The Return: An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery, by Hakan Nesser
By Peter on Feb 18, 2008 in Crime Books, Hakan Nesser
Hakan (Håkan) Nesser is another of the brilliant Swede crime writers who have been translated into English recently. He is a skilled writer, with well developed plots in his books, and has written a series of books about Inspector Van Veeteren. As you will see when you read The Return, Van Veeteren is a likable, smart, passionate and fully drawn character. Furthermore, all of Nesser’s books have the feel of authentic police investigations throughout. His books are generally police procedurals.
The storyline in The Return revolves around an inquest conducted by Chief Inspector Van Veeteren and his squad of detectives in the Maardam police department. A decapitated corpse also missing hands and feet was discovered wrapped in a carpet by a pre-school child in a wooded area during a class outing. Immediately the investigation was two pronged. Exactly who was the victim and who was his murderer?
The detectives soon discover that the victim was one Leopold Verhaven. The notorious Verhaven, once a world class middle distance runner, had served two separate 12 year prison terms for the murders of two young women he was romantically involved with. As Van Veeteren looks back at the evidence from the previous killings he gets the feeling that Verhaven might have been innocent.
The reader is taken through many routine interrogations in a murder investigation which only very gradually add up to a solution to the case. The case itself is bizarre and convoluted, involving the murders of three people, including a convicted murderer recently paroled from prison. While the central figure in The Return is Chief Inspector Van Veeteren, his junior colleagues get most of the story space and their characters are well developed and credible. Still, Van Veeteren really shines through, after his serious surgical procedure he’s in a lighter, more philosophical mood with more humor and irony surfacing.
The Return is a great crime novel, and very psychological. The action is intriguing and interesting, the plot good, and the characters rich and attractive. You will enjoy! Highly recommended.
For more reviews of Hakan Nesser and other Swedish Crime writers, take a look at www.ScandinavianBooks.com!
Other great books by Hakan Nesser include Borkmann’s Point: An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery
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