The Square of Revenge by Pieter AspeMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
The Square of Revenge is a very interesting book. It is written by a very famous Belgian writer of crime stories named Pieter Aspe and he does a wonderful job. The story starts with what appears to be a robbery of the Degroof jewelry store. The store's window glass was broken and all the jewelry on display have disappeared. At first it appeared that every single item had been stolen until it was discovered that all the jewelry had been dumped into a tank of aqua regis (nitro-hydrochloric acid). The thieves simply destroyed the jewelry, they did not steal them. Also, a mysterious letter had been left behind with a cryptic clue that features a Templar's cross.
Inspector Pieter Van In was in charge of the investigation but had been told by his boss that the case is to be shelved because of a lot of political pressure -- Ludovic Degroof is a very rich and well-connected man and he wants the case silenced. Van In has also been receiving some attention from the new DA Hannelore Martens who seems to be keeping her eyes on the case.
Van In believes there is more to the case than meets the eye. The crime was not much of a burglary as an act of revenge. As he tries to find out more about the case, the DA's insistence of having a radio appeal broadcast in order to find witnesses to the crime get's Van In in big trouble. He has been "asked" to take a vacation. Hannelore Martens also finds herself in trouble too. All the "fuss" about the "burglary" merely encouraged Van In and Martens to find out more about the Degroof family.
Ludovic Degroof is a very rich and powerful man with a lot of connections. Van In and Martens, in their "unofficial" investigation, find out that the man really has a lot to hide. Van In believes Degroof knows more about the perpetrators than he is letting on.
All of a sudden, Van In has been called to work on a very important case. Surprisingly, the powerful Degroof even specifically asked to have Van In head the investigation. Bernard Degroof, the son of Lodovic's daughter Charlotte, has been kidnapped. The ransom note was a big puzzle as the kidnappers want the family to burn some very expensive paintings. What is really going on and who are the people hounding the Degroofs?
This crime thriller is just so exciting. There are so many twists and turns and almost every single one of them is unexpected. It is nearly impossible to predict how things will end unless each and every page is read all the way to the end. I love it! I can't wait to read more of Pieter Aspe's work :)
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