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This page lists novels that feature the Dutch policeman Van der Valk.

An additional section at the end of the page lists the two novels that feature his window Arlette Van der Valk.

Love in Amsterdam

Nicolas Freeling

1962

A Van der Valk novel.

"Elsa de Charmoy is found shot with a Mauser 765; a gun bought by her lover Martin who swears he hasn't seen her for five years. But Inspector Van der Valk, the unorthodox hero of Freeling's crime blockbusters, has misgivings and applies a subtle, insidious pressure in a masterly performance of police interrogation. Martin is driven to examine his past culminating in an edgy and ultra-hypnotic reprise for Van der Valk amidst the streets and cafes of Amsterdam."

Because of the Cats

Nicolas Freeling

1963

A Van der Valk novel.

"Bloemendaal aan Zee, that smugly prosperous little seaside town, has more television sets per capita than anywhere else in Holland. Even its drunks are polite, its houses uniformly tidy and sparkling clean. But there's something very wrong with the kids. The most popular teenagers have formed a gang that is preying, with increasing viciousness, on nearby Amsterdam -- Inspector Van der Valk's patch. Van der Valk has no love for chilly, yuppified Bloemendaal. But his curiosity is as voracious as his appetite for good food. And while his colleagues just want the attacks stopped, Van der Valk can't help asking what it is about the town that has turned Bloemendaal's children into monsters."

Gun Before Butter

Nicolas Freeling

1963

A Van der Valk novel.

"When you're in love, the whole world speaks of your beloved. Certainly this is true for Inspector Van der Valk, though it takes some time for him to recognize the cause of his condition. The beloved in this instance is Lucienne Englebert, the beautiful, troubled daughter of a well-known conductor, now orphaned and running riot through Amsterdam. And calling Lucienne to mind is everything and everyone that Van der Valk encounters, from an embittered piano-dealer to an secluded fishing lodge, from a garrulous mechanic to an expensive, abandoned car. Clearly, all roads that Van der Valk is traveling lead back to Lucienne. But is love the only connection? Or could Lucienne possibly have something to do with the murder that Van der Valk is investigating?"

Double-Barrel

Nicolas Freeling

1964

A Van der Valk novel.

"Two women had committed suicide, and a third had had to be led gently away by men in white coats. There had been an outbreak of anonymous letters. . .That was not so very much. But there was something more, intangible but perceptible. And Inspector Van der Valk changes his mind about the routine nature of his mission to Drente. What lies behind the small-town immoralities, eaves-dropping, hysteria? Could he by chance have stumbled upon one of the century's most wanted criminals?"

Criminal Conversation

Nicolas Freeling

1965

A Van der Valk novel.

"Van der Valk is on the case again as a mysterious letter is unearthed alluding to the murder of a man named Cabestan. In the letter, the murderer is named but van der Valk must find out first who this mysterious letter-writer is. What transpires is a tale of deception and adultery as the rich Carl Merckel, the managing director of the Lutz Brothers merchant bank, lays an accusation of cold blooded homicide of which, he claims, his wife had no part to play."

The King of the Rainy Country

Nicolas Freeling

1966

A Van der Valk novel.

"This was the end of the story that had started 'Once upon a time, in a rainy country, there was a king. . .' The end had not happened in a rainy country, but on a bone-dry Spanish hillside, three hundred metres from where Van der Valk had left a lot of blood, some splintered bone, a few fragments of gut, and a ten-seventy-five Mauser rifle bullet. No one had broken any laws. But a handsome, middle-aged millionaire had disappeared with a naked girl. And Van der Valk was given the job of finding out why."

Strike Out Where Not Applicable

Nicolas Freeling

1967

A Van der Valk novel.

