Van der Valk on the case for Chorion

RUGGED Amsterdam detective Piet van der Valk today joined the formidable team of sleuths at intellectual property rights group Chorion that includes Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple and Maigret.

The firm, recently demerged from bars and nightclubs business Urbium, has bought all rights to the fictional works of Nicolas Freeling, the London-born creator of Van der Valk, a hit TV series in the mid-1970s starring the late Barry Foster.

This is the first time Chorion has acquired the rights to a living author. Chief executive Nick Tamblyn said: 'Occasionally, as we search around for suitable authors to join our growing crime list, we approach living authors. We believe there will be significant opportunities to reinvigorate Van der Valk.'

Freeling said: 'Chorion's reputation for protecting, developing and exploiting crime fiction brands is second to none. I am pleased to entrust my works in the knowledge that they will grow the brands globally while retaining the genre of the stories.'

No price has been revealed. Chorion already owns the rights to Agatha Christie (Poirot and Marple) and Georges Simenon (Maigret) among crime writers and Enid Blyton for children.

Freeling, born in 1927, began writing in the 1960s, having wandered Europe as a chef following a period in the RAF. He killed off Van der Valk in his 13th novel in 1971, and then created French cop Henri Castang who wanders the corridors of the European Commission in Brussels. Freeling, who is in poor health, lives in France.