Linda, As in the Linda Murder

Reviews

Leif GW Persson’s sprawling, state-of-the-nation novels make deft use of crime fiction conventions to expose the faultlines of Swedish society. This more closely focused novel is a brilliant exploration of a young woman’s murder, press sensationalism, and the inner workings of a police investigation, with readers reintroduced to the blackly humorous and truly unforgettable police detective Evert Bäckström. As the army of Scandinavian crime writers sweeps invincibly onwards, it becomes more challenging for aficionados of Nordic Noir to sort out the wheat from the chaff – although the former is (thankfully) in greater supply. The individual character of various writers’ work can seem similar, but certain talents stand out from the pack. Such is the gifted Leif Persson, whose massive, sprawling, state-of-thenation novels use the mechanics of crime fiction to expose the fault lines in Scandinavian society. Persson, very much his own man in the field, has written his best novel with this one, with its caustic, sardonic tone, it has all the vitality and pungency of its predecessors; its challenging, difficult hero is one of the most distinctive in the field Persson’s sprawling, state-of-the-nation novels use the mechanics of crime fiction to expose the faultlines in Scandinavian society. Linda has all the vitality of Persson’s earlier books; its difficult hero is one of the most distinctive in the field. An immense crime story, and not because of the number of pages, but thanks to the narrative energy and the skill to reflect on society and humanity. Leif GW Persson has a very straight style, with no frills, and his novels show a very deep understanding of the world he writes about. The tough realism of his stories is tempered by irony and comic qualities. Expand reviews