Thursday, April 21, 2011

The Glass Devil by Helene Tursten

Title: The Glass Devil
Author: Helene Tursten
Translated by: Katarina Tucker
ISBN: 9781569474891
Publisher: Soho Crime, 2008
Paperback, 320 pages
Genre: Police Procedural, #3 Detective Inspector Irene Huss mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Paperback Swap

First Line: Everything had seemed perfect.

After finding Jacob Schyttelius shot to death in his isolated cottage, Detective Inspector Irene Huss and her team from the Violent Crimes Unit in Göteborg, Sweden, visit his parents. Schyttelius's parents have also been shot to death, and the computer monitor in their home-- like Jacob's-- has a Satanic symbol painted on it in their own blood. Both computers' hard drives have been professionally wiped, and the only lead Huss has-- Jacob's sister in London-- is so devastated by the tragedy that she's unable to be of much help. It will be a long and difficult investigation before Irene Huss can solve this case.

There's really not that much mystery to this book. I found the whodunit easy to put together, and how the murderer's confession was handled didn't quite set well with me. (It was a case of tell rather than show.) Be that as it may, I really enjoyed the book for Tursten's portrayal of a female detective inspector trying to juggle her profession and her family life. Huss is one of the few members of the fictional police force of the world that I know who actually has a good family life.

Huss got to travel to London, and it was interesting to see England through the eyes of a Swede. There's also a scene in London that came out of nowhere and startled me, which was a definite plus. I do tend to like surprises that make me blink and reread a paragraph because something happened that I did not expect.

Tursten not only does an excellent job of portraying Irene Huss, she brings a homicide investigation to life with its slow, methodical piecing together of conjecture, clues and evidence. I almost felt as though I were a part of the investigative team.

There are only three books in the Irene Huss series so far, and I have come to the end, which is sad. I like this series, and I hope that there will be more in the future.





4 comments:

  1. I love this series, too, I so much enjoyed reading the first three. I do so much hope that the remainder find a translator. The books have also been made into a successful Swedish TV series.

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  2. If the characters are good, I often don't mind figuring out the mystery early. I have this series on my wish list, but who knows when and if I'll get to it.

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  3. I've heard good things about this series from others. I like the cover and the negative effect. Looking forward to reading another Swedish series and it sounds like there are more to be translated. :-)

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  4. Maxine-- I'd read that the books had been made into a TV series. I hope I get a chance to see an episode or two one day. Thanks for stopping by!

    Beth-- I know exactly what you mean!

    Kay-- As Maxine said, I hope a good translator steps up to the plate and hits a Grand Slam! :)

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