The Black Path

This is the third book in a series of novels set in northern Sweden. I originally found the first one, Sun Storm, while looking for foreign police procedurals, which I consume voraciously. However, I wouldn't really put these books into that genre -- which might be why some people gave them low ratings. Yes, there is a central mystery. Yes, there are police people searching out clues. Yes, there is CSI-like pathology stuff. But, by the third book, The Black Path, it is almost secondary. Asa Larsson and her interpreter have an AMAZING way with words! The images conjured up are amazing and breathtaking. And she builds incredibly rich characters that you watch grow and change and evolve throughout the story. And they are so unforgettable! Rebecka and Sivving and Nalle and Mans and Swen-Erik.... There is a distinct structure to the novels that I am really enjoying, but that is very different from other police procedurals (like those of Mankell) -- so be warned.

This dark thriller continues the series featuring Rebecka Martinsson, the protagonist of the highly acclaimed "The Blood Spilt." At the start of this complicated tale, Rebecka is being treated for psychotic episodes which resulted from her being stabbed and killing three persons. She leaves her high-paying job in Stockholm to return to Kiruna where she grew up in her grandmother's house. After a short while she is induced to become a Special Prosecutor, a position she accepts. A dead woman is found on a frozen lake, and the investigating detective asks Rebecka to use her background in corporate finance to check into the victim's background, which leads to uncovering various aspects of insider trading and corporate shenanigans. Expertly translated by Marlaine Delargy, the novel delves deeply into the lives of the several main characters, especially reflecting on Rebecka's insecurities. The complexity of the characters is matched only by the elaborateness of the story itself. The dark, cold, snowy Swedish north adds to the gloomy mood prevailing throughout. Essentially, the yarn is disturbing and macabre, but hopefully the seeds for a follow-up are sewn. An excellent read, and highly recommended.

As a reader who has read all of Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallender mysteries, Karin Fossum's Conrad Sejer mysteries, Kjell Eriksson, Arnaldur Indridason, and Mari Jungstedt, and the best of the British, Peter Robinson, Reginald Hill, P.D. James, Ruth Rendell, etc., I have to say that the discovery of the books of Asa Larsson are exceptional. The psychology, motivations, and plot devices are so riveting. I have read the first 3 books, in what I understand is to be a series of 6, and they are truly, "I can't put them down" reads. The darkness of the books is in keeping with the Scandanavian tradition, but there is so much more subtlety. The descriptions, the little surprises of language, and the occasional dark humor, are totally involving. I recommend reading the first, second, and third in order, if possible. 'The Black Path', the third of the septet, have left me eagerly awaiting the next three. The intelligence of writing is astonishing.

"The Black Path" by Asa Larsson delivered what I was looking for. Mystery/Psychologice drama with many twists that kept me guessing until the very end. I especially loved the descriptions of the country Sweden, and the translations, which may sometimes make one have to think a moment, instead of just rushing through the read. Looking forward to the sequel which was translated in 2004. Try it, you will not be disappointed in " The Black Path", I promise!

In Kiruna, Sweden, the corpse of the woman found on the frozen lake did not require an autopsy to see she was tortured. Police Inspectors Anna-Maria Mella and Sven-Erik Stainacke lead the investigation into identifying who the Jane Doe is and why she was so brutally battered. Anna-Maria learns who the deceased is and her connections as a superstar employee at Kallis Mining, an international company with incredible connections at the top of Sweden, Europe and beyond. Chief Prosecutor Alf Bjornfot knows if they are to make a case against politically connected Mauri Kallis, he needs a special top gun at the scene. He asks attorney Rebecka Martinsson to assist them as they make inquiries into the CEO of the firm whose assistant was found murdered on that frozen lake. Rebecka agrees as she needs work to move past her last harrowing case (see THE BLOOD SPLIT) in which she was physically injured and hospitalized and still emotionally traumatized. None of the participants yet realize how convoluted and complex the motive for the homicide is and how dangerous trying to prove it will be. This is an exhilarating Swedish police procedural legal thriller. The investigation is enhanced by insight into the lead females especially Rebecka who has not moved past the beating she took on her previous case and though she puts up a strong front still has qualms and doubts. The whodunit is well written with red herrings and plausible twists starting with brainstorming to identify who the victim is. The motive is especially fascinating as it seems just out of reach of the prosecution, the cops and the reader yet all the clues are laid out for the audience to know why. Asa Larsson provides a deep entertaining but icy Northern Swedish homicide thriller. Harriet Klausner