Review by Booklist Review
Former homicide detective Ann Lindell now lives on remote Graso Island, Sweden, and works as a cheesemaker. But she hasn't given up sleuthing altogether. Ann and her boyfriend, Edvard Risberg, begin investigating a cold case when Cecilia Karlsson, who has been missing for four years, returns to the island for a funeral. Everyone believes that Cecilia killed Casper, her boyfriend. As Ann and Edvard nose around, they discover that some of the island families are severely dysfunctional. Cecilia's parents, Cecilia, and some of her former business associates have a great deal to hide and strong desires for revenge. Eriksson paints a vivid picture of the remote Swedish landscape and the life of the villagers. The twisty plot and colorful characters will keep readers turning the pages. This is a quiet yet intense tale that fans of the late Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallender novels will appreciate.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Eriksson's excellent ninth series mystery to be published in the U.S. takes Ann Lindell, who retired from the police force in 2020's Night of the Fire, to the Swedish island of Gräsö, along with her "great love," Edvard Risberg, for a vacation. Lindell's investigative instincts click in when Gräsö native Cecilia Karlsson resurfaces after disappearing four years earlier--just after Cecilia's boss, Casper Stefansson, went missing and is presumed dead. Cecilia, attractive, intelligent, and successful, provoked strong reactions from Casper and others, including her controlling father. She "saw herself as a victim... of the men who explained the world to her." An indelible picture emerges of Cecilia's world, her understandable anger, and her desire for change. Eriksson effectively portrays Sweden in the throes of change, being eroded from the inside out like the destructive insect of the title, while exploring social class, family, and, above all else, how men treat women. The plot slowly and steadily builds to a genuinely shocking denouement. Fans of literary fiction will be equally rewarded. Agent: Anneli Høier Copenhagen Literary Agency (Denmark). (Nov.)
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Review by Library Journal Review
In her ninth outing (after The Night of the Fire), retired Uppsala detective Ann Lindell, now a cheese maker, visits her lover Edvard Risberg on the Swedish island of Gräsö. She learns that a young woman named Cecilia Karlsson disappeared from the island four years ago, and her parents are still trying to find her. Unable to ignore a mystery, Ann visits Cecilia's parents to see if she can help them by uncovering their daughter's fate. When a neighbor of Cecilia's insists that he recently spotted her in Lisbon, Ann calls in some favors from her former colleagues and digs deeper into the disappearance; is it a coincidence that Cecilia vanished the day after the (apparently accidental) drowning of a Gräsö resident? When a new death occurs, the police are brought in, and Ann and Edvard work with them to find out if there's any relation to their case. Unlike earlier books in Eriksson's Swedish detective series, this isn't a traditional police procedural; instead, it's a study of a dysfunctional family and their roles in a series of tragic events. Themes of obsession and misguided revenge also drive the plot. VERDICT Recommended for fans of Eriksson's series and of psychological crime fiction.--Jean King, West Hempstead P.L., NY
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A Swedish ex-detective who strongly identifies with a missing woman picks up the case after a possible sighting. Though former Uppsala police inspector Ann Lindell has left the force for a quieter rural life, her innate curiosity and empathy for the victims of crime continue to exercise a hold on her. When her former lover Edvard Risberg bring up the unsolved case of Cecilia Karlsson, who's been missing for four years, Ann keeps private her bond with Cecilia, whose disappearance she likens to her own retreat from society. Retired homicide detective Folke Åhr's claim to have seen Cecilia provides just the impetus for the restless Ann to reopen the investigation, though Åhr's drinking makes him a less than completely reliable witness. Counterpointing Ann's search with the aftermath of Cecilia's vanishing, which did indeed begin as an escape from her life, Eriksson skillfully reveals several possible motives: awkward romantic entanglements, criminal activity, threats against her life. At the same time, Ann reexamines her own life choices now that she's in closer personal contact with Edvard once more. Foreign locales like Portugal, Italy, and South America figure prominently in Cecilia's travels and plans. Her wanderlust contrasts with Ann's personal investment in her rural community, which Eriksson depicts with depth and affection. The twists in Cecilia's tale keep the reader engaged, and the finale is a satisfying shocker. Top-notch Scandinavian noir and a welcome addition to the series. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
