Book1 in English translated from book4 in the Ann Lindell series

This crime story spins a tight and mysterious plot. The main thread begins with a jogger on his morning run finding the mutilated body of John Jonsson, whose hobby is tropical fish and is famous for his aquarium.

The readers are introduced to this story without the background of the previous novels. With a cold start we find out that the main character Ann Lindell is now on maternity leave but unable to distance herself from work, she is always in touch with her partner Detective Ola Havre. He and a tight knit group of officers are the prime investigators in the Jonsson’s case, a case Ann cannot resist getting involved.

The story evolves around John’s older brother Lennart the main suspect and well known criminal, other members of John’s family and a nutcase that John had a previous altercation with.

I found it rather hard to get into at first and contemplated many times abandoning it. The story is quite complicated and progresses somewhat sluggish at times. It has many threads to follow with characters which I presume where developed previously. The lack of background left something missing it was like coming half way into a story. However by the end, when Detective Ola Haver and Ann Lindell begin to feature more prominently both professionally and personally the mystery becomes more absorbing and interesting and the roles the characters are better appreciated.

The novel is highly recommended and won best in its class by the Swedish Crime Academy. However, I found it missing in imagination and lackluster. It was a disappointing read but nonetheless I am curious to see if I will change my opinion reading the sequel. ( )

Very good, atmospheric, unusual story with well developed characters. ( )

Set in Uppsala, Sweden, as the story opens, the winter weather is terrible, and a son awaits the return of his father, John Harald Jonsson. However, John Jonsson isn't coming home that night, or any other night because he's been murdered. Not only that, but there is evidence that John has been tortured. His wife, Berit, can't think of anyone that would want to hurt him let alone want him dead. Enter the police department, with the investigation being led by Ola Haver, who has some personal issues of his own, and investigated on the sidelines by Ann Liddell, who's still on maternity leave and really wants to get back to her work on the force.

The book is not only a story of the investigation of John's murder, but focuses on the impact of this crime on not only those left behind, but on the police as individuals. Eriksson's skill here is in her ability to create characters who come off as being real, as well as her ability to create and sustain an incredibly somber atmosphere throughout the novel. The mystery is okay, but there's just something about this woman's writing and her ability to create that transcends the plot. Eriksson's skill here is in her ability to create characters who come off as being real, as well as her ability to create and sustain an incredibly somber atmosphere throughout the novel. The mystery is okay, but there's just something about this woman's writing and her ability to create that transcends the plot.

I would definitely recommend this novel to readers who want something different than what's currently out there. Readers of more mainstream-type mystery novels may be less likely to enjoy this one, but I find European mystery novels, for the most part, to be more to the point, less cutesy and more intense than what's available on most bookstore shelves. ( )

This book started out a bit dry, and the writing was a bit jumpy, though it was a translation so it may be fine in its original language. It was very low key, and eventually sucked me into the story.

There seemed to be a huge cast of characters, many in the police department, and I am still not sure I have them straight, or even know who they all are.

While the book was written for a Swedish audience, the American publisher should have done some work on it, besides the translation, for the American public.

I would have liked to have seen a map of Sweden, and then one of Uppsala. I was almost 150 pages in before I realized that the places they were talking about, which I took as home towns, were really just sections of Uppsala. Also a glossary of words would have been helpful. I have no idea what Bandy is, other than it is played on the ice. Is it hockey, curling, or something else ?

The story has a couple of crimes and no one is sure if they are the same killer of not. That part was interesting, a real mystery. The solution was not so good. A mysterious twin brother, no real foreshadowing, he just appears. There was also a duplicate wad of cash, that came in with the twin. Lazy plotting.

The other odd thing was that the cops sat around the station and had these deep philosophical discussions about crime, society, politics, and their place in the current world, and the past of their memories. This would break out during the case meeting to determine what was known from the previous day, and what the new day's tasks were and who was going to do them. Of course the criminals had the same reveries too. Image a crime film done by Bergman ! Though it wasn't that slow or boring, more like Bergman lite.

I guess even the socialist paradise of Sweden is having money problems because they are talking about cuts in social services, and police, hospitals, and libraries. But they have this one murder and it becomes the top priority, and their main perp, the victim's brother, is a small time petty thief but they treat him like a big time criminal. So perhaps they aren't used to lots of crime, or violent crime, which is nice, if bit odd. ( )

Not great, but a few clues tie into the end. A better translation would definitely have helped; the language seemed a bit stilted. ( )