A. C. Baantjer (1923–2010)
Author of Dekok and the Dead Harlequin
About the Author
Image credit: Bron: Readers Digest Omnibus 250
Series
Works by A. C. Baantjer
Murder in Amsterdam: Two Books in One (Dekok and the Sunday Strangler and Dekok and the Corpse on Christmas Eve) (1993) 68 copies, 2 reviews
De Cock met ceeooceekaa en ik: Verhalen uit het leven van een Amsterdamse diender... (2010) 3 copies, 1 review
Een Amsterdamse rechercheur, waarin opgenomen Uit het leven van een Amsterdamse diender (1989) 3 copies
De Cock en de zorvuldige moordenaar 2 copies
Baantjer omnibus 7 - De Cock en de moord op Anna Bentveld, De Cock en de moord op termijn, De Cock en de dode meesters (2001) 2 copies
De Cock en de sluimerende dood ; De Cock en de dood van de Helende Meesters ; De Cock en moord in reclame (2011) 2 copies
De Cock en de motorclubmoord 1 copy
Winterboek 1965 1 copy
De beste van Baantjer 1 copy
Kippevel 1 copy
De Cock en de dood in gebed 1 copy
De Cock en een veld papavers 1 copy
De moraal van het cliché 1 copy
De Cock en de smekende dood 1 copy
Uit het leven van een Amsterdamse diender ; Een Amsterdamse rechercheur (Een Fontein-pocket special) 1 copy
De Cock en treurende kater 1 copy
De Cock en moord op termijn 1 copy
1 (Appie Baantjer Compleet: alle verhalen van rechercheur Baantjer van Bureau Warmoesstraat) (2005) 1 copy
Baantjer Omnibus 9 1 copy
De Cock en de blijde Bacchus 1 copy
De Cock en de dood in antiek 1 copy
De Cock en het lijk op drift 1 copy
De Cock en 't wassend water 1 copy
De Cock en danse macabre 1 copy
De Cock en moord in beeld 1 copy
De Cock en moord à la carte 1 copy
De Cock en de moord in brons 1 copy
Bureau Warmoesstraat 1 copy
Associated Works
Het Beste Boek 258: Het laatste testament / Niets te verliezen / Ken je me nog? / De Cock en de dood in gebed — Author — 3 copies, 1 review
Het Beste Boek 179: Het Koningsgraf/ Dit kind is van mij / De Cock en het wassende kwaad / De bruggen van Madison County — Author — 2 copies, 1 review
Het Beste Boek 151: Vlucht in het verleden / De dans van de wolf / De Cock en de smekende dood / Een waaier van geluk (1991) — Author — 2 copies, 1 review
Het Beste Boek 100: Blinde liefde / De Cock en de treurende kater / Overhaaste ingreep / Domino 2 copies, 1 review
Het Beste Boek 189: De onwaarschijnlijke spion / Het rijk van de vrouw / De Cock en de geur van rottend hout / Alice 2 copies, 1 review
Het Beste Boek 132: De Cock en de moord op de bloedberg / Dochter van de dageraad / Nachtschaduw / Simon en het kind (1988) 2 copies, 1 review
Het Beste Boek 157: Nachtvlucht / Scarlett / De Cock en de moord eerste Klasse (1992) 2 copies, 1 review
Het Beste Boek 117: De Cock en de ontgoochelde dode / Vroedvrouw in Karelië / Wolkenkrabber / Een wereld alleen (1985) 2 copies, 1 review
De Cock en de romance in moord; Een vrouw in huis; De man van St. Petersburg; Jamie 2 copies, 1 review
Uur van de waarheid; Een jaar van herinnering; De Cock en de dood in antiek; Everest — Author — 1 copy, 1 review
De Cock en het lijk in de kerstnacht; De stad der vreugde; Doodsoorzaak onbekend; Helden zonder vreem of blaam — Author — 1 copy, 1 review
Het Beste Boek: De Cock en een recept voor moord; Een nieuw begin; De rekening; De glasblazer — Author — 1 copy, 1 review
Bestseller Selectie 3 — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Canonical name
- Baantjer, A. C.
- Legal name
- Baantjer, Albert Cornelis
- Other names
- Baantjer
Baantjer, Appie - Birthdate
- 1923-09-16
- Date of death
- 2010-08-29
- Gender
- male
- Occupations
- policeman
writer
novelist - Awards and honors
- Knighted by the Dutch monarchy
- Short biography
- Albert Cornelis "Appie" Baantjer (16 September 1923 – 29 August 2010) was a Dutch author of detective fiction and police officer.
