BECAUSE OF THE CATS

Inspector Vander Valk of the Amsterdam Police is in the same league as Marrio's Gideon and Simenon's Maigret. He arrived first in Love In Amsterdam (1963, p. 75) which is also strong on social commentary and psychological insight. The plotting in this one is tighter, although plot is hardly the point. His case here is a microcosm of an international dilemma: the middle class juvenile delinquent. The implications of Van der Valk's methods and conclusions in generalizing on the problem from the case (which started with burglary, proceeded to gang rape and then murder) are debatable. The quality of the storytelling is not.