Starting with The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 ¼ Years Old, pseudonymous author Hendrik Groen has regaled readers with stories about the adventures of a group of lively elderly residents in a retirement home in Amsterdam. But in Two Old Men and a Baby, he shows that the antics didn’t start when he moved into the retirement home...

Full review published on NightsAndWeekends.com and aired on Shelf Discovery

"Hendrik just wants to have a fun evening with his pal, Evert. But Evert stumbles across a baby and decides to bring it with him. Now they can't figure out how to give it back without getting in trouble."

this was my first book from Hendrik Groen. I like this character. As a former school principal he seems to keep his head in stressful situations. And dealing with his nosy neighbor in awkward moments. There are some characters that are stereotypes - the politician that wants to be seen doing something (no matter if it's the right thing or not) The custodian that's concerned about "his" coffee maker.

This is a quick, easy read. Hendrik is not your stereotypical grumpy old man in this book. He seems like a guy you'd love to hang out and tell stories with. (But Evert seems like a "Here - hold my beer" kind of guy.

Some nice light-hearted moments here.

Hendrik Groen is back for a new adventure. His “Secret Diary,” that he started at age 83 1/4, tells about his life in a nursing home in Amsterdam. There, Hendrik and his friends try to ways to keep life interesting despite their circumstances. But in the years before Hendrik and Evert moved into the home, back when they were lads merely in their seventies, they were friends who got together every week for conversation, a drink, some snacks, and a game of chess. And sometimes they go themselves into trouble they weren’t expecting.

It was the day of the Christmas pageant at a local school. Evert was on his way to Hendrik’s apartment, but his bicycle broke. He stopped to take a look at it and realized that he needed to relieve himself. There was a school nearby with the door open, so he popped in to use the bathroom. As he was leaving, he noticed a nice raincoat in the hallway. His was wet, and there was no one around to claim the raincoat, so Evert put it on. Then he realized it was covering a baby carriage. With a baby in it. Evert thought how funny it would be to show up at his friend’s place with a real baby Jesus at Christmastime, so he takes the carriage and heads for the door.

It’s not until Evert gets himself and the baby carriage to Hendrik’s apartment—through a bad rainstorm—that he realizes the full extent of what he’s done. Hendrik realizes immediately how much trouble Evert had gotten himself into—and Hendrik too, now that he’s brought the baby to his place—and tries to come up with a plan for returning the baby to the parents without them getting into trouble. So here it is—Evert will leave the baby in the park, and Hendrik will call the police from a pay phone to tell them where she is.

Meanwhile, the parents are inconsolable. The principal is trying to calm the chaos at the school. The police are trying to find everyone who had been at the school for the Christmas pageant, to see if anyone saw anything. The mayor’s office is trying to decide what to tell the press. And one lone custodian is hoping everyone leaves the school soon so he can clean up and go home.

Of course, when Evert tries to drop the baby off in the park, everything goes wrong, and he takes her back to Hendrik’s apartment. As the hours go by, the police get more involved in the search for the missing baby. The press is relentless in their attempts to get information. And Hendrik and Evert have to figure out how to keep a baby happy and safe until they can come up with a new plan.

Will they successfully return the baby without anyone finding out who took her, or will they end up in prison together?

Two Old Men and a Baby is the newest tale in the Hendrik Groen universe. Although it doesn’t follow the personal journal style of his first two books, this story still bubbles with all the personality of the Hendrik and Evert that we’ve grown to love. Through it all, Hendrik is calm and level-headed, and Evert is impulsive and spirited, and I can’t help but root for them to find a way out of their latest situation.

I have loved Hendrik and his friends since I first met them. I admire Hendrik and his steadfastness, but it is the Everts of this world that keep things fresh and interesting, that push us to our limits and help us celebrate every win. And the interplay of those two characters is one of the best things about all of Hendrik’s books. Their friendship is the foundation of comedy and tragedy, and I am here for every adventure.

If I had to come up with a criticism of this book, it’s that Hendrik and Evert almost become side characters as the police and other characters in the book take up more of the time. But I still loved this book, because those characters rang true and added lots of interest to the overall adventure. So don’t expect this book to be the same as the previous Hendrik Groen diary style books, but expect Hendrik and Evert to be exactly the way you remember them.

Egalleys for Two Old Men and a Baby were provided by Grand Central Publishing through NetGalley, with many thanks.

Nine years before the events in "The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83 ¼ Years Old", best friends Hendrik Groen and Evert Duiker find themselves in an unexpected adventure when Evert decides on a whim to take a baby for a stroll. The baby, who was left unattended in it's stroller for a few minutes while waiting to play baby Jesus in a school play, is then the subject of a frantic search by the police, while Evert & Hendrik try to figure out how to undo what Evert unwittingly did, without causing him to get thrown into jail for kidnapping.
I love the Hendrik Groen books. They are so much fun and keep me laughing with all of their crazy adventures. This is the third book in the series, although it goes back in time to before Hendrik and Evert went into assisted living together. It was a bit different than the other two books since the chapters alternated between the two men and the other people in the book. I have to admit I enjoyed the other two books more, but this was still good. This is definitely something good to read if you want something light and humorous.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is the 3rd book in the Hendrik Groen series and it is so different than the previous two that it could easily be a stand alone book. The humor and shenanigans of Evert and Hendrik are still funny but this story seemed too far fetched. I still enjoyed it since sometimes you just need a light, goofy book to read. But I'm looking forward to going back to the retirement home and Hebdrik's diary in the next book.

I absolutely loved Hendrik Groen's first book, enjoyed his second book, but his third novel lacked some of the charm of his other books. I found myself rushing through the chapters focusing on the police so I could get to the all-too short chapters featuring Evert and Hendrik. The reason I love Hendrik Groen so much is he writes about older people and their lives and misadventures. This was a fun book and a quick read. It just needed more of the old people!