Mari Jungstedt's Unseen

A Few months ago when I was reading Mari Jungstedt's most recent Anders Knutas novel I was enjoying a little mystery binge.  How quickly things change as I've slowed down considerably on reading mysteries of late.  I did just manage to squeeze in Jungstedt's first novel, Unseen, however.  I'm glad I decided to go back and start at the beginning of the series.  I felt as I was reading The Inner Circle that  I was missing out on important backstory as relationships were already developed that I knew nothing about, and this helped me fill in the picture.  Inspector Knutas became a more rounded character to me as well as his colleagues in the police department.    

One of the strong points in this series is the setting.  Gotland is a picturesque island off the southeast coast of Sweden and tourism is one of the main sources for the island's income.  And Visby, where much of the action takes place is a medieval city which provides a nice atmospheric backdrop for a crime novel.  Jungstedt spends much more time in Unseen describing Visby and the other locales and you get a sense of how people there live and how it looks and feels.  It goes without saying I'd like to travel there now.

Unseen opens with the grisly discovery of a murdered woman and her dog.  The husband is the obvious suspect as they had had a violent argument the night before which had been witnessed by a houseful of people.  To make matters worse the murder weapon is an axe which has his fingerprints on it, though perhaps this is not so surprising as it had been taken from the couple's property.  It is not long before he's taken into custody and the case is considered closed.  After two more brutal murders the detectives must start from scratch but are floundering this time with no credible suspects, and pressure is mounting from not only the mayor but the press as they call for fast results before more women are murdered.

It's high summer and the tourist trade is about to take off, but with each new body that pops up both islanders and tourists alike become more and more fearful and anxious.  Gotland is usually a quiet, serene place to live, violent crime being virtually unheard of.  The population swells in the summer with so many holidaymakers particularly at Midsummer, which is their equivalent of our Fourth of July.

Of course the press quickly descends ready to cover the salacious story of Gotland's serial killer.  Johan Berg, a TV news reporter from Stockholm is sent to the island to cover the case.  A source within the police ranks is sharing details of the crimes not meant for the public's ears, which causes tension between Berg and Inspector Knutas.  Berg, always looking for new angles to the story begins interviewing the witnesses and ends up falling for Emma Winarve, the best friend of one of the murdered women.  The situation is complicated as she's already married with children.  It's an agonizing (yet exhilarating) situation for both of them as they try and resist but can't stay away from each other.

This was very much a character driven story to me.  Jungstedt has a knack for twining the characters' lives together and getting inside their heads--victims and murderer alike.  Of course you expect this with a murder mystery (wanting to know the psychology of the why behind the crime), but it was this aspect of the story that really drew me in.  The actual mystery thread felt a little bland to be honest, a problem I had with previous novel by her I read.  Inspector Knutas seems to be of the intuitive school of detective work.  There are lots of meetings of the detectives to sort through evidence and motives as well as interviews with witnesses and suspects.  Really this sounds like typical detective fiction, but it somehow felt a little bit pedestrian and I'm not sure I can put my finger on just what about it that made me feel that way.

Still, I found myself compulsively reading the novel, particularly when it came to the climactic final pages and the suspense built to the surprising end.  I plan on picking up the next book in the series, Unspoken to fill in the gap and will read as much for the mystery as for the characters, as I expect them to continue developing and am curious to know more about Johan and Emma and how exactly they come together.  Having already read the third book, I know that it ends with a cliffhanger, so I'll have to read that as well, though first have to wait for it to be published over here!  In the interim I really must read Henning Mankell and some of his and Jungstedt's Swedish compatriots! 

Comments

[litlove]

I'm ashamed to say I still haven't read any Swedish crime novels and they are so very popular at the moment! There's lots I'd like to try, only I haven't been on a mystery binge lately and it's true that crime fiction does seem to come in waves. I do have a copy of one of the Martin Beck books, and I will try that soon.

[catharina]

When you first shared your thoughts about beginning at a series I thought that was a great idea. I have started Elisabeth George 'A great deliverance' as I find Thomas Lynley and Havers quite charming characters and would like to see how they develop over time. Nice project!

[Dorothy W.]

I feel that way exactly about the latest Maisie Dobbs -- the mystery isn't really the point and really isn't that interesting, but the history and the characters are much more so. The point there isn't to be surprised by who did it, but to think about all the things that led up to the crime and what they mean.

[Danielle]

I've only read these two by Mari Jungstedt. I really should try some of the 'classic' Swedish crime writers who have been around for a while! I'm often in the mood for crime books, but I always feel like I should be balancing things out a bit.
Catharina--I've read all of Elizabeth George's books (except the most recent, which I have on hand). I've really enjoyed them and wouln't mind going back and starting from the beginning again. Have you seen any of the PBS/BBC adaptations of them? I thought they were very good, too.
Dorothy--I really like this type of mystery. It's interesting reading about a character and seeing how she/he develops over time as well as other central characters. Especially with Maisie--you're right it's more about how she gets to the solution than who did it. I like hearing about the pscyhology behind the crime, too.

[catharina]

I really liked the BBC adaptations and was a bit worried having seen those would interfere with reading. But it didn't and -having finished the first book - now I want to read them all this year.

[Frances]

This sounds really interesting! May I cross-post this on the Lost in Translation reading challenge?

[Danielle]

Catharina--The Lynley series is one of the few where I've read all the books (or nearly all--will read the latest sometime this year). At first when I saw the actors for the TV series I was a little disappointed as they weren't at all as I had imagined them, but now they are exactly as I picture them in my mind. I thought they did a great job on the show and was sorry to hear it was cancelled! The books are great though!
Frances--Sure, feel free to do so. I've enjoyed both books that I've read by her and plan on reading the next one soon, too!

[Frances]

Thanks for letting me cross-post on the Lost in Translation challenge page. Now I have to go order my copy!

http://nonsuchbook.typepad.com/lost_in_translation_readi/2009/06/guest-review-unseen.html

[Danielle]

Frances--Sure! Thanks for the link back. I hope it sparks some interest--she's been an enjoyable author to read!

[Jennifer Dee]

Thank you for this review; it was so good that I went and bought it on Amazon for 1p. The book arrived on Friday and I finished it last night. And I thoroughly enjoyed it. I will now go onto the next one. Like you I now want to go to Gotland.

Once again thank you and keep up the good work.

[Danielle]

Jennifer--Glad you liked it. It is a fast and entertaining read. She has two more mysteries and they continue on with the same characters. I've read the third (I started with that one and decided to go back to the beginning) and now will look for the second one. A trip to Sweden about now would be great! :)