This follow up to MemoRandom, Anders de la Motte writes a fantastic thriller that engages readers from the beginning and doesn't let go until the twisted end. Julia Gabrielsson is a strong female protagonist, fighting her way through the sexism and machismo that she deals with regularly as a Detective Inspector in the Violent Crime Unit. Ultimatum is filled twists and suspense, readers always unsure just who is telling the truth and who may commit the next murder. With deadly alliances and betrayals at the highest political levels, Ulitmatum takes readers through an unfolding and fraying of conspiracy until the shocking ending settles it all.

I suppose I might have enjoyed this if I'd read the first book. As I had not, I found myself a bit at sea. I'm generally a big fan of Scandinavian noir but this entrant into the genre had more graphic violence/descriptions than I was up for. I did not finish.

Fans of Swedish crime fiction rejoice; Ultimatum is available to the public today. Thanks go to Net Galley and Atria Books for the DRC, which I read free in exchange for this honest review. Although it is the second in a series, I was able to follow along fine without having read the first in the series.

The story weaves together a cast of complex characters within the Swedish police intelligence network and organized crime. Frequent changes of point of view heighten the suspense, which grows to a screamingly tense climax.

Those that are even a little squeamish may want to pass on this one. My threshold for explicit gore is at the level of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (not related to this book, but likely those considering this story will have read that one.) This one went past that, and over the top of my personal limit. I found myself skimming every time some graphically sadistic detail rose to the fore; I had hoped that once we were past the beginning and the discovery of the first murder, it would ease up, but I stuck it out all the way through and it didn’t. Another precaution goes out to those—most likely not a lot of people, but if this is you, you need to know—that have lost a loved one to drowning. Again, the description of the recovered body is very graphic and jarring enough that I had to disengage from the story until I was past it.

I would have liked to see less body shaming (“fat bastard” and so on), and more than one female in this large cast of characters who is in the story for some reason other than to nurture or assist the male characters.

That said, the male characters are well drawn, and the settings are well rendered. Those that aren’t upset by the level of detail to corpses, torture, injuries and personal bodily functions will likely enjoy this white-knuckle thriller.

I found one part of the denouement trite, but then I have read so many of these things that I am pickier than most.

If you want this book, you can buy it now.

The second in the series and if you haven't checked out my review of book one scroll down to see what I thought of book one.

If you haven't read book two, I may be spoilierie in this review, so don't continue on unless you are ok to be spoiled or have read book one.

This book continues close to the finish of book one. Spoiler - David is alive at the end of book one, but his fate isn't fantastic when book two begins.

This book's mysteries didn't flip and flop as much as book two, I was more confident in my knowing all the things later in the book but knew that I knew what I knew! I liked this much better in this book.

I also loved the main character more in this book. I loved Julia and loved how she was a little naive and novice and was learning the politics of the department while trying to figure out the who dun it.

The other thing that I appreciated more in this book was the family drama and how much family and work drama meshed and there was no line in this story. I love the politics of politics and how family dynasty and politics can go hand in hand.

I don't know if there is going to be a book three in this series, I am on the fence as to if I would read it, but I definitely liked book two more.

As a new year begins, the Stockholm police force is reeling after a shootout between cops & several rival gangs in Skarpö, a forested area east of the city. It ended with 9 dead including 2 of their own. Among the injured was DI David Sarac, a legend within the Intelligence Unit. In the days that followed, the incident was quickly hushed up & David disappeared.

In a high security hospital far from the city, David’s only goal is accumulating a big enough stash of sleeping pills to put a permanent end to his nightmares. His broken body may be healing but the PTSD has done a number on his head. Then someone slips him a letter. It’s short & to the point: my secret for yours.

David relives Skarpö every night. He feels responsible for what happened but he also knows that one of his colleagues stitched him up. The letter writer claims to know who & will reveal the name if David answers one question. It’s a chance for revenge he can’t pass up & with pills in hand, he escapes from the hospital.

A couple of months later, DI Julia Gabrielsson is attending one of the most gruesome autopsies of her career. The body was dismembered & under water for weeks before being found. Identifying the victim is just one of her problems. The other is babysitting her new partner Omar Amante, a civilian investigator foisted on her by her waste-of-a-uniform boss. He’s a man of few words & no one seems to know how he ended up assigned to the Violent Crimes Unit. Lab tests on the body provide just 1 result but it’s a whopper. DNA matches a sample taken from Skarpö.

That’s it for the story outline, folks. The thought of trying to summarize any more is, quite frankly, exhausting. This is one of the most complex, labyrinthine plots I’ve ever read & I say that with a big smile. It could easily have ended up leaving readers in head-scratching confusion. Instead it’s a clever, multi-layered story that keeps you intrigued & guessing right up to the final page.

The roots of the story began in “MemoRandom” which was more of a police procedural. This devotes equal time to Julia’s investigation & political corruption in the Swedish government. There is a large cast of returning characters & not many have bettered themselves during the hiatus. With few exceptions, these are people who take self-preservation to new heights. Lies, secret agendas, old debts & shifting alliances are gradually revealed as the story lines intersect. Think you’ve got it figured out? Ha! Just wait ’til you turn the next page.

The crew of despicables are offset by several characters you’ll cheer & fear for. Julia is a smart, perceptive woman who slowly realizes she has no idea who to trust. Amante is a man tortured by what he saw on Lampedusa while working for the EU & remains somewhat of an enigma. Atif is a part time gangster with dangerous ties who just wants to save a little girl he loves more than life. And David remains the damaged hero, a man who realized too late the ramifications of his actions. None of them are lily-white & some have done terrible things. But all have a moral line in the sand that is sadly lacking in people they’re forced to deal with.

It’s an intelligent, fast paced read that is hard to put down & you may be surprised by the time you get all the answers. No doubt this can be enjoyed as a stand alone but I highly recommend reading “MemoRandom” first to fully grasp all the intricate connections between the characters. There are a couple in particular I’ve become quite fond of & here’s hoping they pop up again in another book.

Excellent follow up to Memorandom. Jason Bourne on steroids. A,thrilling tour through the Swedish underworld. On par with Nesbo as a king pin of Nordic crimemwriters. Highly reccommended.

I've read Anders de la Motte's "Game Trilogy" and expected things to happen and was not disappointed. The epilogue was unique in that it changed the way things turned out for Atif. Julia Gabrielsson seems to have weathered the storm, but leading to what? We will need Anders to write more stories with these characters to have closure. I will recommend this book to my readers.