Select one of the keywords
Between Summer's Longing and Winter's End: The Story of a Crime    by Leif GW Persson Amazon.com order for
Between Summer's Longing and Winter's End
by Leif GW Persson
Order:  USA  Can
Vintage, 2012 (2010)
Hardcover, Softcover

Read an Excerpt

* * *   Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth

A young American plunges to his death in Stockholm. Police are only too happy to declare this an accident or possibly suicide. Superintendent Lars Johansson does not agree. This young man had been working on a book about his uncle, a CIA agent. The uncle may have had ties into the highest political community in Sweden.

Johansson pursues his own line of investigation and discovers more than he would like. He is determined to find out just what the American uncovered about his uncle and the Swedish government. Whatever eventually led to this young man's death must be brought to light. The truth must be told.

Kirkus Reviews states that Leif GW Persson's Between Summer's Longing and Winter's End is 'reminiscent of Henning Mankell and Stieg Larsson. Persson does a fine job of pitting one desperate soul against another.' And a fine mystery it is. Also, it's an in-depth study of the politics of the police in Sweden, Stockholm in particular. International intrigue plays a part in this work as does 'international espionage, backroom politics, and greed, exposing the sheer incompetence that led to a devastating tragedy.'

Obviously Persson knows of what he writes. He is 'universally acknowledged as Sweden's leading criminologist.' His take on the politics of the police force makes one wonder if there is more truth than fiction in this thriller. All that said, I must admit that I had a hard time keeping up with the characters – especially since two of the main ones had names starting with the same letter. I found it easy to become distracted. And this satisfyingly long read left me puzzling over what just happened.

Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons.

Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews