Mari Jungstedt

Unspoken is the second novel in Mari Jungstedt's Inspector Knutas series, set on the island of Gotland. It opens with alcoholic photographer Henry Dahlstrom winning a packet on the races, and subsequently coming to a sticky end. Dahlstrom appears to have been murdered for his winnings; a pretty straightforward case. However there are some loose ends that cause Knutas to look further. As the investigation proceeds, fourteen year old Fanny Jansson is becoming deeply embroiled in a highly show more dubious relationship.

A warning: Jungstedt peppers her story with back-references to the first Knutas novel, Unseen. Nearly all of the main characters are introduced with a bit of back story from the earlier novel, to the point where you pretty much give up any inclination to read it, as she gives away almost all of its plot. She clearly expects you to read her novels in sequence, as the ending of Unspoken clearly demonstrates.

I found this novel irritating, in part because of its not standing independently of the earlier novel. Jungstedt should read the Martin Beck novels to see how to write a linked series without ruining it for people who come in part-way. I also thought that far too much of what went on was extraneous to the crime and the investigation. I like my detective novels to be more tautly written than this and to me a lot of this book seemed like padding for the sake of continuing story threads in the series. I won't be bothering with any more of these books. show less

In a holiday caravan park on the Swedish island of Gotland a man is shot while jogging early one morning and police are, at first, baffled by the crime. The man owned a successful construction business, had a loving wife and family and seemed a most unlikely candidate for such a grim murder. Both police and the local journalists working on the story have to wade through lots of interviews with the man’s family and associates before any hint of a motive emerges. In fact it’s not until show more there is a second murder some way into the book that a genuine suspect becomes evident.

While I would like to start every series at the beginning and read them in order, I simply do not have enough hours in my life so I was pleased to see that this book, though fifth of a series, was recommended at Euro Crime as a good entry-point to that series. As always Euro Crime steered me in the right direction as I did not find myself at a disadvantage despite having read none of the earlier books. At the start of this one the investigative team is being led by Karin Jacobssen while her boss, Anders Knutas is on holidays. She is looking forward to heading up her first investigation on her own though nervous enough to ring Knutas and let him know about the murder. This backfires on her as he soon returns from holidays, unable to let the investigation take place without him. This is the source of a well-depicted thread in which Jacobssen worries that Knutas believes her incapable of doing the job and him having to explain his reasons for stepping back in so quickly.

We spend quite a bit of time following this and other personal issues of the various police officers as well as the journalist who is working on the story. Knutas is suffering something of a lull in his marriage and there are some unexpectedly awkward moments between himself and Jacobssen, though these do not resolve as you might expect (a point in the book’s favour). The journalist, who has clearly been involved in early stories, is also experiencing some personal problems as the mother of his daughter has become very distant and this thread provides another point of interest. Even Karin Jacobssen’s own personal history becomes important towards the very end of the story and, like all the other significant characters, she is nicely and believably drawn.

I thought the pointers to the final solution to the mystery were a little bit too obvious to give this element of the novel the highest ratings for suspense, but the plot is perfectly serviceable. It’s all quite logical and flows very well, with a quite absorbing (though ultimately irrelevant) side thread that gently probed the issue of foreign workers in Sweden. Some of the sentiments expressed sounded awfully familiar which made me realise yet again just how many similarities there can be between two apparently different cultures on opposite sides of the globe,

I did thoroughly enjoy this expertly translated and delightfully narrated audio book with thanks to Tiina Nunnally and Simon Shepherd respectively. I am becoming quite enamoured of having translated books read to me as the correct pronunciation of the names of people and places seems to add something to the authentic feel. I will definitely be eager to read the next book of this quietly absorbing series and may even be tempted to go back and read some of the earlier ones (well at least the one I have sitting on my TBR shelves).

My rating 3.5 show less

Far out, Scandinavian crime month is brilliant! Unseen, had I not read The Ice Princess first, would probably have been my favourite book of 2011, but it is sitting solidly in second spot. This was Jungstedt's first novel, but you would never be able to tell. The story is captivating and full of twists and turns. The stunning climax was unexpected, and Jungstedt effortlessly fits all the pieces of the puzzle together in one of the best endings to a book I've read in a long time.

After a show more party goes wrong, a woman named Helena and her dog are found brutally murdered on a beach in Gotland, Sweden. Helena and her partner Per were involved in a heated argument the night before, and Per immediately finds himself on top of the suspect list. When a crucial piece of evidence points to him, Per is arrested for the murder of Helena. But while locked up, another murder occurs and the authorities and media are forced to start the search again. A murderer is terrorising the small community and the police are baffled as seemingly unconnected women begin piling up. The story is told in the third person, but follows Inspector Anders Knutas and a journalist named Johan as they try to solve the mystery before another woman is killed. When a connection is finally made between the women, Anders and Johan begin a desperate race to save a missing woman before it is too late.

What I liked most about this book is the back story to the characters. That's where the really chilling parts were... Not to downplay the novel, but the characters weren't too detailed and the story itself is quite simple. What makes it a masterpiece are the psychological threads that hold the basic storyline together; the interactions between people and the profound impact these actions can have in shaping the future, and the lengths people will go to extract revenge on those who have wronged them. The killer in this case was a particularly scary breed of psychopath, but intermittent flashbacks their childhood showed a different side to the usual killer - it gave the reader an insight into the psychology of the killer, why they grew up the way they did and how seemingly insignificant actions as a child can haunt us for the rest of our lives.

I've learnt a lot over the past few months about what I like and don't like in crime novels, and I think Unseen is a perfect blend of all the elements I like best. An intelligent story? Check. Lots of surprises? Check. An effortless look at family ties and how events shape us? Check. A highly recommendable novel? Check - now go read it for yourselves! show less

A serial killer appears on the island of Gotland just as the islanders are getting ready for the summer tourism season and the Midsummer holiday.

Women who appear not to have any connection are found murdered with their underwear stuffed in their mouths. The police have no clues with which to follow and with no witnesses, their frustration rises with the summer heat.

Adding to Inspector Knutas's irritations is a journalist who appears to have a source inside the police providing him with show more information about the murders the homicide team had not given out during the press conferences.

The mind of the serial killer is gradually exposed ...but will the homicide team find him before he kills again?

There were some rather obvious links, I thought, that I was surprised the homicide team didn't pick up, and the writing at times appeared rather stilted. Still, it's not bad for the first in the series and I hope the author will develop her main characters more fully in subsequent works. show less