If you're expecting a police procedural then this book might disappoint. Inspector Sejer and Jakob Skarre are there - and Sejer has a new dog - but their presence is almost incidental. It's almost as though Fossum needed a couple of policemen for the story and these two were available. They were convenient policemen to use in what is really a psychological thriller rather than a 'whodunnit'.
It's a short book but by no means an easy read. As usual Fossum gets right to the heart of her story in language so spare a as to be justthe just the right side of brutal. There isn't a wasted word in the book. I didn't find it a relaxing read but it was impossible not to continue particularly when the body of a teenage boy floated to the surface of another lake. You're pretty certain which way the story is going right the way through: it's not a book of clever tricks or unexpected twists - just a carefully crafted thriller.
I'd like to thank the publishers for sending a copy to the Bookbag.