In a meadow, behind the Vermasts' rather decrepit house where the parents are excavating, their little daughter finds a bone. A human bone. Police Inspector Pieter Van In is called on the premises, and soon his wife Hannelore Martens as well: she is the deputy public prosecutor. And five months pregnant and a tad hormonal. The skeleton is that of an unknown young man, who was murdered about twelve years before. Hannelore and Pieter will have to work the case together, but Hannelore dares her husband to solve the case within a month because she fancies a holiday in Portugal...

FROM BRUGES WITH LOVE is a nifty little police procedural with a difference. The difference being the witty and very colourful writing, not to mention the extraordinary and crystal-clear descriptions of the characters who steal the show! From an inept medical examiner, a dirty cop, blackmailers, a pedophile and a former exotic dancer whose bloom has faded and her loser husband, and the irrepressible Versavel, Van In's subordinate. Van In who is not always by the book and a bit negligent, while his wife is competent and methodical, however they truly behave like a real loving couple. I was glued to the page following the unusual investigation. Don't get me wrong, the characters are not cartoonish, not in the least, merely very human; and the Vermasts' house is almost a character in itself.

FROM BRUGES WITH LOVE is very fast-paced and Mr. Aspe's biting sense of humour had me chuckling more than a few times; no one and nothing is immune! The suspense however is very cleverly constructed: there is definitely a method to Mr. Aspe's madness as the events snowball and it becomes obvious that the characters' eccentricities are relevant to the murder case.

FROM BRUGES WITH LOVE is a very well written suspense novel that will keep you on your toes, and the remarkably transparent translation by Brian Doyle must also be mentioned as the flow of the narrative and the dialogues suffer not the tiniest hitch! FROM BRUGES WITH LOVE is a most pleasant surprise!

Book Summary

Behind the glamorous facade of elite Belgian society lies a seedy world unseen by the public eye—but nothing stays hidden forever

Inspector Pieter Van In is begrudgingly finishing up a healthy lunch when he hears the news: While restoring their farmhouse, the Vermasts have found a skeleton in the backyard. Van In, who happens to be married to the deputy public prosecutor, is determined to solve the case in double-quick time and squeeze in one last vacation before the birth of his first child.

But this murder is trickier than it looks. The Vermasts’ land belonged to the most prominent businessman in West Flanders before it was suddenly handed over to a right-wing charity. The heavily endowed foundation appears to have no expenditures or investments. So who’s financing it—and why?

Before he knows it, Van In finds himself in the middle of a complex web—one that involves high-level officials, local law enforcement, and common thugs. The harder he tries to unravel the thread, the more difficult it becomes to uncover the secrets that the charity’s benefactors are trying to hide. This time Van In will have to risk lives to find out the truth.