First of all I have to admit that the review of this book is very late I wrote it in October 2011 when I finished it. Håkon Nesser is a
new author to me I came across the volume in a bookshop. This is the first in the Van Veetren crime fiction series. At the time I wrote this I commented that they still exist sadly since then the bookshop has closed. This cleverly constructed whodunit revolves around Chief Inspector Van Veetren. He is what you would expect in a seasoned detective brusque with a curmudgeonly disposition. He antagonises those around him, estranged from his family keeps his own company.
The case before is that of a possible suicide or murder. The deceased’s spouse is the prime suspect. However the person of interest isn’t about to help the police or themselves for that matter.
The case is resolved but not without tragedy. The central character Van Veetren is grumpy but a rather likable character. A feature of his demeanor is the often comic but wry observations of the small things. A great read! I look forward to the rest of this series.