This is the first KW thriller, icon of Nordic gloom in 10 years. Apart from sleeping and dreaming badly, he suffers from invasions of youth and childhood memories, sudden memory black-outs, and a mild form of diabetes, which he neglects.
On the plus side, KW has sold his flat in Ystad full of unhappy memories of his marriage with Mona. He has bought an isolated house with a remote view of the sea. And maintains contact with daughter Linda, a policewoman on leave, who recently made him a granddad. On the downside, KW realizes he has never been a warm friend or colleague, and begins to fret about a lonely retirement. When he looks in the mirror at 60, he sees death approaching...
But despite everything, KW is on high alert to investigate the disappearance of Hakan (75), an aristocratic
retired naval commander, who is also the father-in-law to be of Linda, and starts discreet inquiries. When Hakan's wife also disappears, and later found dead, matters become really complicated.
This novel deals with death, old Cold War politics and decades of espionage. One death is recent, the espionage may go back to the 1960s or 1980s, who knows? And on whose behalf in neutral Sweden, the Soviets or the USA?
This sprawling, riveting and beautifully-paced novel deals with KW's confrontations with the past. His mind is invaded daily by dreams and early memories. This deep and rich novel is full of gloom and clues that foreshadow the death of a memorable fictional hero, whose acute probing and searches kept this reader (60) enthralled until the final page. A truly great send-off.