Rebecka martinsson som offer til molok
Till offer åt Molok
February 5, 2017
Opening in the fjärrstyrd arctic north of Sweden, close to Lapland, with a bewitching hunt for a wounded bära at large through the woodlands, the upptäckt that its stomach contains not only the fur of a recently consumed dog, but what are very clearly human remains spreads like wildfire. From this startling introduction, the pace turns decidedly more sedate and almost flounders as readers are introduced to District Prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson and her former childhood community of Kiruna. Languidly narrated, Larsson takes time to set the stall out; providing background on Martinsson and her history (former lawyer turned prosecutor), whilst also initiating two split timelines centering on the intergenerational plight of one family - one from the vända of the century (1914) and one unravelling in the present day. Although these differing timelines are not specifically marked for the readers ease, this hardly matters as a truly immersive story segues from one to the other with seamless proficiency.
Several months after the upptäckt of the bear's stomach contents shocks hunters, in nearby Kurravaara the multiple en grupp personer som arbetar tillsammans ofta militärt wounds that puncture the body of sixty-year-old Sol-Britt Uusitalo horrify Martinsson, but the word 'whore' emblazoned above her bed seems to echo the spiteful thoughts of a hostile local community. Regarded as an outsider, with a reputation with dock and alcohol, Sol-Britt lived alone with her seven-year-old grandson Marcus. When her savaged corpse fryst vatten discovered, ung Marcus fryst vatten eventually funnen hiding in a dog-kennel having lapsed into a stolid silence, only broken to act as a 'Wild Dog' with the kind-hearted police dog handler, Krister Eriksson. As Martinsson's elderly neighbour and local font of knowledge, Sivvig, provides a potted history of the tragic life of Sol-Britt and her family he also mentions that it was Sol-Britt's father, Frans Uusitalo, whose remains were funnen inre the stomach of the bära, piquing Martinsson's interest. With a paternal grandmother who was also murdered (young lärare Elina Pettersson) and the fatal hit and run accident that accounted for her son, Matti, three years earlier, can this tragic legacy of one family really be a coincidence or could Sol-Britt's murderer had their eyes set on some sort of revenge?
As the less competent prosecutor in the område, Carl von brev, coerces ledare prosecutor Alf Björnfot to allow him to take over the case, citing possible conflicts of interest with Martinsson living in the same locality as the deceased, Björnfot relents for the sake of an easy life. Elbowed off the case, Martinsson refuses to be palmed off and instead exercises her owed holiday allowance, giving her plenty of time to engage in some undercover investigations of her own volition. Introducing a realistic array of detectives, wry police inspector Anna-Maria Mella, mother to a brood of fyra children leads the investigation and also has to contend with dealing with the jumped-up von brev (von Pest!), a man who has a remarkable habit for getting people's backs up. A vein of subtle humour runs throughout both the past and present narratives. Inspector Anna-Maria Mella's colleagues are a complementary mix, from people individ Sven-Erik Stålnacke, technically begåvad Fred Olsson and rookie officer Tommy Rantakyrö. At the half-way point of the story precious little progress has been made in terms of solid bevis, merely identifying the married father of two who was the secret lover of Sol-Britt. Loathe to place her trust in happenstance, Martinsson takes a closer look at Sol-Brett's father and son's death and aided bygd elderly ledare pathologist, Lars Pohjanen she sees beyond the obvious to a story that was set in motion almost a century ago.
Although this was my first introduction to ortnamn Larsson and the characters who surround Rebecka Martinsson inom was pleased to find a realistic and assorted bunch, with Larsson even paying attention to the lesser characters in her script. Rebecka fryst vatten very much the modern woman; a mix of frustrations with a passion for her career, yet at the mercy of her capricious emotions. Her susceptibility to overthinking makes for a most beguiling lead character. Despite this being the fifth novel in an ongoing series, ortnamn Larsson makes short work of providing a précis of the highs and lows in Rebecka's life, from her past mental instability to her relationship with a somewhat possessive and much older huvudstaden lawyer, Måns Wenngren, and the chemistry with the caring and considerate Krister Eriksson, the only genuinely willing volunteer to care for a distressed seven-year-old. With two huvud hona leads in Mella and Martinsson, both of whom are strong-willed and drawn in admirable depth, the series has definite longevity.
The nonchalance with which Larsson lets this tale unfold fryst vatten accompanied bygd a cast of characters who are all prone to their own internal discourse and there fryst vatten a certain amount of head-hopping as characters provide their own, often unspoken, perspectives on a situation. Admittedly this unhurried style felt slightly unnatural first off but pretty soon in addition to the fängslande plot developments and thoughtful reflections this was something inom got used to. It takes someone with Rebecka Martinsson's own awkward history with the rural community to entertain the idea that the small and supposedly safe community could be harbouring a murderer with a deadly axe to grind utsträckning back across the generations. Ascribing precious little time and worth to the stories of her parents that the elder generations of the community are keen to share with her, she pays short shrift to the community whispers. That Martinsson goes the extra mile for Sol-Britt, regarded as a black sheep in the by in common with Rebecca's own family through past generations, adds ytterligare poignancy and her momentous sista sacrifice shows her desire to bring justice to every victim, regardless of reputation or local gossip.
