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A review by nietzschesghost
For the Dead by Lina Bengtsdotter
4.0
For the Dead is the second police procedural in the Detective Inspector Lager series and it reminds me exactly why I love Scandi noir with a passion. Stockholm Detective Charlie is drawn back to her hometown of Gullspång and becomes interested, thanks to journalist Johan bringing it to her attention, in a cold case from 1989 when seventeen-year-old Francesca Mild vanished from her home in a case which was never solved. Charlie decides she is going to investigate, ably assisted by friends, to try to bring the family some closure as to what happened to their daughter. As she begins to dig deeper she quickly comes to the realisation that the official investigation had been seriously flawed from the get-go. And when some of the townsfolk catch sight of her prying into the case many make their displeasure known. The original investigators appear to have assumed Francesca was a teen runaway and that her vanishing was precipitated by her friend Paul Bergman's apparent suicide. By all accounts, it seemed that the police couldn't close her case fast enough. But why? What is there to hide?
Francesca refused to believe that Paul committed suicide or drowned by accident; she thinks he was murdered and puts her investigative skills into action trying to uncover the truth. This possibly rubbed someone up the wrong way. Told from the perspective of Francesca in the past and Charlie’s investigation and what she uncovers in the present, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing from both the victim and the seeker of justice. It made me incredibly sad that her disappearance was not taken seriously and her poor mental health was frequently cited as a get-out clause for the police. The atmosphere created was one of the standout aspects of the book where the ominous weather adds to the overall tension. It's a slow-burn, character-driven thriller yet this doesn't stop you being glued to the pages. It is an intricately plotted, intense and beautifully written piece of fiction. I look forward to the third instalment and being reacquainted with Charlie. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.
Francesca refused to believe that Paul committed suicide or drowned by accident; she thinks he was murdered and puts her investigative skills into action trying to uncover the truth. This possibly rubbed someone up the wrong way. Told from the perspective of Francesca in the past and Charlie’s investigation and what she uncovers in the present, I thoroughly enjoyed hearing from both the victim and the seeker of justice. It made me incredibly sad that her disappearance was not taken seriously and her poor mental health was frequently cited as a get-out clause for the police. The atmosphere created was one of the standout aspects of the book where the ominous weather adds to the overall tension. It's a slow-burn, character-driven thriller yet this doesn't stop you being glued to the pages. It is an intricately plotted, intense and beautifully written piece of fiction. I look forward to the third instalment and being reacquainted with Charlie. Highly recommended. Many thanks to Orion for an ARC.