Raamaturiiul

Kjell Eriksson „Princess of Burundi”
Imetlen ikka ja jälle, kuidas osa kirjanikke oskavad huvitava pildi luua erinevatest tegelastest. Tihtipeale olengi rohkem sisse võetud sellest, millised need kuritegusid uurivad inimesed ise on, mis ajendab kurjategijad ning mis paneb kõrvaltegelasi just nii käituma nagu nad käituvad. Loen huviga krimisarjasid samade tegelastega, sest nendes on näha uurijate karakteri arengut, mõrvalugu või mõni muu pahadegu jääb peaaegu kõrvaliseks. Pean ütlema, et siiani loetud rootsi autorid on mind kõige rohkem selles osas köitnud.

An ordinary crime novel is made extraordinary through Eriksson's exquisite character descriptions and circuitous plot. Former small-time crook Little John Jonsson is found brutally murdered, with clear evidence of torture. The Uppsala police force investigates and eventually identifies the killer. The author skillfully constructs the personality of each character, revealing, for example, the weaknesses inherent in policeman Ola Haver and Ann Liddell versus the hidden strengths of the victim's brother, Lennart Jonsson, and son, Justus. Haver leads the investigation while managing a strained relationship with his wife and an attraction to his former boss, Liddell. Lennart Jonsson's guilt and grief over his brother's death eventually destroys him, but not before he exacts his revenge (albeit unrecognized) and becomes a hero. Justus had a secret pact with his father that may have saved Little John's life had he shared it with his mother or the police. The likely suspect is a demented, pathetic person who knew his victim as one of his tormentors in school a period that haunts him in his adult life. The entangled relationships among the police, the victim, and the victim's family are compelling. Teens will be drawn to deconstruct the intelligent puzzle created by Eriksson, right down to the book's title. Claudia C. Holland, Chantilly Regional Library, Fairfax County, VA