Lead Review (plus author talks about setting – the JORDAAN)
- Book: Initiation: Amsterdam, ’83
- Location: Amsterdam
- Author: Daniel Pembrey
“..the search for a Dutch-speaking middle-aged man..”
Daniel’s short novel opens with ticking tension….Freddy Heineken, who is business royalty, has been kidnapped, and Henk van der Pol is sent to investigate. The novel is based on a true story.
The book is neatly set in the 1980s, when people still smoked more than they do today and when mobile phones were a distant dream. Opel Kadetts at the time were as ubiquitous as the Fiat 500 is now. A time when the Red Army Faction and the Baader Meinhof groups were very active….
Even in this short book – a Kindle Single – the reader gets to know Henk van der Pol on both a professional and personal level. He is only a week out of training and to be involved at any level in such a big case, so early in his career, is quite something. There is of course a love interest brewing for him in the form of journalist Petra but she maybe has more of an eye on a story than on him. He is not, however, easily deterred.
There are quite a few chases – out to Eindhoven and back – in search of the kidnappers, including a Dutch-speaking middle-aged man. Gradually van der Pol sees that the net stretches much wider and further than even he could have imagined.
The author is really skilled at bringing his characters to life, with little quirks and mannerisms. The setting, too, makes for an atmospheric backdrop, with the misty streets and the flying Dutchman (aka van der Pol on his bike) navigating the Jordaan on his bicycle…. as he enters Eerste Boomdwarsstraat he notes the beauty of the scene as the street lights atmospherically casting their shadow. He stops for a beer or cafe at various venues, which Daniel mentions below. The author’s work is absolutely what TripFiction is about and perfect for armchair and actual travel. On my next visit to Amsterdam I will certainly be tracking down some of van der Pol’s steps and checking out some of the venues mentioned!
ON THIS LINK WE CHAT TO THE AUTHOR ABOUT RESEARCH FOR 1980S JORDAAN, AMSTERDAM
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