The Inspector and Silence: An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery - Hardcover

Nesser, Hakan

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0375425233 ISBN 13: 9780375425233

Publisher: Pantheon, 2011

Synopsis

It’s a sweltering summer in Sweden and Chief Inspector Van Veeteren is long overdue for a holiday when a secretive and dubious religious sect comes under investigation. One of its members, a girl on the cusp of adolescence, is found dead in the forest near their holiday camp, brutally raped and strangled; the discovery of her body has been phoned in by an anonymous caller.

The members of the sect, the Pure Life, are led by Oscar Yellinek, a charismatic but unnervingly guarded messiah figure. In an act that mystifies and infuriates Van Veeteren and his associates, the members of the Pure Life choose to remain silent about the incident rather than defend themselves. But an unidentified woman is continuing to assist the authorities, and her knowledge suggests she’s more than just a passing Good Samaritan. Her tips become doubly perplexing as a new string of increasingly horrifying crimes defy everything Van Veeteren and his team thought they knew about the case.

A riveting new addition to Håkan Nesser’s acclaimed series, The Inspector and Silence is suspense at its haunting best.

About this title

Review

"A taut and compelling mystery in a consistently outstanding series."
--"Booklist

""[A] fine fourth Inspector Van Veeteren mystery."
--"PW" (starred)

"["The Inpector and Silence"] builds slowly, the grim haunting plot perfectly suited to the methodical, stoic hero."
--"Kirkus Reviews

""This is stylish, atmospheric crime fiction with a strong moral core from an award-winning author; essential for readers of the genre."
--"Library Journal

""A thrilling investigation." --"Newsweek"

"Praise for Hakan Nesser and the Inspector Van Veeteren Mysteries

""Nesser's novels look for the roots of crime in the ills of society . . . He has seized his chance to create his own dark poetry from these stark materials, and the effect is haunting."
"--The Wall Street Journal
"
"Nesser is a master of suspense."
"--The Sunday Times" (London)
"
""Devotees of Jo Nesbo and Henning Mankell will agree that Nesser belongs in that select circle of A-list Scandinavian crime novelists."
"--Booklist

""Nesser has a penetrating eye for the skull beneath the skin."
"--The New York Times

""Inspector Van Veeteren seems destined for a place amongst the great European detectives."
"--Colin Dexter, author of the Inspector Morse mysteries

"
"From the Hardcover edition."

[Van Veeteren] tackles a murder investigation as if it were a knotty chess problem. . . . There s much to be said for a quiet man with a good mind.
The New York Times Book Review
Elegantly penned. . . . Thoroughly enjoyable. . . . [A] twisty layered tale that should keep even seasoned mystery fans guessing. . . . Just as Van Veeteren is no typical fictional detective, Nesser is no typical mystery writer. And The Inspector and Silence is no typical summer read: a Swedish vacation tale that visits the darkness with appropriate gravity but doesn t wallow in it all the while managing to entertain.
Cleveland Plain Dealer
A thrilling investigation.
Newsweek
What s surprisingly refreshing about Nesser s writing, given the subject matter, is the wry humor and sarcasm of his characters, that and a storyline that will keep you riveted till the final page. . . . Where Jo Nesbo s approach is more physical, visceral, Nesser s Chief Inspector Van Veeteren is much more cerebral. A chess player and lover of classical music and art films, Van Veeteren is nevertheless a bit of a curmudgeon, world-weary and nearing retirement, not unlike Henning Mankell s Kurt Wallander.
San Antonio Express-News
Evocatively drawn. . . . A work of great moral complexity. . . . The clarity of Nesser s vision, the inner problems of good and evil with which Van Veeteren struggles, recall the films of Bergman.
The Independent (London)
[A] riveting tale. . . . [Van Veeteren] is the perfect detective for the job ploddingly thorough and cerebral, with keen intuition about the darker reaches of the human character.
Minneapolis Star Tribune
This is stylish, atmospheric crime fiction with a strong moral core from an award-winning author; essential for readers of the genre.
Library Journal
Nesser concentrates on character and relationships in his novels. . . . His latest moves along leisurely, giving readers the opportunity to savor the style of his hero without worries of international conspiracies lurking in the Swedish forests.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
A taut and compelling mystery in a consistently outstanding series.
Booklist
Satisfying. . . . Van Veeteren, disengaged, thinking of retirement and wonderfully enigmatic, makes an enjoyable change from all those fictional policemen who persist in taking their work home with disastrous consequences.
The Guardian (London)"

"[Van Veeteren] tackles a murder investigation as if it were a knotty chess problem. . . . There's much to be said for a quiet man with a good mind."
--The New York Times Book Review

"Elegantly penned. . . . Thoroughly enjoyable. . . . [A] twisty layered tale that should keep even seasoned mystery fans guessing. . . . Just as Van Veeteren is no typical fictional detective, Nesser is no typical mystery writer. And The Inspector and Silence is no typical summer read: a Swedish vacation tale that visits the darkness with appropriate gravity but doesn't wallow in it--all the while managing to entertain."
--Cleveland Plain Dealer

"A thrilling investigation."
--Newsweek

"What's surprisingly refreshing about Nesser's writing, given the subject matter, is the wry humor and sarcasm of his characters, that and a storyline that will keep you riveted till the final page. . . . Where Jo Nesbo's approach is more physical, visceral, Nesser's Chief Inspector Van Veeteren is much more cerebral. A chess player and lover of classical music and art films, Van Veeteren is nevertheless a bit of a curmudgeon, world-weary and nearing retirement, not unlike Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallander."
--San Antonio Express-News

"Evocatively drawn. . . . A work of great moral complexity. . . . The clarity of Nesser's vision, the inner problems of good and evil with which Van Veeteren struggles, recall the films of Bergman."
--The Independent (London)

"[A] riveting tale. . . . [Van Veeteren] is the perfect detective for the job--ploddingly thorough and cerebral, with keen intuition about the darker reaches of the human character."
--Minneapolis Star Tribune

"This is stylish, atmospheric crime fiction with a strong moral core from an award-winning author; essential for readers of the genre."
--Library Journal

"Nesser concentrates on character and relationships in his novels. . . . His latest moves along leisurely, giving readers the opportunity to savor the style of his hero without worries of international conspiracies lurking in the Swedish forests."
--Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

"A taut and compelling mystery in a consistently outstanding series."
--Booklist

"Satisfying. . . . Van Veeteren, disengaged, thinking of retirement and wonderfully enigmatic, makes an enjoyable change from all those fictional policemen who persist in taking their work home with disastrous consequences."
--The Guardian (London)

About the Author

Håkan Nesser was awarded the 1993 Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy Prize for new authors for Mind’s Eye (published in Sweden as Det Grovmaskiga Nätet); he received the best novel award in 1994 for Borkmann’s Point and in 1996 for Woman with Birthmark. In 1999 he was awarded the Crime Writers of Scandinavia’s Glass Key Award for the best crime novel of the year for Carambole. Nesser lives in Sweden and London.

About this edition

• Publisher: Pantheon
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0375425233
• ISBN 13: 9780375425233
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 304