I’m in Denmark with some troubled people who are mixed up in a serious crime

Scandinavia has produced some great crime novels and I tend to pick these up when I see them – there have been two already in this summer challenge (see here and here). Dead Souls by Elsebeth Egholm has been translated from Danish by Charlotte Barslund and Don Bartlett and is the second in a series – if there are more about these characters the books are not yet available in the UK. This is a book which might have been easier to understand had I read the first in the series as there is a lot of background to the characters and their relationships but I didn’t feel that it impaired my enjoyment of the story.

The book is written from the viewpoint of three characters. Peter is an ex-convict with a terrible childhood who is grieving for a dead friend and avoiding a biker gang who want revenge for previous actions. He works as a carpenter at a convent where the body of a woman is found in the moat and he was the last person to see her – she has been garrotted. He is also asked by two women to find a missing boy. Detective Mark Hansen is a cancer survivor who lives in fear about his health, is worried about an elderly grandfather and has been sidelined from the main enquiry because a team from the nearby town have taken control. Kir is a diver who is ex-military, has had a poor childhood, has had a relationship with Hansen and is now coping with rejection and is dealing with misogyny among her colleagues. She has also found, when diving, a small box with old, human bones which show evidence of having been garrotted. There are also glimpses into the life of Lise who hates her mother and is afraid of both her siblings because of things which have happened in the past.

The author manages to help the reader keep all these strands separate and then she weaves them into a thriller which is full of action and which regularly explores the relationships between characters. It delves into the murky past of collaborators in Denmark during WW2 and also into animal rights activism. It was an engaging story to read, exploring themes such as loyalty and the author managed to tie up all the pieces at the end to conclude things satisfactorily. If I ever saw the first book featuring these characters I would buy it.

This book goes off to the charity shop now but it reinforces my belief that it’s always a good idea to pick up a Scandinavian crime novel if you see one.