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Rating: 
Summary: Engaging Swedish Debut
Review: Fans of Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander series will be delighted with this first entry in fellow Swede Tursten's procedural series. Set in Goteborg, the book stars Det. Inspector Irene Huss and her colleagues in the Violent Crimes Unit as they investigate the murder of a prominent and very wealthy businessman. Like John Harvey's Charlie Resnick series, the story's about both the crime and the lives of those investigating it, with similarly satisfying results. The crime itself is an exceedingly tangled one, with loads of suspects, a locked door, and many complications and other crimes cropping up as the story progresses. That said, the primary culprit can be guessed almost right from the start, even if the motive and method for the murder cannot. A great deal of the novel's success is attributable to Tursten's detailed step-by-step rendering of the patient police work that leads to the resolution.The rich and famous milieux of the murder is nothing notably new, nor is the connection to a sleazier world of drugs and sex. However, one thing that American readers may not quite understand is the role of motorcycle gangs in Scandinavia. In the US, the image of the Hell's Angels have been considerably softened to one of benign oversized 50-somethings cruising around on expensive bikes in a now-benign subculture. However, in Scandinavia (and Canada, see John Farrow's thriller City of Ice), the Hell's Angels and other motorcycle gangs are directly involved in high-level drug trafficking and violent crime. Although the crime and its unraveling could be transposed to a US setting without a great deal of difficulty, the book has much to offer. Most importantly, the characters, from the police to suspects and witnesses, all are exceedingly well-drawn and believable. Det. Insp. Huss is especially likable as a 40ish woman in a male-dominated profession filled with casual sexism. Her coworkers are each intriguing, from enigmatic Hannu, to wheezing supervisor Andersson, bright young Brigitta, nasty Tommy, arrogant Medical Examiner Stridner, and the many technicians who assist the investigation. Huss's personal life adds great depth and sympathy to her character, especially the subplot involving one of her daughter's flirtation with neo-Nazism. Ethnicity comes into play as well, with several characters having Finnish backgrounds that render them quite alien to the Swedes. The pacing is quite good considering the book's length and complexity, as is the translation, which is exceedingly smooth and readable. This is an engaging debut, and I eagerly look forward to the next in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: fine Swedish police procedural
Review: Financial mogul Richard von Knecht jumps off Goteborg, Sweden apartment balcony. Suicide seems obvious, but some counter evidence quickly surfaces that murder may have occurred. Irene Huss of the Violent Crimes Unit investigates the von Knecht death with a word of caution that the victim is connected to the Swedish elite. Rather quickly Huss and her competent team trace von Knecht's life into the criminal underground of drug dealing and motorcycle gangs. Not long afterwards, the case turns deadly again when a bomb blows up Von Knecht's business office, killing two people. Huss and her squad struggle with finding the specific motive though in some way she knows that von Knecht's underworld and business connections have crossed at a fatal junction making her worry that more killings will follow if they do not stop the unknown perpetrator now. Ironically, the reader can figure out who the culprit is rather quickly, but that does not interfere with a fine Swedish police procedural. Huss is a delightful protagonist struggling to make it in a world in which male domination is not limited to the men's room. The police force, especially those who work with the heroine, are a wonderful group as their verbal exchanges and professional investigation make for a fine read for sub-genre fans who also can look forward to future translations of Detective Huss' caseload. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: fine Swedish police procedural
Review: Financial mogul Richard von Knecht jumps off Goteborg, Sweden apartment balcony. Suicide seems obvious, but some counter evidence quickly surfaces that murder may have occurred. Irene Huss of the Violent Crimes Unit investigates the von Knecht death with a word of caution that the victim is connected to the Swedish elite. Rather quickly Huss and her competent team trace von Knecht's life into the criminal underground of drug dealing and motorcycle gangs. Not long afterwards, the case turns deadly again when a bomb blows up Von Knecht's business office, killing two people. Huss and her squad struggle with finding the specific motive though in some way she knows that von Knecht's underworld and business connections have crossed at a fatal junction making her worry that more killings will follow if they do not stop the unknown perpetrator now. Ironically, the reader can figure out who the culprit is rather quickly, but that does not interfere with a fine Swedish police procedural. Huss is a delightful protagonist struggling to make it in a world in which male domination is not limited to the men's room. The police force, especially those who work with the heroine, are a wonderful group as their verbal exchanges and professional investigation make for a fine read for sub-genre fans who also can look forward to future translations of Detective Huss' caseload. Harriet Klausner
Rating:
Summary: Very exciting!
Review: I liked this book because it is so interesting and exciting. The story is fascinating and I couldn't put the book away, once I'd started to read. You meet a lot of interesting people, both among the suspects and the policeforce. The plot is very different and unpredictable. I highly recommend this book!
Rating: 
Summary: Here's a mystery, how did this get published?
Review: I purchased this book after a glowing review on NPR. Big mistake. Perhaps it is the translation, but there are, no joke, 2 or 3 exclamation marks per page! The writing is stilted and filled with stereotypes. The central mystery lacks any major surprises and Tursten even fails to capture the omnipresent chill of a Swedish winter. If you want to try some international crime fiction, try the excellent 'Shape of Water' by Camilleri or 'A Very Long Engagement' by Japrisot.
Rating:
Summary: Here's a mystery, how did this get published?
Review: I purchased this book after a glowing review on NPR. Big mistake. Perhaps it is the translation, but there are, no joke, 2 or 3 exclamation marks per page! The writing is stilted and filled with stereotypes. The central mystery lacks any major surprises and Tursten even fails to capture the omnipresent chill of a Swedish winter. If you want to try some international crime fiction, try the excellent 'Shape of Water' by Camilleri or 'A Very Long Engagement' by Japrisot.
Rating:
Summary: well-drawn characters, liesurely pace
Review: This liesurely paced Swedish police procedural, the first in a series, centers on the characters who make up the Violent Crimes Unit in Goteborg, Sweden, particularly 40-ish Irene Huss, wife, mother and detective inspector, as they investigate the murder of a rich financier. Richard Von Knecht took a header off his balcony, but suicide is ruled out even before Huss and her colleagues have finished gawking at the deceased's lavish furnishings - far beyond the means of even rich Swedes. As the team makes its way through the dysfunctional Von Knecht family, a bomb goes off in the murdered man's office, killing two more people and sending Huss into the underworld of bikers and drug dealers and easy death. Though Huss has a supportive husband (for a refreshing change), there's trouble at home with a burgeoning skinhead daughter and trouble in the force with colleagues covertly and overtly uncomfortable with women. Tursten changes viewpoint with ease and each member of the squad has a chance to shine, from the hard-pressed superintendent trying to mesh personalities and political change to pretty, young Birgitta, enigmatic Rauhala, abrasive Blom and more. Well-written, if a little long and convoluted, "Huss," provides an intriguing portrait of the workings of a murder squad as well as modern Swedish life.
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