The "MacGuffin" at the center of this story - which is set in Lund, Sweden - is the death of a wealthy couple called Regina and Steven Rytter. The Rytters are found dead in their luxurious house near the Botanical Gardens, Regina with her head caved in and Steven from an overdose.
In the course of the narrative, we find out that Regina - who suffered from the aftermath of a viral infection - was more or less bedridden; and Steven was adamant about Regina resting and taking her medicine.
It's not clear what happened to the Rytters, and various people in the couple's orbit are repeatedly questioned by the police. The three main persons of interest are Bill, Karla, and Jennica, and the story is told from their rotating points of view, along with excerpts of interviews by the police.
✱✱ Bill is a thirtyish, recently bereaved movie theatre worker who's raising his cherished 8-year-old daughter Sally. Bill went to pieces when his fiancée Miranda died from cancer, and he consequently lost his job.
Bill has been unable to find new employment, and is having trouble paying for rent and electricity. To help with finances, Bill takes in a boarder - an aspiring law student named Karla. Bill is an amiable fellow, but seems like an overgrown child in that he can't see the consequences of his actions.
✱✱ Karla recently arrived in Lund, having purposely left the drug addict mother who'd constrained her life for years. In Lund, Karla is taking a preliminary class for law school, and to make money, cleans the Rytters' sumptuous house twice a week.
Karla rents a room in Bill's apartment, and soon grows close to Bill and his daughter Sally. Karla would like to help Bill get out of his financial hole to insure that Sally has stability in her life.
Much of the conflict in Karla's life revolves around her mother, who can't seem to beat her drug addiction. Karla is torn between going back to help her mom and pursuing her own dreams.
✱✱ Jennica is contemporary of Bill's, and was close friends with Bill and his fiancée Miranda until they had a falling out. Jennica works from home as a phone 'psychic advisor', and - because Jennica resents her father, who was constantly unfaithful - Jennica strongly advises middle-aged women to leave their cheating husbands.
Jennica has been looking for love via Tinder, and has met an older, pediatric surgeon named Steven, to whom she's very attracted. At home, Jennica shares her apartment with a cat she named "Dog", and in order to make some kind of statement, Jennica lets her apartment fill up with empty pizza boxes and stinky trash.
As the story unfolds we learn about the interactions among the characters, and what drives them to behave as they do. I don't want to say more because of spoilers.
I enjoyed this interesting character story as well as the setting in Lund, Sweden, which sounds like a picturesque city where many residents get around on bicycles.
Botanical Gardens in Lund, Sweden
I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Josh Dylan, Nathalie Buscombe, and Sofia Engstrand, who do an excellent job. I especially appreciated hearing the correct pronunciation of the Swedish names for the characters and locations.
Thanks to Netgalley, M. T. Edvardsson, and Macmillan Audio for a copy of the book.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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