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This dark and moody psychological thriller will especially appeal to fans of Henning Mankell.

Fossum's protagonist, Sejer, is a complex, lonely widower, still grieving over the loss of his wife (resembling, in some ways, Colin Dexter's Inspector Morse, or P.D. James's Adam Dalgleish). In this, the second book, we learn a little bit more about him as we watch him slowly and shyly reach out to a potential new love (in the few slow moments when he's not racing to solve the crime and prevent further bloodshed) and we know that it will not be plain sailing for him in either his personal or public life.

Fossum leverages her series above the pack of conventional police procedurals by, firstly, taking us deep into the minds of her troubled characters, and secondly, by causing us to ask ourselves difficult questions - such as how society as a whole views those who don't fit the norm - without feeling the need to provide us with answers, easy or otherwise. Strongly recommended to all who like their police procedurals on the cerebral side.

This review was originally published in September 2005, and has been updated for the July 2006 paperback release. Click here to go to this issue.

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