THE DUTCHMAN

New Amsterdam, 1664. The morning after recently widowed schout (sheriff) Pieter Tonneman, wandering drunkenly outside the local tavern, stumbles over a corpse that mysteriously disappears, Tonneman rescues Racquel Mendoza from a suspicious fire that has destroyed her Jewish family's home; in the smoldering ashes he discovers the errant corpse. Later that day, British warships surround the colony and demand its surrender. What are the connections among these events—and what do they have to do with the disappearance of Racquel's husband eight months before? Not much mystery here—but husband-and-wife team Martin and Annette Meyers (creators, respectively, of the Patrick Hardy and the Smith and Wetzon mysteries) provide doughty historical fare that may score with Ellis Peters fans. A series on the leading couple's descendants is in the works.