A romantic crime thriller from
KEES WIJNEN
In 2022, Irene and Paul leave for France, where they have bought a farm in a quiet village in the Aveyron region and plan to start a B&B. Irene and Paul want to put a line under their hectic life in the Netherlands and exchange it for a completely different existence, a new purpose in their lives to save their marriage. Once in France, they become acquainted with the sinister secrets of the charming village of Plaisance, and their dream gradually turns into an outright nightmare.
Bed & Breakfast
Plaisance
church Saint Martin Plaisance
Interiour churche
Grille in church
Gendarmerie Saint Sernin
B&B Le Montagnol
Scul
Parsonage
Ruin in the forest
Dobermanns
Confessional
Fox in a trap
Cèpes
Green amanita
Attic
Distillation plant
old church door
Subterranean vaults
Burial vault
Subterranean complex
Golden crucifix
Gas installation
Treatment room
Wheel chairOver de schrijver
Kees Wijnen, geboren 4 november 1950 te Sittard, bracht zijn jeugd door in Eindhoven, waar hij Marjo ontmoette. Na een reeks automatiserings-opleidingen was hij tot 2002 werkzaam in de computerbranche, waarna hij, samen met zijn vrouw, naar Frankrijk emigreerde.
Hij besloot om na zijn verhalenbundel 'Ça va, ça va', iets geheel anders te schrijven en begon met deze zinderende en romantische misdaad thriller.
"Oh, well, uh, I will ask the priest if he can make some time. Please follow me."
I walked behind her down a long, dark hallway. What a sinister and soulless house this is, I thought immediately, so dark, no daylight at all. On the walls hung monstrously large paintings with religious scenes. All the characters depicted in these eerie paintings seemed to follow me with their eyes. It gave me shivers down my spine. Halfway down the hall, she opened a door and led me into a sparsely furnished room. She turned on the light and said, "If you'd like to wait here, please have a seat."
I sat down at a table with a musty-smelling Persian rug on it. Why on earth are the shutters on the window closed, I thought immediately; it makes it feel even more sinister in here. Against the wall stood a black dresser with a large mirror above it. On the dresser was a statue of Christ flanked by two candlesticks.
The room smelled musty, and I looked around, bored. A Comptoise clock hung on the wall, ticking annoyingly loudly. Next to it hung an old photograph of a family seated in front of a large house. I stood up to get a better look. The entire group was seated at a long dining table. I looked again. Damn it, that's our house, I suddenly realized. When I thought I heard something, I quickly sat back down. The ticking of the clock was starting to get on my nerves. Where was this guy?
After about ten minutes, I heard footsteps approaching, and the door opened. A tall, gaunt man, whom I estimated to be around fifty, appeared in the doorway. He was skinny and had a long, pale, sunken face. His eyes were set deep in their sockets, were a pale gray color, and looked right through you. The whites of his eyes were not white but a pale yellow, threaded with fine red capillaries. A shiver ran down my spine, and I got goosebumps all over. You could easily cast him in an episode of the Addams Family. I also thought I saw some resemblance to his brother, André. He was wearing a crumpled anthracite suit, and only the typical white collar gave away that he was a clergyman. His clothes reeked of nicotine.
"Good afternoon," he said with a heavy, hoarse smoker's voice, his enormous Adam's apple moving up and down.
I quickly shook his hand and said, "Good afternoon, Reverend. I thought I'd come to introduce myself. We're new to the village."
"This thriller gives a good picture of the way of life of the "French" in the countryside. The story is well-constructed and difficult to put down. A magnificent debut."
Theo
Hier is de vertaling naar het Engels:
"Right from the very first chapter, it grabs you by the throat. The two compelling storylines, one in the past and the other in the present, drag you along into a bizarre adventure. A well-written and easy-to-read book. You'll read it in one sitting. A true page-turner!"
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Hans
"I finished your book last night at 11:20 PM. I had to finish it; I wanted to know how it would end. Putting it down was not an option.""
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Francien
"If you thought nothing happens in the French countryside? Then read 'The Murder Valley'! Local color, intrigue, suspense! You will read the book in one breath."
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Wil
"An exciting book that is difficult to put down once you have started it. You simply have to know what happens next! The two timelines in the book converge beautifully with a surprising, chilling climax. Highly recommended!"
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Jeroen
"You experience the tension of the two storylines. It is written so intriguingly that you cannot stop reading. In one word: FANTASTIC!"
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Caramieke
"What a thrilling and believable story set in an area known to us. I read the book in one sitting, I wanted to know the outcome so badly. Kees writes very cinematically and sketches the ordinary—and sometimes sinister—life in the French countryside with precisely the right words. A fluently written book that deserves to be adapted into a film."
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Hanneke
"A delightful book! Well-written, a smooth story, and very exciting. I certainly couldn't stop reading and was sorry when I finished it. Truly recommended!"
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Jeannette
Hier is de vertaling naar het Engels:
"Wow, what an exciting book. I read it in one sitting with a pounding heart and blushing cheeks at times :) It reminded me a bit of Ilja Gort's 'De Vrouwenslagerij' (The Women's Butcher Shop). But this book, 'The Valley of Murder ', is more thrilling and more varied (that sounds strange). Highly recommended!"
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Berke
"Having lived above the valley for 20 years, and now for almost 2 years, it was great to see the area so familiar to me described so captivatingly. It was a journey back, where I couldn't help but recognize various buildings, people, and situations. The plot was surprising at times, and the outcome was ultimately surprising as well."
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Peter
"Like a warm knife through a lump of salted French butter, that's how easily you read 'The Murder Valley' by Kees Wijnen. You are drawn into the story almost immediately, and the pace is nice and high. Along the way, you also pick up a thing or two about French customs and get acquainted with the genuinely existing surroundings. If you're in the mood for a great thriller: order this book!"
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Marjan
