Synopsis/blurb.......
In this second
installment of Persson's trilogy of police procedurals featuring the
"small, fat and primitive" Evert Bäckström, the grand master's most
appallingly repulsive (and funniest) character is finally given his fifteen
minutes of fame by way of his patented combination of laziness, luck, and an
unbelievable sense of timing.
A seemingly ordinary
murder puzzles Bäckström, who is struggling with strict orders from his doctor
to lead a healthier life. His gut feeling proves him right: within days, his
team has another murder linked to the first on their hands, and reports of
alleged ties to a Securicor heist gone out of control, killing two. The nation
needs a hero, and the newly appointed head of the Västerort police force Anna
Holt needs somebody to kill the dragon for her. Who better to heed to the task
than Evert Bäckström: self-sufficient, ostentatious, devoid of moral, Hawaii
shirt-clad, and, latterly, armed?
5 from 5
I try not to give too much away when discussing books I have
read and this time I will be briefer than usual.
One of my challenges this year was to get stuck into some
Scandinavian crime fiction and to that end; this was my fourth Persson book.
During the other three, my attention and interest has wandered at times as the
author has a tendency to go off page with some of his characters and their
musings. This time around Persson stays firmly on track. The result is leaner,
meaner and more satisfying for this reader at least. 370-odd pages and I was done in a day and a half!
Decent storyline, decent support characters – some of whom I’m
familiar with from previous books, an unforgettable lead in Backstrom and an
intriguing murder case to resolve. Backstrom on his own in an empty room would
be interesting and funny, when he interacts with his underlings and crosses
paths with his frustrated superiors, multiply that x 100.
Probably the best Scandi Crime Fiction I have read all year.
I obtained access to this via the Net Galley website.
My previous reviews on Persson’s books are as follows:
Col - So glad you liked this one. Persson is definitely a talented author, and one I ought to spotlight.
ReplyDeleteMargot, I'd be interested to get your take on him and his style.
DeleteYou certainly make this one sound good, I'm impressed by the 5 mark and the speed in reading - I really do need to make inroads into this Scandi fiction!
ReplyDeleteMoira, I think Backstrom could give you some decent fashion pointers.... yellow linen suit, Hawaiian shirts..... what time do the shops open?
DeletePersson can write short novels?! I tried Between Summer's Longing and gave up, and I made it through Free Falling, As If In a Dream (out in the winter), but it was a long haul. This one seems like it would work with my diminished attention span.
ReplyDeleteRebecca, I know what you mean, particularly Between Summer - at times it was like swimming through treacle, worth it in the end though (IMO).
DeleteLess meandering which must mean 100 less pages than normal. I wonder whether he got a stricter editor.
Scandi novels and speed reading? Col, I haven't tried either. 370 pages would take me at least four full days provided I do nothing else.
ReplyDeletePrashant, I think I have always read quite quickly, and when a book is engrossing I don't want to stop.
DeleteI have not yet read Between Summer's Longing... and I am dreading the length. This year I have had no luck making myself read longer novels. And I do have several I want to read. Jo Nesbo's books are fairly long and Jeffrey Deaver.
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear you liked this one so much. That is a motivator.
I must admit, as I get older my tolerance for long books dwindles. Which means I'm going to be reading a lot from the 60's, 70's, 80's.
DeleteGood luck when you do crack the spine!
I am really motivated to read this writer only because you've given his books great reviews. They are a bit lengthy but if the writing and story are good then that really doesn't matter much. I will confess that Scandinavian crime fiction isn't a big passion for me like it once was. It's now replaced with American crime fiction of the early 60's, 70's or 80's or even earlier than that. Needless to say that between you and TracyK (she reviewed Ann Cleeves), I am going to give a few of these Scandi crime fiction authors a try next year. Thanks for reviewing this one.
ReplyDeleteI was conscious of how much Scandi crime I used to talk about and read blogs about without actually reading any. I think I will continue my "personal challenge" for the year then back-off. Persson and Indridaason are favourites, but I've not read enough of Nesbo to label him as such yet.
DeleteUS crime fiction of the period you've mentioned is high on my list of favourites. In part because the reads are shorter! 200 pages of Elmore beats 400 pages of Deaver.
Yep, you're right about the page lengths but those stories still pack a mean punch. Deaver. I like him but read him sporadically.
DeleteI have tried Deaver and will try him again, but not in a rush to be honest. My first Rhyme book was okay-ish! Nothing more.
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