Guido Eekhaut - excellent psychological thriller author

Guido Eekhaut

Guido Eekhaut, born in 1954 in the Belgian city Leuven, is an author, journalist and culture philosopher. He published a dozen books at various publishing houses in Belgium and Holland. One of his first novels, De cirkeljaren, was awarded with The City of Brussels award. His articles have appeared in various financial magazines and newspapers, such as the Financieel Economische Tijd, De Standaard and Bizz. His interest in future studies and in philosophy started thirty years ago, and he has been developing his ideas ever since drawing inspiration from fiction and futurology.

Absinth (Absint)

How deeply has the Russian mob infiltrated into Dutch politics?

Chief inspector Eekhaut is sent from Brussels to Amsterdam to work with the AIVD (the Dutch national intelligence service). They will investigate the criminal activities of a Russian financial mogul.

The trail leads to another sensational affair: a young, left-wing, dissident has stolen a list of contributors to a populist right-wing party and he is found murdered the next day. While the hunt for the list shifts to full gear, Eekhaut is mired in a cesspool of intrigues in which the Dutch crime scene, the Russian mob, politics and business are all involved.

Absinth is an action packed thriller and police procedural combined, where current themes are moulded into one sweeping story. This is the first thriller of an author already showing huge talent, and whose style can be ranked with the top of the genre.

336 Pages | ISBN 978-90-8968-074-7 | 2009

Winner of the Hercule Poirot Award 2009, the annual Belgian award for the best crime novel

Rights sold: Germany (Rowohlt)

Press on Absinth:

“The spring surprise of this year.” – De Standaard der Letteren

“Surprising.” – VN Detective & Thrillergids

Catharsis (Loutering)

Commissioner Alexandra Dewaal and chief inspector Walter Eekhaut receive a mysterious note from an informant. It leads them to the snowy and mountainous Ardennen. There, in a clearing, they make a macabre discovery. Seven long poles are placed in a circle with charred bodies fastened to them. On the wall of a ramshackle cabin at the edge of the circle, words are written in blood:

This world seems to last forever

But it is only

The dream of a sleeper

Before the two police officers can trace the culprits more murders take place, all horrifyingly cruel. Dewaal and Eekhaut face the almost impossible task to stop this excessively violent murderer.

363 pages | ISBN 978-90-225-373-2 | 2010

Press on Loutering:

“Eekhaut proves again that he controls this genre.” – Knack

“Fluid prose.” – Readshop.nl

“Thoughtful, tightly composed thriller.” – Het Belang van Limburg

“Well executed psychological portraying of his characters. The meticulously building of the tension is regularly punctuated by captivating side lines that give more depth to the story.” NBD Biblion