But, once the investigation begins, the pacing took a serious hit and the story got too bogged down with the investigator’s personal lives, which took up a bit too much space, in my opinion. The story starts off at a fast pace when a young girl is abducted and that furious race against time feeling had my heart pounding. However, this little gem kept popping up in my ‘recommendations’ and in group reads, so I finally gave in, even though I need to start a new series like I need another hole in my head. As a result, I have become quite wary after having read a handful of mediocre attempts to cash in on the success of others. Scandinavian thrillers became quite popular there for a while and as such there are many wannabes attempting to take advantage before the furor died down. Unwanted (Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht # 1) by Kristina Ohlsson with Sarah Death translating is a 2012 Atria/ Emily Bestler Books publication. I really liked this distinctive, first-rate thriller and I look forward to reading her next two books.

I read and enjoy good mystery/suspense novels but, honestly many of them just run together after a while. Both women’s efforts to negotiate their way within a male dominated profession become a subplot in each of the dramas. Similarly, in this story, Frederika Bergman is a no-nonsense female analyst working with all male detectives to solve the crime. This novel reminded me of the British TV drama called 'Prime Suspect' starring Helen Mirren as Chief Inspector, Jane Tennison. The reader has access into the twisted mind of the criminal (only known as “The Man”) all the while the detectives are investigating his crimes and closing in on him.

The story is written with multiple viewpoints, three of which are the main detectives but, also another point of view includes a woman coconspirator of the perpetrator, which was an interesting departure from the conventional crime novel. This suspense novel was an excellent combination of a police procedural and psychological thriller – and the most enjoyable Swedish crime novel I’ve read since the Stieg Larsson Millennium series.

Unwanted by kristina ohlsson