The Dutch (and Belgians) may not have the same reputation for crime literature as the Scandinavians but the winters here are as dark and the skies as grey, and Dutch Treats has gathered the best short Dutch crime fiction into one gritty collection.

Published in 2025, the book features 21 stories from top Dutch and Belgian crime writers. Many of the stories originally appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine where Dutch Treat’s translator and editor Josh Pachter has also been published.

In 2002, EQMM (as it is known to crime fans) began a series called “Passport to Crime,” featuring a short story in translation in every issue. Pachter translated some two dozen for the magazine over the last 20 years, many of which are featured in this new collection.

As with all short story collections, some of the works are a hit and some of the works are a miss. The Last Run by Michael Berg, about smuggling across the border based on tales by the author’s grandfather, Stinking Plaster by Bavo Dhooge, about one artist’s horrific vision and Joyride by René Appel, about lovers whose car is stolen with tragic results, are particular standouts.

If some of those names are familiar, they should be. Michael Berg has authored more than 10 crime books and taken home the Gouden Strop for best Dutch language thriller novel. René Appel has dozens of works under his belt, as well as working as a linguistics professor. Bavo Dhooge has written novels, short stories, children’s literature and screenplays and his Styx series has been made into a popular television show.

The oldest work in the book was first published in 2004, the newest in 2024, giving the book a 20 year span which can sometimes create slightly jarring transitions. A character uses social media in one story while a murder in the next would have easily been prevented if the victim had a mobile phone.

Reading works in translation can be both enriching and challenging but short works bring the added difficulty of space limitations. One story uses political parties as a shorthand for personality traits, something an international audience won’t understand.

Pachter learned Dutch while living in the Netherlands during a career of teaching on military bases and his first novel, Dutch Threat, was published in 2023.

If you like your crime with a bit of clog, tulip and windmill flavour, Dutch Treats is a great introduction to what the Lowlands has to offer. You can get your copy at the American Book Center.