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The Square of Revenge (Inspector Van In #1)

Pieter Aspe

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May 13, 2022 Julie Griffin added it

The first of a best-selling series set in the medieval town of Bruges is a kinder, gentler police procedural. No serial killer terrorizing the ancient canals and brick streets. No gory murders. While still offering complicated plot twists and suspenseful action, this introduction to middle-aged detective Pieter Van In and Deputy Public Prosecutor Hannelore Martens strolls through a puzzling series of incidents involving a prominent Bruges family, Belgian history and culture, and the threats of a The first of a best-selling series set in the medieval town of Bruges is a kinder, gentler police procedural. No serial killer terrorizing the ancient canals and brick streets. No gory murders. While still offering complicated plot twists and suspenseful action, this introduction to middle-aged detective Pieter Van In and Deputy Public Prosecutor Hannelore Martens strolls through a puzzling series of incidents involving a prominent Bruges family, Belgian history and culture, and the threats of a past that couldn't be buried.
Two officers on night watch are surprised just after dawn with a jewelry store robbery and investigators make a puzzling discovery: the expensive inventory of gold in the shop owned by a well-known family has not been stolen, but rather destroyed in an ingenuous manner that raises insurance claims issues. Witnesses report an old man and a tall, younger man in the store the night before. The alarm wasn't sprung, but the safe was blown. How did the thieves know the alarm code, but not the same combination? Detective Van In is brought in more to keep the robbery under the radar than to solve the crime, but the prosecutor assigned to the case doesn't even consider letting that happen; she finds she is enjoying the challenge too much. Another incident involving a member of the same family brings up uncomfortable questions from the past, and then a child is kidnapped. Can the two investigators follow the clues in time to find the boy before a large public event demanded by the kidnappers takes place?
This is a procedural in which the perpetrators are clever in their details, and have good reasons for the crimes, and the detectives are working against political and social elements including Flemish culture and family dysfunction. The characters of Van In and Martens are very likeable and their investigation is interesting and enjoyable. Aspen lives in Bruges and describes the ancient buildings and streets well. He is one of the most popular authors in the Flemish language.
Recommend for mystery fans and readers interested in Belgium culture. There are four in the series, and I will be interested in following the partnership between Van in and Martens that begins in this book. ...more

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