Detective Inspector Huss Review

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Detective Inspector Huss ReviewFans 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.Detective Inspector Huss Overview

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The Keeper of Lost Causes Review

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The Keeper of Lost Causes ReviewThe Scandinavian invasion continues with Jussi Adler-Olsen's "The Keeper of Lost Causes," translated from the Danish by Tïina Nunnally. The protagonist, Carl Mørck, is a deputy detective superintendent who has just been "promoted" to Department Q, of which he is the head and sole employee. His remit is to handle "cases deserving special scrutiny." Mørck is a chronic troublemaker ("lazy, surly, morose") who talks back to his bosses and does pretty much what he wants to do. He has never completely recovered from a tragic shooting that left his two partners dead and paralyzed respectively, and he still feels guilty that he could do nothing to save his colleagues. His wife left him, but she still badgers him; he has no social life to speak of; when he assumes his new position, he is relegated to a windowless basement office where, his superiors hope, he will remain out of sight and out of mind.
Everything changes when Carl demands an assistant. He gets a lot more than he bargained for--a Muslim named Assad who is a jack-of-all trades: Assad dons rubber gloves to clean thoroughly, makes bad coffee, drives like a madman, and acts like a Syrian Sherlock Holmes. Carl is content to put his feet up, smoke cigarettes, and do little or nothing, but Assad digs into the case files. He shows an amazing aptitude for locating valuable nuggets of information, gaining cooperation from secretaries and bureaucrats, and goading Carl into acting like a detective. This unlikely duo soon become obsessed with an extremely challenging cold case--the disappearance five years earlier of Merete Lynggaard, a beautiful, talented, and dedicated up-and-coming politician. Did Merete fall overboard while she was a passenger on a ferry? Did she commit suicide? Or did someone abduct her? If the latter, who would want to hurt this kind and compassionate woman? With the help of his able factotum, Carl emerges from his lethargy and makes up his mind that he will find out what really happened to Merete.
"The Keeper of Lost Causes" is an addictive read. Who can resist flawed heroes who underachieve until they find some reason to put forth their best effort? Carl is an excellent investigator when he is not busy wallowing in self-pity or having panic attacks. Adler-Olsen uses flashbacks effectively to recount Merete's torturous ordeal. She shows amazing spunk and resourcefulness as she squares off against villains readers will love to hate; they are sadistic, vengeful, and remorseless fiends who enjoy inflicting agony on their helpless victim. It is entertaining to observe Assad and Carl squabble and fuss like kindergarten children (Carl does most of the fussing) until the pair eventually learn to work together productively. This is a darkly humorous, poignant, twisty, and engrossing novel that thriller fans will eagerly embrace.
The Keeper of Lost Causes Overview

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