Arne Dahl, Ghost House 2.0 (2010)

[The Swedish writer Arne Dahl - a pen name - is famous in Scandinavia for his excellent series about the A-team, a special task force. This tiny book is a ghost story, however, but in my opinion it doesn´t deserve more than 2, max 3 stars as it is not very exciting. I think Dahl should stick to crime fiction, and I hope his interesting crime series will be translated into English] 

Efter sin spændende krimiserie om A-holdet, byder svenske Arne Dahl på en lillebitte pocket eller ´pendler-bog´, en spøgelseshistorie på 75 små sider, som kan læses på en timestid.

Nyuddannede Mikaela Larsson søger det spændende job som producer af TV-programmet ´Ghost House´. Efter første sæson er seertallet dalet katastrofalt, og Mikaela får til opgave at peppe serien op. Efter en barsk periode med en religiøs sekt har Mikaela hårdt brug for en succes, så hun kaster sig begejstret ud i jobbet. Det viser sig, at den tidligere producer, Ann Bergström, forlod projektet uden varsel efter et besøg på en lille landejendom fra 1600-tallet.

Og herefter bliver Mikaela og læseren så kastet ud i en spøgelseshistorie, som er underholdende, men så heller ikke mere. Og sprogligt er den danske oversættelse bestemt ikke noget særligt:

"Sikkert en pegebog, tænkte Mikaela og mærkede pludselig, at hendes selvtillid blev styrket. Som sædvanlig af et bag det milde smil godt skjult raseri."

Jeg fandt bogen på biblioteket under krimi & spænding. Tja.

Arne Dahl, Misterioso

The first in the A-team series which is written in the best Swedish tradition: a story about a fairly peaceful, affluent society with a tendency to put the system and the rules above common sense and the individual human being.

In a kind of prologue, we meet a quiet banker who is an expert dart player, and a huge bank robber who disturbs the banker´s usual morning routine.

Soon after, someone begins to kill off some of Stockholm´s most successful businessmen. He shoots them through the head in the middle of the night, and though he takes his time on the crime scene, he leaves no traces whatsoever. The A team is on their first case, and over 330 pages their investigation leads them to the mafia in Tallin, an idyllic golf course, and a very special jazz recording. Hence the title which refers to a classic jazz number.

A well-written crime debut with lots of drama and action, but also quiet sections about the lives and interrelationships among the team.

I bought the book myself.

Swedish Crime News

Arne Dahl and the A-team

In the mid 90s a Swedish writer planned a series of ten volumes about the special elite force, the A team. The first books were published under the pen name Arne Dahl, but when the success was well established, the author and literary critic Jan Arnald confessed that he had played with the letters of his name.

Now when eleven volumes of ten have been published in Scandinavia, the “Intercrime series” is on its way to English readers, hence this introduction.

Officially, the group is under the command of the quiet judge of character Jan-Olov Hultin who shows unexpected sides to his personality as the series progresses. Their base is in Stockholm, but they operate all over Sweden.

Paul Hjelm, the day-to-day leader, is around forty years old, married to Cilla whom he has two teenage children with. He is a first-class policeman but not quite as good at handling marriage and family.

Kerstin Holm from Göteborg makes up the female minority. For the time being, she and her husband´s first ex-wife live together and hit it off much better than with him.

Viggo Norlander from Stockholm is a balding and stout policeman who believes in following the rules.

Arto Söderstedt, an intellectual ex-lawyer, is the pale, Finnish minority from Västerås.

Gunnar Nyberg from Nacka, is a huge, slovenly dressed ex-boxer and steroid user.

Jorge Chavez from Sundsvall – represents the immigrant minority and is an expert on jazz.

A well-written, literary crime series with interesting and intelligent characters.

As an afterthought I can tell you that I find it very easy to read Camilla Läckberg and Mari Jungstedt in Swedish, but Arne Dahl is quite another matter.