An atmospehric new thriller set on the island of Gotland, from Sweden's new crime-writing star
Mari Jungstedt is one of the most successful crime fiction authors
in Sweden, and has sold over 3 million copies of her books
worldwide. Barry Forshaw writes that her Inspector Knutas novels
are 'among the most rarefied and satisfying pleasures afforded by
the field'. She has written nine novels set on the island of
Gotland and featuring Knutas.
Mari lives in Stockholm with her husband and two children.
Strong characters raise questions of how well we know those close
to us . . . gripping
*Financial Times*
PRAISE FOR UNSEEN:
Just when I thought that the flow of impressive crime writers from
the Nordic countries was slowing down, up pops another. Unseen is
the Swede Mari Jungstedt's first novel, but it doesn't feel like
it. She is in total control of plot and pace, conveys chilling
atmosphere and her characters are well above average for
believability.
*Marcel Berlins, The Times*
There's an icy dispassionate grip to Jungstedt's writing that
recalls Henning Mankell.
*Metro*
Indridason turns introspective in his third mystery translated into English (after the award-winning Jar City and Silence of the Grave), a thriller that occurs over just six days before Christmas. In the midst of the holiday rush at a Reykjavik hotel, the doorman who portrays Santa Claus is found stabbed in his basement room, in costume and wearing a condom with his pants around his ankles. When Inspector Erlendur learns that the victim was once a celebrated choirboy who was never able to experience a real childhood, he's reminded of the death of his younger brother in a blizzard, which he himself survived. Erlendeur also has to deal with his drug-addicted daughter mourning the recent loss of her baby and a child abuse case involving an eight-year-old boy, which takes a turn that distresses Erlendur's colleague Elinborg. A long-divorced loner, Erlendur takes residence in the hotel, weighing motives of greed and hatred and developing a promising romantic relationship while coworkers worry about his lack of Christmas plans. An exceptional psychological study-Erlendur struggles with his past and his present-this won the Martin Beck Award in Sweden for the best crime novel in translation. In Jungstedt's second mystery (after Unseen), Detective Superintendent Anders Knutas of Gotland has both a murdered alcoholic photographer and a missing 14-year-old girl on his hands. Along with his closest colleague, Detective Inspector Karin Jacobsson, Knutas is assisted by smitten reporter Johan Berg, who turns up leads as he pursues married Emma Winarve, whose bond to her children has her vacillating between her lover and her husband. Inevitably, the two cases are found to be linked-and become painfully personal for Knutas. Jungstedt's portrayal of the victims-particularly of young biracial Fanny Jansson, daughter of a single alcoholic mother-are especially sharp, as she continues to develop the characters from her debut novel. The result is a more polished sequel and ending with a cliff-hanger that whets interest for her next. Featuring perpetrators acting out of desperation and a certain insularity with their island locales, both novels are recommended for collections where dark, foreign mysteries are popular, but probably not for holiday reading.-Michele Leber, Arlington, VA Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.
Strong characters raise questions of how well we know those close
to us . . . gripping * Financial Times *
PRAISE FOR UNSEEN:
Just when I thought that the flow of impressive crime writers from
the Nordic countries was slowing down, up pops another. Unseen is
the Swede Mari Jungstedt's first novel, but it doesn't feel like
it. She is in total control of plot and pace, conveys chilling
atmosphere and her characters are well above average for
believability.
* Marcel Berlins, The Times *
There's an icy dispassionate grip to Jungstedt's writing that
recalls Henning Mankell. * Metro *
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