This book was excellent! One of the best collections of short stories that I have ever read!
Below is a list of the short stories and their authors, as well as a brief description of what the stories are about:
"Reunion" by Tove Alsterdal - A woman goes back to a wooded camp for a reunion with some old friends. But she remembers the accident that she kept secret for decades now, and which cost a girl her life. Imagine what everyone thinks when this dead girl shows up for the reunion! Very intriguing story!
"He Liked His Hair" by Rolf and Cilla Borjlind - A loner stalks the streets late at night, looking for the right person to kill. He always returns home, awaiting the knock on the door that he knows, someday, he will hear for real. Then, after the most recent kill, the knock finally comes, but under far different conditions than he expected.
"Never in Real Life" by Åke Edwardson - An abusive man and his wife go camping in the rural backwoods. Very slowly, but surely, he begins to pick up on the fact that it is her hometown, and she might be setting up the ultimate revenge on him.
"In Our Darkened House" by Inger Frimansson - A woman down on her luck, having lost her job and then, as a result, her boyfriend, tries to cope, but feels that everyone has let her down. So, she then plans the ultimate revenge against her former coworkers, the start of all of her problems.
"Paul's Last Summer" by Eva Gabrielsson - A local vicar in a small community is approached by Paul, an old man, who points out that there is a tombstone with his name on it in the cemetery, only he has not died yet. Why this is the case become the mystery and the driving plot in this story, which admittedly, was not my favorite in the lot.
"The Ring" by Anna Jansson - Young Fredrik,a kid used to being bullied in his local school, sees a beer can tab lying on the ground, but his imagination sees the ring of power from Lord of the Rings. So, he takes it, puts it on, steals the brand new bike of his schoolyard bully, and goes on a wild adventure in the woods, only to encounter a real life murder. And as it turns out, much later on, he will have an encounter with the murderer in the most unexpected circumstances, and in the most unbelievable place of all!
"The Mail Run" by Åsa Larsson - This one is the longest by far of the short stories in this collection. It goes back to the early twentieth century, to the frontier of northern Sweden, where a double murder has a small community on edge. It seems, at first, that the murder has been solved, with the accused even admitting to the crime. But during the trial, as he describes what happened, he reveals, unintentionally, that he could not possibly have committed the crime, and the local constable has to rush to piece the puzzle together in order to arrest who's truly guilty.
"Brain Power" by Stieg Larsson - An American Olympic athlete is called into the doctor's office by order of the President. He does not think much of it, at first, until the visits becomes regular, and things begin to get considerably more sinister. As he pieces the clues together and gets an understanding of what he is really there for. This story is from probably the most famous author to have a story in this book - Stieg Larsson, the author of "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo".
"An Unlikely Meeting" by Henning Mankell and Håkan Nesser - A police officer travels through a foreign country on a snowy Christmas Eve, looking for someone important to him. But he is lost, and far from where he needs to be. He stops at a local restaurant, and converses with another police officer there. When two writers come in, the authors of this story show what writers are capable of.
"An Alibi for Señor Banegas" by Magnus Montelius - Adam is a local architect is asked by a prominent businessman from Honduras to essentially pretend to have meetings with him, so that he can have an affair with a local woman. The problem is that this man's wife is very suspicious, and so Adam has to make up a false schedule, and doggedly stick to it. But things go awry when Adam accidentally kills a family member and, in his panic, gives the wife of the Honduran businessman the chance to expose the whole charade.
"Something in His Eyes" by Dag Öhrlund - A teenage girl from an immigrant, Muslim family commits suicide, and the father seems to have been guilty. Jenny, the investigator in the case, seems to know that this is an open and shut case, that the father has indeed thrown his daughter above the balcony. But when the father seems to show unusual signs that lend Jenny some doubt, and Jenny begins to see that there are prejudicial overtones in the case, the seemingly clear waters get muddied in a hurry.
"Day and Night My Keeper Be" by Malin Pesson Giolito - A single mother of two loses her daughter, and when the police are called, Helena responds. She watches the mother, who seems to be acting very strangely, and all sorts of suspicions begin to creep into her head, and she begins to question just how good of a mother this woman is, seeing distressing signs suddenly all over the place.
"The Multi-Millionaire" by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö - A very wealthy man on vacation is abusive to waiters and almost everyone else, but he winds up telling a couple how exactly how he got his start by, essentially, being a bastard at every turn.
"Diary Braun" by Sara Stridsberg - A fictional account of the beautiful, young, and blond Eva Braun, as she adapts to living the last days of her life in an underground bunker with a dictator who remains unnamed throughout, as their country falls apart around them.
"Revenge of the Virgin" by Johan Theorin - Some fishermen wind up finding a mysterious, abandoned boat near a deserted, and supposedly haunted, island. A storm is fast approaching, and they have to take refuge on the island. Things begin to go wrong, though, when they are shot at. Eventually, they learn an incredible story about the abandoned boat, as well as the people ultimately responsible.
"Maitreya" by Veronica von Schenck - The daughter of a prominent art dealing family is disgusted by the hypocrisy, and chooses a life of police work, particularly in trying to recover stolen art. She is asked to attend a cocktail party/art auction, utilizing her expertise to try and uncover the huge case. Partnered with a former fling who is strictly a cop, and has no real interest in art. She studies an ancient statue of Maitreya that she instantly falls in love with. But her partner is asked to meet with someone during the party, and never returns. She soon finds the situation spiraling out of control, as this turns out to be far more dangerous than she was led to believe that it would be.
"Too Late Shall the Sinner Awaken" by Katrina Wennstam - Charlotta Lugn is an aging officer who has a solid track record, is preparing for a Christmas holiday, when she gets an unexpected call from the mother of the victim of the one case in her career that was never solved. The mother promises to give her information that she has withheld for over a quarter of a century, and when Charlotta meets with her, we find out what happened to the mother's son, who was beaten and killed.
All in all, a solid collection of short stories, and an enjoyable read! Highly recommended!
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