Genchi Genbutsu - Go and see

Some books don’t just tell a story, they invite you into a whole new world. The Girl at the Window by Frank Peters did exactly that for me.

When I first picked it up, I honestly wasn’t sure if it would be “my kind of book.” I love thrillers, but history, art, and genealogy aren’t really subjects I usually dive into. And yet, Peters managed to weave these themes together with mystery and even a spark of romance, creating something that felt unique and almost like a piece of art itself.

At first glance the cover didn’t strike me as special, but while reading it clicked—the green room, the window, the painting at the heart of the story. Suddenly the design wasn’t just a cover, it was part of the story.

Peters’ writing is calm, vivid, and richly detailed. The different perspectives—Rik’s investigation, Sandra, Marie, and the shifts between past and present—made the story layered and alive. Once I was in the flow, I found myself enjoying every page, not just for the destination, but for the journey itself. There’s a line on page 268 that stayed with me: “The journey is in the here and now, the destination only a dot on the horizon.” That describes the reading experience perfectly.

This was actually my second time reading the book. And I have to say, knowing what was coming in the sequel gave this reread so much more depth. I noticed little hints and foreshadowing that I completely missed the first time, and it added a whole new layer to the story. At the same time, I did find that reading it in English made it harder to fully feel the tension, and I struggled a bit with the German and Dutch names—they’re not the easiest to keep straight when you’re not a native speaker.

Still, the book enchanted me. The mystery unfolds slowly, like a painting revealing its details.

⭐ 4/5 stars

~ Live Your Life Reading