I have mixed feelings about the Lisbeth Salander character phenomenon. Stieg Larsson’s three books were indeed thrilling, compelling reads. Were Larsson alive and releasing the fourth installment written by his own hand, I would without question be reading the final pages of the book instead of writing this. But what can we say about a […]
Review of Kennedy’s Brain by Henning Mankell
In starting a review of Kennedy’s Brain by Henning Mankell, it is important to take note of something that the reader discovers only after the book’s last page. The epilogue to this book begins with the following three sentences: “Twenty years ago, close to Zambia’s western border with Angola, I watched a young African man die of […]
Review of The Return by Håkan Nesser
The Return by Håkan Nesser is the third installment in the Inspector Van Veeteren series. It is preceded by Borkman’s Point. On a rainy Spring day, a group of young children are on an outing, when a young girl discovers a body wrapped in a blanket. The police arrive and discover the head, hands and […]
Remembering Laurie Thompson
I was sad to see an obituary recently for Laurie Thompson who passed away on June 8, 2015. Mr. Thompson was an excellent translator of Swedish writing into English. He translated over 40 titles from an impressive number of well-known Swedish writers, including Henning Mankell, Åke Edwardson, Håkan Nesser and Mikael Niemi. Some of the […]