Customer Reviews

Sun Storm (Rebecka Martinsson)

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

 

 

Unlike some of my other mystery loving friends, I haven't exactly jumped on the aren't-all-mysteries-from-the-Scandanavian-countries-wonderful bandwagon; my enjoyment of Asa Larsson's "Sun Storm," however has made me reconsider my position: perhaps I should check out other mystery novels from this region before making any snap decisions.

Tax attorney, Rebecka Martinsson, thought that she put her embarrassing and painful past behind her when she left the small and provincial town of Kiruna for the big city. But when an old friend, Sanna Strandgard, 'phones her begging her emotional support and legal advice, Rebecka finds herself dropping everything and returning to Kiruna once more. Sanna's younger brother, the charismatic Viktor, has been found ritualistically butchered in the very church that he helped found; and the chief prosecutor seems to have made up his mind that Sanna's committed the crime. Soon, Rebecka finds herself playing detective as well as facing down old ghosts. Trying to get Sanna to help her understand what happened is proving equally frustrating as Sanna's moods swing from apathy to paralyzing fear with alarming regularity. So, who wanted Viktor dead and why was he killed in such a brutal fashion? And what is Sanna hiding? Much to her chagrin, Rebecka finds herself getting more involved in Sanna's affairs than she would like to be...

I was absolutely riveted by "Sun Storm" -- once I started it I simply couldn't put it down. True, the storyline is a much used one and fans of Val McDermid will find few surprises here; what I enjoyed though was the author's engaging and sympathetic portrayal of the novel's chief protagonist, Rebecka, and the two diligent and intelligent police officers assigned to the case (Inspectors Anna-Maria Mella & Sven-Erik Stalnacke), as well as the wonderful manner in which the author layered the tension and kept the suspense going at a fairly high level. Asa Larsson's crisp prose style (or indeed the translator's, Marlaine Delgargy, efforts) also went a long way towards making "Sun Storm" a truly absorbing and engaging read. All in all, this is an author and series to be on the lookout for!

Viktor Strandgard, a preacher of a church in northern Sweden called The Source of All Strength, is found in the chapel viciously slaughtered. His sister Sanna discovers the body and is emotionally at a breaking point. She contacts her friend Rebecka Martinson, a tax attorney in Stockholm, for her help. When Sanna is arrested for the murder, Rebecka seeks a solution to the crime in order to free her friend. Naturally, the killer does not want to be discovered and the closer Rebecka gets to the solution, the more danger she places herself in.

SUN STORM is a solid amateur detective novel that is very strong on characterization. Rebecka must cope with many personal issues including dealing with Sanna's daughter as well as her own job which is threatened by her involvement in this case. Rebecka is a sympathetic character and a strong heroine. The plot is carefully laid out and the author plays fair with the reader who wants to solve the crime along with Rebecka. The setting is well described as the Aurora Borealis (the sun storm) flickers above the frigid landscape of the small town. The plot could have moved a bit quicker for my taste, but that is a minor criticism and shouldn't bother most readers. SUN STORM won Sweden's best first crime novel award when it was first published in Sweden in 2003.

This is my second go with a translation of a mystery--no disappointment here! Having discovered so many spoilers in many reviews (professional as well as us customers), let me just say this: if you're into the legal mystery genre, along with great descriptive writing, terrific personalities, and most importantly a significant plot line, pick up this book and you won't be disappointed.

I am so looking forward to her second novel--will be heading out to buy me a copy when the snow stops (and we're not in Kiruna)...

This excellent Swedish crime novel is the author's first, and appears to be the first of a series as well, which is very good news. Prickly but attractive Stockholm tax lawyer Rebecka Martinsson is swept unwillingly back into the affairs of her home town of Kiruna when her old friend Viktor is savagely murdered in his church, and his sister Sanna begs for help. As Sanna and her little daughters are drawn into the police investigation, we gradually discover the reasons for Rebecka's reluctance to revisit the scenes of her youth. Rebecka, with police investigators Anna-Maria Mella and Sven-Erik Stalnacke, penetrates the mysteries behind the pious facade of The Source of All Our Strength Church--and tax issues are the least of it.

Ms. Larsson creates a very atmospheric picture of this Swedish town in the depths of winter darkness, fitfully relieved by the northern lights (sun storms). Although readers may not be much mystified, they will enjoy the deepening suspense. Stories of older times in Sweden entertain us, and there is much mordant humor along with conspiracy and horror. Particularly impressive is the characterization of police Inspector Anna-Maria Mella, who is heavily pregnant and strongly reminiscent of the heroine of "Fargo"Fargo (Special Edition)--similarly burdened in a blizzard-haunted terrain, similarly self-reliant and intelligent--and who is also of Scandinavian heritage. I would be as happy to read more of Inspector Mella as I am to anticipate the further adventures of Rebecka.

Meijer and Ditzinger tax attorney Rebecka Martinsson hears on the news that Viktor "the paradise Boy" Strandgard died in The Source of All Our Strength Church in her hometown of Kiruna, Sweden. Though pale as a ghost when hearing the news, Rebecka thinks of the irony of the locale before his sister Sanna calls to plead with her to come home. She is the prime suspect in the murder of her brother having found his corpse. Though she should say no as she has written on her legal pad, Rebecka reluctantly comes home for the first time in years as Sanna pleads with her once best friend to help her.