"Commissaire Van der Valk, appointed to his new position after surviving a bullet through the leg, is getting rather bored of his new quiet life in the town of Lisse. Whilst getting home in time for dinner and golf at the weekends is all well and good, a little excitement wouldn't go amiss. So when a local man is found dead in suspicious circumstances, Van der Valk is on the case in a trice. Getting to know the local riding school's characters proves a daunting task, revealing a maze of illicit relationships, family secrets and disappointed women. But which suspect had enough of a motive? Who truly had it in them to kill?"

Tsing-Boum!

Nicolas Freeling

1969

A Van der Valk novel.

"Van der Valk is intrigued. It isn't everyday that a quiet housewife is machine gunned down at lunchtime in a block of flats. But the body isn't discovered until hours later, and by that time, the killer's trail is already getting cold. Van der Valk is left with more than one problem posed by the death of Esther Marx. For not only does she leave behind her a tide of mystery, but also a young daughter, in desperate need of care. Taking little Ruth into his home brings Van der Valk and his wife closer to the enigma of Esther, and even more determined to discover her killer. But there is more to Ester Marx's story than meets the eye. Unravelling her secrets will take Van der Valk on a journey into Esther's hidden past, revealing her to be anything but a simple, innocent, defenceless woman."

Over the High Side

Nicolas Freeling

1971

A Van der Valk novel.

"A respectable looking elderly man is stabbed in a busy street, and, despite being surrounded by people, no one seems to have seen anything. Van der Valk soon discovers that the victim was more of a rogue than he at first appeared, and is dragged into a world of dodgy deals and beautiful women. With five marriages under his belt and four beautiful daughters living in Ireland, Van der Valk feels strongly that Mr Martinez's death is somehow connected to them. His investigations bring him to Ireland, where there is something strange about the ladies of Belgrave Square, and the IRA looms over unfolding events."

A Long Silence

Nicolas Freeling

1972

A Van der Valk novel.

"It was not a very important case. No crime had been committed. For Van der Valk the shady dealings of a prosperous Amsterdam jeweler were more of a private puzzle. Two bullets put paid to that incurable curiosity."

The Freeling Omnibus

Nicolas Freeling

1972?

Combines the first three Van der Valk novels: Love In Amsterdam; Because Of The Cats; and Gun Before Butter.

The Second Freeling Omnibus

Nicolas Freeling

1972?

Combines the two Van der Valk novels Double-Barrel and King Of The Rainy Country and the non-series novel The Dresden Green.

Sand Castles

Nicolas Freeling

1989

A Van der Valk novel.

"Crime and corruption ooze from the dark corners of small towns and no one understands this more than Police Inspector Van der Valk. But small town isn't Jan Rijk, a right-wing criminal whose connections with the underworld may be devastating to the lives of small town people. What can Van der Valk do to stop him?"

The Widow

Nicolas Freeling

1979

An Arlette Van der Valk novel.

"After the death of her notorious husband Van der Valk, Arlette has had to make a new life for herself, with a new city, new job, and now a new man. But being married to a detective for twenty years has left its mark, and the pull of her late husband's work draws her in. Her new husband, Arthur, has the remarkable idea that Arlette should go into helping people professionally, and her very own advice bureau is born. At first the expected battered wives and suspicious husbands knock at her door, but these cases are not as simple as they first appear, and Arlette soon finds herself acting the private detective in a violent and dangerous world."

One Damn Thing After Another

Nicolas Freeling

1981

An Arlette Van der Valk novel.

"Since setting up shop in Strasbourg with her new husband, Arlette, widow to the notorious Van der Valk, has garnered something of a name for herself. Getting shot at, kidnapped and blackmailed seem to have simply become a part of daily life. Being taken under the wing of the local police commissioner has come in handy – especially when it came to the gun license – but being connected to the police can be dangerous. When Arlette returns from a relaxing holiday, she finds that her cases have not stalled in her absence, but piled up one on top of the other. Dealing with the different issues of her clients is one thing, but when one particularly nasty case arises, Arlette must decide if she will break the police commissioner's cardinal rule, and stick her nose into police business."