Lotte og Søren Hammer, Svinehunde (2010)

[This new, Danish crime novel has not been translated into English yet, but it will probably be soon as the manuscript was sold to sixteen countries last year.]

Denne krimi er det danske søskendepars debut som forfattere.

To små skolebørn møder alt for tidligt, og de smutter ind i skolens gymnastiksal for at lege, men der er ikke rigtig plads, fordi fem mænd hænger i reb fra loftet.

Chefkriminalinspektør Konrad Simonsen er på ferie i Nordjylland med masser af smøger og en sød datter til at brygge kaffe. Men naturligvis er freden forbi, Konrad bliver hentet i politibil og bragt til Langebæk Skole i Bagsværd, før datteren kan nå at rette op på hans utidssvarende livsstil.

Blandt Konrad Simonsens nære medarbejdere møder vi Nathalie von Rosen, ´Komtessen´, som er velhavende og sød, og tilsyneladende rigtig glad for sin store, lidt kejtede boss. I det hele taget virker politiholdet som søde og rare mennesker, som godt kan have brug for hjælp mod den store, stygge journalist, Anni Staal.

Det tager noget tid, før politiet er i stand til at identificere de fem stærkt mishandlede lig, og da det viser sig, at alle ofrene er pædofile, mødes de med en mur af tavshed og modvilje, når de forsøger at opspore bødlerne, samtidig med at den kulørte presse gør sit for at spænde ben for politiets arbejde i kampen om forsiden og folkets velvilje.

Og her kører handlingen lidt af sporet. De fleste danskere vil sandsynligvis se det som en formildende omstændighed, hvis en søn eller datter tyr til at tage hævn over en pædofil far, men som debatten om katolske præster i øjeblikket viser, er der ikke noget der tyder på, at den brede befolkning går ind for selvtægt i form af grov vold eller endog henrettelse af pædofile. (Og at det skulle være SÅ let at manipulere med gymnasieelever – nej, det kan I heldigvis godt glemme).

Parrets debut er ikke perfekt, men trods sit barske tema er der en vis gammeldags charme over de pludselige skift i synsvinkel, og det er da udmærket med en krimi, som ikke kun byder på et godt plot, men også tager emnet selvtægt op til overvejelse. Og hvem er så svinehunden? Læs bogen og tænk selv.

Svinehunde er spændende og hurtigt læst trods sine 400 sider, men man kan da godt undre sig lidt over, at den på forhånd er solgt til seksten lande.

Bogen er en (let brugt) gave. Tak, Susanne!

Margot Kinberg, B-Very Flat (2010)

This American crime novel is the second in the series about Joel Williams, the academic detective.

Serena Brinkman is a sophomore student at Tilton University. She is busy following her courses, she has to practice several hours every day for an important violin contest, and just like any other student she tries to squeeze in time with her friends and Patricia Stanley, her lover.

Though Serena is a pretty and considerate young girl, she is not without enemies or rivals. The young photographer Tony Ferguson from the Tilton yearbook falls in love with Serena when he interviews her for the yearbook, and he is not happy when he realizes he has been slighted for a girl. Troy Brinkman is Serena´s cousin and good friend, but how far will he go to get rid of his gambling debts? The violinist Michelle Park likes Serena, but winning the competition is decisive for her with her humble background, and another fellow student, Marcie Bratton, struggles hard to keep a secret which might destroy her future career.

And how many of them know that Serena is allergic to peanuts?

When things go horribly wrong, Patricia appeals to Dr Joel Williams, her advisor, for help to solve the case, as she is certain Serena would never eat anything that wasn´t safe for her.

See my review of Publish or Perish, and here you can find Margot Kinberg´s fantastic blog.

This book was a gift from my husband. I read it for the What´s in a Name Challenge: music term.

Computer problems etc

Don´t expect to see me much this week.

I am busy working, and tomorrow I´ll have to hand my computer in to our computer guru for a few days.

See you later.

Denise Mina, Exile (2000)

[Dansk udgave: Eksil, 2003]

Mini review.

This crime story is the second part of the Scottish writer´s Garnethill trilogy.

When we meet Maureen O´Donnell again, she is equipped with a gorgeous, young lover, Vikram, but also with a dreaded father who has moved into a flat nearby. Her family do not believe she was abused by him so she feels ostracized by them as if she were the culprit.

The new plot begins when a cyclist nearly is hit by a car in London. During his effort to escape the accident he turns a somersault and lands on the riverbank. He receives his next shock when he realizes that he is sitting on the body of a long-dead woman, Ann Harris from the Glasgow Place of Safety Shelter where Maureen and Leslie work.

The sequel is captivating, but the tone is sadder and more serious than volume one. The violence and troubles in Maureen´s family take up so much space in her life that she cannot accommodate young Vikram or anything else.

I bought the book myself, and I know that if you enjoyed the first volume as much as I did, you will read the second no matter how much or little I write about it. And if you have not read the first, what are you waiting for?

Ann Cleeves, White Nights (2008)

This crime novel which takes place in Shetland is the second Jimmy Perez story.

Apparently the Finns run amuck because of their everlasting dark nights, the Shetlanders do because of their white summer nights.


“It´s the time of year,” he said. “The light nights. It makes us all go a little bit mad.”

During this ´simmer dim´ Jimmy Perez goes to the opening of an art exhibition in Biddista, a small village. The painters are the local celebrity Bella Sinclair and Perez´ newfound love, Fran Hunter who is a very promising artist.

An English guest breaks down over one of the paintings, and when questioned by Perez, he claims he suffers from amnesia. The next day a local farmer finds the Englishman hanging in his shed. Someone has killed him and tried rather inefficiently to make it look like a suicide.

The competitive Inspector Roy Taylor rushes to Shetland from Inverness, and he does his best to unveil the old back story behind the murder before Perez, but he is no match for the local man who is acquainted with everybody in Biddista beforehand and knows how to make them feel comfortable enough to share their secrets.

I liked the first in the series but enjoyed this one even more - though the solution seemed a bit improbable to me.

I bought the book myself, and here is my review of the first in the series, Raven Black.

Thy´s Day # 12

At the request of an expatriot

- snowdrops aplenty

DJ´s Bait in the Box # 61

This novel is the second in a series.

“Waiting at the foot of the gangplank was a performer. A moving piece of art or street theatre. A slender man, dressed like a Pierrot. A clown mask on his face. He didn´t speak, but he acted out a pantomime for the visiting travelers. He made a lavish bow, one hand held across his stomach, the other sweeping towards the floor. The tourists smiled. They were willing to be entertained. To be accosted in a city was one thing – a city housed beggars and disturbed people and it was safest to turn away, not to catch the eye – but this was ....... There could be nowhere more safe.”

The rules
If you recognize the quotation, or if you think you are able to guess who wrote it, please post a comment. Just leave a hint, do not spoil the fun by giving too much away. The book will probably be reviewed on Friday.