Unseen

Review by Booklist Review

The Scandinavian invasion continues with the arrival in the U.S. of another talented crime writer from Sweden. Jungstedt's first novel takes place in Gotland, where a serial killer has tourists (in the area during the region's midsummer tourist season) running scared. The sleuth here is Gotland inspector Anders Knutas, who is out of the intuitive-provincial school of crime solving. He is thoroughly engaging in that Maigret way--reminiscent, too, of fellow Swede Van Veeteren (in Hakan Nesser's Borkmann's Point, 0 2006) and French police commissaire 0 Adamsberg (in Fred Vargas' Have Mercy on Us All,0 2005). Knutas has the help of an enterprising Stockholm journalist, Johan Berg, who becomes involved with one of the victim's friends. Like Ake Edwardson in Never End0 (2006), Jungstedt shows that Scandinavian summers can provide just as effective a backdrop for crime drama as the region's icy winters. If this strong combination of pacing, suspense, and character study is any indication of what is to come from Jungstedt, we have another fine import on our hands. --Bill Ott Copyright 2006 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Swedish journalist Jungstedt's first mystery, set on the island of Gotland, a popular tourist destination, opens with some promise. After a gathering of friends dissolves amid jealous accusations, the source of the conflict, Helena Hillerstrom, vanishes from her home, only to turn up the victim of a savage ax murder. This violent act shocks the residents of the normally sleepy resort island. Despite the dedicated efforts of Insp. Anders Knutas, the killer strikes twice again. The killer's cliched motive for these crimes and the police's failure to connect some obvious dots will disappoint those expecting another Henning Mankell. Still, the unusual setting is nicely described, and hopefully, later entries in the series will focus on issues that are particular to Sweden as this debut effort does not. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

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Review by Library Journal Review

The murder of Helena Hillerstrom on the beach of Gotland seems related to a physical fight with her live-in boyfriend the night before-until within weeks two more women are brutally killed in the same fashion, their bodies left naked and slashed and their panties stuffed in their mouths. As the summer tourist trade on this Swedish island suffers as a result, Detective Superintendent Anders Knutas and his colleagues struggle to find connections among the victims while dealing with journalist Johan Berg, who's getting inside tips about the crimes. First novelist Jungstedt includes a romance and some red herrings, along with brief excerpts describing the perpetrator's actions and thoughts that enable the reader to solve the mystery just ahead of the authorities. Neither the issue of abuse, at the heart of the murders, nor the police-press relationship is explored at length, but Jungstedt fashions a solid, compellingly readable police procedural with a nicely rounded protagonist. The prose is not as fluid as that of Henning Mankell, to whom the publisher compares Jungstedt, but the potential is there. This first title in a new series is recommended for collections where foreign mysteries are popular. Jungstedt lives in Stockholm.-Michele Leber, Arlington, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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Review by Kirkus Book Review

The island of Gotland during the longest days of the Scandinavian midsummer is the setting for Jungstedt's grim procedural debut, first published in Sweden in 2003. The morning after Per Bergdal, Helena Hillerström's boyfriend, punches out both her and Kristian Nordström because he thinks Kristian--Helena's old boyfriend--is groping her during a slow dance, Helena goes out for a run with her dog and doesn't come back. A visiting pensioner finds both of them hacked to death with an axe. Detective Superintendent Andres Knutas and his colleagues from the Visby police, 25 miles away, investigate and duly arrest Per when they find the axe with his prints on the handle. They don't realize her murder is only the opening act in a tragedy that continues ten days later with the fatal stabbing of a flirtatious hairdresser. As local investigators, joined by imperious Detective Superintendent Martin Kihlg‰rd of the National Criminal Police, chase down one false lead after another, pesky Regional News reporter Johan Berg, who's getting some anonymous tips from a suspiciously well-informed source, is sitting on a story of his own: his crush on Helena's beautiful best friend Emma Winarve, who's not only grief-stricken, but married with children. Jungstedt kicks off her series--the subsequent two are headed for English translation--with foreboding atmosphere, plausible police work, a pat ending, several loose ends and a particularly handsome use of those endless days in a Swedish June. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

