Summer, Bloody Summer

The annual holiday thriller book list is out

Summer: holidays, relaxation, cocktails, swimming pools. And a good book. This is where Boek.be comes in. Every year the confederation of Flemish booksellers and publishers organizes an event that guarantees a long, hot and (above all) suspenseful summer (even if it's raining): Zomer van het Spannende Boek (Summer of the Suspense Book).

This year, 48 thrillers were selected from international and Belgian soil – mystery, crime and political intrigue meant to get your heart racing and keep you on the edge of your seat (or beach blanket). The usual suspects are all accounted for: Pieter Aspe (Misleid), Bob Mendes (Vuil Geld) and Stan Lauryssens (Bloedrozen), whose memoir Dali en ik, by the way, is now being turned into a movie starring Al Pacino – not bad for a Belgian.

These authors are accompanied by many other Belgians (Chistian de Coninck, Paul Jacobs, Jos Pierreux) and by European and North American authors. David Baldacci’s new book First Family (translated in Dutch as Familieverraad) – about a kidnapping of the US president’s niece – is on the list, as is Too Close to Home (Dicht bij huis), the latest from Canadian Linwood Barclay, which won Canada’s top prize for crime fiction and is already a best-seller in Britain.

Zomer van het Spannende Boek not only satisfies the native speaker's bloodlust but also functions as a very good introduction to Flemish mystery fiction for non-natives. Crime fiction is more accessible than a more, ahem, literary excursion and offers an entertaining way to put your Dutch to the test. Many new readers also find that translated text is easier to follow than original Dutch.

Up until 4 August, these mystifying masterminds will be lurking in the shadows (well, truth be told, more like in prominent displays) of a bookstore or library near you. You can also win one of the featured books in a “suspenseful contest” online – a timer decides if you answer questions about the authors fast enough to win. (Not being quite as sadistic as their authors, they give you a cheat sheet.)

Flanders Today June 24 2009