Customer Reviews

Borkmann's Point: An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

According to the trade statistics I have seen, the Swedish economy is almost completely driven by exports. In 2005 export trade accounted for almost 45% of Sweden's gross domestic product. Although I'd always thought this export trade was dominated by manufactured and primary goods I'm now coming to the (lighthearted) conclusion that the export of crime novels from Sweden must be one of its emerging export sectors. I've spent a good deal of time in recent months reading the Inspector Martin Beck series by the team of Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (including "The Laughing Policeman" and "Roseanna") and the Inspector Kurt Wallander series by Henning Mankell (including "The Dogs of Riga" and "The Man Who Smiled"). Just when I thought I'd explored the entire body of Swedish crime fiction I came across Hakan Nesser's "Borkmann's Point" which is styled as "An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery" and felt compelled to see how it measured up to the other series. Although I enjoyed "Borkmann's Point" I found it somewhat less enticing then either the Beck or Wallander series.

"Borkmann's Point" is set in the coastal town of Kaalbringen. The protagonist, Inspector Van Veeteren, has been sent to help the (presumably) less-skilled local police in its investigation of two brutal axe murders. The victims appear to have no connection to each other. The story lines follow two parallel paths: Van Veeteren's investigation and his relationship with the local police force. Each story line is developed competently but neither the evidence-gathering nor the development of Van Veeteren's relationship with the locals really captured my imagination.

What I found most interesting in Borkmann's Point was the setting. Unlike Sjowall/Wahloo and Mankell, "Borkmann's Point" is not set in Sweden but in a fictional city, Kaalbringen, in a country in which the characters appear to have Dutch, German, Swedish, and Danish names. In other words, Nesser seems to have created a generic European country for purposes of his fiction.

On the plus side, "Borkmann's Point" is a well-written, thoughtful novel. Despite the gruesome murders that propel the story, "Borkmann's Point" is focused more on the process of police work, the art and arduousness of investigation and detection, rather than on a pillar-to-post thriller. The very title of the book, once it is explained about halfway through the book, is in itself a clue for both Van Veeteren and the reader as to the process of crime-solving. It is a fascinating point and one that should intrigue many readers.

On the minus side, I never really felt vested in the lives of the main characters in the books. I enjoyed the interplay between Van Veeteren and the local police force, particularly his evening spent drinking wine and playing chess with the local police chief but it wasn't so engaging that I hung on every word.

I'll probably give the next book in the series a look to see if Van Veeteren grows on me or not. Until then, I can give "Borkmann's Point" only a modest "thumbs up". L. Fleisig

Chief Inspector Van Veeteren is vacationing when his superior calls to ask him if he could assist the Kaalbringen police department in solving the murders of an ex-con and a wealthy real-estate mogul, both of whom have been murdered with an ax. Bored and restless, the methodical Van Veeteren readily agrees, happily applying his considerable wealth of knowledge and experience to tracking the killer down. To Van Veeteren, it is only a matter of time before the killer is caught--the Chief Inspector believes deep down that he will recognize the murderer once he encounters him. His confidence is misplaced, however, as the investigation drags on for several weeks without uncovering a single promising lead.

A well-respected author in Sweden, Nesser, whose books have been published in fifteen countries, is not well known in the United States; in fact, Borkmann's point (which is actually Nesser's second novel) is the first of his books to be published in America. This state of affairs should change quickly though, as Borkmann's Point should easily win him numerous fans. Although it has a fairly familiar plot, the book distinguishes itself through its terse but thorough studies of the parties involved in the investigation, from Van Veeteren, to his various colleagues on the police force, and to the killer himself. As revealed through alternating vignettes, their personalities and thought processes shine through, creating a feeling of intimacy between the reader and Nesser's cast, a feeling that will turn into a longing for more once the last page is turned.

Nesser is a fine storyteller with a well-sketched hero named DCI Van Veeteren. This is story of serial murder, and the method is quite brutal--a sweeping blow from an ax to the back of the neck. No one has any idea who, in the small Swedish city of Kaalbringen, would do such a thing or why.

