The Princess of Burundi by Kjell Eriksson

5. – 564.) The Princess of Burundi by Kjell Eriksson – It took me a long time to really get involved with the story. In the midst of a harsh Saskatchewan winter reading a dark mystery set just before Christmas in Sweden maybe has too much winter. Reading about the problems from snow drifts is less interesting when you have just come in from shoveling the driveway. I found myself increasingly interested in the story and the last half of the book was gripping. It is a good police procedural.

            John Jonsson, known as “Little John”, is brutally murdered in Upsalla. It is hard to understand why an unemployed metal worker is tortured and killed. His wife, Berit, and teenage son, Justus, are devastated.

            A team of Swedish police conduct the investigation. Unlike the Wallander series where the stories focus on Wallander there is an emphasis on the team. I was reminded of Ed McBain’s long running series on the 87^th Precinct. We learn a lot about all the investigators. While there is more about Ola Haver, leading the team, and Ann Lindell, on maternity leave, it is far more a team story. They conduct a thorough investigation diligently exploring and following up collections. I will be interested in seeing if the next follows McBain’s pattern of not always concentrating on the same members of the team in every story.

            My slow involvement in the story probably reflected that I did not find the powerful connection needed to the victim as P.D. James set out in Talking About Detective Fiction. I may have been unreasonably affected by Little John’s past.

            The story is more interesting because there is far more family involved than the average mystery. Erikson’s character development is excellent. They are real people. Hardcover or paperback. (Jan. 26/11)