Janwillem van de Wetering

SURRY, Maine - Janwillem van de Wetering, a Dutch-born author who penned a popular detective series set in his home country, died July 4. He was 77. He died of complications from cancer, said Nikki Smith, his literary agent. Born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Van de Wetering moved to Maine in 1975 and enjoyed a passion for Zen Buddhism, motorcycles and jazz, among other things. Van de Wetering lived in a number of countries including Japan, where he joined a Zen monastery, which he wrote about in his first book, "The Empty Mirror: Experiences in a Japanese Zen Monastery." Later, Van de Wetering created the popular "Grijpstra and de Gier" series of detective novels set in Amsterdam that drew from his experience as a police officer. In 1984, he was awarded the international Grand Prix de Litterature Policiere, a French prize for crime fiction, for his book "The Maine Massacre," a Grijpstra and de Gier mystery set in Maine. He also wrote three children's books set in Surry, Maine, that feature a porcupine named Hugh Pine. Van de Wetering settled in Maine after coming to the state to join a Zen community and he later sailed up and down the coast in an old lobster boat, Smith said.