- this edition published by Harvill Secker 2010
- translated from German by Anthea Bell
- ISBN 9781846551772
- 245 pages
Synopsis (publisher)
A prize-winning psychological crime thriller featuring melancholy Finnish detective Kimmo Joentaa.
A young girl disappears while cycling to volleyball practice. Her bike is found in exactly the same place that another girl was murdered, thirty-three years before. The original perpetrator was never brought to justice -- could they have struck again? The eeriness of the crime unsettles not only the police and public, but also someone who has been carrying a burden of guilt for many years...
Detective Kimmo Joentaa calls upon the help of his older colleague Ketola, who worked on the original murder, in the hope that they can solve both cases. But as their investigation begins, Kimmo discovers that the truth is not always what you expect.
My Take
This is a very cleverly constructed and "original" plot.
At the beginning of the story Antsi Ketola is retiring from the police force. There is one case that he was involved in when he was a young policeman. Thirty three years ago a young girl disappeared on her way home. She was very close to home. Her bicycle was found not far away but her body was not found until much later. The killer was never found and the case remained unsolved. Ketola remembers that in the basement of the police station there is a "reconstruction" of the crime scene as well as the case files, gathering dust, so he hunts them out and takes them home with him.
Six months after Ketola's retirement, it appears that the same killer has struck again: a girl has disappeared on her way to volleyball practice. Her bicycle is at the crossroads where the original crime took place, but there are no clues about what has happened. Ketola insists on becoming involved in the investigation even though he is no longer a policeman, although during his involvement he behaves as if he still is.
Read this carefully. The final "resolution" will stagger you. But has the original case been solved. We, the readers, know what happened, but has the murderer been apprehended?
My rating: 4.6
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