The Tulip Virus Book

A gripping debut mystery set in contemporary London with roots in 17th century Holland and the mysterious tulip trade

In 1636 Alkmaar, Holland, Wouter Winckel’s brutally slaughtered body is found in the barroom of his inn, an antireligious pamphlet stuffed in his mouth. Winckel was a respected tulip-trader and owned the most beautiful collection of tulips in the United Republic of the Low Countries, including the most coveted and expensive bulb of them all, the Semper Augustus. But why did he have to die and who wanted him dead?

In 2007 London, history seems to be repeating itself. Dutchman Frank Schoeller is found in his home by his nephew, Alec. Severely wounded, he is holding a 17th-century book about tulips, seemingly a reference to the reason for his death moments later. With the help of his friend Damien Vanlint, an antique dealer from Amsterdam, Alec tries to solve the mystery, but soon comes to realize that he and his friend’s own lives are now in danger.

The Tulip Virus is a fast-paced, fascinating mystery based on the real-life events surrounding the collapse of the tulip bubble in 17th century Holland—the first such occurrence in history—a story that plunges readers deeply into questions of free will, science, and religion, while showing the dark fruits of greed, pride, and arrogance.

Publishers Weekly

Holland's 17th-century tulip craze provides the backdrop for Hermans's middling debut. When British painter Alec Schoeller receives a phone call for help from his beloved paternal uncle, Frank, he rushes over to his uncle's London house, where he finds his battered relative on the brink of death. Frank warns his nephew not to contact the police and to take a 400-year-old book about tulips. While the artist does report the crime to the authorities, he pretends his uncle died before he reached the house, and seeks the truth behind the killing on his own. The present-day action alternates with scenes from 1636 Holland, where tulip mania led to bloodshed. Hermans hits all the obligatory suspense notes, including multiple murders, hostage situations, and a secret men will kill to preserve, but U.S. readers will find nothing particularly new other than the tulip angle. (Apr.)