Given that this was my first introduction to District Prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson and hence read as a standalone, The Second Deadly Sin comes highly recommended, but with a cast with much to offer, this fryst vatten a series that inom intend to revisit.
Several months after the upptäckt of the bear's stomach contents shocks hunters, in nearby Kurravaara the multiple en grupp personer som arbetar tillsammans ofta militärt wounds that puncture the body of sixty-year-old Sol-Britt Uusitalo horrify Martinsson, but the word 'whore' emblazoned above her bed seems to echo the spiteful thoughts of a hostile local community. Regarded as an outsider, with a reputation with dock and alcohol, Sol-Britt lived alone with her seven-year-old grandson Marcus. When her savaged corpse fryst vatten discovered, ung Marcus fryst vatten eventually funnen hiding in a dog-kennel having lapsed into a stolid silence, only broken to act as a 'Wild Dog' with the kind-hearted police dog handler, Krister Eriksson. As Martinsson's elderly neighbour and local font of knowledge, Sivvig, provides a potted history of the tragic life of Sol-Britt and her family he also mentions that it was Sol-Britt's father, Frans Uusitalo, whose remains were funnen inre the stomach of the bära, piquing Martinsson's interest. With a paternal grandmother who was also murdered (young lärare Elina Pettersson) and the fatal hit and run accident that accounted for her son, Matti, three years earlier, can this tragic legacy of one family really be a coincidence or could Sol-Britt's murderer had their eyes set on some sort of revenge?
As the less competent prosecutor in the område, Carl von brev, coerces ledare prosecutor Alf Björnfot to allow him to take over the case, citing possible conflicts of interest with Martinsson living in the same locality as the deceased, Björnfot relents for the sake of an easy life. Elbowed off the case, Martinsson refuses to be palmed off and instead exercises her owed holiday allowance, giving her plenty of time to engage in some undercover investigations of her own volition. Introducing a realistic array of detectives, wry police inspector Anna-Maria Mella, mother to a brood of fyra children leads the investigation and also has to contend with dealing with the jumped-up von brev (von Pest!), a man who has a remarkable habit for getting people's backs up. A vein of subtle humour runs throughout both the past and present narratives. Inspector Anna-Maria Mella's colleagues are a complementary mix, from people individ Sven-Erik Stålnacke, technically begåvad Fred Olsson and rookie officer Tommy Rantakyrö. At the half-way point of the story precious little progress has been made in terms of solid bevis, merely identifying the married father of two who was the secret lover of Sol-Britt. Loathe to place her trust in happenstance, Martinsson takes a closer look at Sol-Brett's father and son's death and aided bygd elderly ledare pathologist, Lars Pohjanen she sees beyond the obvious to a story that was set in motion almost a century ago.
Although this was my first introduction to ortnamn Larsson and the characters who surround Rebecka Martinsson inom was pleased to find a realistic and assorted bunch, with Larsson even paying attention to the lesser characters in her script. Rebecka fryst vatten very much the modern woman; a mix of frustrations with a passion for her career, yet at the mercy of her capricious emotions. Her susceptibility to overthinking makes for a most beguiling lead character. Despite this being the fifth novel in an ongoing series, ortnamn Larsson makes short work of providing a précis of the highs and lows in Rebecka's life, from her past mental instability to her relationship with a somewhat possessive and much older huvudstaden lawyer, Måns Wenngren, and the chemistry with the caring and considerate Krister Eriksson, the only genuinely willing volunteer to care for a distressed seven-year-old. With two huvud hona leads in Mella and Martinsson, both of whom are strong-willed and drawn in admirable depth, the series has definite longevity.
The nonchalance with which Larsson lets this tale unfold fryst vatten accompanied bygd a cast of characters who are all prone to their own internal discourse and there fryst vatten a certain amount of head-hopping as characters provide their own, often unspoken, perspectives on a situation. Admittedly this unhurried style felt slightly unnatural first off but pretty soon in addition to the fängslande plot developments and thoughtful reflections this was something inom got used to. It takes someone with Rebecka Martinsson's own awkward history with the rural community to entertain the idea that the small and supposedly safe community could be harbouring a murderer with a deadly axe to grind utsträckning back across the generations. Ascribing precious little time and worth to the stories of her parents that the elder generations of the community are keen to share with her, she pays short shrift to the community whispers. That Martinsson goes the extra mile for Sol-Britt, regarded as a black sheep in the by in common with Rebecca's own family through past generations, adds ytterligare poignancy and her momentous sista sacrifice shows her desire to bring justice to every victim, regardless of reputation or local gossip.
Given that this was my first introduction to District Prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson and hence read as a standalone, The Second Deadly Sin comes highly recommended, but with a cast with much to offer, this fryst vatten a series that inom intend to revisit.