Danielle from A Work In Progress posted this review of Unseen by Mari Jungstedt.
Have you read this one too? Email me the link to your review, and I will add it to this post.
A few months ago when I was reading Mari Jungstedt's most recent Anders Knutas novel I was enjoying a little mystery binge. How quickly things change as I've slowed down considerably on reading mysteries of late. I did just manage to squeeze in Jungstedt's first novel, Unseen, however. I'm glad I decided to go back and start at the beginning of the series. I felt as I was reading The Inner Circle that I was missing out on important backstory as relationships were already developed that I knew nothing about, and this helped me fill in the picture. Inspector Knutas became a more rounded character to me as well as his colleagues in the police department.
One of the strong points in this series is the setting. Gotland is a picturesque island off the southeast coast of Sweden and tourism is one of the main sources for the island's income. And Visby, where much of the action takes place is a medieval city which provides a nice atmospheric backdrop for a crime novel. Jungstedt spends much more time in Unseen describing Visby and the other locales and you get a sense of how people there live and how it looks and feels. It goes without saying I'd like to travel there now.
Unseen opens with the grisly discovery of a murdered woman and her dog. The husband is the obvious suspect as they had had a violent argument the night before which had been witnessed by a houseful of people. To make matters worse the murder weapon is an axe which has his fingerprints on it, though perhaps this is not so surprising as it had been taken from the couple's property. It is not long before he's taken into custody and the case is considered closed. After two more brutal murders the detectives must start from scratch but are floundering this time with no credible suspects, and pressure is mounting from not only the mayor but the press as they call for fast results before more women are murdered.
It's high summer and the tourist trade is about to take off, but with each new body that pops up both islanders and tourists alike become more and more fearful and anxious. Gotland is usually a quiet, serene place to live, violent crime being virtually unheard of. The population swells in the summer with so many holidaymakers particularly at Midsummer, which is their equivalent of our Fourth of July.
Of course the press quickly descends ready to cover the salacious story of Gotland's serial killer. Johan Berg, a TV news reporter from Stockholm is sent to the island to cover the case. A source within the police ranks is sharing details of the crimes not meant for the public's ears, which causes tension between Berg and Inspector Knutas. Berg, always looking for new angles to the story begins interviewing the witnesses and ends up falling for Emma Winarve, the best friend of one of the murdered women. The situation is complicated as she's already married with children. It's an agonizing (yet exhilarating) situation for both of them as they try and resist but can't stay away from each other.
This was very much a character driven story to me. Jungstedt has a knack for twining the characters' lives together and getting inside their heads--victims and murderer alike. Of course you expect this with a murder mystery (wanting to know the psychology of the why behind the crime), but it was this aspect of the story that really drew me in. The actual mystery thread felt a little bland to be honest, a problem I had with previous novel by her I read. Inspector Knutas seems to be of the intuitive school of detective work. There are lots of meetings of the detectives to sort through evidence and motives as well as interviews with witnesses and suspects. Really this sounds like typical detective fiction, but it somehow felt a little bit pedestrian and I'm not sure I can put my finger on just what about it that made me feel that way.
Still, I found myself compulsively reading the novel, particularly when it came to the climactic final pages and the suspense built to the surprising end. I plan on picking up the next book in the series, Unspoken to fill in the gap and will read as much for the mystery as for the characters, as I expect them to continue developing and am curious to know more about Johan and Emma and how exactly they come together. Having already read the third book, I know that it ends with a cliffhanger, so I'll have to read that as well, though first have to wait for it to be published over here! In the interim I really must read Henning Mankell and some of his and Jungstedt's Swedish compatriots!
Hi! I've post a short review for "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" here.
http://page247.wordpress.com/2009/06/19/the-elegance-of-the-hedgehog-by-muriel-barbery/
Posted by: Gavin | 06/19/2009 at 08:15 PM
I've posted a review of "The Unit" by Ninni Holmqvist at http://prairieprogressive.com/2009/06/26/book-review-the-unit-by-ninni-holmqvist/
Posted by: Tim | 06/27/2009 at 09:02 PM
I've finished "Tokyo Fiancee" and posted a review at http://bookbirddog.blogspot.com/2009/04/tokyo-fiancee-review.html.
I've also posted "Shadow of the Wind" at http://bookbirddog.blogspot.com/2009/05/shadow-of-wind-review.html
Posted by: Harvee Lau | 06/27/2009 at 10:11 PM
Have also read and reviewed, Andean Express, translated from the Spanish.
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6381760-andean-express
Posted by: Harvee Lau | 06/27/2009 at 11:49 PM