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De Cock #24
DeKok and Murder by Installment
“Shrewd, compassionate, and dedicated, DeKok makes a formidable opponent for criminals and a worthwhile competitor for the attention of Simenon’s Maigret fans.”— Library Journal
“It’s easy to understand the appeal of Amsterdam police detective DeKok; he hides his intelligence behind a phlegmatic demeanor, like an old dog that lazes by the fireplace and only shows his teeth when the house is threatened.”— Los Angeles Times
Although at first it seemed to be a case for the narcotics division, this latest crime soon evolves into a series of sinister and almost impossible murders. Never before have inspectors DeKok and his partner Vledder been so involved in a case in which murder, drug smuggling, and child prostitution are almost daily occurrences.
Blackmail enters the picture, and bodies continue to be found. DeKok even finds himself allowing one of the suspects in the serial crimes to go free.
To darken the days a bit more, in the past a single murder used to dominate the front pages of the newspapers for weeks, but now they get maybe four or six lines on page fourteen, third column, near the bottom. Death has become commonplace in the news, but never for DeKok.
“It’s easy to understand the appeal of Amsterdam police detective DeKok; he hides his intelligence behind a phlegmatic demeanor, like an old dog that lazes by the fireplace and only shows his teeth when the house is threatened.”— Los Angeles Times
Although at first it seemed to be a case for the narcotics division, this latest crime soon evolves into a series of sinister and almost impossible murders. Never before have inspectors DeKok and his partner Vledder been so involved in a case in which murder, drug smuggling, and child prostitution are almost daily occurrences.
Blackmail enters the picture, and bodies continue to be found. DeKok even finds himself allowing one of the suspects in the serial crimes to go free.
To darken the days a bit more, in the past a single murder used to dominate the front pages of the newspapers for weeks, but now they get maybe four or six lines on page fourteen, third column, near the bottom. Death has become commonplace in the news, but never for DeKok.
208 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1985
About the author
A.C. Baantjer
174 books72 followersAKA: Baantjer, Albert Cornelis Baantjer
ALBERT CORNELIS BAANTJER is the most widely read author in the Netherlands and has written more than fifty "De Kok" titles. He has also written other fiction and nonfiction and wrote a daily column in a Dutch newspaper. He was an inspector with the Amsterdam Police for thirty-eight years. Baantjer lived in Medemblik, Netherlands.
ALBERT CORNELIS BAANTJER is the most widely read author in the Netherlands and has written more than fifty "De Kok" titles. He has also written other fiction and nonfiction and wrote a daily column in a Dutch newspaper. He was an inspector with the Amsterdam Police for thirty-eight years. Baantjer lived in Medemblik, Netherlands.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
June 24, 2018
DeKok & Murder by Installment (1985) by A. C. Baantjer finds Inspector DeKok a bit disgruntled at the beginning of the novel. Not that this is unusual. The older cop has an allergy to the new-fangled things that have been trying to encroach on his well-worn methods. He's never really got used to buzzing around in cars--he didn't mind riding a police bicycle. He liked writing up his reports in long hand and now the department wants them submitted on computer-written pages. And that's where we, the readers come in, Baantjer is complaining about how much more work the computer reports are (not for him, of course--he wangles it so his younger partner Vledder does the honors)--that handwritten reports encouraged officers to be straightforward and succinct resulting in shorter reports and less work. Vledder argues that now he can write up once and print out all the copies needed for various departments and senior officers rather than copying it out by hand every time.
As he and Vledder debate the merits of the computing age, the watch commander Kuster comes along with something new for DeKok to be disgruntled about. An eighteen-year-old boy has been brought in on a cocaine charge and DeKok & Vledder are the only detectives available at that time of night so DeKok's protests that this is a job for narcotics fall on deaf ears. But then his own ears perk up when Kuster mentions that the boy also had huge amounts of money (translated by our 2006 translator as "a hundred thousand Euros" which doesn't jibe with the 1980s) taped around his waist. DeKok wants to know what a boy that age is doing with that much cash. His curiosity leads him and Vledder into a case with a series of sinister murders which are somehow connected to the boy and his money...and his brother who soon dies from AIDS.
Various members of a golfing club begin to die--each bashed over the head by an oddly-shaped weapon. It's no spoiler to tell you that it's a golf club--even the most dense reader must figure that out before DeKok. Yes, dear reader, the members of the golf club are done in by a golf club. Is there special significance in that? I'll never tell. What DeKok and Vledder must discover is what is the connection between the young men and the dead men. Why were the men wearing necklaces with the wrong astrological sign? And why has the murderer targeted them?
