Borkmann's Point

Starred review from July 25, 2011
Simon Vance, who narrated Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, is currently the go-to reader for Scandinavian crime novelsâand with good reason. His audio version of Nesser's well-crafted whodunit is nothing short of stellar. Along with Vance's mastery of Swedish accents, excellent pacing, and ability to capture a book's mood, his voice has the timber and confidence of a natural storyteller. The vacation of Stockholm's chief inspector Van Veeteren is interrupted by a series of ax murders in a nearby village. When a new victim turns up and the town's smartest policewoman goes missing, the seemingly remote but oddly fascinating detective takes over the case from an agreeable local police chief who's only days from retirement. The characters have depth and the plot has all the necessary ingredientsâincluding a race against timeâto satisfy even the most selective mystery fan. Vance's winning narration is the perfect icing on a very tasty cake. A Vintage paperback.

January 2, 2006
International bestseller Nesser makes his U.S. debut with this classy and rewarding whodunit, which won the Swedish Crime Writers' Academy Prize for Best Novel in 1994. Chief Inspector Van Veeteren, a veteran of 30 years of police work who appreciates fine food and drink, reluctantly cuts short his vacation to help the police chief of the remote town of Kaalbringen and his small crew investigate two ax murders. When the killer claims a third victim and the town's best police investigator disappears without a trace, Van Veeteren, who has left only one case unsolved in his long career, intensifies his hunt. The contemplative inspector believes that in every case a point is reached where enough information has been gathered to solve the crime with "nothing more than some decent thinking." The trick is knowing when that point is reached. Thompson's smooth translation makes this worthy mystery readily accessible to American readers.