I’ve read the first three novels by Kristina Ohlsson, and they’ve all been pretty gripping – with a nice central double act of Alex & Fredrika as the grizzled / talented detectives solving a variety of grisly crimes. In this novel, Ohlsson moves beyond the bleak Scandinavian tundra into a plot centred around a terrorist hijacking on a plane and into the interplay between police, security services and national government. This includes a glamorous new head of security with shady links to Mossad and much more besides.
Generally, it’s less successful than Ohlsson’s previous outings: the plot doesn’t ring true from the start, and despite it growing in complexity, it doesn’t grow in believability. Of course there is always an element to thrillers like this (particularly those where a series has been going on for a while) which stretch credibility, but this one really felt a bit made up on the hoof – the interplay between intelligence services was a bit nonsensical, the women in the novel are defined by their affairs or their pregnancy or who they had a relationship to, and the denouement was unsatisfying. Apart from that, it was great….
I’d recommend the previous three, but am now slightly trepidatious about taking on the fifth which is lurking on my Kindle. Hopefully, it will be a turn back to ground on which Ohlsson is more comfortable and in control of her material.
Score: 5/10
BUY THIS NOW: Hostage (Bergman & Recht 4)
Dog-eared Man: a book a week 