European crime fiction writer Nicholas Freeling died last
Sunday (July 20) at 76.
From an intellectual but relatively impoverished
family, Freeling originally trained as a chef in France and
England and later became a crime fiction writer. His Henri
Castang series (about a jaded police detective, first set in
France and later in Belgium) is introspective in a manner
that recalls Simenon's psychologicals. While there was
nothing blunt, crude or shocking about Freeling's books, he
wrote with exceptional sangfroid and irony about the
trappings of crime and official investigations--bitter
marriages, twisted families, human greed, professional
rivalries, and pervasive government corruption.
In addition to the Castang series, Freeling also wrote a
series about a Dutch detective, Inspector van der Valk, and
non-fiction books including Criminal Convictions: Errant
Essays on Perpetrators of Literary License, and two
cookbooks.
Though winner of an Edgar (for The King of a Rainy Country),
Freeling enjoyed most of his recognition in England. The
Economist.com recommends the Castang series as a "must-read"
for travelers to Brussels.
If you haven't read any Freeling yet, I recommend his early
books, set in France, including "Cold Iron," "The Back of the
North Wind," "No Part in Your Death," and "Not As Far as
Velma."
For any of you interested in more about Freeling's career (he
began his first book while in jail!), check out the obituary
in The Guardian online.
--Karen
********************* Karen G. Anderson Contributing Editor
January Magazine http://www.januarymagazine.com
email:
karenand@mac.com
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