Tuesday, June 3, 2014

The Second Deadly Sin by Asa Larsson

When a marauding bear is killed near the village, people are relieved it's dead.  At least they are until they find a man's hand inside it...

Quercus Books and Net Galley allowed me to read this book for review (thank you).  It will be published August 12th, so make a note to pick it up then.

This story is set in Sweden and the author shares a lot of information about her police officer's characters and challenges.  I like that.  There are a lot of things to like about this book.  It's the first I've read by this author, but I will be looking for more.

While trying to identify the hand they found, they get a call on another case:  A woman killed in bed with multiple stab wounds and the word "whore" written on the wall.  At first, they think the grandson might have done that, but he's hiding outside in another building.  He remembers nothing of the event.  One of the policemen takes him home with him while they work on contacting his mother.  It turns out the stabbings are from a pitchfork.  How odd is that?

There is a skirmish in the prosecutor's office and Rebecka is pulled from the case and an up and coming new guy takes it on.  Rebecka lives in the same neighborhood and there might be a conflict of interest.  Besides, Rebecka had a nervous breakdown and folks are a bit nervous about her.

She's upset enough to take her accumulated leave time and walk away.  However, she hasn't much to do around the house and she can't keep her mind off the case.  She can't interfere in the case, but that doesn't mean she can't do some research on the family.  After all, it seems like all the family members have died unfortunate deaths.  She starts to get worried about Marcus, the grandson.  She should be.

Everyone is carrying a lot of emotional baggage, but they get the job done.  The case is complex, unusual, and ugly.  There's quite a bit of detail, but it's not boring in the least.  I want to read the next one in this series.  Rebecka is a strong but wounded character and I want to watch her grow in strength and love.  She's hesitant about love, but the one who loves her will wait.  I don't want to wait; I'm ready for the next book now!

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