Hakan Nesser - Woman With a Birthmark

HAKAN NESSER

Woman With a Birthmark

Chief Inspector Van Veeeren is not as angst driven as Kurt Wallender  and his team seem less burdensome. The cover blurb claims “he is being favourably compared with Henning Mankell and Stig Larson” OK so I might be biased but he is nowhere near Larson, not yet anyway, and for my taste he is nearer Mankell so “favourably compared” is probably a fare description.

This is one of those novels than accompanies the Victims, the perpetrator and the Police, so in some ways you know where it is going. Is it a “crime” novel or a “thriller”? Typical of “revenge” novels it inspires more empathy with the killer rather than the victims; no doubt a few more books into the series will encourage more bonding with the detectives. It does continue my education about Swedish weather and reinforces my impression of space, meaning I get the feeling that the population is not as dense as it is in West Yorkshire.

I did enjoy it and will seek out more from this author; there are at least three more that have been translated.

Henning Mankell - The Troubled Man

The Troubled Man

Henning Mankell

I can’t have many more Walanders to read, even with this one, all the way through I felt I had read it before, not enough to spoil the enjoyment. That is the trouble when reading books that have been televised, especially as the TV versions are always abridged versions, which is the nature of TV adaptations.

Until a couple of years ago, my knowledge of Sweden as a neutral country where nothing much happened, I pictured it being cold with a lot of snow. I also knew that Olof Palme was a Social Democrat Prime Minister that had been assassinated, but that was about it. But now after reading Millenium, Mankell, Hakan Nesser and others, and watching sub-titled TV films  I feel I know much more.

I now think of it being more wet than cold, I also understand that it has a very strong far right element and that their secret service and military have a great fear of their near neighbour, Ruussia. I see that many of their attitudes are like ours with many of the same tensions on immigration.

Back to the book, not a straight “detective” novel as it is mixed with espionage, but Walander  has his usual self-doubt and conflicts, his fear of getting old and losing his memory, not that he was ever confident in the earlier books, is a constant theme. Most of the action, and thinking, takes place whilst he is on suspension waiting to hear his fate.

Well worth a read.

DENNIS SKINNER - Sailing Close to the Wind

DENNIS SKINNER

Sailing Close to the Wind

Thanks Diane for giving me this book I can fully understand what attracted Albert to it.

I don’t usually read non-fiction and defiantly not “celebrity”   biographies but Dennis is an exception and thankfully I broke my habit. There can be few people in the UK who have any interest in politics who don’t know “The Beast of Bolsover” but how many appreciate his deeply held views and his principles?

I can’t really say it changed my opinion of Dennis; it would be difficult to hold him in higher regard. It did explain his position on the EU (though written before the referendum) views that with most things with Dennis are consistent.  It would be great to encourage people to read this book, to remind them, or in some cases reveal to them, what socialism means. To remind people that “class” is still with us, that the gap between Rich and Poor is probably greater than it has ever been, and still matters.

Dennis was forged in the mining community he grew up in, in local government and Trade Union politics (trade union politics in fighting to improve the lot of the working class) an “accidental” parliamentarian, not a “career” politician and all the better for it. I was never bored by the book; it is not a name dropping or self-promoting book, it does as is to be expected promotes and encourages the continuance of the battle to improve the lot of the working class from a unique prospective from a unique man.     

Only One Life - Sara Blaedel

ONLY ONE LIFE

Sara Blaedel

A couple of weeks since I read it, but a Danish writer examines attitudes to immigration and prejudices as a strong by line in this murder investigation. It is always a question, am I complimenting the writer or the translator? In this case two, Erik J Macki and Tara F Chace. However good the original story the translators must be have contributed in making this book a pleasure to read.

It seems to me that Denmark is not that different to the UK in misunderstandings of “other” religions or to be more accurate “cultures”. I do hope, even if in fiction it does seem to be a recurring theme, that the ease with which detectives jump to conclusions is not accurate. It’s a bit like the cliché, that the boss is always wrong, usually has not come up through the ranks, and despite the evidence of book after book, or in the case of TV week after week that the “hero” is proven correct, they dismiss their views. Often ordering that lines of investigation are abandoned later being proved wrong.

I know my choice of reading is getting very narrow, but I now read for enjoyment with no thought of improving my mind. It is what it is and it is probably too late to change it.

The Girl in the Spiders Web

The Girl in the Spiders Web

Larsson/Lagercrantz

When I found out that someone, David Lagercrantz had penned a sequel to Stieg Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy that provided enough of a stimulus to do what I had been planning to do, to read the trilogy again.

Being incapacitated meant that I could read all four books in less than a week. My grandfather read The Count of Monte Cristo every week, he never owned a copy but used to renew it each week at the Library, if someone else had reserved it, he wouldn’t bother with anything else but he would just wait for it to come back in. Why I mention that is because Monte Cristo has always been seen as the quintessential “revenge” story, my belief is that the Girl in the Spiders Web trilogy is the modern equivalent.

Though I was re-reading the first three I still couldn’t put them down, rooting for Lizabeth to be victorious and for all the evil doers to get their Just Deserts. It is always difficult when someone else picks up the story from such a successful series. Especially as the original was so well written, but I think this one is a success. It was always going to be difficult as the story had reached a successful conclusion but I think this though not entirely seamless addition is compelling. A friend was disappointed, my only complaint was that I thought the ending rushed, but I thought that of Hornet’s Nest.

Anyone new to Millennium I recommend it and I recommend reading the four in order.     

Ian Rankin - EVEN DOGS IN THE WILD

Ian Rankin

EVEN DOGS IN THE WILD

Anybody into detective novels must be into Rebus, and most must have hoped for a continuance when Rebus at last retired. We knew Fox could continue but he isn’t Rebus.  The other alternative was to let Siobhan star without John, instead we have all three working together with Big Ger thrown in for good measure.

Though I enjoyed it and couldn’t stop reading, it not surprisingly is not my favourite Rankin novel. I suppose there are still people who rely on TV  and enjoy Ken Stott’s portrayal, I can only advise you to read the books as well, as usual books paint a much more in depth picture though this one leans more on action rather than detection, I do like a bit of both.

Ann Cleeves

BLUE LIGHTNING

I unusually for Ann Cleeves want to start with a criticism, no it is not that I didn’t enjoy the book as usual I always wanted to read a few more pages even when I should be abed. No the criticism is trivial, it is this; was it a good idea to try to take a young girls mind off the fact that she was a suspect in the stabbing to death of her step mother in the study, by playing Cluedo? I can understand the Scrabble, was Cluedo a deliberate joke by Ann?

At the risk of repeating myself (no not risk, I am actually repeating myself) Douglas Henshall portrays Perez accurately to the book, in every aspect but one, his hair is not dark enough, he doesn’t look Spanish. But the portrayal of the character is spot on in my view, and again, as I have said previously, I have no way of knowing if the portrayal of Shetland is accurate, but it is convincing.

I thought the Times Literary Supplement’s comment “A fully satisfying novel” a bit mean, it was better than that. The Independent comment “Cleeves is excellent not just on mystery, but on the atmosphere of Fair Isle, and the effect of its strange character on the human population” goes someway further, but even that leaves out the way she describes the characters in her books she does not portray many neutrals, you do either associate, sympathise or despise nearly everyone she introduces.

If you read one of her Shetland books and don’t immediately want to read another, you have no taste.