I tried another Scandinavian mystery, this time choosing Karin Fossum, a Norwegian writer. She's my fourth writer from this area, and my second Norwegian. My first was Gunnar Staalesen. The Swede was Henning Mankell and the Icelander, Arnaldur Indriðason. I was hoping for something better this time but I came away disappointed again. The story was violent and depressing, like the other three. This is one of the draws for this genre, but I guess I was trying to find something beyond just that.

The pacing of the story, especially the bulk middle of it, was very good. I flew through the prose, waiting for the next outcome. But, the ending seemed a bit too tied up, a little rushed. I felt like I was reading a Hollywood script and not a novel. And like the other books I've read from this geographic area and genre, I was surprised and shocked at the stereotyping and strong bias against the non-white characters. Barely mentioned, barely treated as fellow humans, they are one-dimensional cut-outs used to reconfirm a biased point of view.

I guess I'm more of an English mystery fan. It's not that I'm turned off by violence or dark psychological situations. I am a devoted fan of Minette Walters, and I don't think anyone would call her work happy or feel-good.