‘Are we? Where?’
‘To your friend Monsieur Thomas. We’ve both earned that. He’ll be an unwilling but lavish host.’
‘That adds edge to appetite,’ going off to do the washing-up. She wasn’t smoking at all, because of being pregnant. He was smoking much too much. This was all wrong but she was going to be placid about it. ‘I’ll make some coffee, shall I?’
Yes, that was a good idea, before he tumbled down asleep under the shower.
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Nicolas Freeling was born in London but travelled widely, living in Brittany and Ireland throughout his childhood. He began writing during a three-week prison sentence, after being convicted of stealing some veal from an Amsterdam restaurant in which he worked; the street-wise detective who interrogated him provided the inspiration for Van der Valk, one of his most famous characters. Freeling was deported back to Britain with Dutch wife Renée in tow, and it was here that he finished Love in Amsterdam, his first novel – published in 1962; its success caused Freeling to return to the Netherlands to garner local colour for further stories.
Having tired of his Dutch protagonist, Freeling killed him off in 1972, to the outrage of his fans. He refused to bring the detective back to life and wrote two novels where his widow Arlette was the detective. Then he embarked upon his second detective series - featuring French inspector, Henri Castang - ostensibly to revive his failing income. Many critics came to consider Castang superior to Van der Valk. His works won him the French Grand Prix de Roman Policier, the American Edgar Allen Poe Award and the British Crime Writers’ Golden Dagger.
Freeling died 20 July 2003 at his long-standing home at Grandfontaine to the west of Strasbourg.
Also in the Henri Castang series
Dressing of Diamond
What are the Bugles Blowing For?
Lake Isle, aka Sabine
The Night Lords
Castang’s City
Wolfnight
The Back of the North Wind
No Part in Your Death
Cold Iron
Not as Far as Velma
Those in Peril
Flanders Sky, aka The Pretty How Town
You Who Know
The Seacoast of Bohemia
A Dwarf Kingdom
Also by Nicholas Freeling
Van der Valk Series:
Love in Amsterdam aka Death in Amsterdam
Because of the Cats
Gun Before Butter aka Question of Loyalty
Double-Barrel
Criminal Conversation
The King of the Rainy Country
Strike Out Where Not Applicable
Tsing-Boum!
Over the High Side aka The Lovely Ladies
A Long Silence aka Auprès de ma Blonde
Sand Castles
Featuring Arlette Van der Valk:
The Widow
One Damn Thing After Another aka Arlette
Other Novels:
Valparaiso
The Dresden Green
Gadget
A City Solitary
One More River
Some Day Tomorrow
The Janeites
This edition published in 2017 by Ipso Books
Ipso Books is a division of Peters Fraser + Dunlop Ltd
Drury House, 34-43 Russell Street, London WC2B 5HA
Copyright © Rights Ltd, 1976
All rights reserved
Nicolas Freeling has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988 to be identified as the author of this work
You may not copy, distribute, transmit, reproduce or otherwise make available this publication (or any part of it) in any form, or by any means (including without limitation electronic, digital, optical, mechanical, photocopying, printing, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of the publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.
CONTENTS
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE