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Black Lies, Red Blood    by Kjell Eriksson Amazon.com order for
Black Lies, Red Blood
by Kjell Eriksson
Order:  USA  Can
Minotaur, 2015 (2014)
Hardcover, Softcover, e-Book
* *   Reviewed by Hilary Williamson

Black Lies, Red Blood (translated by Paul Norlen) is the latest episode in Kjell Eriksson's quirky Swedish police procedural series starring homicide Inspector Ann Lindell. The single mother of small Erik, Ann is an engaging lead, stubborn and committed on the job, yet rather vulnerable in her personal life.

As the mystery opens, Ann is on a high from a sizzling new relationship, with journalist Anders Brant. It seems that Ann is in love with someone very different from those she's been involved with before - and can't decide whether this is a good thing or not. Anders courted her. He filled her apartment with words, and she felt desired. But soon after he left suddenly on a trip, he became a person of interest in the police investigation into a homeless man's death.

Ola Haver leads that investigation, still struggling with his own father's unexpected death. And there are further suspicious deaths of individuals connected to the first victim. In the meantime, Ann is working a cold case, the disappearance of a blonde, laughing sixteen-year-old, 'a girl you noticed'. That soon becomes a murder investigation as well. Unfortunately, the situation with Anders, his absence and her growing suspicion of him, puts Ann 'off her game'; her colleagues notice.

There's a Russian connection and blackmail, all leading up to a messy, bloodsoaked finale. If you like Nordic noir, don't miss this excellent series, with its appealing lead, complex international plots, and very different detectives.

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