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A review by nonna7
The Treacherous Net by Helene Tursten
4.0
Reading Scandinavian fiction is nearly always an interesting change from American/British mysteries and police procedurals. For one thing, there is very little gun play. When a police officer shoots and/or kills a suspect, it is a big deal. Irene Huss is a complex character. A woman who comes from a working class family has been a police officer since she was a young woman. Her husband is a talented chef. They have two grown daughters. Irene is devoted to her family, but also to her job.
If the author is to be believed (and I have no doubt that she did her research), Sweden is something of a microcosm of crime throughout the western world: gangs, the usual day to day crime and internet sex crimes. Someone is targeting vulnerable young girls, chatting them up, telling them they love them, encouraging them to send pictures with their breasts exposed.
Two girls have been murdered. When the older sister of a young girl who has been targeted brings her to the police, the girl finally realizes that she has just barely escaped being raped and murdered. This is a long term investigation. As the year goes on the team takes their vacations and continues to investigate.
At the same time there is a cold case team investigating a body found walled up in the basement of a building that was being torn down. There is also a "treacherous net" involved in this murder as it turns out. It was a net of spies and counter spies from WWII.
These books are not for the reader who is looking for a lot of action. There are slow areas when the author wanders into personal territory. Personally I don't think the author is as good when she goes into more personal territory. There seems to be a disconnect in the writing except when the personal information concerns her job. Still, this is an excellent series. I've missed a few and am working to fix that. This has become one of my favorite series.
If the author is to be believed (and I have no doubt that she did her research), Sweden is something of a microcosm of crime throughout the western world: gangs, the usual day to day crime and internet sex crimes. Someone is targeting vulnerable young girls, chatting them up, telling them they love them, encouraging them to send pictures with their breasts exposed.
Two girls have been murdered. When the older sister of a young girl who has been targeted brings her to the police, the girl finally realizes that she has just barely escaped being raped and murdered. This is a long term investigation. As the year goes on the team takes their vacations and continues to investigate.
At the same time there is a cold case team investigating a body found walled up in the basement of a building that was being torn down. There is also a "treacherous net" involved in this murder as it turns out. It was a net of spies and counter spies from WWII.
These books are not for the reader who is looking for a lot of action. There are slow areas when the author wanders into personal territory. Personally I don't think the author is as good when she goes into more personal territory. There seems to be a disconnect in the writing except when the personal information concerns her job. Still, this is an excellent series. I've missed a few and am working to fix that. This has become one of my favorite series.