Söderberg, Alexander

This first volume of a projected trilogy is brimming with characters, subplots, betrayals, and tragedies. Yet Söderberg's decision to weave these facets into each other—each chapter contains multiple narrators, perspectives, and dramatic arcs—leads to an ultimately overwhelming and overwrought tale. What begins as a thrilling adventure through the Swedish criminal underworld gradually becomes an exhausting, cynical trek teeming with extreme violence. Still, some hard-core fans of Scandinavian mysteries may want to try this thriller.