A very disappointing addition to the Malmö series. 2 entirely separate cases worked by different teams which never really come together, silly thinking, poor police work, bad dialogue, a shoddy ending. Nothing here, move along. ( )

Inspector Anita Sundstrom from the Homicide Department in Malmo is back, though as the novel opens she is enjoying a fortnight's well earned leave. Back in Malmo a young woman has been killed while running through one of the city parks. The police are baffled as to the motive for, or perpetrator of the attack, and struggle to identify the victim.

Meanwhile Sundstrom is enjoying her holiday in an island resort not far from Stockholm. One of the neighbouring chalets is occupied by a retired diplomat who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and is eagerly striving to get his memoirs in order, drawing on the help of a local journalist. Sadly he succumbs before he can complete more than a small portion of his autobiography. Based upon the little insight he has had, the journalist is, however, convinced that his demise was not down to natural causes.

Eager though she is to enjoy her deserved break from the office, Sundstrom is unable to resist being drawn in to the investigation, especially after she learns that the diplomat's father had played a vital role in events that would change the history of the whole world.

Macleod writes simply and directly. He doesn't become sidetracked in deep characterisation, and leaves everything down to the plot. I have struggled to enjoy the recent wave of Scandinavian crime novels and prefer to take Macleod's ersatz British version. In fact, he is probably my favourite novelist called 'Torquil'! ( )