Assistant Chief Prosecutor Carl von Post demands a fast investigation as he will gladly hang Sanna on shaky evidence. Inspector Anna-Maria Mella and Detective Sven-Erik Stalnacke head the inquiry into the "slaughterhouse" killing of Viktor that makes the motive seem personal. As Rebecka comes home to "defend" Sanna though that is not her expertise by a long shot, the investigation takes several twists into religious zealousness but all roads lead back to the victim's sister.

SUN STORM is a terrific translation of a delightful Swedish police procedural legal thriller. The story line moves forward on both sub-genres' paths in a sort of DNA helix twisting plot. Rebecka is a fabulous protagonist and the two cops remain professional in spite of pressure. Though the afterward of giving birth seems unnecessary; Fargo style would have been better; that minor cute ending aside, Asa Larsson provides a super tale set in the stark frozen yet beautiful land of the Aurora Borealis.

Harriet Klausner

The Church that these depraved Swedish people believe in is a cruel place where sin is everything and innocent children, without a trace of evil, are judged to be "shadow children" by the church elders, because they were not brought up in the True Faith. This book, winner of the Swedisn Truth in Mystery award, will make you think deep, cold thoughts about the nature of personality and the holy war between faith and reason that each one of us is waging right now. Take Rebecka, a respected tax attorney. She comes from a place so cold that often the whole sky stays gray from dawn to dusk, or what would be a dawn and a dusk in a place a little more southerly. She hates it, and yet, the ties of childhood bind her to the place.

A nasty murder sparks the reunion of Rebecka with her childhood friend, Sanna, a woman whose name hints at her "sanitary" inner self. Sanna has two children--adorable sprites with the hearts and souls of far warmer people. But in the eyes of the church elders, they are "shadow children." One of the fanatics speaks in a dull monotone, liek Boris Karloff in Frankenstein. "The sun is behind me," he says. "My shadow falls before me. It walks in front of me. But when I step into it, the shadow must give way." He speaks in a sort of Biblical cadence, ably translated by Marlaine Delargy, that gives you chilld just to hear him meander on and on about what is real and what isn't.

Rebecka is brave to the point where she almost seems like the heroine of one of Isak Dinesen's "Seven Gothic Tales." When a burly man is found murdered in the church sanctuary, she knows a line has been crossed and she drops everything in the big city to return to the little village and make sure that, what God has joined together, no man (or men) shall put asunder. It would be a splendid part for Sigourney Weaver or Susan Sarandon, if this was 1979 or so (and they were Swedish).

I would highly recommend this book- it kept me enthralled until the very last page of the book and left me wanting more.

One thing stood out to me as I read the other reviews. I'm shocked at how many reviewers were disgusted by the "useless" dog killing scene. As a dog lover, I too found this passage very hard to read-- but I'm surprised that this, rather than the exceedingly brutal murder that started the book off or the undertones of sexual abuse, is what they object to! It's true that the book is quite dark and graphic, so if this turns you off, stay away. But the darkness and violence of the story is also what makes it so riveting: the unexpected evil within a church community in a cold, dark corner of the world.

Bottom line: despite (or because of?) several graphic scenes and the very serious, dark plot elements, this book was a truly engaging read. I can't wait to check out more of Asa Larsson's books!

I actually got this book in Spanish, and I wouldn't recommend that one since the translation is not the most brilliant. The story has a bit of a hard kickstart, when reviewing Rebecka's daily life, but it quite soon goes catchy, particularly as the very pregnant Anna-Maria Mella comes around with her rude, give-a-flying attitude. In general the story has a mixed-together style that does set the right feel - not a one sided universe where everything is "the crime" and every element is tuned to this one set of mind - but you have the small-town, simple life, the fancy-but-messed-up, the so-awesome-i-am delirious. It's not so much a race to figure out who is the killer, but a walk into a colission where gore seems to be dripping from every crack.

Asa Larsson's debut novel is a mixed bag. She has an enormous potential, but lacks experience. Creative ideas mashed with old, many times seen tricks.
When you think of Sweden you don't imagine rigid evangelicals, and that is the surprising twist in this story. What is much less surprising is the cardboard characters of the pastors and the faithful. I very mich dislike evangelical fanatics, but even so, they are much more complex bunch that Ms. Larsson gives them credit.Little more originality and little less worn cliches would make this novel better and our experience richer.

Reluctantly, even angrily, Rebecka Martinsson drops everything and returns to her small, isolated hometown when a charismatic religious leader and childhood friend is murdered in his church.

Rebecka had wrenched herself from the same cultish church and fled Kiruna in disgrace some years earlier. Now she's an overworked junior tax lawyer in Stockholm, with no desire to reencounter her past. But Sanna Strandgard, the murdered man's waifish, helpless, manipulative sister, begs her to help.

Sanna discovered the body and the police suspect her. Rebecka quickly finds herself entangled in the old resentments, obligations, and memories. She can't leave Sanna to the clutches of her overbearing father or the clueless police, particularly when Sanna has two young children relying on her.

Her efforts to help Sanna threaten to expose old secrets and new while the police, particularly very pregnant Anna-Maria Mela, probe some of the same tender spots from a further remove.

From the first page, "The Aurora Borealis twists and turns like a dragon in the night sky," forming a wild, remote backdrop for a winter small-town tale of secrets, greed, jealousy and power.

Larsson's debut (which won Sweden's First Crime Novel Award) introduces two strong characters in Rebecka and Anna -Maria Mela. Rebecka, at least, will be back. The novel is compelling and atmospheric, but uneven, with occasionally flat characterizations of some of the secondary characters and an exciting but over-the-top ending. But prickly, willful Rebecka is a thoroughly enjoyable character, likely to develop a strong following.

--Portsmouth Herald