Avid Series Reader's Reviews > The Blond Baboon: A Grijpstra and De Gier Mystery

The Blond Baboon by Janwillem van de Wetering is the sixth book of the Amsterdam Cops series, set in late 20th-century Amsterdam. From the wealth of description of Amsterdam's streets and character, it's clear the author is fond of his city. The novel follows a leisurely pace, unlike a typical police procedural, focusing more on the interplay of the detectives' personalities and their reflections on solving crime, than the case itself.

Like the previous book in the series, the novel opens with Grijpstra and de Gier traveling through Amsterdam during a severe storm. They're investigating a pet poisoning when called to a possible murder: a woman killed by a fall downstairs in her apartment building. A suspicious quantity of money is found under her mattress. Her daughter, her business partner, and a former lover are all potential suspects. The most interesting character is the "Blond Baboon". He intrigues the detectives with his strange artwork and personality quirks that are opposite of the norm.

The Commissaris is absorbed with his own health issues throughout, but that doesn't prevent him from cleverly outwitting a doctor in a cute subplot near the end.