The beautiful medieval architecture of Bruges belies the dark longings of her residents. When the wealthy and powerful Ludovic Degroof's jewelry store is broken into, nothing is stolen, but the jewels have been dissolved in jars of aqua regia, an acid so strong it can even melt gold. In the empty safe is a scrap of paper on which a strange square has been drawn. At first, Inspector Van In pays little attention to the paper, focusing on the bizarre nature of the burglary. But when Degroof's offspring also receive letters with this same square, Van In and the beautiful new DA Hannelore Martens find themselves unraveling a complex web of enigmatic Latin phrase, a baroness' fallen family, and Degroof's relationship with a hostage grandchild, ransomed for a priceless collection of art.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
June 1, 2013 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781624603228
- File size: 257455 KB
- Duration: 08:56:21
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from April 1, 2013
Offbeat characters and an unusual plot lift Belgian author Aspe’s first Pieter Van In novel to be translated into English. A relaxing Sunday for the detective inspector ends with a call from his boss, Chief Commissionaire De Kee, directing him to a bizarre crime in Bruges. A jewelry store has been burgled, but the brazen intruders didn’t steal the valuable contents. Instead, they dumped the loot in an aquarium tank filled with corrosive chemicals that destroyed bracelets, rings, necklaces, and earrings. Revenge against the Degroof family, owners of the store, appears to be the obvious motive, but De Kee throws Van In a curve by saying that it was not “essential per se that the culprit or culprits be arrested.” Van In and his eccentric cast of colleagues will be welcome companions for many readers, who will probably find comparisons to Simenon’s Maigret.
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