Åke Edwardson

I had liked the first installment of the Erik Winter series by Åke Edwardson so much that I was eager to read the next one. Unfortunately I was quite disappointed!
This book has been published in English as The Shadow Woman.

The case is interesting enough: A young woman is found murdered on the shore of a lake in Göteborg, and there is no clue about who she is. Erik Winter, a wealthy investigator in his late thirties, is drawn into the case immediately and does his best to find out who the show more woman was, but it is proving to be very difficult. The stakes are even higher because the autopsy shows that the woman has given birth, so somewhere there might be a child in grave danger.

So yes, the premise is intriguing, but after a while the story just dragged on and on and I just hoped that something would happen. Moreover, I don't mind reading about the private lives of detectives, but in this novel it is too much, especially because it is equally depressing as the case. I know that this is nordic noir, but still, there must be something that creates a spark and that makes me want to read on. There are a few points where the plot does become more gripping, but as it evolves, it is taken over by the background story of a bank robbery and that did not interest me in the least. After 599 pages, I was just happy that it was over.
Having said that, I still somewhat like Erik Winter as a character, although I liked him much more in the first novel.

I will read the third book for three reasons: First, I enjoyed the first one immensely and am not ready yet to give up on this series. Second, my husband owns the third book as a physical copy and because of that I started reading this series, wishing to read it in order. Third, from that book onwards the series has been translated by another German translator who, according to the reviews, does a much better job and makes the books more readable, so I am curious about that.
If I don't like the third book considerably more than this one, I will abandon the series. show less

Dies ist der neunte Roman mit dem Ermittlerteam von Erik Winter, Kriminalkommissar im Fahndungsdezernat in Göteborg. Und für mich der Erste.
Ein ungewöhnlicher Auftakt: Im ersten, rund 100 Seiten umfassenden Teil erscheinen alle Personen, die mit den Geschehnissen zu tun haben. Doch meist nur als Momentaufnahme, zudem einige ohne Namen. Es ereignen sich merkwürdige Dinge: Schüsse fallen, ein verlassenes Auto, ein namenloser (künftiger?) Mörder ist auf dem Weg zu seinem Opfer (oder show more nicht?), eine junge Frau flüchtet... Was all dies miteinander zu tun hat, bleibt im Dunklen. Besser: im Düsteren. Denn schon jetzt zeichnet sich ab, dass dies die Stimmung ist, die ALLE Handelnden umgibt. Der erste Teil schließt ohne dass auch nur ansatzweise klar ist, wie all die Ereignisse zusammenhängen.
Im zweiten Teil werden erste Verbindungen sichtbar. Die Personen bekommen (fast) alle Namen, Beziehungen werden erkennbar ebenso wie ein eventuelles Motiv. Trotzdem bleibt vieles immer noch im Ungefähren, was im dritten Teil aufgeklärt wird. Man glaubt nun zu wissen was passiert ist und weshalb. Und wird im vierten Teil auf's Neue überrascht, welch unerwartete Wendungen diese Geschichte nimmt.
Doch diese Geschichte macht nur einen Teil des Romans aus, der andere gehört den Ermittlern. Alle haben massiv mit privaten Problemen zu kämpfen: Gesundheit, Familie, Lebenssinn, Beziehung... Es sieht so aus, als ob sie die Düsternis des kommenden Winters, der langen Nächte, schon vorwegnehmen (Dabei herrscht den ganzen Roman über ungewohnterweise das schönste Wetter in Göteborg). Obwohl äußerliche Beschreibungen eher knapp ausfallen, hat man bereits nach kurzem ein ziemlich gutes Bild der einzelnen Charaktere vor Augen (was für die Fähigkeiten des Autors spricht).
Edwardsons Sprache sind kurze und knappe Sätze, ganz dem Typ der Ermittler entsprechend. Sie reden nicht gerne, wenn dann nur auf das Notwendigste beschränkt. Dennoch bleibt Edwardsons Sprache ausdrucksreich, ihm gelingen immer wieder beeindruckende Bilder ('Die Vergangenheit ist wie ein Mantel, der einem schwer auf den Schultern lastet' oder 'Im Gras lagen Rosen die wie Blutflecken aussahen'), die durch die Kürze der Sätze besonders prägnant wirken.
Wer Probleme mit dem Herbst- oder Winterblues hat, dem ist dieses Buch vielleicht nicht unbedingt zu empfehlen. Allen anderen aber ohne Einschränkung. show less

The original title of this is Dans med en ängel and the English version is Death Angels. The English version is probably cheaper because of the fixed book prices in Germany, but for some reason I prefer reading Nordic Noir in German.

