The Edgar Awards Revisited: The King of the Rainy Country by Nicolas Freeling (Best Novel; 1967)

Nicolas Freeling considered himself a true European. Though born in London to English parents, he spent most of his life on the continent, an influence that shows in his fiction writing. His debut series features Inspector Piet Van der Valk, a student of history and a dogged, somewhat cynical investigator. This creation was inspired by…