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Chapter One MONDAY, JUNE 4 The evening was turning out better than expected. Of course she had been a little nervous earlier, because it had been a long time since they had all seen each other, but now her anxiety had eased. After an extra-strong welcome drink, white wine with the appetizer, several glasses of red with the entrée, and port with dessert, everyone at the table was in a lively mood. Kristian told another joke about his boss, and the hoots of laughter echoed off the walls in the old limestone house. Outside the window, fields of grain were swaying, and the poppies were still a few weeks from blooming in the meadows. Beyond the fields, the sea could be glimpsed in the last glow of twilight. Over Whitsuntide, Helena and Per had taken a few days off and driven to the cabin on Gotland. They usually got together with Helena's childhood friends on one evening during the holiday. This year, the second day of Whitsun was the only time that was good for everybody, so that's when they had agreed to meet. It was unusually cold for the time of year, around fifty degrees. The wind was blowing hard, howling and whistling in the treetops. Helena laughed loudly at Per when he started singing the Gotland song, a satirical ballad she had taught him, about the field mice from the mainland who chased Gotland girls on their summer vacation. Around the table, they all raised their voices for the chorus. Helena's best girlfriend, Emma, was there with her husband, Olle, along with the neighbors Eva and Rikard, and Beata with her new husband, John Dunmar, who came from the States and was the new member of the group. Kristian was the only one who was still single. A handsome guy but an eternal bachelor, it seemed. To this day he hadn't ever lived with a woman, even though he was thirty-five. Helena had wondered over the years how that could be. The candles were burning in cast-iron candlesticks in the bay windows; the log fire crackled in the open fireplace. Spencer, Helena's dog, lay on a fur rug on the stone floor, licking his paws. He gave an audible sigh and curled up in the warm glow of the candles and fireplace. Helena went out to the kitchen to uncork a couple more bottles of wine. She loved this sparsely furnished cabin, where she had stayed every summer since she was a child. Actually, she and Per needed to be alone. Have some time to talk and be together without cell phones, computers, or alarm clocks, after a stressful and hectic spring. Still, dinner with her old friends wasn't a bad idea, Helena thought, realizing how much she had missed them. She was awakened from her reverie when somebody ran a finger down her spine. "How's it going?" Kristian's voice was low and disarming behind her. "Fine," she replied, turning around with a laugh that was slightly forced. "How are you doing, anyway, you and Per?" He gave her nose a little pinch. "Does he still make you happy? Or what?" "Well, sure. If a girl can't have you, she has to take the next best thing," she said, and walked ahead of him out of the kitchen. "Okay, it's time to dance," piped Beata, who seemed to be in high spirits. She leaped up from the table and started rummaging through the CDs. One of the few modern touches in the cabin was the stereo, an absolute must for Per before he could even imagine spending more than twenty-four hours in the house. Soon the voice of HŒkan Hellström could be heard from the speakers. Per followed Beata's example and began whirling around with her. The others also got to their feet and danced so the floorboards shook. Afterward nobody could remember when exactly everything went wrong. Suddenly Per tore Helena out of Kristian's arms, and they disappeared out to the veranda. Inside the house the dancing continued. After a while the porch door opened. Helena came rushing in with her hands in front of her face and dashed into the bathroom. Her upper lip was bleeding. In an instant the party atmosphere was replaced by a bewildered gloom. John shut off the music. Silence descended on the room. Except for the barking of the dog, who stood outside the bathroom door and snarled at anyone who came close until Helena opened the door a crack and let him in. Kristian went out to talk with Per, and the others followed. The blow came so fast that Kristian didn't have time to react. Per landed a direct hit on the bridge of his nose. Rikard and John grabbed hold of Per before he had a chance to do any more damage. They dragged him from the veranda and onto the lawn, wet with evening dew. The wind had died down, and a gray mist hovered all around them. Emma and Beata looked after Helena. Eva helped Kristian wipe off the blood and put on an ice pack to reduce the swelling as much as possible. Olle called for cabs. The party was definitely over. Copyright (c) 2006 by Mari Jungstedt Excerpted from Unseen by Mari Jungstedt All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.

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