Vivian Q. (bellasgranny) -
Helpful Score: 2
I couldn't get my hands on the first book in the series so I started with this one. An engrossing and well written police procedural set in Sweden, it works very well as a stand alone book. But I can't wait to start the first book so that I can get the back story on Inspector Irene Huss and her fellow policemen. Highly recommend.
Cathy C. (cathyskye) -
First Line: Everything had seemed perfect.
After finding Jacob Schyttelius shot to death in his isolated cottage, Detective Inspector Irene Huss and her team from the Violent Crimes Unit in Göteborg, Sweden, visit his parents. Schyttelius's parents have also been shot to death, and the computer monitor in their home-- like Jacob's-- has a Satanic symbol painted on it in their own blood. Both computers' hard drives have been professionally wiped, and the only lead Huss has-- Jacob's sister in London-- is so devastated by the tragedy that she's unable to be of much help. It will be a long and difficult investigation before Irene Huss can solve this case.
There's really not that much mystery to this book. I found the whodunit easy to put together, and how the murderer's confession was handled didn't quite set well with me. (It was a case of tell rather than show.) Be that as it may, I really enjoyed the book for Tursten's portrayal of a female detective inspector trying to juggle her profession and her family life. Huss is one of the few members of the fictional police force of the world that I know who actually has a good family life.
Huss got to travel to London, and it was interesting to see England through the eyes of a Swede. There's also a scene in London that came out of nowhere and startled me, which was a definite plus. I do tend to like surprises that make me blink and reread a paragraph because something happened that I did not expect.
Tursten not only does an excellent job of portraying Irene Huss, she brings a homicide investigation to life with its slow, methodical piecing together of conjecture, clues and evidence. I almost felt as though I were a part of the investigative team.
There are only three books in the Irene Huss series so far, and I have come to the end, which is sad. I like this series, and I hope that there will be more in the future.
After finding Jacob Schyttelius shot to death in his isolated cottage, Detective Inspector Irene Huss and her team from the Violent Crimes Unit in Göteborg, Sweden, visit his parents. Schyttelius's parents have also been shot to death, and the computer monitor in their home-- like Jacob's-- has a Satanic symbol painted on it in their own blood. Both computers' hard drives have been professionally wiped, and the only lead Huss has-- Jacob's sister in London-- is so devastated by the tragedy that she's unable to be of much help. It will be a long and difficult investigation before Irene Huss can solve this case.
There's really not that much mystery to this book. I found the whodunit easy to put together, and how the murderer's confession was handled didn't quite set well with me. (It was a case of tell rather than show.) Be that as it may, I really enjoyed the book for Tursten's portrayal of a female detective inspector trying to juggle her profession and her family life. Huss is one of the few members of the fictional police force of the world that I know who actually has a good family life.
Huss got to travel to London, and it was interesting to see England through the eyes of a Swede. There's also a scene in London that came out of nowhere and startled me, which was a definite plus. I do tend to like surprises that make me blink and reread a paragraph because something happened that I did not expect.
Tursten not only does an excellent job of portraying Irene Huss, she brings a homicide investigation to life with its slow, methodical piecing together of conjecture, clues and evidence. I almost felt as though I were a part of the investigative team.
There are only three books in the Irene Huss series so far, and I have come to the end, which is sad. I like this series, and I hope that there will be more in the future.
Very good!
