The King of the Rainy Country

It had all started when an elegant businessman named Canisius came to Van der Valk to ask him to do some undercover detecting—to find out about the millionaire Jean-Claude Marschal, who had disappeared. There was no foul play suspected. Apparently, Marschal had suddenly decided to vanish from his job, leaving his luxurious home, his self-indulgent way of life and his devoted, very attractive, if rather reserved, aristocratic Belgian wife.

Trying to find some trace, Van der Valk sought the help of an old friend, a policeman, in Cologne. The old friend had missing-person troubles, too—in his case a very pretty, very young, unsophisticated beauty-pageant girl had vanished.

The chase for the two missing persons—could they possibly be connected?—wandered into expert ski trails, through a carnival and a small village, past murder (or suicide?), until Van der Valk uncovered some astonishing facts and a solution to the problems—or so he thought.

Nicolas Freeling has won a very enthusiastic audience here. This is one of his most remarkable books.