facile de détente.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the very good police procedurals/crime/mystery series have great teams. This one set in Bruges has an unconventional Commissioner in Pieter Van In who drinks, smokes and likes to put his feet up during work hours while in the office, and, heck, maybe outside the office, too. But his loosey goosey style in getting info from suspects or witnesses is sound and intelligent. Van In's sidekick, Sargeant Guido Versavel, a calm, gay man to Van In's explosive character is the perfect ying and yang that move The Fourth Figure along through a series of crimes and a shocking massacre at a local church.
It is that event that gives the whole narrative pause, lots of action and dialog up to that point. There is a bit that lags just following and then it heats up again. I'll say this dragged the huge moment down but Aspe recovers and the pace picks up. And there are a lot of characters that play a part. Keep track, it's not entirely easy.
I enjoy crime books set in different European countries, tasting the flavour of cities, its people, its criminals, all varied. Van In and Guido remind me of the banter and tight relationships in other fictional teams like Adamsberg and his sargeant; Brunetti and his team; author Andrea Camilleri's bombastic Commissario and his police team. The trust, camaraderie, understanding all make the plot work when the characters in charge are just that, in charge.
The Fourth Figure, written in 1998, involves a Satanic cult, orphaned children, a love triangle, greed, drugs, secrets, and suspicion. As to all things Satan, "...reveals himself to us in four figures. He tempts, misleads, manipulates, and deceives. These four figures correspond with four familiar archetypes: Don Juan, Faust, Prometheus, and Lucifer. His greatest strength is his ability to convince people that he doesn't exist." p 43. Yowsers!
Guido thinks, while in a dialog with Van In, 'the world was getting weirder by the day. There were extremists all over the place. What had happened to the happy medium, the golden mean?' pg51 Is this ever relevant since I am writing a day after the recent attack in London at Parliament.
There are so many great lines, I have to share a couple more, 'Hotheads are like balloons, thinks Van In. When all the air finally leaks out, they end up limp and powerless.' pg 99 And this comment from Van In to his wife, Hannelore after the church massacre, "If I'd said five years ago that this could happen in Bruges, everyone would have laughed in my face." pg 137
Just when the bad guy is revealed and you think he'll be apprehended, Aspe shifts the flow to a maternity ward and hostage taking of Van In's wife Hannelore by said bad guy. Quite the episode!
Translated last year, The Fourth Figure is a great book to read even if, like me, you haven't read any of the other books in Aspe's series.

[Rev. M. M. Walters · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pieter Van In is not an exemplary detective. He tends to be sloppy; his desk is always a mess. He has too much of an appreciation for Duvel, the Belgian beer and he likes his coffee with a little gin or whiskey "to keep the chill away". Being a police detective in Bruges, where the weather can be gray and damp except in the summer, there's a need to keep the chill away and Pieter is well served by Guido Versavel, his sergeant. Other than Guido, Van In does not get along well with too many others. There is a rivalry with the Federal Police (Van In works as a Commisaris (translated here as Commissioner but which means Chief Inspector in the local Bruges Police). He does not think highly of his boss or the other detectives. The love of his life is his wife, Hannelore Martens, but they often misunderstand one another, especially in this book when Hannelore is just days away from having their first child.

With all that as background, the problem is this: the body of a young woman is found in a moat in a run-down part of town. Suicide is suspected but it turns out she did not drown but was poisoned by a rare chemical that is usually untraceable. As the mystery gets deeper, there are connections to a Satanist sect and indications of drug use. To add to the complications, the Superintendent allows a journalist to shadow the investigation. This cramps Van In's style, and it doesn't help that she is a very pretty young woman (at a time when Hannelore is feeling particularly unattractive). The investigation determines that there is a leader of the Satanists called Venex who is directing things but the detectives cannot figure out his identity. They have a few suspects and their quest for answers leads them into a bar called the Iron Virgin which is a hang-out for the Satanists, an orphanage, and a psychiatric hospital. Believing the police are closing in, Venex attempts to eliminate witnesses by giving them pure uncut heroin. One victim is discovered in time and is in hospital at the same time as Hannelore is about to give birth. This sets the scene for the final confrontation and the unmasking of Venex. The conclusion is a bit of a surprise but I'll let you discover that for yourself.

Although it is set in the charming city of Bruges, the city itself does not have a great role to play. Except for the occasional reference to canals and tourists, this story could take place anywhere. That being said, however, the story like the other three in the series, is still worthwhile.

[Ellen De Jaegher · Rating 3 out of 5]

Van Aspe weet je dat je enkele uren ontspannend kan lezen.
Van In en Versavel gaan opzoek naar drugdealer Venex en ook naar de moordenaar van enkele jongeren die zich bekeerd hebben tot het satanisme.
Van In staat extra onder druk want Hannelore staat op het punt om te bevallen van hun eerste kindje.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Fourth Figure" in English. My first taste of Flemish author, Pieter Aspe.

[Sven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Goed misdaadverhaal waarbij ik herhaaldelijk op het verkeerde spoor werd gezet.

[Caty Hespel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opnieuw een sterke thriller met een onverwacht einde. Ze beginnen te smaken. Op naar nr. 5

[Geert · Rating 1 out of 5]

yaaaaaaaaawn

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Chiara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meeslepend met spannend einde

[Patrick Gesnot · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lekker des duivels zoals Duvel. Goede plot met de nodige wendingen. Onverwacht einde. Spannend. Zoals de aflevering op TV onlangs. Herhaling.

