There are touches of the 87th Precinct, Maigret and Janwillem van de Wetering, but Baantjer is in a category all his own. "The Globe and Mail" This latest installment of the internationally popular Inspector DeKok series finds the gray sleuth dealing with a most gruesome murder. "The oldest of the four men turned to DeKok, You re from homicide? " "DeKok nodded. The seasoned inspector wiped the raindrops from his face, bent down gingerly, and carefully lifted a corner of the canvas. Slowly the head became visible: a severed girl s head. DeKok felt the blood drain from his face, his stomach turning into an icy cold pit. Is that all you found? he asked." " A little farther, the man answered with sad disbelief, is the rest. " "Spread out among the dirt and refuse were the remaining parts of the body: the arms, the long, slender legs, and the petite torso. There was no clothing." DeKok faces death as an inevitable part of life, but when things turn this macabre, it s a hard reality to stomach. A.C. Baantjer is the most widely read author in the Netherlands. He is a former detective inspector of the Amsterdam police, and his fictional characters reflect the depth and personality of individuals encountered during his nearly forty-year career in law enforcement."