The Princess of Burundi
A Mystery
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4.0 • 66 Ratings
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
A runaway bestseller in Sweden, The Princess of Burundi introduces Inspector Ann Lindell to U.S. mystery readers.
When a jogger finds a dead body in the snow, the members of Sweden's Uppsala police force uncover a victim with an unsettling history. John Jonsson, known to everyone as Little John, was a respectable family man and a local expert on tropical fish. But he had been quite a troublemaker, and his delinquent past seems to have caught up with him.
Despite being on maternity leave, Inspector Ann Lindell is determined to find John's murderer. The cruel cat-and-mouse game that follows leads Ann to a deadly confrontation with a treacherous killer. Ann must decide whether to take a huge risk that could result in many more dead bodies in the snow, including hers and that of her unborn child.
Written by one of Sweden's bestselling crime writers, The Princess of Burundi is an outstanding American debut.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When the badly mutilated body of John Harald Jonsson a working-class family man and an expert on the tropical fish known as cichlids is found in the snow in the provincial Swedish town of Libro, homicide detective Ola Haver and his colleague, Ann Lindell, quickly identify a suspect, an embittered sociopath. The brilliance of Eriksson's richly detailed crime novel, his second (after The Illuminated Path) but his first to be translated into English, lies in its psychological and even sociological insights. Eriksson not only reveals a deep, sympathetic understanding for his large cast of characters but also evokes a pervasive sense of despair, reminiscent of Henning Mankell's, in the face of the violent, amoral nature of contemporary society and the challenges it places on the police. The title derives from the common name of one of Jonsson's beloved cichlids, and the aquarium is a neat metaphor for the dynamics of smalltown life. This suspenseful, intelligent and perceptive book is terrific.
Customer Reviews
Great build up, disappointing ending
Eriksson is clearly a great writer, and the tension between the characters. The views into their private thoughts and motivations will keep you reading. Sadly, though, the book ends abruptly and with little explanation of why and how the main character was killed and, worse yet, the main "bad guy" doesn't appear until the last 20 pages. Perhaps a better translation might have helped here.
I would still not hesitate to read this book -- or another by the author.