Frederik Baas

Frederik Baas is the pseudonym of Jan van Mersbergen (b. 1971). He made his debut as a crime writer with Diary From the River (2017), followed a year later by Herberekening (Recalculation). The Last Straw is his third thriller. Van Mersbergen’s work has been published in translation in France, Germany, Britain, Spain, Catalonia, Turkey, Lebanon, Serbia and Slovenia. Two of his novels have been filmed: Naar de overkant van de nacht (To the Other Side of the Night, Pupkin Movies) and Tomorrow Pamplona (BBC).

Diary From the River

(Ambo Anthos, 2017, 215 pages)

Every thriller needs an engine that will get the plot going and maintain the tension. In his debut thriller Diary From the River, Frederik Baas comes up with a marvellous device: a diary fished out of a river.

The Last Straw

(Ambo Anthos, 2020, 252 pages)

Tom writes self-help books about how to become clutter-free in every way. He is an expert in note-taking, tidying up, organising and streamlining. What his philosophy comes down to is that people should focus on maintaining an orderly life. Keep your possessions to a minimum and close the door behind you to shut out other people’s chaos. ‘Any mess that isn’t inside should stay outside.’ He knows what he eats on which day of the week and has his daily schedule worked out down to the hour, and this gives him a sense of peace.

Author

Frederik Baas

Diary From the River

The Last Straw

Translations