He is mainly known for his large series of detective novels revolving around police inspector De Cock (also translated as DeKok) and his side-kick, sergeant Vledder. The name of the protagonist simply means "cook" in Dutch, but has an unusual spelling which is at the heart of a running gag that involves De Cock spelling out his name every time he introduces himself to someone.
The novels have spin-offs in the form of a motion picture[1] and a long-running TV-series entitled Baantjer.[2] Both are named after the author, rather than the main character(s). This led to screenwriter Berend Boudewijn's bitter statement in a Dutch TV guide (VPRO Gids, 11 November 2005) that "Baantjer is the only TV series in the world that is named after a writer, even though it is not written by him." (This is not entirely true: The Belgian TV series Aspe is also named after its writer, Pieter Aspe, who wrote the first season but not the second.)
Baantjer's novels have made their way into the English language through the publishing house Speck Press. De Cock's name has been translated as DeKok. There are approximately 23 of the 60 published Baantjer titles available in English. His books have also been translated into Spanish, French, Russian and Korean and Estonian - Nationality
- Netherlands
- Birthplace
- Urk, Netherlands
- Place of death
- Alkmaar, Netherlands
- Associated Place (for map)
- Netherlands
Members
Reviews
This was a story that engaged me right from the beginning, not just the story itself but the characters of the detective duo, De Kok (Kay oh kay) and his younger assistant Vledder, and the patches of humour that often coloured the text.
The style of the text reminded me a bit of Georges Simenon, and De Kok is a bit like Maigret in size and in the fact that he often keeps things to himself. Mrs De Kok makes a cameo appearance once or twice too, a bit like Madame Maigret, mainly used as a show more sounding board.
To De Kok's assistant the way forward is often frustratingly clear and his boss sees obstacles where Vledder sees none. The duo reminded me a bit also of Dalziel and Pascoe although Vledder is hardly an intellectual. Like Andy Dalziel and Peter Diamond, Jurriaan De Kok has his own way of doing things which his immediate boss finds frustrating.
The hook comes at the beginning of the novel:
He had read the strange note several times. Each time he read it, he was as surprised as he had been the first time.
This was an entirely new wrinkle in a career of more than twenty years. A person contacts Homicide and details in a short, businesslike letter his intention to kill someone. DeKok felt he'd entered the theater of the absurd.
But it is the humourous descriptions that I really loved.
A handsome man entered. He gave a confusing first impression. There was something unbalanced about his appearance. He looked something like a Calvinist church warden out on a weekday. He wore a long, somber dark coat, but the pearl gray scarf he wore outside the collar gave him an elegant, worldly appearance. The most noticeable feature, however, was his high forehead, which was accented by a receding hairline. A mocking grin played around his weak, thin-lipped mouth.
and
Eyebrows rippling like woolly caterpillars, DeKok looked thoughtfully at his partner.
and the very human qualities of DeKok:
DeKok felt his feet starting to hurt. It was a bad sign, he knew. His feet always hurt when a case did not progress satisfactorily.
Like many of the more "modern" detectives DeKok has his own sense of justice and plays by his own rules. He has great empathy with the victims of crime.
I'd love to be able to say that I will read a few more from this series, but Amazon appears to have only this title on Kindle, although my local library has 5 hard copies. show less
The style of the text reminded me a bit of Georges Simenon, and De Kok is a bit like Maigret in size and in the fact that he often keeps things to himself. Mrs De Kok makes a cameo appearance once or twice too, a bit like Madame Maigret, mainly used as a show more sounding board.
To De Kok's assistant the way forward is often frustratingly clear and his boss sees obstacles where Vledder sees none. The duo reminded me a bit also of Dalziel and Pascoe although Vledder is hardly an intellectual. Like Andy Dalziel and Peter Diamond, Jurriaan De Kok has his own way of doing things which his immediate boss finds frustrating.
The hook comes at the beginning of the novel:
He had read the strange note several times. Each time he read it, he was as surprised as he had been the first time.
This was an entirely new wrinkle in a career of more than twenty years. A person contacts Homicide and details in a short, businesslike letter his intention to kill someone. DeKok felt he'd entered the theater of the absurd.
But it is the humourous descriptions that I really loved.
A handsome man entered. He gave a confusing first impression. There was something unbalanced about his appearance. He looked something like a Calvinist church warden out on a weekday. He wore a long, somber dark coat, but the pearl gray scarf he wore outside the collar gave him an elegant, worldly appearance. The most noticeable feature, however, was his high forehead, which was accented by a receding hairline. A mocking grin played around his weak, thin-lipped mouth.
and
Eyebrows rippling like woolly caterpillars, DeKok looked thoughtfully at his partner.
and the very human qualities of DeKok:
DeKok felt his feet starting to hurt. It was a bad sign, he knew. His feet always hurt when a case did not progress satisfactorily.
