book review by showhost nov 2013
this is the first book by this author that I have read but as it is another
nordic noir author (Swedish) I thought I'd give it a go as I carry on with my
quest to find another as good as Steig Larsson. Nesser is three time winner of the
best Swedish Crime Novel Award, winner of european Crime fiction Star Award and
shortlisted for the Duncan Lawrie International Dagger award. It was published
in 1994, and the first to be translated into English.
On the cover it states: an 'Inspector Van Veeteren mystery'.
Inspector VV is quite a laid back character who is given to deep thinking
and enjoys chess. He is a warm, character who likes good wine and good company
and toothpicks which I imagine must get on the nerves of his colleagues! There
is some subtle wit dialogue which stops it from being like the gruesome, usual
serial killer type novel. Inspector VV is on holiday when he is called in to
assist the local authorities near where he is taking his leave. Two men, with
no apparent link, are brutally murdered with an axe, months apart, in the quiet,
coastal town of Kaalbringen. The chief of police there is winding down to his
retirement and would like to get the case solved before he retires.
Inspector VV doesn't seem to be getting near to solving the case and calls
in one of his men 'Munster', to assist along with the local police staff. When
a third body is discovered with the same death blows the community are becoming
very nervous. The police appeal for witnesses, the past of all three victims
are detailed to try to find a link. An extensive 35 page report is assembled
but still no clue. Have they reached Borkmanns point? One of the local
detectives, young female, thinks she may have found something in the report and
leaves a message on Munsters phone to that effect arranging to meet him at
7.30pm.
She doesn't turn up, she is last seen jogging along the beach at 6.45, by
Inpsector VV himself.
They need to get the breakthrough and soon but will their colleague be dead
or alive they don't know.
It was slow to get going and is never a fast paced book like Simon
Kernick's but the build up is deliberate and eventually consuming. You learn to
ignore the place names as it doesn't mean anything to us & doesn't detract
from the story. I quite enjoyed this crime book but def not Steig Larsson but
then to me neither is Jo Nesbo.
Oh, yes, so what is Borkmanns Point, you may ask? Well quote from
book: its Bormanns rule, more a landmark for tricky cases. In every
investigation there comes a point beyond which we don't really need any more
information. When we reach that point, we already know enough to solve the case
by means of nothing more than some decent thinking. (this apparently was the
muse of a snr officer VV worked with when he was younger & who he admired
& respected).
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