Van Veeteren is a lonely bugger whose wife has died (or left him, I can't remember which). He broods when he's alone and seems quite introspective even in company, although he has a quirky and laid back sense of humor. He enjoys good music, as his car stereo (but not his car) is quite luxurious. Who doesn't like a detective who listens to Sibelius while on a major manhunt? A suspect who looks forward to a warm fire on a cold night, listening to a Heyman quintet?

When you read a lot of police procedurals, as I do, you always appreciate a little thoughtfulness from your detective, as Van Veeteren muses on the autumn of his life:

"...did there come a point, he started to wonder, beyond which we no longer look forward to something coming, but only to getting away from what has passed? Getting away. Closing down and moving on, but not looking forward to starting again. Like a journey whose delights decrease in direct proportion to the distance traveled from the starting point, whose sweetness becomes more and more bitter as the goal comes closer."

Kurt Wallander would hang out with Van Veeteren, and that's enough for me. Laurie Thompson is a veteran translator who skillfully got Wallender to us in beautiful English, and he is in mid-season form with this material. Give Hakan Nesser a try--I know I'll read the next book I can get my hands on!

In Kaalbringen, a quaint seaside town in Sweden, the population lives in fear. Two men have been killed by an ax murderer. One is an ex-con while the other is a wealthy businessman. The relentless detective Chief Inspector Van Veeteren is assigned to the case. The stakes get higher when another body is found. Can Van Veeteren and the local police solve the crimes before more lives are lost?
Hakan Nesser is a well known crime fiction writer in Europe. He has written a series of bestselling novels starring Inspector Van Veeteren. BORKMANN'S POINT is the first to be translated into English. The major strength of this work is the character of Van Veeteren. He is a likable detective, highly competent at what he does. The minor characters are also solid creations. This mystery is so character-driven that despite of the somewhat simple solution, the book as a whole works remarkably well. The setting of the seaside village is also described with great care. BORKMANN'S POINT won the best novel award for the Swedish Crime Writers' Academy in 1994. It is easy to see why.

Five Stars? No, SIX 'TOTALLY ENJOYABLE' Stars! To me, it's a MASTERPIECE of a detective novel. Hakan Nesser is an AWESOME storyteller of the first water with this award-winning novel in it's international debut, transparently translated from Swedish. "My Best Read" this year in the murder mystery/thriller genre!

Premise: There's a brutal killer on the loose in the seaside town of Kaalbringen and everyone's terrified! Inspector Van Veeteren is called in to help the local police. They have a self-imposed 14 days to catch the killer or the case may go cold. The reader will realize early on that the novel's title itself is almost as elusive as the guilty.

Many of us will be meeting the relentless Detective Chief Inspector Van Veeteren for the first time and he is a no-nonsense, very detailed, logically-thinking, but personally flawed sleuth. And his investigative associates are no less impressive. Nesser grabs us from the first sentence and ramps up all the way to the end. Trust me, it gets better and more engrossing as it goes along. I actually slowed down to enjoy the paragraphs, re-reading some passages over and over, stretching a day's read over a few enjoyable days. The dinner scene, for instance, between Police Chief Bausen and Inspector Van Veeteren is a pure joy to read (and re-read) as they discuss the clues over chess, revealing the ability of this writer to create wonderous scenes and dialogue out of the most mundane of situations. Nesser even introduces us to the unknown guilty several times, early on, putting us directly in their mind.

Somewhat gory and very technical (in a murder, he tells exactly where the weapon hits the body and the damage done, right down to the 'gurgling sound' as the body is dragged off). This is a fabulous 'police procedural' with unusually deep, totally believable examinations of the human condition and of the crimes. All while letting us superimpose our own impressions of the physical characteristics on each player with just a few hints. He even boldly reveals the guilty to the observant reader by three quarters through the novel, so that we can watch the cat and mouse game that ensues from that point. For those who miss the big clue, the resolution is a double jolting surprise. Either way, Nesser's got us boxed in; right where he wants us.

