The Sundial by Maarten 't Hart

Translated from the Dutch by Michiel Horn

• Openbare Bibliotheek Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• The Association of Public Libraries, The Hague, The Netherlands
• Openbare Bibliotheek Eindhoven, The Netherlands,
• Gemeentebibliotheek Rotterdam, The Netherlands
• Gemeentebibliotheek Utrecht, The Netherlands
  

Publisher of Nominated Edition
Arcadia Books ISBN 1900850885

The Sundial opens with Leonie Kuyper attending the funeral of her best friend Roos Berczy, who has died of sunstroke. Leonie has always felt somewhat overshadowed by Roos, who was striking and a brilliant pharmacological research assistant to boot. She turns out to have made Leonie her sole heir, provided that she moves in Roos' apartment and cares for her cats. For Leonie, an impoverished translator, it is an offer she cannot refuse and so she becomes the owner of a beautiful apartment, a large portfolio of common stocks, and an expensive wardrobe.

Gradually Leonie assumes Roos' identity. By wearing her clothes and make-up, she begins to resemble her deceased friend and, as a result, Roos' past starts to crowd in on her. Questions arise that demand answers. Her curiosity piqued, Leonie starts looking for answers and reveals herself to be a first-rate detective.

Was Roos a chemist, involved in the manufacture of Ecstasy? But Leonie is also confronted with the possibility that Roos had information about the falsification of research findings and might have been murdered by a colleague. And then there is the riddle of exactly how Roos died. In the meantime, the murderer, alarmed by Leonie's detective work, swings into action - and a startling denouement follows. The Sundial is ingenious and totally absorbing.

Maarten 't Hart is one of Holland's best-selling writers. He has written more than ten novels, several collections of short stories, and many volumes of essays. His work has been translated into a number of languages.