Looking for Alice

Gunvor Ström is the character that Luna Miller uses as her mentor in her book Looking for Alice: A Gunvor Ström Novel. Gunvor was a surgeon until she almost killed a patient at the hospital. She left the hospital and started working as a detective for an agency. While waiting for the train she saw a bully picking on a young girl, Elin. The bully, David would do this every day so Gunvor decided to help Elin get past this lad every day possible. What she then does is recruit both Elin and David to solve a case that she can't seem to be in because of her age. What happened was that she found out her client's husband would frequent bars that she would stand out in. Her recruits would not have this problem but many things happened to them and it all revolved around to this woman Alice, her brother and several men that were money hungry. I've basically given you the plot now you will want to read the story.

4.5★s
“’You nicked his phone? But you’re just a sweet little old lady. Sorry that’s a bit rude— but it’s true!’ Looking like a boring old woman may well be an advantage in her line of work, but it hurt to have it confirmed so emphatically. Especially when she so actively loathed the whole idea of growing old.”

Looking For Alice is the first book in the Gunvor Ström series by Swedish author, Luna Milller. It is translated from Swedish by Aidan Isherwood. Banker Mikael Franzén has been acting completely out of character: staying out late, coming home drunk. His wife Nadja suspects he is cheating on her, so she engages The Private Eyes. Gunvor Ström is recalled from an island vacation to take the case.

After following Mikael once, it is clear she will need to work with someone who can enter the cool bars Mikael is frequenting without drawing undue attention to themselves. Coming to private investigation work in her mid-sixties after a successful career as a surgeon, Gunvor’s little old lady persona is fine for some jobs, but not this one.

College drop-out, David is surprised to find that the nosy old woman who’d stolen his phone and played a dirty trick on him is offering him a job. What’s more, he will be teaming up with the young woman he and his friends have been harassing daily at the tube station. But 1000 kroner is 1000 kroner, and the idea of going undercover kind of appeals.

Elin Svensson is ready to take on something a bit more exciting than her usual routine of study and classes, but she hasn’t bargained on an encounter with two rough types beating up the target of their surveillance. With that, Nadja Franzén mysteriously withdraws her request, and it looks as though they aren’t going to discover the truth.

But the whole situation is intriguing enough for Guvnor’s boss to sanction continuing the investigation. David and Elin are eager to continue, and Guvnor’s neighbour, Aidan joins in, happy to partake of something more exciting than teaching English. But before long, murder, drugging and kidnapping have Guvnor second-guessing her decision to involve these relatively innocent youngsters in this (now-) dangerous case.

In Gunvor Ström, Miller gives the reader a rather different PI: she’s fit, intelligent, trained in Aikido, with a dose of street smart to back that up, and manages to quickly garner the loyalty of her helpers, the makeshift team who decide to call themselves The Fruängen Bureau. David and Elin prove to have courage and initiative, even if some of what Elin does seems hopelessly naïve.

The plot is fairly credible, taking a few turns as it builds up to a heart-thumping climax, in which Gunvor gets to demonstrate her Aikido skills (of course). This is a promising dose of Swedish noir and more of Gunvor Ström and her Fruängen Bureau will definitely be welcome.
This unbiased review is from an uncorrected proof copy provided by NetGalley and Publish Authority.