tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post4478402876311392229..comments2024-03-28T01:36:51.952-06:00Comments on Mysteries and More from Saskatchewan: The Blond Baboon by Janwillem Van de Wetering (1978)Bill Selneshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17268006369157307593noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post-28661273160658238122011-08-23T23:32:21.322-06:002011-08-23T23:32:21.322-06:00John: Thanks for the comment. I did not see anythi...John: Thanks for the comment. I did not see anything in the book about Zen Buddhism. With regard to their action not a suspect was beaten up to help solve the crime.Bill Selneshttp://mysteriesandmore.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post-66921886017036023812011-08-23T23:28:17.189-06:002011-08-23T23:28:17.189-06:00Kerrie: Thank you for the comment and link to your...Kerrie: Thank you for the comment and link to your review.Bill Selneshttp://mysteriesandmore.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post-1021980734642168002011-08-23T06:47:55.592-06:002011-08-23T06:47:55.592-06:00Great series, Bill. I knew someone would wri about...Great series, Bill. I knew someone would wri about these books. De Wetering is the first Dutch writer I think of when people talk about Amsterdam in fiction. I've read many of the early titles, but not this one. Is Zen Buddhism still a part of De Gier's life in this one? That to me was the most fascinating part of the series. He is one of the earliest fictional policemen with a strong sense of compassion and he makes a stark contrast to some of the more brutal cops in crime novels of the early 70s when these books first appeared.J F Norrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06473487417479127354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post-56370986060643802402011-08-22T21:40:01.761-06:002011-08-22T21:40:01.761-06:00Sounds a good one Bill. I read and enjoyed his DEA...Sounds a good one Bill. I read and enjoyed his <a href="http://paradise-mysteries.blogspot.com/2008/07/review-death-of-hawker-by-janwillem-van.html" rel="nofollow">DEATH OF A HAWKER</a> a couple of years back. Thanks for participating this week.Kerriehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13581470363339796352noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post-55630230079887746382011-08-22T20:40:53.980-06:002011-08-22T20:40:53.980-06:00Margot: Thanks for a very thoughtful comment.
I d...Margot: Thanks for a very thoughtful comment.<br /><br />I doubt books will become shorter. We seem to equate quality with a lengthy story.<br /><br />I can almost see you thinking about an essay on the pacing of crime fiction.Bill Selneshttp://mysteriesandmore.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1644690488802388716.post-22182993307117011342011-08-22T07:52:27.169-06:002011-08-22T07:52:27.169-06:00Bill - I'm glad you enjoyed this one enough to...Bill - I'm glad you enjoyed this one enough to be interested in more of Van de Wetering's work. You make two really interesting points here. One is the length of the book. You're quite right that, with some exceptions, modern crime fiction can get awfully long. Sometimes length is necessary to tell a story well but often, it's not. That's an interesting phenomenon...<br /><br />The other point you make that I found interesting is about the pace of this book. I hadn't thought deeply about this, but you could well be right that a lot of modern crime fiction has drama and faster-paced plot twists, whereas earlier crime fiction had less of that. That may depend on the sub-genre, but it's such an interesting thought...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com