The very satisfying police procedural does a number of things really well. It sets up the situation very neatly, the detectives are professional, steady and interesting and the resolution is well thought out. It is a nice addition to the increasing number of Scandinavian crime novels becoming available in English.
Reidar Folke Jespersen is found dead in the window of his shop. He is naked and has been posed with red string tied around his neck, three crosses and the number 195 have been painted on his chest. Detective Inspector Gunnarstranda and his subordinate Frank Frolich lead the investigation into the murder, one that has no shortage of possible suspects. The opening section of the book covers the last day of Reidar Folke Jespersen’s life and in that short space of time Jespersen gives a large number of people plenty of motives to harm him. Gunnarstranda and Frolich patiently follow all the threads while at the same time dealing with their own lives. The resolution is unexpected but not improbable, there is a pleasing degree of misdirection employed to ensure that the reveal works.
The atmosphere in the book is a bit gloomy, none of the characters are really content, they are all in somewhat awkward situations which they are trying to resolve in one way or another. This gives a nice texture to the book, neither of the lead detectives are unhappy loner with troubled family relationships, it is more muted and mixed than that. The time spent in their company is enjoyable as they grapple with their lives as much as with the murder, indeed they feel on a much surer footing with a crime that with their emotional lives.
The overall cast are well drawn, the principals are given the space to breathe and develop distinctively. This contributes greatly to the pleasure of the book, as the possibilities develop along side the characters and their various interactions.
An impressive crime novel.
