Sometimes you gotta take your surrealism wherever you can find it.

Oh, this is a weird one. The mystery seems here to mainly be an excuse for all kinds of interesting discussions between the characters, concerning Zen and other forms of Buddhist philosophy, as well as the nature of guilt, the purpose of punishment, the truth or meaning of dreams, and a raft of other things. As a one-time student of philosophy with a keen interest in Eastern thought, I thought that stuff was great. The problem is, I wanted to read a copy mystery starring my favorite Dutch detectives, Grijpstra and De Gier, and they barely even touch the main crime, which is actually investigated, for the most part, by their about-to-retire superior.

So, if you're in the mood for musings and meditations on a host of subjects, pick this up. But if you feel like reading a great crime story, this might be one to pass over. ( )

The commissaris goes to New York at the request of a volunteer policeman in Amsterdam. The uncle of this policeman has been found dead in Central Park. The body has been dismembered by animals and it is thus difficult to discover if it is a case of murder or merely natural death.
As with all other books in this series this is a far from straight-forward crime story and one which you will have to work at. ( )

Van de Wetering's strongest dose of Zen Buddhism yet.: Van de Wetering continues his search for the true meaning of being and nothingness. The commissaris and Sergeant de Gier travel to New York to investigate the death of an uncle of a member of the Amsterdam Police Reserve. Throughout the course of their investigation, the Dutch detectives continue their own personal search for enlightenment. Van de Wetering has a talent for giving his readers more than a casual glimpse of the philosophy of Zen Buddhism, yet he manages to do so without preaching about it. As always, he makes us laugh along the way. This book did not feature as much interaction between Adjutant Gripstra and Sergeant de Gier as some of Van de Wetering's previous efforts, as Gripstra did not travel to Manhattan with his colleagues. The focus in this story was the commissaris, and his attempts to solve both the case, and the meaning of life. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I am glad that the author has continued this unique mystery series after a long hiatus.

This is the first van de Wetering police procedural I've read, and I was generally favorably impressed. The story takes two of Amsterdam's finest to NYC to track down the fate of a Dutch national who's been found dead and partially consumed by wildlife in Central Park.

Van de Wetering's style is quirky and entertaining, and his characters memorable. My only hesitation is that it's very light stuff. ( )