"The right questions...the right haystacks", Indeed! More Van Veeteren, please! It doesn't get much better than this. Five Stars? Let's call it SIX!! My Highest Recommendation!
(Notes:
*Thanks to Laurie Thompson for his wonderfull translation. This review is based on an unabridged Digital Download in Adobe Reader 7.0. Save a tree, download!
*Maybe now the Van Veeteren films available on DVD will be closed-captioned in English and recorded in Region 1 DVD format for the enjoyment of fans in the US and Canada.)

In this well-reviewed mystery, Nesser introduces an inspector of solid character and an acute intellectual presence. Yet, the plot does not fit the denoument--there is just a bit too much slipperiness between clues held back and the final solution. The character and the evocative writing are enough for me to try another one, though.

Hakan Nesser, an esteemed Swedish crime drama novelist has followed in the footsteps of Henning Mankell, having his novels translated for consumption in the English speaking market. "Borkmann's Point" written in 1994 hopefully will begin a trend of introducing more of Nesser's work.

His protagonist, veteran Detective Chief Inspector Van Veeteren is tiring of his holiday spent seaside in some presumably but unnamed Scandinavian town and anxious to get back into the fray. He receives a phone call from his superior, chief of police Hiller directing him to proceed to another nearby seaside town of Kaalbringen. A brutal hacking murder committed with an ax had just been discovered there.

When Van Veeteren arrives he meets with local police chief Bausen and his team. Bausen fills him in telling him that the murder of affluent and promiscuous real estate man Ernst Simmel whose head was nearly detatched from his body, was actually the second crime apparently committed with an ax. Chief Bausen affords Van Veeteren the opportunity to head the investigation lavishing upon him the hospitality of his friendship and his home.

The case however drags on and a third similar murder of a young doctor occurs in Kaalbringen. By now there is a panic setting in among the local inhabitants. Van Veetern calls in an Inspector Muller from his own team who assists proficient local Inspector Beate Moerk in the inquest. With the inability to find a connection among the victims the case begins to grow cold. Just as it seems that a breakthrough is imminent Inspector Moerk goes missing adding to the perplexing case.

In painstaking fashion Van Veeteren keeps on snooping around until the surprising identity of the killer and his motives are revealed.

Nesser whose writing talent is quite apparent in his plot construction, falls short in the area of character development. I really never was able to appreciate the mechanics of the thought processes of his characters as they had little depth. Even Van Veeteren, presumably developed more completely in previous works, was still a stranger to me even as the novel concluded.

Borkmann's Point: An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery is a Swedish import by Hakan Nesser. Borkmann's point refers to an axiom provided to Inspector Van Veeteren. Basically, the point is that in an investigation, there comes a time when there is enough information gathered to solve the crime. More information is useless and less information is not enough.

The gist of this novel is about an axe murderer who has killed three men by chopping off their heads. This serial killer is on the loose in the small city of Karlbringen. World-weary Van Veeteren, who feels like he carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, has been imported to Karlbringen from his vacation with his son, which is not going too well. Once in Karlbringen, he and his crew of detectives are searching for a common denominator for the murders. All of the victims are new to Karlbringen and have had a history of drug use. However, that is all that is found in common initially.

The novel is character driven as are other Nesser novels. The reader gets a real sense of the detectives, victims and other characters in the novel. Nesser has a real gift for this. I listened to this book on audiotape and found it riveting. Usually, audiotaped books are harder for me to follow but this one just flowed. Like in some of the previous Nesser novels I've read, the realization of who the murderer is just comes to Van Veeteren as an epiphany of sorts. As he says, he has a good sense of who the murderer might be - what he's like, what makes him tick - and he'll know him when he meets him.

Nesser's cohorts are very well drawn out and despite there being several of them, they all had distinct personalities and inner lives so that there was no confusion of who was who. They all had their roles to play in the novel and no one was stuck in as a red herring. I like the depth of characterization, the hard-boiled nature of the crimes, and the inner lives of the protagonists.

I think I've become hooked on Nesser's Van Veeteren series and intend to read some more.

