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{{infoboxinfobox1
|title=Missing
|author=Karin Alvtegen
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=352
|publisher=Canongate Books Ltd
|date=30 Jun June 2004
|isbn=1841954985
|amazonukcover=<amazonuk>1841954985</amazonuk>|amazonusaznuk=1841954985|aznus=<amazonus>1841954985</amazonus>
}}
In the Grand Hotel in the centre of Stockholm a man is found brutally murdered. The previous evening he'd been tricked into buying dinner and paying for a room for a homeless woman. Sibylla has been homeless for fifteen years; so far as the authorities are concerned she doesn't exist and because of a history of mental illness she's an easy target for the police, particularly when there are further murders. She begins by running, hiding anywhere she can - and then she fights back to clear her name.
The plot is good with some neat twists and unexpected turnings. The ending was satisfying on more levels than one and not entirely as I expected.
Alvtegen writes very well. She doesn't waste words and her writing has the clear directness of Ruth Rendell at her best. She's ably supported by Anna Paterson's excellent translation, but a translator still needs a good text to produce a book to this standard. If you're a fan of psychological thrillers such as Ruth Rendell's Barbara Vine novels then I think you would enjoy this book. For more from Stockholm, you might enjoy [[Mayhem in the Archipelago by Nick Griffiths]].
{{amazontext|amazon=1841954985}} {{waterstonestextamazonUStext|waterstonesamazon=43451751841954985}}
{{commenthead}}
I'm probably even more of a Philistine, Kerry - I've just realised that I don't even attempt to pronounce the names in my head! I simply recognise the shape of a particular word as relating to a particular person or place. I don't think I'd like to see names changed though - the different names give a sense of place for me.
}}
[[Category:Thrillers]]
