Gun Before Butter

Novelist Nicolas Freeling was born in London on March 3, 1927. After serving in the military and working as a cook, he began his first novel, Love in Amsterdam, while in prision for theft. He is best know for his Piet Van der Valk dective stories which inspired two television series. He also created the Henri Castang series and wrote numerous individual novels. He received the Edgar Allan Poe Award from the Mystery Writers of America for The King of the Rainy Country. He also won the Gold Dagger from the British Crime Writers Association and France's Grand Prix de Roman Policier. He died on July 20, 2003 at the age of 76.

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