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‘An investigation consists of a mass of voices, the sort you can hear, and the sort you can’t. You have to listen to the soundless voices, Malin. That’s where the truth is hidden.’
The snow covered all the tracks, as the killer knew it would. But it couldn’t hide the victim, the man who now hung naked from a lonely tree on a frozen plain.
Malin Fors is first on the scene. A thirty-one-year-old single mother, Malin is the most talented and ambitious detective on the Linkoping police force, but also the most unpredictable. She must lead the investigation while keeping her fractured life on the rails.
No one knows the identity of the dead man. Or perhaps no one ever wanted to know. When all the voices of the investigation have fallen silent, Malin can rely only on herself and her own instincts. And as she follows in the frigid wake of the killer, Malin begins to discover just how far the people in this small town are willing to go to keep their secrets buried.
(P)2011 Hodder & Stoughton
The snow covered all the tracks, as the killer knew it would. But it couldn’t hide the victim, the man who now hung naked from a lonely tree on a frozen plain.
Malin Fors is first on the scene. A thirty-one-year-old single mother, Malin is the most talented and ambitious detective on the Linkoping police force, but also the most unpredictable. She must lead the investigation while keeping her fractured life on the rails.
No one knows the identity of the dead man. Or perhaps no one ever wanted to know. When all the voices of the investigation have fallen silent, Malin can rely only on herself and her own instincts. And as she follows in the frigid wake of the killer, Malin begins to discover just how far the people in this small town are willing to go to keep their secrets buried.
(P)2011 Hodder & Stoughton
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Reviews
Delivers in spades
Delivers in spades
Most successful as an in-depth exploration of small-town life in a country which is theoretically democratic and egalitarian, but only on the surface.
[Kallentoft] is rightly praised for his skill at plotting, as well as his ability to create strongly-realised female protagonists . . . The author's sequence featuring his wonderfully rounded female protagonist Malin Fors is rapidly acquiring a devoted following.
Don't bother with Stieg Larsson, Kallentoft is better
One of the best-realised female heroines I've read by a male writer
The highest suspense
He has a completely unique style, an exquisite narrative that you drink in with pleasure . . . I'm convinced: a crime novel doesn't get much more beautiful than this
A gripping opening gambit . . . Investigating inspector Malin Fors is a feisty single mother, whose flaws are intriguing and endearing . . . The chillingly suspense-filled story works up to a truly stunning finale.
Sharp writing and original insights add spice
This is a dark novel, full of awful people and desperate loneliness. Kallentoft is ruthless in his descriptions, but there is a great story here with solid police work leading Fors to the tale of the dead man in the tree. A must for the fans of Swedish crime novels.
Kallentoft is gifted . . . He has a knack for characterisation and describing the slow burn of police work.
A cleverly crafted . . . dark multilayered murder mystery
Malin Fors is an intriguing and complex heroine . . . MIDWINTER SACRIFICE shows the hidden life under the picturesque surface . . . Kallentoft is an outstanding writer
More very impressive input from another Scandinavian writer with something refreshingly different to say and with a different way of saying it . . . the background of Sweden in the grip of a cruel and punishing winter is brought vividly to the page. His illustration of the complex character of his heroine is also impressive . . . An impressive book.
Engaging
Gripping
