The Tulip Virus

The murder of a wealthy financier in modern-day London sets Alec, the man's nephew, on a desperate race for the truth that leads back to the death of a respected tulip trader in 17th Century Holland. A major new literary thriller.In 1636 Holland, Wouter Winckel's brutally slaughtered body is found in the barroom of his inn, an anti-religious 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. Just before he dies he points Alec to a rare 17th-century book about tulips, obviously a clue to his murder. With the help of his friend Damien Vanlint, an antique dealer from Amsterdam, Alec sets out to solve the mystery, but soon realizes that his investigations have put his own life, and those of his friends in danger.The Tulip Virus is an international bestseller: Perfume meets The Da Vinci Code in this gripping story of greed, pride, arrogance and murder.