George Bracke Thriller #6 – The Malt Mystery

Book George Bracke Thriller #6 – The Malt Mystery

 A counterfeit bottle of Scotch whisky should have been a case of commercial fraud. For European police coordinator George Bracke, it becomes the beginning of something far more dangerous.

When a man dies during a whisky tasting on the Dutch island of Texel, suspicion falls on a bottle of single malt. Then several men collapse after drinking whisky in a Scottish pub.

This time there can be no doubt: someone has deliberately poisoned the drink.

George is drawn deep into the closed world of Scottish distilleries, investors, collectors and whisky experts. A further murder reveals that a sophisticated counterfeiting operation has been running behind the scenes. Yet the fake whisky and the poisonings do not fit together as neatly as they first appear.

Anonymous warnings, an old aristocratic family and a mysterious man briefly caught on camera force Bracke to reconsider the investigation. Somewhere between obsession, tradition, greed and revenge lies the truth.

Meanwhile, life in Ghent continues to change. Former police chief Werner Van Aken is trying to rebuild his life after a profound personal crisis, Omer Verlinden is discovering both the rewards and temptations of command, and George’s daughter Julie is carrying a secret that will change the Bracke family forever.

The Malt Mystery is the sixth George Bracke thriller, following Botero, Tango Mortale, Cold Fire, Kismet and Heavy Water.

The novel combines an international crime investigation with the atmospheric world of Scotch whisky, psychological tension and the continuing personal stories of George Bracke and those around him.

Each novel in the ten-book series contains a complete investigation and can be read independently, while the characters continue to evolve throughout the series.

Short description

The sixth George Bracke thriller. A suspicious whisky death on Texel leads George Bracke into the secretive world of Scottish distilleries, counterfeit bottles, poisoned whisky and a conspiracy driven by greed, obsession and revenge.

 Stefaan Van Laere is a Belgian author, journalist and publisher who has been writing professionally since 1988. Over more than three decades, he has published fiction and non-fiction across a wide range of genres, including crime, historical fiction, biography, sport, social commentary, food and drink, and technology.

He is the founder and publisher of Partizaan and previously worked as editor-in-chief of Seniorennet.be. He is also a contributor to Boomager, a Belgian platform aimed at readers who approach later life with curiosity, independence and humour.

His books have appeared in Dutch and in translations including English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Polish and Italian.

The ten George Bracke thrillers combine police investigation, psychological tension and dry humour with the personal lives of characters who continue to evolve throughout the series.