Like many of the more "modern" detectives DeKok has his own sense of justice and plays by his own rules. He has great empathy with the victims of crime.
I'd love to be able to say that I will read a few more from this series, but Amazon appears to have only this title on Kindle, although my local library has 5 hard copies. show less
I really liked this mystery. I love the Detective Jurrian Dekok (with a kay oh kay). It was funny, serious, poignant and very Dutch. I'd like to read more of his work.
What is it that makes the DeKok, Maigret, Nero Wolfe, Morse, Carella and others so sympathetic? I think it's a nostalgia for a past -- perhaps a past that never existed, except in our minds. Nevertheless, it's real and very appealing. DeKok work out of the old Warmoes police station with the traditional nice chairs for the public, a watch commander who's approachable behind a nice wooden desk as opposed to the new police stations where the police are ensconced behind bullet-proof plastic and show more you have to speak through holes drilled in the plastic and rarely is there a place to sit. DeKok knows everyone in his district and is known by everyone else. He loves their idiosyncratic behaviors, revels in them perhaps. Maigret is similar even if his methods seem to be plodding , punctuated by moments of clarity and insight.
Called to the scene of a strangulation of a known heroin addict, Inspector DeKok and Vledder, his assistant, find something odd: a mostly used pad of graph paper, but no evidence of any work requiring graphs. They consider it an isolated case until they are called to one of the canals where another strangulation has occurred. Both victims appeared to have kicked the habit. There follows the murder of an old friend, the landlady of the two murdered ex-addicts.
Apparently, Baantjer was a detective inspector with the Amsterdam police which provides considerable credibility. He’s written dozens of DeKok stories and one wonders where he finds the time, but also that many more will be translated. Three stars rather than my usual four as I don’t this this is one of his better stories. show less
Called to the scene of a strangulation of a known heroin addict, Inspector DeKok and Vledder, his assistant, find something odd: a mostly used pad of graph paper, but no evidence of any work requiring graphs. They consider it an isolated case until they are called to one of the canals where another strangulation has occurred. Both victims appeared to have kicked the habit. There follows the murder of an old friend, the landlady of the two murdered ex-addicts.
Apparently, Baantjer was a detective inspector with the Amsterdam police which provides considerable credibility. He’s written dozens of DeKok stories and one wonders where he finds the time, but also that many more will be translated. Three stars rather than my usual four as I don’t this this is one of his better stories. show less
On a windy damp March day in Amsterdam a body is fished out of a canal. There is no identification on the person and the only clue to his identity is the way he is dressed in black turtleneck,black jeans and new Keds. Detective-Inpector DeKok and his partner Vledder are quite surprised when the next day a beautiful young woman comes into the police station claiming she know the victim and they were in fact lovers. Unfortunately the little she knows about him doesn't include his real show more name.
Amsterdam is a city of canals in a system that is even more extensive than that of Venice, a little know fact that the citizens of the city are proud of. They are also proud of the fact that murder is somewhat of a rare happening in this beautiful. Death on the other hand is common because of wide spread drug addiction and alcoholism. In fact DeKok wants to rule out an accidental death in the current matter at hand but the post mortem reveals the fatal wound on the young man's face.
These two detectives have only one cryptic clue to start them on their search. The dead man was heard to say 'Can a dead person commit murder?' a day or so before his death.
The story is gripping, beautifully complex and a very good example of A. C. Baantjer's work. A subtle mix of psychology, history intuition make DeKok a sleuth many compare to Maigret. I like him a bit more. show less
Amsterdam is a city of canals in a system that is even more extensive than that of Venice, a little know fact that the citizens of the city are proud of. They are also proud of the fact that murder is somewhat of a rare happening in this beautiful. Death on the other hand is common because of wide spread drug addiction and alcoholism. In fact DeKok wants to rule out an accidental death in the current matter at hand but the post mortem reveals the fatal wound on the young man's face.
These two detectives have only one cryptic clue to start them on their search. The dead man was heard to say 'Can a dead person commit murder?' a day or so before his death.
The story is gripping, beautifully complex and a very good example of A. C. Baantjer's work. A subtle mix of psychology, history intuition make DeKok a sleuth many compare to Maigret. I like him a bit more. show less
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Statistics
- Works
- 221
- Also by
- 16
- Members
- 2,910
- Popularity
- #8,799
- Rating
- 3.3
- Reviews
- 50
- ISBNs
- 333
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