Other reviews have sketched out the basic plot points, and I won't provide further details to avoid spoilers. The writing and characterization are very strong, and the sense of place is terrific. However, if you're looking for a mystery or a police procedural that will keep you turning the pages, this novel falls short of the mark set by another popular Van Veeteren novel - Mind's Eye - which is truly marvelous. If you're curious about Van Veeteren, I recommend starting with that one. Consider taking a pass on this one. Read on for why I say that.

As others have noted, the inspector is called into town to help solve a perplexing multiple ax murder. For the American reader, anyway, this has the makings of great reading ahead - a brainy, quirky detective with unorthodox methods; a befuddled local police department; apparently unconnected, gruesome murders; a killer on the loose who may strike again at any moment; and an unfamiliar overseas setting and culture that will allow the reader to soak in local color in the process. These are the characteristics that make international mysteries/procedurals such a pleasure for American readers.

While the start is promising, the delivery fails to pull together all these elements into a satisfying narrative. For one thing, the pace of the investigation is frustratingly slow by American standards. Even when a major twist happens midway through the book that, one would think, would instill in the characters a greater sense of urgency, calm and befuddlement continues to prevail - the characters carry on as before. This did not ring true, and reinforced for me the sense that these characters were not behaving in a way that the reader would expect them to behave given their jobs, mission, and situation. It's hard to know how much of my own reaction is generated by the pace set in American procedurals, of course, but as an avid reader of international fiction, this is not a reaction I frequently have.

More importantly, perhaps, much of the book is taken up with the main characters "admiring the problem" rather than taking the reader through the investigation. Long passages describe the nature of the mystery, rather than attempts to unravel the mystery. Good writing? Yes. Gripping mystery fiction? Not so much.

So, overall, a nice, easy read, but not up to "Mind's Eye."

In Hakan Nesser's "Borkmann's Point," Chief Inspector Van Veeteren receives an unwelcome phone call from Hiller, his chief of police. Since Van Veeteren is vacationing not far from the scene of two grisly murders, Hiller tells him, surely he wouldn't mind taking a side trip to Kaalbringen to help the town's soon-to-be-retired police chief. In over thirty years on the force, Van Veeteren (known as VV for short) "couldn't dig out a single ax murderer from the murky depths of his memory." Unfortunately, that is about to change very soon.

VV learns that the people of Kaalbringen are in terror. An unknown perpetrator has apparently picked two men at random and attacked them from behind with an ax, nearly decapitating them. The local police force is unimpressive except for Detective Chief Inspector Bausen and Inspector Beate Moerk, a thirty-one year old woman who is sharp, ambitious, and extremely attractive. VV summons his right hand man and badminton buddy, Inspector Munster, to assist in what turns out to be one of the strangest and most exasperating cases of his career. When the killer strikes a third time, the investigators struggle in vain to find a connection between the victims. In spite of many long hours of tedious interviews, background checks, and forensic examinations, they are no closer to identifying the "Axman" then they were at the beginning of their inquiries.

"Borkmann's Point" is a stylishly written, fast-paced, suspenseful, and darkly humorous. VV is known for his bad temper and flashes of insight, but this time, his intuition fails him completely. He learns, much to his consternation, that a clever criminal can sometimes fool even the canniest of detectives. The characters are all beautifully depicted: VV is world-weary, philosophical, and, at heart, a solitary man who has difficulty maintaining personal relationships; Beate Morke is torn between her obsession with work and her instinctive desire to settle down and have a child; Munster, VV's long-suffering right-hand man, understands why his wife is sick and tired of his devotion to duty and frequent absences from home; Chief Bausen is a charming fellow who introduces Van Veeteren to his magnificent wine cellar and engages him in some tough chess matches.

Nesser explores a familiar theme in police procedurals: Chasing murderers is both physically and psychologically draining. It is small wonder that many homicide detectives end up divorced, despondent, and burned out. Although it is undeniably entertaining and engrossing, "Borkmann's Point" falters a bit at the end. The conclusion is shocking and, alas, a bit too unrealistic compared with all that has gone on before. Nevertheless, it is great fun to observe Van Veeteren and his colleagues match wits with a single-minded and determined adversary who always seems to be one step ahead of them.