Stefan Ahnhem

This story was a shitshow; every single person is running their own investigation, and none of them can ever stop for 2 seconds and process what is going on around them. Therefore, the bad guys, MULTIPLE Serial Killers have carte blanche access to victims. I know most cops and detectives and security personnel always appear to be highly incompetent, but the Danes and Swedes must take the cake.

The Helsingborg investigation squad is the working definition of a clusterfuck: dysfunctional show more personal and professional lives, everyone pursuing their own agendas whereby fighting and solving crimes is somewhere at the bottom of their list of priorities... on the assumption that fighting and solving crimes even make the list. The bottom line is that it is a miracle Fabian Risk doesn't get a whole lot more people killed; a few dozen innocent dead, pshaw, come on Fabian, you can do better than that!!!

The bad guys have no fear of being caught. I mean, they don't even want to kill Fabian since he is no threat to them, and he is even more of an aid when all is said and done. In the event of an exceptionally unlikely string of supremely bad luck, and an improbably series of events that allows Risk to stumble and bumble his way to an apprehension and arrest, there is just the slimmest chance the criminals will pay. In the small, small improbable event that they do, we will call it a WIN (and the long and ugly trail of dead and dismembered bodies we'll conveniently ignore). Maybe the reason they cannot solve any of these crimes in Helsingborg is because they are too busy taking bets: will Risk solve the crime or be killed first, the latter being the heavy favorite.

I wasn't all that impressed with the motive. Sure, it was very unique and all of that, but the implausibility factor was off the charts. I guess half my problem is that I did not like a single character in the entire book. Are all Danes that downright loathsome, and no one there is the least bit likeable? Or is it that Stefan Ahnhem cannot create an even remotely likeable character? Whatever the factors are, it just made for a long slog.

Dunja Hougaard seems interesting, but she is a ghost in this novel. show less

To better understand Stefan Ahnhem's "The Ninth Grave," translated from the Swedish by Paul Norlen, readers might consider creating a spreadsheet. There is so much going on that it is challenging to keep one's bearings while plowing through this nearly six hundred page book. Swedish detective Fabian Risk of the National Bureau of Criminal Investigation and his colleague, Malin Rehnberg, play central roles on the Swedish side. In addition, the glamorous Niva Ekenhielm, a seductress and show more computer genius, makes invaluable contributions to their inquiries. Fabian and Malin are looking into the mysterious abduction of two prominent individuals, a cabinet minister and a playboy. In Denmark, Dunja Hougaard of the Copenhagen police meets Malin at a conference, and the two enjoy an evening of merriment and camaraderie. Hougaard is a tenacious investigator who is trying to solve a ghastly crime that may be connected to Malin and Fabian's case.

Ahnhem's "Victim without a Face" was a gruesome and convoluted novel, and "The Ninth Grave" is equally macabre in its depiction of torture and mutilation. So why should we subject ourselves to so much gore and psychopathy? The author draws us in with his mysterious premise, teasing us with hints of what is to come, but not revealing much until late in the game. We also get a glimpse of the characters' messy personal lives. Malin is seven months pregnant with twins (a more prudent woman would take care of herself), while Fabian's marriage is faltering. He and his wife, Sonja, are both immersed in work, with barely enough time to care for their children or one another. Dunja is engaged, but her relationship with her fiancé is more monotonous than erotic.

"The Ninth Grave" should appeal to fans of convoluted Scandinavian thrillers with high body counts and graphic violence. When we finally discover how everything interconnects, we must suspend our disbelief big time. That being said, Ahnhem is adept at depicting depraved, corrupt, venal, and vengeful individuals. Logic and realism are less important than the excitement of the chase and the mystifying puzzle that impels Fabian and company to skip meals, lose sleep, and furiously track down a clever and highly motivated criminal. Stefan Ahnhem goes way over the top in creating a chilling narrative about sadistic felons, obsessive law enforcement officers, and a special brand of evil rarely seen in contemporary fiction. show less

Detective Fabian Risk has just transferred back to his hometown from Stockholm with his family and is supposed to be on holidays. However, with weeks still to go on his vacation, he is called into Homicide Division to discuss a recent homicide. A body has been discovered with his hands cut off and with an old school class picture beside him. The victim’s face has been crossed out but his is not the only one. The reason Risk has been called in – he was in the class. Before long, more of show more his classmates turn up dead and it becomes clear that someone is killing off the entire class.

