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The Killer's Art (2006)

by Mari Jungstedt(Favorite Author)

3.44 of 5 Votes: 1

ISBN

0552159948 (ISBN13: 9780552159944)

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

Corgi

series

Anders Knutas

review 1: 4th in series. I like these books mainly for the setting and sense of place (which here as before is, mostly, Gotland, although there are episodes in Stockholm too). The descriptions are good and there are lots of small details about the history and culture. There are some irritations, too - the dialogue feels a bit simplistic (which may be due to being in translation), and the fairly ghastly Emma is still ghastly (why do I find it so hard to feel any sympathy for her? She is a bit of a pain, anyway). The murder story revolves around the art world and relationships within it. Some of that could have done with a bit of filling out (we the readers are left rather like the police, having to work things out without that much to go on, and then a lot of information seems to app... moreear rather late on). This series has made me want to go to Gotland, which sounds beautiful!
review 2: On a cold Sunday morning, art gallery owner Egon Wallin is found hanging from a gate on the ring wall of Visby, Sweden’s best preserved medieval town on the island of Gotland.The murder of the prominent art dealer shocks residents of the town and perplexes police who see no apparent motive. The mystery deepens as investigators discover Wallin, to the surprise of his wife and employees, has sold the gallery, filed for divorce and was planning a move to Stockholm. A hoard of stolen artworks in his storage rooms adds to the puzzle.Tension mounts as the killer stalks other potential victims and steals one of the most famous paintings in Sweden, making his escape on ice skates.Just as you think you know where the plot is headed, Jungstedt throws in another surprise and a reason to keep turning pages. The conclusion neatly wraps things up in a satisfying manner.In addition to the central mystery, the novel explores the complicated relationships between Detective Superintendent Anders Knutas and his friend journalist Johan Berg, Knutas and his colleague Detective Inspector Karin Jacobsson, Berg and his lover Emma Winarve.This is actually the fourth in Jungstedt’s series but only the second of 10 novels to be translated for American readers. It’s unclear why the publisher hasn’t done them in order, which might have made some things more clear to readers.If you’re a fan of Nordic Noir, this is an interesting addition to the list of authors to watch. less

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