June 27, 2022
In this promising series launch set in 2003 from Lagercrantz (Fall of Man in Wilmslow), police officer Micaela Vargas, whose parents came to Sweden as political refugees from Chile, joins forces with Prof. Hans Rekke, “a specialist in interrogation techniques” who teaches at Stanford University, to investigate the murder of a soccer referee after a match. The victim was a refugee from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, and Micaela’s incessant probing soon leads them into the murky waters of international terrorism, questionable CIA interrogation methods, and a war against music carried out by the Taliban in the late 1990s. Rekke and Micaela enjoy a Holmes and Watson–like relationship, complete with a Mycroft counterpart in brother Magnus Rekke, a government undersecretary with his own hidden agenda. Though the story advances slowly at first, it gains momentum once the pieces begin to fall into place. Rekke’s drug and alcohol addictions, along with his inability to focus, at times threaten to make him a caricature, but Micaela’s depth of character bodes well for future entries. Not just Sherlock Holmes fans will want to check this one out. Agent: Jessica Bab, Brave New World.
June 10, 2024
Lagercrantz, best-selling author of the continuation of the late Stieg Larsson's "Millennium" trilogy (The Girl Who Lived Twice), offers a new series featuring two interesting protagonists. Lagercrantz's well-developed central characters are working-class detective Micaela Vargas, the smart, poor, ambitious daughter of Chilean immigrants, and Dr. Hans Rekke, a cultured and brilliant, yet psychologically fragile upper-class professor. A combination of classic homicide police procedural and political thriller, the book's melancholy main themes are a mixture of the post-9/11 anti-terrorism panic (the similarities between the Afghan torture/repression of the Taliban and CIA "black sites") and a murder mystery. The similarities to a Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson tale are evident, but the story is fresh. Celebrated narrator Simon Vance provides outstanding accents, varying his tone to capture regional and socioeconomic differences. Vance's narration adds a classic element to the story that makes it familiar, yet interesting. VERDICT While the ending is a bit anti-climactic, fans of the "Millennium" series will be anxious for more of this promising series.--Scott DiMarco
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