Books › De man die even wilde afrekenen
De man die even wilde afrekenen
331 pages
A methodical, socially biting procedural that forces you to question who the real villain is.
What it feels like
Reading this foundational Nordic noir feels like stepping into a chilly, morally ambiguous world where the lines between justice and crime are hopelessly blurred. The narrative unfolds at a steady, methodical pace, mirroring the painstaking reality of police work while slowly peeling back the veneer of a corrupt society. The prose is spare and journalistic, yet it carries a heavy, melancholic undertone that lingers long after the final page. As the investigation deepens, the emotional center of gravity shifts unexpectedly, leaving you with a profound sense of sympathy for the guilty and contempt for the victim. It is a perfect match for readers who crave gritty, socially conscious mysteries that prioritize psychological depth and systemic critique over simple whodunits.
- Mood
- bleak
- morally gray
- gritty
- atmospheric
- Tone
- cynical
- observant
- melancholic
- dry
- socially conscious
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- systemic corruption · wealth inequality · moral ambiguity · the grind of police work · social decay
- The writing
- Spare, journalistic, and sharply observant, delivering biting social critique with unadorned precision.
- The arc
- Moves from detached investigation to a profound, unsettling empathy for the perpetrator over the victim.
- Who it's for
- Readers who appreciate methodical, socially conscious police procedurals where the moral lines are blurred and the atmosphere is distinctly bleak.
Content notes
- murder
- gun violence
- sex work
- classism
About the book
When Viktor Palmgren, a powerful industrialist, is casually shot during an after-dinner speech, the repurcussions -- both on the international money markets and on the residents of the small coastal town of Malmo -- are widespread. Chief Inspector Martin Beck is called in to help catch a killer nobody, not even the victim, was able to identify. He begins a systemic search for the friends, enemies, business associates and call girls who may have wanted Palmgren dead, but in the process he finds to his dismay that he has nothing but contempt for the victim and sympathy for the murderer!
Translation of Polis, polis, patatismos! Reprint of the ed. published by Pantheon Books, New York.
Description from Open Library.
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