February 15, 2016
Police cadet Linda Wallin is found raped and murdered in her bed, and Sweden's National Crime Unit is called in to assist the Vaxjo police. Evert Backstrom is delighted to be leading the team, relishing the idea of overtime pay and an opportunity to show up the obviously inferior local detectives. Despite finding the killer's DNA, however, Backstrom's team struggles with the case and resorts to gathering mass DNA samples and slogging through tip-line leads. As the investigation drags on, the community becomes increasingly fearful that a serial killer is on the loose. Meanwhile, Backstrom remains convinced that he'll solve the case and amuses himself by drinking heavily and enthusiastically encouraging the Vaxjo police's disastrous plan to reassure the community with a volunteer safety patrol. A richly detailed anatomy of a murder investigation penned by Sweden's most renowned crime expert and punctuated by Backstrom's gleefully inappropriate internal commentary, this is a gem for procedural fans, as Persson offers insight on everything from psychological profiling to police politics.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)