Customer Reviews

The Torso

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Swedish cop Irene Huss makes her second appearance (after "Detective Inspector Huss") with the other members of the Goteborg Violent Crimes Unit when an eviscerated torso turns up on the beach. DNA evidence determines the deceased was male but the only clue to his identity is an expertly crafted tattoo. A similar unsolved crime in Copenhagen, Denmark, takes Irene there where she finds the tattoo's source on a sign for a gay sex shop.

Then a young girl she has been looking for is similarly murdered in Copenhagen and Irene is shaken, feeling responsible. This fear deepens as more murders occur in Irene's wake. Could the killer be a cop? Someone with inside information? Is her family at risk?

The killings themselves are beyond grisly, featuring necrosadism - murder for sexual enjoyment of the mutilation of a dead body - but the focus is more on people and setting than gore.

With elements of Ed McBain's 87th precinct series in the friction, co-operation and competition between the differing personalities of the cop team, and a fascinating glimpse of cultural dynamics in Scandinavia, this is an absorbing, character-driven series. At 40, Irene has a busy, satisfying family life with her chef husband, twin teenage daughters and energetic dog, and a focused dedication, which doesn't mind bending the rules when it suits.

The writing is spare, vivid and atmospheric. This is a series for readers who like procedurals with a strong psychological component.

--Portsmouth Herald

Helene Tursten writes tightly woven, hang-on-the-edge-of-your-seat mysteries, police procedurals at their finest. "The Torso" is her best yet, a blazingly good story set in Sweden that'll keep you glued. If you have grown weary with the cutesy cozy stories that pass for American mysteries today, you will be delighted to discover Ms. Tursten's books. She never lets her readers down. Her protagonist, the very competent Inspector Huss, is more than equal to any challenge that comes her way. Huss is a master at judo, which makes her capable of taking care of herself magnificently in tough spots. Inspector Huss does not go cute, naive, or fragile when things get tough, unlike the formula that our American mystery writers frequently follow for their female sleuths. No, the savvy Huss gets in there and takes care of business, no matter how dirty it might be. Get the book! Enjoy a great read! Helene Tursten can't write fast enough for me.

Thoughtful mystery full of twists and turns. Strong female detective. Excellent view of Swedish life including tantalizing description of Swedish food at various stops along the way. Intriging view of Danish sex trade. I can hardly wait for the next book!

The Torso was recommended to me by a friend. Not being an aficionado of Swedish Crime, I purchased it with some trepidation. However, I was pleasantly surprised with the book. It has an interesting storyline, strong characterisation and clean-simple writing. Although many other crime authors manage to achieve this, what separates Tursten is her ability to weave a "feel" of normal Swedish family life into her story - very interesting. Buy it, you will not be disappointed.

I rarely take the time to review books, but I felt it was necessary here. Murder mystery/serial killer thrillers are by far my favorite genre, and with my train commute everyday, I've been reading a lot of them lately.

For a long time, Val McDermid was my favorite author, especially her Tony Hill/Carol Jordan (Wire in the Blood) series. Sometimes the endings would seem a little hurried, and everything would get wrapped up a little too neatly, but I loved the detail, the suspense, the twists and the creative murders. After devouring everything she had written, I moved on to Jo Nesbo and his Harry Hole series. I started with The Snowman and was instantly hooked. Nesbo's writing style far exceeded McDermid's, and I truly couldn't get enough. I would often wish my commute was longer so I could keep reading his books. The characters were wonderfully developed, the stories were always engaging, and the writing was incredibly intelligent.

But again, I finished the series, and needed something new to fill the void. I finally stumbled across Torso, and it sounded like everything I was looking for. The negative comments about the subject matter only made me more interested. I was really hoping I'd have a new series to love, but unfortunately, I was very wrong.

I'm only halfway through the book, and I'm debating on whether to even finish it. Compared to Nesbo and McDermid, the characters in Torso are incredibly flat. I love my female detectives to be strong leads, not vulnerable mothers that balk at the first sign of trouble. Why would you work in the Violent Crimes Unit of the police force if you didn't have the stomach for it? The set-up for the Isabell murder was awkward, and despite constant whinings from Huss about being in danger, I've actually not felt that danger in the writing or the situations. And don't get me started on the homophobia and prudishness. Perhaps these traits are more common in Sweden than in Norway (where Nesbo's stories are set), but they only serve to alienate me more from the characters.

