In this 6th book in the Swedish 'Inspector Van Veeteren" series, the detective's subordinate takes charge of a gruesome murder case. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
Waldemar Leverkuhn and three of his friends are thrilled to discover they've won the lottery and go out to celebrate.
Returning home drunk and exhausted Leverkuhn falls into bed only to be murdered in his sleep. Chief Inspector Van Veeteren is on leave so his subordinate, Inspector Munster, is assigned the case. Munster soon learns that Leverkuhn was stabbed 28 times and that one of his fellow lottery winners is missing.
Questioning potential witnesses reveals that Leverkuhn's wife was visiting friends on the night of the murder and other residents of his building claim to have heard nothing. Leverkuhn's children are estranged from their parents and seem to know little about their lives.
In addition to having a stalled investigation, married Inspector Munster is distracted by fantasies about his attractive co-worker Ewa Moreno, who is trying to shed a neurotic boyfriend. To add to the Leverkuhn mystery a formidable woman living in his building also disappears.
Munster carries on and discovers some dark secrets related to the crimes. My one quibble with the book is that this twist tends to be overused in crime novels. All in all I enjoyed the story which is well-written with interesting characters.
Rating: 3 stars
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