Oh, I forgot the thing she does in every book. Nonetheless, nice to read this character again. ( )

Kriminalinspektorin Irene Huss im Fadenkreuz eines Psychopathen


Zwei erdrosselte Frauen, in Plastikfolien verpackt. Fundort: zwei Friedhöfe rund um Göteborg. Dem Team um Kriminalinspektorin Irene Huss ist schnell klar, dass es sich um einen Serientäter handeln muss. Beide Opfer waren alleinstehend, beide waren Mitte vierzig, bei beiden fand sich ein Foto mit einer verschlüsselten Botschaft an der Wohnungstür - mit einer Chrysantheme liebevoll verziert. Was Irene Huss nicht weiß: der Mörder hat bereits ein neues Opfer im Visier, und zwar sie ...

A murderous stalker seems to be targeting middle-aged women in Göteborg, and things get decidedly alarming when Irene begins to suspect that a series of unpleasant things that have happened to the Huss family lately may be connected: is the stalker watching her too?

This one didn't seem to work quite so well - despite Tursten's best efforts, TV clichés are beginning to creep in, like the deliberately ambiguous passages in the stalker's voice interpolated between chapters, and the ridiculous creepy ending, after dark in a peat-bog. And the whole suspense depends on the cheap device of the police failing to ask an obvious question until the very last moment. ( )

This is the eighth appearance by Detective Inspector Irene Huss, and it is a good solid police procedural. Detective Huss and her colleagues are trying to track down a serial killer who washes his victims and wraps them in plastic after he has strangled them -- the "Package Killer". The plot is full of twists and turns and interesting characters, including a victim who survived the killer's attack. In time, suspicion extends into the police force itself, creating some novel situations for Detective Huss. Meanwhile, her home life continues; one nice thing about this series is the fact that the central character is happily married, not dependent on alcohol, and fairly cheerful most of the time. Why then only three and a half stars? It would have been nice had the crimes been motivated by something other than that standard motive in Scandinavian mysteries -- religiously-linked mania. This is an involving thriller and a good read, it's just not as good as some of the earlier entrants in the series. ( )

Helene Tursten's latest Irene Huss mystery is even leaner and meaner than previous novels. While changes continue to occur in the lives of empty nesters Irene and Krister, Irene is under a very real-- and very creepy-- threat. When no connections are found between the victims, it is steady, dogged police work that wins the day. Never give up. Keep knocking on doors. Keep asking questions. Keep going over and over the evidence for that one tiny clue that will break things wide open. There's something to be said for police officers in crime fiction who are lavishly endowed with intuition, but I also admire a never-say-die attitude and plenty of hard work.

Tursten does an excellent job of ratcheting up the suspense in this very enjoyable police procedural, and Irene Huss continues to be one of my favorite characters. The author also addresses a couple of points that drive me crazy not only in crime fiction and film but in real life. Whether in a vehicle or on foot, you should always have good knowledge of your surroundings. Know the neighborhood in which you live. Don't travel the streets wearing earbuds or with your face buried in a cell phone. And for crying out loud, close your curtains when it gets dark! Don't provide any- and everyone with something they can't resist watching. I learned the hard way: no matter how uninteresting you may feel yourself to be, there is always someone who finds you fascinating. Tursten is well aware of these things, and she's used them to write an exciting tale that can make your skin crawl. ( )