BLAZE ME A SUN

4 stars out of 5

This book marks, or so I read, the U.S. debut of this book, which hit No. 1 status in Sweden. I can see why; it's well-written, though to me it was more "dark" and, well, sad, than exciting. The complexity and detail, though, were impressive to say the least, although that meant I couldn't breeze through it as I usually do.

The decades-long story begins in a small Swedish town in 1986 with an ominous phone call to local police from someone who says he's attacked a woman and plans to do it again. On that same night, the unthinkable happens: the prime minister of Sweden is assassinated - making it a night few will forget. That's especially true for policeman Sven Jorgensson, who rushes to the scene of the caller's crime; there, he finds the victim still alive, but barely. What he does there (or does not do) changes him forever; if nothing else, solving the case becomes an obsession. And then, more of the unthinkable as two more victims turn up - and Sven's obsession consumes his entire being even beyond his retirement as his son, Vidar, joins the police and, to a certain extent, takes up what appears to be a lost cause.

Years pass with no resolution until a writer - the book's narrator - returns home and begins to collect information on all that happened for a book. By then, much water has gone over the bridge, and just a handful of the players back then are still around and much has been forgotten. Although learning the perpetrator's identity is a thread to be followed throughout, the story seemed to be much more about the ripple effects of one person's thoughts and behaviors on others around him. It wasn't a really easy book for me to read, but it was well worth the effort - and I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review it. Recommended!

Blaze Me a Sun by Christoffer Carlsson (Hogarth, January 2023); 434 pp.