This is another interesting entry in this series from the Netherlands. Plenty of background color. Several quirky local characters. The mystery isn't breath-takingly original but DeKok is and he and Vledder are really what makes these books. I enjoy DeKok's methods and his peculiar take on police work. Good solid ★★★ effort.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
As he and Vledder debate the merits of the computing age, the watch commander Kuster comes along with something new for DeKok to be disgruntled about. An eighteen-year-old boy has been brought in on a cocaine charge and DeKok & Vledder are the only detectives available at that time of night so DeKok's protests that this is a job for narcotics fall on deaf ears. But then his own ears perk up when Kuster mentions that the boy also had huge amounts of money (translated by our 2006 translator as "a hundred thousand Euros" which doesn't jibe with the 1980s) taped around his waist. DeKok wants to know what a boy that age is doing with that much cash. His curiosity leads him and Vledder into a case with a series of sinister murders which are somehow connected to the boy and his money...and his brother who soon dies from AIDS.
Various members of a golfing club begin to die--each bashed over the head by an oddly-shaped weapon. It's no spoiler to tell you that it's a golf club--even the most dense reader must figure that out before DeKok. Yes, dear reader, the members of the golf club are done in by a golf club. Is there special significance in that? I'll never tell. What DeKok and Vledder must discover is what is the connection between the young men and the dead men. Why were the men wearing necklaces with the wrong astrological sign? And why has the murderer targeted them?
This is another interesting entry in this series from the Netherlands. Plenty of background color. Several quirky local characters. The mystery isn't breath-takingly original but DeKok is and he and Vledder are really what makes these books. I enjoy DeKok's methods and his peculiar take on police work. Good solid ★★★ effort.
First posted on my blog My Reader's Block. Please request permission before reposting. Thanks.
January 21, 2025
De Cock op zijn slechts of is dat juist het aantrekkelijke? Hij is knorrig, gemeen tegen Buitendam, oncollegiaal, bevooroordeeld en kortzichtig, drinkt behoorlijk veel tijdens werktijd en toch hou je van hem.
Halverwege besefte ik dat ik dit deel al eens gelezen had. Toen was ik ook al verbaasd dat de superspeurder aanvankelijk geen chocolade kon maken van een gouden kalf. Ik had hem bijbelvaster ingeschat.
Halverwege besefte ik dat ik dit deel al eens gelezen had. Toen was ik ook al verbaasd dat de superspeurder aanvankelijk geen chocolade kon maken van een gouden kalf. Ik had hem bijbelvaster ingeschat.
November 21, 2017
Another good one. This time three identical murders are commtted, but the wrong man is suspected.
June 23, 2022
En weer een standaard Baantjer.
August 9, 2014
A not bad lightweight police procedural with a cantankerous older officer who likes to bend the rules and younger more straight-laced assistant. As another reviewer pointed out, a bit like a Dutch version of Morse only nowhere near as good.
Two and a half stars would have been fairer.
Baantjer had a formula and stuck to it. There is a bit of " If you've read one, you've read 'em all" about these. The reliance on Little Lowee the bar owner for information in all these stories diminishes their credibility.
Two and a half stars would have been fairer.
Baantjer had a formula and stuck to it. There is a bit of " If you've read one, you've read 'em all" about these. The reliance on Little Lowee the bar owner for information in all these stories diminishes their credibility.
April 19, 2011
A mannered but fun ride through the dark canals of Amsterdam. As with Sherlock Holmes, no one except DeKok can understand the sequence of mysterious deaths.
December 27, 2022
Een van de beste Baantjer die ik me kan herinneren!
February 2, 2025
Een klassiek Baantjer boek! Heel lang blijft de connectie tussen de moorden een raadsel. Het plot is mooi. Met ook de wetenschap dat de Cock wel eens over zijn hart strijkt.
October 14, 2011
A Dutch author who writes of a dutch detective in a similar to the English Inspector Morse. Dutch names and places including canals and towns near Amsterdam are the settings for this mystery novel. The author keeps adding murders as the story unfolds and DeKok--with a Kay-Oh-Kay--and his assistant inspector must put all the pieces together to solve the crimes. A refreshing change from some who write about the gore of the crimes.
May 10, 2013
Straightforward police procedural with a lot of focus on the eccentricities of the lead detective and the tensions between that character and his young associate. Some success in using Amsterdam as its setting.
June 27, 2009
Simple but enjoyable quick read.
Want to Read
March 22, 2012Recommended in the book, Tolstoy and the Purple Chair.
July 28, 2016
3.5 Nothing particularly standout in this installment, just another pleasant visit to Warmoes.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews