Some Day Tomorrow

by Nicolas Freeling

Book Overview

Hubertus van Bijl's family has a long and respected history in the Dutch flower trade. Now retired, Bert busies himself with a bit of puttering around the house and long walks in the Zandvoort dunes near the coast of Holland. His wife, Willy, is loyal and dutiful-always saying "Bless You" when he sneezes-though Bert accepts that passion has left the marriage long ago. But ripples of unease soon appear in the quietude: The local authorities are conducting a door-to-door investigation into the murder of Carla Zomerlust, a young student whose body is found along a dune path. Through a diary-like narrative, the reader learns that Bert is not the docile botanist he-and everyone who knows him-considers himself to be. In a novel that plumbs the depths of madness, Nicolas Freeling creates his most compelling and disturbing work to date in this chilling examination of crime from the inside out.AUTHORBIO: Nicolas Freeling, whose many awards include the Edgar, the Grand Prix de Roman Policier, and the Crime Writers Association Golden Dagger, lives in France.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312262302
• ISBN13: 9780312262303
• Release Date: December 2000
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press
• Length: 204 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.8" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Not for everyone but this is definitely a good mystery

The Dutch police question retired flower grower septuagenarian Hubertus "Bert" van Bijl of the crime. Bert tells the police a rambling tale about his current life and much of the major events in his previous seven decades on the planet.Through his meandering confession, Bert proves that he recently has become more and more isolated from his family and friends. Even his wife who Bert in some distant way cares about seems just out of reach for the elderly man. His efforts to connect with anyone, including wives of former associates, and family members only leave him further segregated from society. However, segregating one's self is not a crime, but is his babbling confession ultimately going to lead to his admitting that he murdered the young woman or is it just the inane chatter of a lonely old man?SOME DAY TOMORROW is a different type of police procedural. The story line focuses inside the mind of the prime suspect, a senior citizen, who may have killed a younger woman. Readers obtain an incredible psychological and emotional look from the inside at an intelligent, educated individual who has been forced into retirement before he is ready to do so. Nicolas Freeling's novel is not action-packed, but packs quite a wallop through its ingenious "autobiographical" psychological character study.Harriet Klausner