(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

It's May and the snow has hardly melted in Göteborg, Sweden, but things are heating up quickly for Detective Inspector Irene Huss in the Violent Crimes Unit. The body of a teenage girl is found in the woods, naked and horrifically scarred. Then there's the mummified body that is discovered bricked up in a chimney on a demolition site, not to mention the city's ongoing problem with gang violence. With the sudden influx of cases and one detective out on maternity leave, everyone is stretched thin. To make matters worse, Irene feels more than a little intimidated by the new superintendent, Efva Thylqvist, who uses her sex appeal and smooth talking to bend the predominately male staff to her will.
Then a second young girl is found, wearing what appears to be the other half of the sexy lingerie set recovered near the first body. Fearing the two cases are linked and that the killer may strike again, Irene and her colleagues embark on a desperate hunt that takes them deep into a shadowy world of anonymous online predators and insecure teenage girls on a deadly quest for affirmation.

It is always nice to get into a book that is deep into a series - sometimes it feels like visiting old friends and we let some of the negatives slide cos, you know, it's a great series. And that was almost going to happen here - I was thinking 4 stars even before I started reading cos I enjoy this series a lot.

The main plot of this story - the internet serial killer - was interesting. I was well invested in that story...until the cold case reared its head. And it did that numerous times. Each time more frustrating than the last. And it is a shame as it really did feel like a strong plot that didn't really need anything else.

It is also an interesting book from the point of view of it being transitional in the series. The retirement of Superintendent Sven Andersson (which has been coming for a while, truth be told) has opened up new possibilities for the cast, and the addition of new characters have helped freshen up the series a little bit.

Overall, this was a decent novel but could have been a more fluid read without the cold case. Still, worth reading!


Paul
ARH