A heavy bomb attack shakes Mechelen and claims the lives of Commissioner Evenepoel and European civil servant Dina Louwerse. The terrorists have set their sights on a Burundian family that has gone into hiding in a squatted building in Mechelen.
The investigation is being blocked on all sides; apparently the perpetrators enjoy protection. Dina believes she knows who the culprit is and informs Commissioner Evenepoel, without realizing how much emotion she stirs in the police officer.
Meanwhile, geographer Ivo Quagebuer wonders what exactly lies beneath the ground near the Hitler bunker in Brûly. He is more interested in that than in the rather intrusive former student Fred De Hert, who, after years of service in Burundi, seeks contact again with his former teacher.

The underground moves deep within the earth and deep within the souls of three people, who fight tooth and nail against merciless underground forces.

DURING THE BOOK PRESENTATION OF 'ONDERGROND' JOHN VERVOORT, reviewer SdL, spoke the following words:

(...) The late Jef Geeraerts was the first to realize that the crime genre was an excellent vehicle for telling relevant things about the police, politics and society through a gripping story. Geeraerts deserves to be praised for this forever.
I am glad that Herman De Jonghe, in his new, robust crime novel 'Ondergrond', follows in the footsteps of his great predecessor. (...)
But what makes 'Ondergrond' stand out above the surface is the ambition with which Herman De Jonghe has composed and told this story. He writes about refugees who from the hotspots of the world end up in a Flemish city, he writes about our African colonies where, in the name of Freedom, Fatherland and sometimes also God, quite a few atrocities took place, he writes about Adolf Hitler and his followers who also left their mark in the Ardennes. He writes about the aftermath of the wartime atrocities in Africa and at home, he writes about European institutions and how that magnificent dream has become an barely controllable dragon.
In short, he has given his story a relevant 'actualization'.
That actualization, especially the African strand, Herman De Jonghe has worked out in depth and very nuancedly. (...)

REVIEW NBD/BIBLION

Prof. dr. K.A.D. Smelik

Flemish thriller. When a bomb attack takes place in Mechelen on a Burundian family who has gone into hiding in a squatted building in Mechelen, a cover-up operation begins that disrupts the lives of several people. In separate storylines we follow their experiences: Commissioner Charlotte Evenepoel, who is struggling with herself, causing her to act increasingly unprofessionally; European civil servant Dina Louwerse, who takes care of a little boy who survived the attack, which puts her own safety at risk; geographer Ivo Quagebuer, who wants to find out what lies underground at the Hitler bunker in Brûly and sets out to investigate together with his colleague Fabienne, but in the meantime has to deal with his persistent former pupil Fred De Hert, who has a past in Burundi. In a dramatic conclusion with a romantic ending, the storylines come together. The author drew inspiration from the murder of Charlotte Wilson, a young nurse who was killed along with the other passengers of a bus during an attack in Burundi. An interesting blend of fact and fiction. Accessibly written, suspenseful story. The author (born 1941) previously published, among other works, 'Hardnekkige mist'

(2016)*.© NBD Biblion

REVIEW HEBBAN.NL

A secret that stayed a secret

About one thing we quickly agree, the books by the Flemish author Herman De Jonghe always are about something. And that 'something' should certainly not be underestimated. Just a few examples: 'De Koppenbergblues' had cycling as its theme, 'Blindeman' was about the world of pharmacy, and then 'Hardnekkige mist' chose religion. The past was the subject of 'De idolen van Halle', and in his newest 'suspense' novel 'Ondergrond' the friendly Antwerp author gives a realistic insight into the indelible historical relationship between the Belgian nation and South Africa. And as a good author should, in his afterword he lets us know that he dedicates the book to the victims of a cold-blooded attack on a bus in Burundi, a good decade ago. An attack known as a form of traditional ethnic violence. Speaking of facts and fiction.....

The foundation of 'Ondergrond' is formed by two primary storylines, on the one hand the investigations of the NGI (Nationaal Geologisch Instituut in Brussel, National Geological Institute in Brussels) in which former teacher Ivo Quagebuer and his team investigate some irregularities in zone 62, in Thièrache. To explain three undefinable things, local research is necessary. On the other hand, for Commissaris Charlotte (Charlie) Evenepoel and her team of the Cel Vreemdelingen of Mechelen, the neighborhood in and around Sacramentstraat is a high priority. The house at number 76 is occupied by squatters whose nationality is not known. During a first orienting investigation, an explosion occurs in the house, in which six residents and a neighbor become victims. A father and his little son who were present have disappeared. Commissaris Evenepoel is of the opinion that her bureau will have to investigate and solve the attack. Around the same time, Ivo Quagebuer is approached by a former pupil. Fred De Hert wants to meet his former teacher, something Ivo is not very keen on.

De Jonghe builds from both of the above situations a storyline in which a lot, a great deal happens. From deep-rooted feelings of hatred, African emigrants operate in Belgian society and try to spread their revenge from the past over one another and current residents. The author pays much attention here to individual experiences and thoughts. Extremely interesting but at the same time sometimes a bit difficult to follow. The unlimited jumping between the two primary storylines and the not always small, seemingly relevant personal matters become somewhat tiring in the end. Only deep in the second half of the book do the relationships between people and events become more transparent, and the importance turns out to be indeed present. Honesty therefore requires me to mention that for the African subject, Belgian readers will feel more involvement and emotion than Dutch readers.

All of this does not change the fact that ‘Ondergrond’ is a robust and well-considered story, in which careful thought has been given in advance to which subjects will affect the reader most. Readers who have already become acquainted with De Jonghe's style know that they can fully rely on his skill and expertise and be assured of a substantively good story that matters once again this time. And political subjects, after all, have the reputation of not easily being handed a solution.

Final verdict: 4 stars

Cees van Rhienen