Starred review from December 19, 2011
Superior prose, plotting, and characterization lift this procedural set in Stockholm, the first in a series. When Sara Sebastiansson steps off a train to Gothenburg for a moment at an intermediate station, she leaves her six-year-old daughter, Lilian, asleep in a coach. A stranger’s request to help with a sick pet ensures that Sara fails to reboard in time. Despite the conductor keeping an eye on Lilian for most of the trip to the next stop, the little girl is nowhere to be found on arrival there. Lilian’s father, suspected of physically abusing her mother, is an obvious suspect, especially given conflicting stories about his whereabouts. Frederika Bergman, a police investigator who’s less than comfortable interacting with people, and her colleagues soon realize they’re dealing with a twisted monster whose motives are as obscure as his methods are horrific. Readers will look forward to spending more time in the company of the intriguing Bergman. Agent: Niclas Salomonsson, the Salomonsson Agency.