Victim Without a Face by Swedish author Stefan Ahnhem and translated by Rachel Wilson-Broyles is one wild thrill ride. It is one twist and turn after another, red herrings galore, a cast of characters that you will either love or hate and sometimes both, and just when you think you know who did it, well, turns out in the most horrific ways possible, they didn’t. This is the kind of page turner that will keep you up reading needing to know how it turns out and, when it’s finished, wishing there was more. A definite high recommendation from me.

4.5 show less

Theo ist tot, er hat sich in der Untersuchungshaft das Leben genommen. Fabian Risk weiß nicht, wie er damit leben soll, immerhin war er es, Theos eigener Vater, der den Jugendlichen gedrängt hatte, sich freiwillig der Polizei zu stellen. Doch als Fabian und Sonja die Leiche sehen, kommen ihm Zweifel, war es wirklich so, wie die Kopenhagener Beamten behaupten? Unzählige Fragen nagen an dem Ermittler und blind vor Verzweiflung verfolgt er eine ganz eigene Spur, die ihn immer weiter von show more seiner Frau und Tochter entfernen. Für seine ehemalige Kollegin Dunja Hougard hingegen scheint endlich der Moment gekommen zu sein, auf den sie seit zwei Jahren hingearbeitet hat. So lange schon beobachtet sie Kim Sleizner, ihren ehemaligen Chef und ranghohen Polizist der dänischen Hauptstadt mit besten Connections. Jetzt endlich kann sie ihm das Handwerk legen, doch sie hat ihn einmal mehr unterschätzt.

Stefan Ahnhems aktueller Roman ist bereits der sechste der Reihe um den schwedischen Kommissar Fabian Risk. Er setzt die Geschichte des Vorgängers nahtlos fort und ist doch dieses Mal ganz anders als die vorangegangenen. Wir erleben einen gänzlich anderen Protagonisten, der durch die Trauer und Wut über sich selbst bestimmt wird, die eigentliche Kriminalhandlung spielt sich derweil rund um Dunja bzw. das Kopenhagener Polizeipräsidium ab. Die bisherige Randfigur, die zwar regelmäßig in Erscheinung trat, deren Geschichte jedoch hinter jener von Fabian zurücktreten musste, rückt nun in den Fokus und steht den bisherigen in nichts nach. Wieder einmal eine komplexe, spannende Tour de Force, in der sich die Kontrahenten nichts schenken.

Ein Quereinstieg in die Reihe mit diesem Band ist sicherlich nicht empfehlenswert. Ob er den Abschluss bildet, wird nicht eindeutig klar, jedoch werden eine ganze Reihe von Erzählsträngen zu einem Ende geführt. Zunächst jener um Theo, dem typisch jugendliche Vergehen zum Verhängnis wurden, der immer tiefer in einen Sumpf geraten ist und dann Opfer eines Krieges wurde, der eigentlich nicht seiner war. Eine tragische Figur durch und durch, ebenso wie seine Schwester Matilda. Dass sich Fabians Familie jemals von den Schicksalsschlägen erholen wird, kann bezweifelt werden. Sehr überzeugend jedoch die Emotionen, die den Vater leiten und an den Rand des Wahnsinns treiben.

Dunjas ungleicher Kampf gegen Sleizner nimmt den Hauptteil der Handlung ein. Eine clever aufgebaute Geschichte, die durch die Charaktere angetrieben und mit immer neuen Höhepunkten umgesetzt wird. Für mich genau das, was ich von einem Spannungsroman erwarte.

Auch wenn der letzte Aufschlag so ganz anders gestaltet ist als die vorherigen, überzeugt er doch restlos. Der veränderte Fokus hat mir gut gefallen, Dunja trägt locker ebenso durch die Geschichte wie Fabian. show less