Reviews

In 1636 Holland, Wouter Winckel's brutally slaughtered body is found in the barroom of his inn, an anti-religious pamphlet stuffed in his mouth. Winckel was a respected tulip-trader and owned the most beautiful collection of tulips in the United Republic of the Low Countries, including the most coveted and expensive bulb of them all, the Semper Augustus. But why did he have to die - and who wanted him dead?

In 2007 London, history seems to be repeating itself. Dutchman Frank Schoeller is found in his home by his nephew, Alec. Just before he dies he points Alec to a rare 17th-century book about tulips, obviously a clue to his murder. With the help of his friend Damien Vanlint, an antique dealer from Amsterdam, Alec sets out to solve the mystery, but soon realizes that his investigations have put his own life, and those of his friends in danger.

This book is ideal movie material: Midsomer Murders with a touch of  The da Vinci Code.