Paul Norlen

I'm always on the lookout for good Scandinavian crime novels. Since the Stieg Larsson trilogy, I've discovered a few and find them, in general, to be competently written with good plotting and interesting descriptions of a part of the world I've yet to experience. I also enjoy noting the differences in how crimes are investigated between there and the US. The Intruder fits the profile pretty well, though the plot and conclusion leave a bit to be desired.

To summarize the plot without giving anything much away, there's a murder on an island in the middle of the Baltic Sea. A young mother and her son are killed and her husband becomes a centerpiece of the investigation by the locals. He tends to be a little less than straight in his dealings with them, complicating their process and delaying the resolution of the crime.

This novel is a translation, and the language is very straightforward with a minimum of jargon. My issues with the story is with the seeming slow pace and lack of up-to-date procedures followed by the investigators. Maybe due to the fact that I live near one of the murder capitals of the country (Chicago) and are therefore exposed more than most to investigations, the process they followed seemed very haphazard. The pace of the book was very slow- for example, nearly the first half of the story involved threats being made but no action being taken by the unknown perpetrator. The reasoning behind different decisions made by the investigators often wasn't provided, and I have a fundamental problem believing that the eventual arrest would even hold up in court (at least I'm pretty sure it wouldn't in this country).

So, if you'd like to experience a procedural set in the middle of the Baltic Sea that'll keep you guessing until the end (and afterward.....), you should check out The Intruder. I liked it well enough, but just felt that the police were a bit sloppy and uninformed and the conclusion didn't hold up well.… (more)