The Torso

What's different about this Scandi-crime novel (first in a series I believe) is that the main detective, Irene Huss, is pretty normal. She's not depressed, not alcoholic, not a loner. Irene is married with two teenage daughters, and juggles her career, family, and personal life--she even has a dog, Sammie, with a big personality.

That being said, the crime she's faced with in this book is as gorey and heinous as anything I've read. She's faced with not a run-of-the-mill murder for financial gain, or a crime of passion. Instead, she's dealing with good old sexual perversion, of the necrophiliac variety.

The novel opens with the discovery of a decapitated, dismembered torso in a plastic bag on a deserted beach. Discovering the identity of show more the victim is only the beginning.

3 stars show less

It's a little sad to see that Tursten only held out for two books before succumbing to the temptation to do a gory serial killer plot, but at least this one is so very outrageously gory that you can't help suspecting that she's quietly sending up the whole genre. It should make very unpleasant reading, but somehow it's so crazily over the top that you can't quite take any of the blood and guts seriously. It is also good to see that she has resisted the convention that serial-killers have to be frighteningly clever. And has avoided the tedious "victim's POV" trope that TV directors always insist on, but which makes no sense in a book. So it could have been a lot worse, and the story - once you've accepted the main premise - does hold show more together quite logically, and has a sufficient number of twists to keep us amused.

A mutilated torso is found on a beach near Göteborg. The only identifying feature is a distinctive tattoo, and trying to track that down eventually leads Inspector Huss to extend her investigation to Copenhagen. We all know what happens when Swedish detectives cross the Bridge to get together with their Danish colleagues, of course: the body-count shoots up in the most satisfactory way. This book was written just before the bridge opened, so Huss still has to cross the Øresund by ferry, but you'll be happy to know that the principle held good even then...

The third in the Irene Huss series, and the third different English translator with her own quirks (this one likes to add tedious footnotes converting the units of measurement into inches and degrees Fahrenheit and the kronor into dollars). And once again an arresting original title has been converted into something bland and generic - maybe they thought a literal translation of Tatuerad torso would sound too Erle Stanley Gardner? Anyway, whoever designed the cover obviously neither knows what the word "torso" means nor has read any part of the book, since the illustrated body seems (a) to be alive and dancing and (b) to have a full complement of arms and legs and no visible tattoos. show less

Irene Huss investigates an odd case in which a torso with no limbs or head washes ashore. They discover a similar case occurred in Denmark when they broaden their search. Irene travels there to compare information. They even discover video showing the murders, but the person appearing to commit them is the deceased. There's an element of horror as it appears the perpetrator wants someone close to Irene to be the next victim. I did not enjoy this installment because necrophilia is a major theme. I've never connected to Irene either. While I may read the next installment to complete the year's group read, I doubt I will continue the series in 2024. There are too many other books I'd enjoy more begging for my attention.

Another excellent novel in the Inspector Huss series. Great characters, plot, dialog, and timing; not too fast or too slow. And while there are 'bad guys' there are many, many truly good guys including the police trying to solve a frightening and difficult case. The warm rapport between Irene and her colleagues is a wonderful balance to the chaos and ugliness of murder.

Tursten's descriptions are detailed and relatable.

Truly enjoyable.

Helene Torsten explores the seamy side of the Scandinavian sex industry in her police procedural "The Torso." Savvy Swedish police inspector Irene Huss tracks down the psychopathic cannibal responsible for a series of incredibly brutal (and high calorie) murders. C.S.I. Gothenburg! As is so often the case, the real pleasure of the book was not in the solution to the crime, but in the day-to-day details of the police in their professional and personal lives.

Number two in Helene Tursten's Gothenburg-based police procedural series. The series, featuring female chief detective Irene Huss, is one of the best of the genre, I think. Inspector Huss is very competent, both at work and in managing her busy family life, and she is NOT depressed -- which may be an even more distinctive characteristic than her femininity. In this one, the upper half of a human torso washes ashore, starting a massive investigation that reveals more deaths, more clues, and more horror. As in so many Scandinavian mysteries, ritual serial murder drives the plot (one wonders: how many ritual serial murders actually take place in that law-abiding part of the world?). But the plot focusses on police procedure, and the show more personalities of the police and the witnesses rather than on the "yuch" factor. Great read. show less

Detective Inspector Irene Huss of the Goteborg Violent Crime Division is called to the scene of a gruesome murder. An eviscerated torso has been washed up on the beach. DNA evidence determines the body is a male and a tattoo is the only clue to his identity. Soon more body parts start to appear in trash bags throughout the country. When a young girl Irene is searching for is found dead in a similar way in Copenhagen, Irene takes her investigation there.

Irene is a very strong and capable detective. She's also a wife and mother of two teenage girls, dog owner and a judo expert. She's able to take care of herself in all the situations she encounters.

There are some pretty graphic crimes here (necrosadism, Swedish and Danish sex trade) and show more readers may not care for some of the themes. The secondary characters and Swedish atmosphere and culture are refreshing and authentic. The author weaves Irene's work and home life together in a very believable way. The story is complicated but not confusing.

If you're interested in a different type of female led police procedural you might want to start with the first of this series, “Detective Inspector Irene Huss” where you'll be introduced to Irene. show less