Rebecka’s recovery has not been easy. The events of Sun Storm left her drained and
barely able to function. She’s not even
really working for her law firm as she’s been put on leave until she is fit to
work again, but she’s been asked to travel with a senior partner to a small
village for business. A small village
only miles from Kiruna, where the madness began.
Now another priest has been murdered and Rebecka can’t stop
herself from being pulled in.
This time we’re meeting a very different Rebecka. In her last book, she was strong and defiant
in the presence of those who would destroy her, but in this tale, we find her
very different. By stripping away her strength,
which she used as armor, our heroine has been damaged in a very fundamental
way.
This stark contrast could be off putting, but Larsson handles
it very deftly. Instead of portraying our
girl as helpless, the author stresses the fear that now resides inside Rebecka. It’s so palpable that when the heroine does locate
a hidden reserve of courage, I found myself pulling her even more. Maybe she’s not as broken as she seems.
Highly recommended for fans of Scandinavian crime fiction or
anyone who likes their mysteries on the dark side.
