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Soho, May 2004, 13.00 ISBN: 1569473706 Financial mogul Richard von Knecht jumps off Goteborg, Sweden apartment balcony. Suicide seems obvious, but some counter evidence quickly surfaces that murder may have occurred. Irene Huss of the Violent Crimes Unit investigates the von Knecht death with a word of caution that the victim is connected to the Swedish elite. Rather quickly Huss and her competent team trace von Knecht's life into the criminal underground of drug dealing and motorcycle gangs. Not long afterwards, the case turns deadly again when a bomb blows up Von Knecht's business office, killing two people. Huss and her squad struggle with finding the specific motive though in some way she knows that von Knecht's underworld and business connections have crossed at a fatal junction making her worry that more killings will follow if they do not stop the unknown perpetrator now. Ironically, the reader can figure out who the culprit is rather quickly, but that does not interfere with a fine Swedish police procedural. Huss is a delightful protagonist struggling to make it in a world in which male domination is not limited to the men's room. The police force, especially those who work with the heroine are a wonderful group as their verbal exchanges and professional investigation make for a fine read for sub-genre fans who also can look forward to future translations of Detective Huss' caseload. Harriet Klausner | ||
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Plot & Themes Tone of story - suspenseful (sophisticated fear) How difficult to spot villain? - Very obvious Time/era of story: What % of story relates directly to the mystery, not the subplot? - 70% Kind of investigator Kid or adult book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Any non-mystery subplot? descript. of violence and chases - 20 % Planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 50 % Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20 % How society works & physical descript. (people, objects, places) - 10 % Crime Thriller Yes Murder Mystery (killer unknown) Yes Main Character Gender - Female Profession/status: Age: - 20's-30's Ethnicity/Race Main Adversary Identity: - Male Age: - 40's-50's Profession/status: Motive of antagonist - revenge How sensitive is this character? Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters Setting Europe Yes European country: - Scandinavia Writing Style Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment Amount of dialog - significantly more dialog than descript |
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