There were many excellent aspects in this novel, and others that were not so good, but altogether it was a fantastic reading experience.

To begin with, I really like the investigator in this novel. Erik Winter is in his late thirties, he has affairs with several show more women, and his parents are so wealthy that he does not have to work for a living, but only does so because he likes it. His lifestyle is very luxurious. All of this would usually make me loath the character, but somehow it is not so with Winter - because he has a lot of empathy, I like his work ethics, and he treats his fellow policemen rather well.

The story takes place in Göteborg where a young man from London is murdered in a hotel room. Shortly after, it is discovered that the same also happened reversed - a Swedish young man was killed in a hotel room in London. The murders are very gruesome and the police are at a loss.

Well, the plot is interesting, but what is even more striking is the language. In the beginning the author includes many metaphors and similes, the language is sometimes almost lyrical. It seems a bit too forced, though, and hems the reading flow. After a few chapters, this is toned down, and from then on I loved the language and the atmosphere it creates, creating pictures in my mind and slowing down the reading to make room for emotions like fear and uncertainty.
I became totally engrossed in this story and did not want to put it down. The language remains a bit uneven from time to time, but I am quite sure that it is due to the translation. Other reviewers have commented on that as well and I am happy to see that the translator (Wolfdietrich Müller) changes after the second book.

The only thing that could be improved is the ending because there are several investigation lines left hanging:
Why did the murderer wear a wig?
Why did he dance, or what else did the footprints signify?
What about the aspect of homosexuality? Was it a coincidence or does the murderer hate gay men?
What happened to the burglar who found the clothes?
Why did the murderer choose to kill in two cities, and why London and Göteborg? Was it just to confuse Winter? I thought there might be a deeper meaning.

I also think that the motive is too weak and could have been made stronger by giving more of a background story, by explaining more about the childhood/teenage stories of Winter and Bolger.

I have not read as much Nordic Noir as many others, but I do think that this is very good novel apart from the few points I mentioned above. I am looking forward to continuing with this series very much. show less

Summary: DCI Erik Winter, newly bereaved of his father, is confronted with a gruesome double-homicide of two sexual "swingers", the possibility of involvement within his own ranks, and a pattern of clues that suggests that his partner, pregnant with their first child, may be at risk.

I am a fan of Penguin mysteries. I will often buy one even if I'm not familiar with the author, because I've found them to be consistently well-written and well-crafted as mysteries. I came across this one in a show more second hand store, by Swedish crime writer Åke Edwardson. I was not disappointed but it took reading the first hundred pages to fully engage my attention. After that, I was riveted.

In the first hundred pages, we are introduced to the characters, especially Detective Chief Inspector Erik Winter, impeccably dressed, a lover of jazz, and engaged in a serious relationship with Angela, a doctor who is bearing their first child. Much of the first part of the book is taken up with his final visit with his dying father in Spain, interrupted by a bloody double murder involving sexual "swingers" back in Gothenburg. We are introduced to Patrik, a newspaper carrier who in fact saw the murderer and first suspects something is not right in the flat where the murder occurred, his girlfriend, Maria, the building caretaker who reports the murder (and is also caretaker in Winters' building), and the police who work with Winter. As it turns out, all this scene-setting and character development is important as we follow Winter into the investigation.

Winter's investigation centers around clues left by the murderer. A cassette of "black metal" music with its lyrics. The word "Wall" written in blood with the "W" circled. The beheaded heads of the victims swapped on their bodies. Then there are the calls to his flat when only Angela is there. The presence of someone in the caretaker's basement cubbyhole in his building. A second murder of another "swinging" couple. A crime psychiatrist thinks the clues point toward someone who wants to be stopped. By Winter. Evidence points to a policeman or someone dressing as one. Can the people around Winter be trusted? Is Angela and their baby in danger?

One finds oneself more and more drawn into the suspense as the killer and Winter get closer to each other. Skillful misdirection has us suspecting several different individuals even as we approach the book's climax. The plot is dark, yet we have decent people wrestling with the profound realities of life against the gruesome backdrop. I was delighted to discover at the Penguin Random House website that there are at least four other Erik Winter mysteries available. Winter is a well-drawn character, and Edwardson a fine writer whose work I want to come back to. I think you will as well. show less