This Swedish author has written seven novels, of which this is the second to be published in the United States. The first, “The Ice Princess,” was widely accepted as on a par with the best of the recent Scandinavian noir novels. As with that debut book, this novel also is set in the small fishing village of Fjallbacka and is a police procedural that seems to drag until the miracle of science, rather than good old-fashioned footwork, brings it to a conclusion.
The plot is relatively simple: A body is discovered, with the remains of two skeletons over 24 years old underneath. It’s up to the local police, led by detective Patrik Hedstrom, to conduct the investigation. Customarily, they usually look into bicycle thefts. Then two more women go missing, increasing the pressure. Attention centers on one family, the offspring of a man known to all as the Preacher: misfits, religious fanatics and criminals.
The length of the novel seems overly long, and probably could have used some judicious editing. And the translation does not seem to be up to the level of “The Ice Princess.” Nevertheless, the story is clever, and the plot twists, which in a sense were somewhat obvious, keep the reader moving ahead. Despite these misgivings, the book is an enjoyable read, and one hopes for US editions of the author’s other five novels. Recommended.