[Hannelore Cheney · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Fourth Figure by Pieter Aspe was a book I really looked forward to reading. The setting of Bruges intrigued me, it's a city I'd love to visit. The book features Commissioner Pieter Van In, a hard drinking, chain smoking man who I had a difficult time liking. His Sergeant, Guido, and wife Hannelore are more likeable. Maybe if I had read previous books in the series it would have made a difference. The crime involves a devil worshipping cult, murder, drugs and a horrific mass killing of 9 people. Van In has a mild flirtation with a young woman who is on the case as well, which doesn't end well, as Hannelore, heavily pregnant, leaves Van In. The ending was a bit disappointing, but on the whole I enjoyed the book and would read others in the series. Thanks to Netgalley, Pieter Aspe and Open Road Integrated Media for providing me with an ARC in return for an unbiased review.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read previous Van Innes mysteries and enjoyed them. Van Innes is a peculiar character: sometimes he comes across as unlikeable or a jerk, but he is just idiosyncratic and perhaps a bit on the spectrum. In this book, Van Innes' wife is about to give birth to their child. He's distracted by this, but his attention is piqued by a strange death. It first appears to be a suicide, but after a closer look, it's murder -- and Van Innes finds ties to a bizarre satanic cult.

There are many strengths of this series: the descriptions of Bruges, Belgium, that make you feel like you're living there; the quirky but believable characters, and the twisty plots. You might prefer to start at an earlier point in the series to truly appreciate the back story and characters, but this is a very enjoyable novel in a good series.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bon, j'ai fait une grosse pause lecture alors qu'il me restait moins de cent pages pour terminer ce Pieter Aspe. Je suis sûre que ça ne m'a pas aidée à apprécier ce bouquin car j'avais oublié certains détails de l'intrigue quand je m'y suis enfin remise et lire en faisant des aller-retours dans les pages n'est jamais très agréable.

Malgré tout, dès le début, je n'ai jamais pu vraiment adhérer à toutes ces histoires de (pseudo)-satanisme. L'intrigue policière m'a vraiment paru très faible cette fois, et la seule partie du livre que j'ai beaucoup aimée est tout ce qui concerne la vie privée de Van In.

Pas un des meilleurs de la série selon moi.

[Nathalieke-be · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ik vind het soms moeilijk met alle namen en gebeurtenissen die in het verhaal zijn verwerkt. Als je het boek eventjes zou wegleggen kun je onmogelijk nog weten wie wie is.
Ik vind het wel aangenaam dat Pieter Aspe de huwelijkssituatie tussen Van In en Hannelore schetst terwijl het onderzoek volop aan de gang is. Het creeërt iets huiselijks. We zien Van In op die manier niet altijd als commissaris in het boek, maar ook als mens. Hij houdt veel van Hannelore.
Het boek is helder geschreven. De taal komt duidelijk over bij de lezer.
Pieter Aspe weet ook perfect de spanning erin te houden. Dat Venex, Raf Geens is, is een complete verrassing. Maar zo hoort het ook in misdaadromans.

[weaverannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

De boeken van Aspe zijn altijd prettig als tussendoortje.
Van In en Versavel onderzoeken de dood van Trui Andries, maar langzaam maar zeker wordt duidelijk, dat er meer achter deze schijnbare zelfmoord moet zitten. In Brugge lijkt een drugsdealer actief en ook een Kerk van Satan: aanbidders van de duivel - en van drugs die in die kerk uitgedeeld werden.
Intussen komt de bevalling van de vrouw van Van In steeds dichterbij.
Het onthouden van alle namen en de personen die bij die namen horen is vaak niet eenvoudig. Daarom viel de ontknoping dan ook wat tegen.

[Mazel · Rating 1 out of 5]

Qu'arrive-t-il au flic le moins fréquentable de la Belgique, sur le point de devenir père, quand s'abattent sur lui crimes déguisés en suicides, attentat à la sortie de la messe, secte satanique et trafic de drogue ? Rien qui puisse le mettre de bonne humeur...

Pieter Aspe scrute avec humour et férocité les turpitudes de la très bourgeoise Bruges, dont les dessous se révèlent beaucoup plus ténébreux que ne le laissent penser les dépliants touristiques !

[Vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that's, like, totally fine - it's not spectacular, man, but it's a solid C. I found the prose a bit plodding but that could be an inherent problem in the translation as I've found the English translations I've read of Dutch and Flemish works have a similarly flat affect. As for the mystery, I mean, I guess? It's got Satanists, so there's that.

I received an ecopy from the publishers and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Monica · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although I still like VanIn, Guido and Hannelore a lot, I found the plot of this book very convoluted and confusing. There are cruel nuns, abused orphans, a sexy female journalist assigned to follow VanIn, a ring of Satanists, several murders, a mass shooting, a heroin ring, and a plot to discredit VanIn. And Hannelore is very pregnant.
It’s all a bit much to keep track of, and at times it felt hardly worth the effort.

[Jielus Kuijntjes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opnieuw een prima verhaal met een zeer verrassende ontknoping. Alle puzzelstukjes vallen in het laatste hoofdstuk op z'n plaats. Opnieuw 4 sterren!

[Haris Sahinidis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic combination of family life and police work. Humor and sexy remarks with a good plot with satanists and drug dealing makes this a good summer read

[Elvio Mac · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pieter Aspe - La quarta forma di Satana
L'ambientazione è sempre a Bruges, il protagonista è sempre Pieter Van In, alle prese con morti dovute a cause oscure, forse dovute all'influenza di sette sataniche. Tra i vari casi il commissario vede dei collegamenti, e quando avviene un attentato all'uscita della messa dalla chiesa di Sint-Jakob, con otto vittime, Van In, è sempre più convinto che i fatti siano legati tra loro.
Tra i quattro libri di Aspe, questo è quello che mi è piaciuto meno, restano però i punti a suo favore, ovvero l'ottimo ruvidissimo personaggio del commissario Van In e il fatto che in tutti i suoi libri, nulla è come sembra.