Detective Ann Lindell is trying to juggle the responsibilities of single motherhood with her demanding police career. She is not particularly pleased when she is named the lead detective on the Armas case as it has all the earmarks of a complicated case. The staff of the restaurant spans the globe with their heritage from Mexico to Turkey making communication difficult. Almost no one speaks Swedish and only a few speak English. They seem to all work reasonably well together, but are less than thrilled to be interviewed by the police.

Although the murder investigation is the subject that concerns Lindell, there are several subplots which involve the restaurant staff. Manuel has been hired by the restaurant in return for helping to smuggle some drugs into Sweden from his home in Mexico. His brother Patricio was also involved as was a third brother Angel. Angel was killed in Germany before he could complete his journey to Sweden and Patricio was arrested and is serving time in a Swedish prison. Their stories, as well as that of newly hired waitress Eva, tell of the hardships that émigrés and low income wage earners must endure in Swedish society.

Because of the international backgrounds of the principal characters in the book, some of the traditions and beliefs of people from Turkey, Mexico, and Portugal creep into the dialogue, creating enlightening reading. Readers will have to set aside their own preconceived ideas to make sense of what is happening but, by doing so, will learn a lot. It is unusual to think of Sweden as a cultural melting pot, but Eriksson is convincing in his portrayal.

As in a previous work, The Princess of Burundi, Eriksson takes a dark outlook on life. Not all the issues presented in this novel are resolved and not all of the ones that are resolved are resolved in manner that puts a smile on your face. He does, however, create characters with whom one can easily empathize and by leaving some things unsettled allows the reader to hope for a more positive outcome. He does, by the way, indicate the location of Dakar for those that do not have ready access to an atlas.  

Ericksson’s third Ann Lindell novel to be published in the US is a welcome addition to the impressive array of crime novels arriving on our shores from Scandinavia.

--Andy Plonka