mandag den 11. april 2011

Johan Theorin, Blodlag (2010)


I den tredje svenske Øland-krimi møder vi igen Gerlof Davidsson, den gamle skipper, men historierne er som sådan uafhængige af hinanden.

Prologen begynder lige på og hårdt. Per Mörner har søgt oplysninger og fundet en række navne i lokalsamfundet, og nu skal han dø.

"Per Mörners venstre hånd var hårdt forbrændt, hans ribben var brækkede, og synet virkede fugtigt og sløret, mens følelsen i kroppen stadig var der. Han kunne mærke benzinen, der blev hældt over ham, fornemmede, hvor lunken den var. Sammenlignet med den kolde aftenluft var væsken næsten varm, og den sved og brændte, da den løb ned i hans hår og ind i de blødende sår i ansigtet."

Gamle skipper Gerlof sidder på plejehjemmet, men beslutter sig for at vende tilbage til sit lille hus, da han er overbevist om, at han ellers vil være den næste beboer, som dør. Et miljø, hvor trolde, elver og varsler hører naturligt hjemme, og hvor de fleste personligheder er så kantede og stærke, at de må støde sammen. En række nye (eller tidligere) beboere flytter til ´blodlaget´, grænsen mellem troldene og elvernes verdener, et skel som traditionelt regnes for at betyde ulykke.

Per Mörner er fraskilt og far til tvillingerne Jesper og Nilla. Nilla er alvorligt syg, men Per håndterer det dårligt, er næsten ude af stand til at tale med ekskonen og børnene om det, i stedet farer han rundt i en temmelig planløs legen detektiv.

Ud over Per møder vi Max og Vendela Larsson. Vendela søger tilbage til sit barndomsmiljø for at møde elverne og få ryddet lidt op på sin verden.

Gennem første halvdel af de fire hundrede sider blev jeg fanget af personerne og miljøet, så det generede mig ikke, at plottet somme tider kommer lidt i anden række, men efterhånden syntes jeg, historien faldt lidt fra hinanden. Jo, læseren får en form for afslutning, men ikke en krimi-afslutning, hvor politi eller detektiver aktivt forsøger at opklare forbrydelserne, her foregår alt ligesom tilfældigt, som regel mens personerne venter på noget helt andet. Elver, operationer, døden, foråret eller hvad det nu kan være.

Det synes oplagt at sammenligne med Håkan Nessers En fortælling om hr Roos, hvor krimiplottet i perioder er sekundært, men Nessers personer er langt mere troværdige og helstøbte.

Jeg lånte bogen på biblioteket. Min anmeldelse af Natstorm.


Johan Theorin, The Quarry (2011).

This is the third Swedish Öland mystery. Though Gerlof Davidsson, the old sea captain, is a recurrent figure, the stories are not related in any other way.

After a dramatic prologue we meet Gerlof who has had just about enough of the old people´s home. He makes up his mind to return to his small home, sure that otherwise he will be the next resident to die. This is an environment where trolls, elves and omen seem to belong, and where most of the characters are so headstrong and forceful that a confrontation seems inevitable. A group of new (or returning) people move to the ´blood layer´ (hence the title), the border between the worlds of the trolls and the elves, an area which is regarded as unlucky.

Per Morner is divorced and the father of the twins Jesper and Nilla. Nilla is ill, but Per handles the situation badly, unable to communicate with his ex and his children about it; instead he darts around in a fairly aimless game of sleuthing.

Apart from Per we meet Max and Vendela Larsson. Vendela seeks back to her childhood environment to meet the elves and solve some of her private issues.

Throughout the first half of four hundred pages I was absorbed by the characters and the setting so it didn´t trouble me that the plot played second fiddle, but by and by the story seemed to fall apart. There is a solution though neither the police nor the main characters seem to focus on solving the crimes; everything seems to happen by coincidence while the characters are waiting for something else. Elves, operations, death, spring or whatever.

In Håkan Nesser´s "A Story about Mr Roos" the crime story is also secondary throughout several chapters, but Nesser´s characters seem more credible and their actions plausible.

The book was a library book. My review of The Darkest Room.

10 kommentarer:

Anonym sagde ...

Dorte - Thanks for this review. I was wondering if this one was a good one. Not sure I'll be as eager to read it as I was The Darkest Room...

Dorte H sagde ...

Margot: I find it quite difficult to figure out if I was disappointed because the book wasn´t exiting enough or if my expectations were just too high. I have noticed that prof. Danish reviewers are not overwhelmed by the psychology of the characters either.

Felicity Grace Terry sagde ...

Hmm, not too sure about this one as by the sounds of it the characters don't sound varied enough for my tastes.

Joanne Ganley sagde ...

I really enjoyed The Darkest Room, but not sure about this one either.

Dorte H sagde ...

Tracy: I won´t say they aren´t varied; I just didn´t care much about the main character.

Joanne: I love when people buy the books I recommend, but I always feel insecure if you won´t read books just because I didn´t like them - does that make sense?

pattinase (abbott) sagde ...

I have the ICE PRINCESS on my table. I wonder why these Scandinavian mysteries seem so satisfying now.

Belle Wong sagde ...

I like the interesting fantasy elements of this one, but it doesn't sound the mystery part of this one worked that well.

Dorte H sagde ...

Patti: hard to say for a Scandinavian who thinks our crime fiction is as varied as yours ;)

Belle: if it had been marketed as fantasy... The second is also full of ghosts, but I didn´t mind because there was a better plot.

betteskov sagde ...

Jeg var meget begejstret for "Natstorm", for det forekom mig at være en anderledes og mere "spooky" krimi, men senere har jeg ikke fået læst så meget Theorin, og er ved at blive lidt træt af ø-krimier. Tak for anmeldelsen, jeg tror ikke umiddelbart jeg vil fare ud og skaffe denne bog...

Dorte H sagde ...

Jane: jeg snupper også gerne et par spøgelser og elver med i købet, når bare vi får et ordentligt plot, men jeg synes, han farer lidt vild i anden halvdel. De danske anmeldelser jeg har set, er enige i, at personerne ikke holder rent psykologisk.