Nicolas Freeling (1927–2003)
Author of Love in Amsterdam
About the Author
Novelist Nicolas Freeling was born in London on March 3, 1927. After serving in the military and working as a cook, he began his first novel, Love in Amsterdam, while in prision for theft. He is best know for his Piet Van der Valk dective stories which inspired two television series. He also show more created the Henri Castang series and wrote numerous individual novels. He received the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America for The King of the Rainy Country. He also won the Gold Dagger from the British Crime Writers Association and France's Grand Prix de Roman Policier. He died on July 20, 2003 at the age of 76. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/f/nicolas-freeling/
Series
Works by Nicolas Freeling
Associated Works
Ellery Queen's Anthology #32: Magicians of Mystery (Fall/Winter 1976) (1976) — Contributor — 9 copies
Van Der Valk, Series 1-5 [1972-1992] — Creator — 7 copies
Time-Life Book Digest: Masquerade | Sand Castles | His Little Women | What Lisa Knew (1990) — Author — 2 copies
Van der Valk, Season 1 [1972] — Creator — 2 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Other names
- Davidson, Nicolas (birth name)
- Birthdate
- 1927-03-03
- Date of death
- 2003-07-20
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- UK
- Birthplace
- London, England, UK
- Place of death
- Mutzig, Bas-Rhine, France
- Cause of death
- cancer
- Places of residence
- London, England, UK
Strasbourg, France
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Grandfontaine, Vosges, France
Schirmeck, Alsace, France - Education
- University of Dublin
- Occupations
- chef
novelist
crime writer - Organizations
- Royal Air Force
- Awards and honors
- CWA Gold Dagger (runner up 1963)
Grand Prix de Littérature Policière
Edgar Award (1967) - Short biography
- Nicolas Freeling dropped out of university and wanted to become a writer. He traveled around France and Britain, working in restaurants, and discovered he had a talent for cooking. In 1959, while working as a chef in Amsterdam, a brief stint in prison for theft led Freeling to start writing a detective story that became his first Inspector Van der Valk novel, published in 1962. After killing Van der Valk off in 1972, he launched the Castang series about a provincial French detective inspector. He also wrote stand-alone novels and other books. Over the years, Freeling won the three most prestigious awards for crime writing, the Grand Prix de Roman Policier, the Edgar Allan Poe Award and the British Crime Writers' Golden Dagger, but many consider his novels to be mainstream literature.
Members
Reviews
Love in Amsterdam by Nicolas Freeling
I just watched the latest season of the new Van Der Walk and got curious about the books that inspired it so got this one from the library. I knew it would be different but about the only things are the name and the city. I did not enjoy the book at all and won't bother to take more out. It took so many odd turns and I kept expecting some clever twists and then it just ended. The new TV series isn't fantastic but I follow it a bit more.
I have to be honest and say that this is a difficult novel to review and rate. The difficulties in discussing this novel begin straightaway because this is a crime novel but the bulk of it is really a psychological non-thriller. Definitely a very slow-burn, as they say. Being honest, there were plenty of points that I would have given this, just barely, a weak 2-star rating. My reaction immediately upon finishing the novel was that it was a 4-star novel, for sure, and certainly the author is underrated and incredibly talented.
I am giving this novel three stars. It could deserve four, to be honest. But the brutality on the reader of that middle historical section is a very muddy slog – I say that knowing that there really was not another method to plot this storyline.… (more)
I am giving this novel three stars. It could deserve four, to be honest. But the brutality on the reader of that middle historical section is a very muddy slog – I say that knowing that there really was not another method to plot this storyline.… (more)
Castang’s City. Nicolas Freeling. A Henri Castang Mystery. 1980,2017. Castang, a police officer in a mid-sized French city investigated the murder of a local business man and tends to his pregnant wife. The case becomes more complicated when the victim’s son is also murdered. An interesting police procedural and a fascinating look into French home life. I would have enjoyed this more had I not lost my Kindle for a week midway through ( It was stuck between the front seats of the car). I liked the “ Frenchness” of this more than the crime. Not for everyone.… (more)
The storyline is not a bad idea (a woman goes missing after a quarrel with her husband and her neighbours ask Henry Castang to look into her disappearance )but due to the fact that every chapter is told by a different character makes it difficult to keep one focused. The whole story tended to wander. And I can't say that Henry Castang,the police inspector, actually charmed me or kept my interest.
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Lists
Edgar Award (1)
Global Mysteries (1)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 49
- Also by
- 9
- Members
- 2,924
- Popularity
- #8,760
- Rating
- 3.7
- Reviews
- 47
- ISBNs
- 375
- Languages
- 9
- Favorited
- 2
