The Tulip Virus
This mystery neatly ties together events in Alkmaar, Holland in the 17th century with those in London in the present day. In 1636, a prosperous merchant is found brutally slain in his inn, and in his mouth is an anti-religious pamphlet. Wouter Winckel, however, engaged in more than being an innkeeper. He owned a spectacular collection of tulip bulbs (this at the height of the tulip mania). And what of the pamphlet?
Another wealthy man is brutally slain, this time in London in 2007. Frank Schoeller, originally from Holland, was holding an old Dutch book about tulips when found by his nephew, a sometime ne’er-do-well named Alec. Frank is able to speak to Alec before dying, which sets Alec and two of his friends off on a hunt to discover why Frank was murdered, and what possible connection he could have with tulips. Alec and his friends learn a great deal about the tulip trade in Holland at the time, and the information is woven into the novel in a way that does not seem pedantic. The book alternates chapters set in the present with those in the past, so readers are able to discover enigmas even before Alec does. I was very impressed with the author’s skill at developing and meshing the two story lines. The ending seemed to me to be a bit abrupt, but not enough to dilute my enjoyment.
