Review: The Midas Murders by Pieter Aspe

The Midas Murders is the second book by Pieter Aspe featuring Bruges inspector Pieter Van In. After reading The Square of Revenge and finding it to be a pretty good read, I was interested in seeing where Aspe would take this character Van In.

A businessman is found dead in the cold streets of Bruges from an apparent alcoholic induced death. Over the course of the investigation Van In goes to question another man seen with him on the night of his death only to find that man dead as well. Coincidence? Van In doesn't believe so. To top it off, a seemingly unrelated bombing destroys one of Bruges most treated popular attraction, Guido Gazelle. 

What I liked most about the novel this time around is not the mystery or the characters. What's most endearing with this title is the relationship between Van In and DA Hannelore Maartins. They are an odd couple that I did not see fitting together after reading the first story in the Van In series. Van In is not someone I would say has their life together what with his chain smoking, boozing, financial woes, and low self esteem. He seems the least likely candidate for the beautiful Hannelore. Aspe makes them fun and enjoyable to read with dialogue that's not cheesy or stilted.

I wouldn't describe The Midas Murders a genre-bending read but I found its swift pacing and absorbing mystery worth the few hours it took to read it. I will definitely read the next in the series.

Review: The Square of Revenge by Pieter Aspe

Originally written in 1995, The Square of Revenge is the first novel featuring the Bruges Assistant Commissioner Pieter Van In. I was especially interested in reading this crime novel because of its location in Belgium. Van In is called to investigate a robbery. The victim, Ludovic Degroof, is a high profile business man with friends in high places. The crime scene is instantly strange.

Inspector Van In and the forensic team find that the store hasn't actually been robbed but that the precious jewels have been melted down by Aqua Regia. In the safe where these jewels were placed, there is a strange note written in what appears to be Latin. Before Inspector Van In can get a real grasp on the motives of the case, he is shut down by his boss because their high profile victim favors his privacy more than anything else. At a crossroads, Van In and the stunning prosecuter Hannelore Martens begin to investigate on their own and uncover some very hidden family secrets.

The novel seems to stall until the abduction of a Degroof family member. I may have given away entirely too much information but the plot is not entirely that interesting or different. Although Aspe manages to hold my interest the entire novel, I felt more interested in getting to know our Inspector Van In and his new partner Hannelore. They are infitely more interesting and the secrets they uncover are much more juicy. Maybe my problem is that the crime was kinda light and deserved more "umpf".

Even with my gripe about the plot development, I must give credit to Pieter Aspe for vividly describing Bruges. And the introduction of Van In intrigues me. I know that followup novels probably give more insight into this chain-smoking, booze-drinking lover of all things beautiful. He's the most well developed character but I feel I still need/want to know more about him.

I look forward to reading more of Aspe's translated work in this Van In series. I hope The Square of Revenge is not the first and last acquaintance with this author.  ***