I'm not quite sure what I think of Liza Marklund's character Annika Bengtzon. She is a study in contrasts and perhaps that is why, though I might occasionally shake my head in exasperation at her, I find her so interesting to read about. I first met her when I read Marklund's Paradise. It's something of a challenge to get your hands on this book as it is out of print and fairly scarce and expensive to buy (I borrowed a library copy via ILL). Add to that challenge is the fact that Marklund has written Annika's story (there are a total of eight books now, though not all translated into English) out of order. While Paradise was the first book she published, it isn't actually the first book about Annika chronologically. Studio 69, which I quite enjoyed (again with a very few reservations) actually begins Annika's adventures as a tabloid journalist.
In Paradise I learned that Annika was the victim of domestic abuse and had been involved in the death of someone close to her. She is a sub-editor for the newspaper Kvällspressen in Stockholm, and in Studio 69 the events that are hinted at in Paradise are finally fleshed out. Annika is not close to her family, she and her mother especially butt heads, but she has a close relationship with her grandmother to whom she returns when life is particularly weighing her down. She has a steady boyfriend but he's mostly absent during the story as he still lives in the small town where he and Annika grew up. She has come to Stockholm as a temporary, rookie reporter. She has the summer to make her mark and hopes for a permanent position or will have to return home. Annika wants nothing more than to succeed and is fairly fearless when it comes to going after a story, but being a novice she makes mistakes which also plunge her into a welter of self-doubt.
When someone calls in with a tip that the body of a young woman has been found in a local cemetery, Annika and another, more seasoned reporter set off to investigate. The victim often crossed through the area on her way home from work, so she was only steps away from safety. Annika's story begins to take shape as she interviews the dead woman's neighbors, friends and former classmates. Each offers a different reality of the woman's life, a woman who was beautiful and smart and stuck in a job as a stripper at the persuasion of her jealous boyfriend, who Annika implies is the most likely culprit. Initially Annika does well with her first investigative piece, with multiple stories appearing in the newspaper some on the front page.
The newspaper's top editor is impressed with Annika, calling her an alert young woman who can turn things around fast and with a completely different approach in her thinking--only she goes too far sometimes. When a new suspect emerges, contrary to Annika's line of enquiry, things blow up in her face. The story takes a more complicated turn as a politician high up in Sweden's government is discovered to have entertained German politicians at the strip club where the victim worked. More damning, he apparently has rooms in the same apartment building as the woman.
Liza Marklund was inspired by actual events in Sweden involving illegal spying not only on other governments but on Swedes who were considered security risks. She wraps the story of a young murdered woman up nicely with a political slant (here lies one of my reservations as some of this political detail was a little over my head not being too familiar with this aspect of Swedish history). Not only does she wrestle with the questions of domestic abuse and pornography but she also ties it in with illegal activity on the part of the Swedish government, a theme which carries over into Paradise. As the frenzy of the press and the possible involvement of a government official threatens to boil over, Annika notes that Josefin, the dead girl, is completely forgotten in this mess of political scandal.
Liza Marklund included a very helpful and interesting author's note at the beginning of the book (I should have read it first to avoid some of my confusion) that sheds a little light on why she writes about a character who is a tabloid journalist. My perception of tabloids is that they tend towards scandalous (and maybe not usually true) stories. Marklund notes that until the 1980s nongovernmental broadcasting was forbidden by the Swedish government. They had state run TV and radio and broadcast news programs "have always been strict, official, and uncontroversial. Investigative journalism and groundbreaking news have usually been found in the tabloids."
If you are a fan of Swedish crime novels and have yet to try Liza Marklund, do look for her books. Her stories are less mysteries (you may discover the truth in reading, but that doesn't mean the real culprit is going to be brought to justice) than suspenseful tales that shed light on social issues or the inner workings of Swedish society. Despite the unevenness of Annika's character (I'm curious to see if and how she changes over the course of other stories), I thought this was a more tightly written story, better plotted and with a more assured voice in the storytelling. Next up is Prime Time, which looks like it will be another book that is difficult to find!
Maxine at Petrona has written about the character of Annika Bengtzon here. You can also read more reviews of Studio 69 at Reactions to Reading and Yet Another Crime Fiction Blog. Studio 69 was translated from Swedish by Kajsa von Hofsten.