Sun Storm (Paperback)

by Asa Larsson (Author), Marlaine Delargy (Translator)
Key Phrases: Anna Maria, Sven Erik, Vesa Larsson (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
At the start of Larsson's solid procedural debut, neurotic, troubled Sanna Strandgård discovers the brutally butchered body of her brother, Viktor, on the floor of the church he founded in Kiruna, a provincial town in the north of Sweden. Sanna turns to her childhood friend, Rebecka Martinsson, a tax attorney in Stockholm, for emotional support and legal assistance when Sanna is charged with her brother's murder. While the local police investigate, led by refreshingly down-to-earth Insp. Anna-Maria Mella, Martinsson starts digging into the case as well as her own past connection with the victim and his church. Potential motives for Strandgård's murder range from the church's business dealings to sexual intrigue, but the focus is on Martinsson's anger and frustration at being sucked back into her own past. The story builds to a thrillerlike ending, though Larsson introduces far more characters than she needs or can handle. The book won Sweden's Best First Crime Novel award. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist
The Swedish invasion continues with this sure-handed thriller from a talented first novelist. Rebecca Martinsson, an overworked junior member in a Stockholm law firm, comes from remote Kiruna in Sweden's far north, where she was involved with a fundamentalist church called The Strength of All Our Strength. Now a charismatic church leader has been brutally murdered. After receiving a call from the victim's sister, Sanna, Rebecca immediately returns to Kiruna and the craziness she thought she had escaped. It's a lot crazier now, she soon discovers, as Sanna is arrested for the murder, and Rebecca finds herself saddled with trying to prove her innocence and take care of her two young girls. Larsson builds suspense gradually but inexorably, and she is equally good at creating mood, using the frozen landscape and isolated location to evoke the icy inner lives of the church members and the building need for release. More like Ruth Rendell's psychological thrillers than the procedurals of Larsson's fellow Swedes (Mankell and Thursten, for example), this impressive debut nevertheless heralds yet another striking voice from Scandinavia. Bill Ott
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 310 pages
• Publisher: Delta (December 26, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385340788
• ISBN-13: 978-0385340786
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #38,216 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a debut novel not to be missed/overlooked, May 4, 2006

By	tregatt (Portland, Oregon) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Sun Storm (Hardcover)

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!

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An impressive debut, May 5, 2006

By	Larry Gandle (Tampa, Florida) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Sun Storm (Hardcover)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Under the northern lights., April 9, 2007

By	egreetham (Massachusetts) - See all my reviews

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.