3 Stars
Three years after the loss Varg experiences in We Shall Inherit the Wind, he has become an alcoholic. As he conducts his next investigation, he struggles with the siren call of aquavit. His case is the disappearance of 3-year-old Mette Misvær twenty-five years earlier, in 1977. Her mother Maja wants Varg to find out what happened to her daughter who went missing from the sandpit outside her home, one of five houses in a small housing co-op.
Varg is very methodical. He spends his time interviewing people, first focusing on the other four families living in the co-op. A lot of characters are introduced in a short span of time so it is difficult sometimes to remember who is who and the connections among characters. Of course Varg always manages to extract information that allows him to move forward. Mette disappeared without a trace, and the police never solved the case, but Varg does of course.
The incompetent police trope is annoying, especially because Varg solves more than one case. A recent jewelry heist has more than one connection to the people who were Maja and Mette’s neighbours. All these connections stretch credibility.
I can understand a mother wanting answers to what happened to a missing child, but considering the many secrets Maja has, it’s surprising that she hired a private investigator. Varg uncovers many secrets and lies, many of which involve Maja.
I found parts of the book to be predictable. From the beginning, I guessed Maja’s secret which added to her guilt. And when a certain character was introduced, I immediately heard alarm bells and guessed much of the ending. I read to the end to discover the other details which are not obvious.
I think I’ll return to this series at a later date; in the meantime, I’ll begin listening to a Canadian series I’ve been meaning to read.
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