Sisters in Crime Book Bloggers Challenge is Barbara Fister’s idea to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Sisters in Crime, an international organization founded in 1986 to promote the professional development and advancement of women writing crime fiction.
Crime Fiction on a Euro Pass is a community meme hosted by Kerrie at Mysteries in Paradise. The idea behind is that participants write a post linked to the country of the week. This week’s country is Holland. You can visit HERE the contribution of other fellow participants.
Whenever possible I will try to combine in a single post both challenges.
Maastricht is better known for the Maastricht treaty, negotiated and signed here in 1992, leading to the creation of the European Union and the euro. The name Maastricht is derived from Latin Trajectum ad Mosam (or Mosae Trajectum), meaning ‘crossing at the Meuse’, and referring to the bridge built by the Romans during the reign of Augustus Caesar. Maastricht is the southernmost city in the Netherlands, and is the capital of the province of Limburg. Situated within walking distance of Belgium and cycling distance of Germany, it claims to be the oldest city in the Netherlands (a claim it shares with Nijmegen). A great place to spend some time, it contains some magnificent buildings and culture, taking the form of plenty of old houses and buildings, lovely cathedrals and a spectacularly cobblestoned town centre. The city is also well known for its fine cuisine, excellent shops and multicultural atmosphere. For additional information visit Maastricht travel guide – Wikitravel and The Official Site of Holland.
In Maastricht we can find one of the world’s most beautiful bookstores, Selexyz Dominicanen which I discovered in this post A Touch of Dutch, looking for information about female Dutch crime writers like Saskia Noort, Esther Verhoef, Loes den Hollander, Suzanne Vermeer, Marion Pauw and Simone van der Vlugt. I have not read any of their books yet, but at least I know where to start. The only problem being that very few of their books are available in translation. Maxine at Petrona has reviewed most:
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Close Up by Esther Verhoef
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Back to the Coast by Saskia Noort
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The Reunion by Simone van der Vlugt
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The Dinner Club by Saskia Noort
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Shadow Sister by Simone van der Vlugt
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Rendezvous by Esther Verhoef
Fascinating post, Jose Ignacio. I hope some of those authors I haven’t yet read are translated into English soon. (And thank you for the kind mention/links). I think of the books you list, Back to the Coast and The Reunion are the two I’d recommend the most highly, though they are all good in my view. (Rendezvous was for me a bit disappointing and was more like a romance novel than a crime novel. Good if you like that kind of thing).
Thank you Maxine, for your reviews, recommendations and kind words.
José Ignacio – Thanks so much for this interesting background information! That bookstore sounds wonderful, too. And your post got me thinking about the way choices are made about which books are translated and which aren’t. I, too, hope that more of the work of those writers you’ve mentioned will be translated soon. And folks, Maxine is right; The Reunion is a very good read – I recommend it highly.
I’m glad you like it Margot. Thanks a lot for your support, I find it very encouraging.
Thanks for the fascinating introduction to Dutch writers! My TBR is dauntingly large, but the good news is that I will never have to think “I wish I knew what to read” – I have lots of ideas.
There are a few good suggestions coming out of this week’s EuroPass meme. I enjoyed THE REUNION too. Thanks for the wider links Jose Ignacio