I think my main issue is that Tursten doesn't have a very strong written style or voice. This could just be a problem with the translation. I felt the same way when I read another highly-rated Japanese mystery, Keigo Higashino's The Devotion of Suspect X. In both cases, the underlying plot is good - intriguing, even - but the delivery is entirely devoid of literary flair. I want to skip over the parts about Huss's home life because they feel contrived rather than authentic.

Perhaps I should stick to psychologists and detectives that have volatile, unstable lives and addictions. They make for a much more interesting read!

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EDITED 08/17/11
I did decide to read all the way through because I wanted to know who the killer was, despite the bad writing. I'm sorry to say I wasted my time. The ending was lazy and unsatisfactory. The author had presented this whole cat-and-mouse element between Huss and the killer, which I tend to enjoy. But instead of capitalizing on that element and following it through to the end, the story ends abruptly and may as well have said "It was all just a dream." I felt cheated. I'm now reading Karin Fossum's Don't Look Back and I can't get over how wonderfully-written and engaging it is.

This is the best of Tursten, in my opinion. Once I opened it, I couldn't put it down, and once I finished, I couldn't sleep. This is chilling, very graphic material but so well told.

I picked this book from a shelf at the library of books described as "If you like Stieg Larsson...". Uh, not so much. But I enjoy murder mysteries from other cultures, so I thought I would give this a try. In my opinion, it started out slow, in fact, after the first 60 pages, I thought I would give it up. Then I became fascinated with the pace of the story, the characters, the description of life in Sweden, the surprising (at least to me!), sexism in the workplace and the disparagement of Denmark by Swedes and vice versa. Also the homophobia given Sweden's reputation as a sexually open culture. The type of serial killer, a necrosadist, was disgusting, but sort of beside the point - that's not really what the book is about, and those who condemn the book based on the topic are shortsighted. The story is about the relationships, and those are fascinating.

Some comments; first, while the police in this story work long, hard hours as they do almost everywhere, I was surprised by the amount of holiday time workers seem to get. Whitsunday as well as Easter, Christmas as well as New Years and St. Lucia's etc. And, of course, the weeks off every summer. Second, while it may be a problem of translation (and there were more than one), there was frequent reference to morning "prayers" at the office. I assume Tursten is referring to a morning meeting, not Hail Mary's and personal affirmations. Third, while I don't want to provide any "spoilers", it appeared Inspector Huss was not going to continue with several fascinating relationships, one of which, I thought, could have been an intiguing ongoing partnership. Too bad.

In any regard, I have ordered the first and third translated books so that I can continue with this terrific bunch of characters.

I just want to add that it is really nice to have a great murder mystery such as this, will add this author to my must read list!

Irene Huss, police detective in southern Sweden, is a different type of literary police detective. She's a wife and mother of teenagers as well as a demanding job. This particular story takes her to Copenhagen to investigate a torso found washed ashore in Sweden. A subplot involving the missing daughter of a former neighbor is wound into the main story line very effectively. Great characters, terrific plot and interesting heroine.

I've come to expect dark writing from Scandinavian writers, but this one is exceptionally gruesome. Dealing with the subject of necrosadism, this is not a murder mystery for the fainthearted. A torso, just that, a torso with all distinguishing features that would even indicate the gender having been carved out and internal organs removed, is found in a washed up black trash bag.

The Swedish criminal investigation department are completely baffled and without distinguishing mark, limbs and a head, it is difficult to even identify the victim. And where are the missing appendages, for that matter? Expanding their search, they discover that over in Denmark, there was a similar murder, also with just the torso found, but in that case though, they were able to identify the victim eventually.

Upon a closer examination, a small tattoo is discovered on the Swedish torso. The tattoo is unique and Inspector Irene Huss is sent to Copenhagen to work with the police team there, perhaps there's a connection between their torso and the one her team are working on. In addition, her trip will help her try to locate the missing daughter of a family friend, last heard to be working with a modeling agency in Copenhagen.

Eventually, smaller pieces of the puzzle start emerging, and a picture of very disturbing necrosadism forms, although the murderer's identity continues to confound. And why is it that almost everyone Inspector Huss speaks to is later found dead?

Although the evidence and story unfolds slowly, it builds the anticipation and provides for a really good thriller.