Strike Out Where Not Applicable

Rating:
Summary: Van Der Valk among the tulip fields.
Review: Retired upwards to the quiet town of Lisse, Van Der Valk is almost delighted when he can abandon cases of petty thievery for the mysterious death of a local restaurateur. It seems as though the unliked man was killed by a spooked horse, but when a local doctor sounds a note of unease Van Der Valk becomes convinced that there's something more behind the death.

Freeling's Van Der Valk novels are marvellous not only for their mysteries (always interesting) but also for their examination of the small details of Dutch life. Particularly striking in this book are the bicycle champion and his wife Janine. The poor unaccepted Janine speaks French rather than letting the toffs of the village hear her peasant Brabants accent. She and her husband are guilty of making money at something visible, rather than quietly accumulating it behind solid middle class doors.

Van Der Valk is not a typical detective, and one of the things that makes the Freeling mysteries so nice is the healthy twist of cynicism that run through all his novels. Van Der Valk hates to see crime (and criminals) reduced to the mechanisms of the middle class, but in the end he acquiesces, order must be restored and sometimes the best answer is not the truth, but the one which satisfies everyone the most...

Strike Out Where Not Applicable is not a bad place to begin with Freeling, but if you like this one be sure to read _The King of the Rainy Country_ and _Gun Before Butter_.