The Mind's Eye (Inspector Van Veeteren Series #1)

MIND'S EYE is an excellent Swedish police procedural

In Sweden the evidence overwhelmingly condemns drunken schoolteacher Janek Mitter in the killing of his wife and a colleague who apparently was with her. Detective Chief Inspector Van Veeteren arrests the distraught husband who has no alibi and was found in a drunken stupor at the crime scene; Janek is easily convicted and sent away to spend the rest of his life either in a mental institution or if his mind heals a prison.

Van Veeteren has some issues with the conviction although it appears reasonable and he is a prime reason Janek was nailed. Although he keeps mentally reviewing the case making him bone weary, he does little to follow up on his hunch until it is too late. Someone murders Janek leaving Van Veeteren feeling guilty that he failed to follow his instincts. He vows to find the link between the homicides of the Mitter couple and subsequently their killer while personally vowing never to ignore his gut instincts ever again.

MIND'S EYE is an excellent Swedish police procedural (see THE RETURN and BORKMANN'S POINT) starring a great investigator who is filled with remorse for not following up on his belief something was off kilter in the case even as he received acclaim for solving an obvious domestic dispute that turned ugly, but proved to be something else. Fans will enjoy this terrific tale as a good likable cop struggles with his mistake by chasing down the real culprit in a great twisting thriller.

Harriet Klausner

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Compelling Swedish detective fiction

Readers of Henning Mankell's Wallander series or Per Wahlöö and Maj Sjöwall's Martin Beck series should enjoy this, the first of Håkan Nesser's Inspector Van Veeteren series. It runs in the same vein of police procedural, with a somewhat world-weary main detective, faced with a challenging case. In an unusual twist, the story starts with the suspect already in custody and runs from there. The novel is cleverly plotted, and keeps the reader engrossed, but there are also lighter moments of real humor as well. I've since gone on to read the second book in the series, Borkmann's Point, and look forward to reading the rest, which will hopefully continue to be translated in the coming years (this novel was originally written in 1993, but only translated into English in 2008).

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

A mystery to savor

I love this author. A Swede who is not quite as dark and depressing as some of the other Swedish authors, but true to the genre. I am reading the second in the series-"Borkmann's Point" and loving it even more. He has a trick of inserting little bits of wry humor into his books.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Another Scandinavian Winner

Some very witty lines and sage observations. The detective is wise, but a bit off-putting with his ubiquitous toothpicks. The ending ties everything together in a neat, if shocking, package, but is somewhat reminiscent of Agatha Christie, i.e., not enough herrings (red or otherwise) to figure out the real cuprit till the end.

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Excellent read- I didn't figure out 'who done it'

I watch lots of Scandinavian films and this book reads like one of those movies. Very bleak landscape, cold and dreary, lots of smoking and very gritty characters make a terrific story of murder. It's well worth your time and you won't figure this one out- James Patterson fans!

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Unusual mystery

Terrific debut for series made famous by Borkmann's Point. Inspector Van Veeteren is an original character and the Scandinavian setting adds to the interest.

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

If you like Sweedish mysteries give this one a try.

I found Hakran Nesser's narritive completly different from those of Mankell, Lackberg, and Nesbo. If you are reading a series and need a quick change of pace this is the book for you. I enjoyed the characters. But most of all it was fun to read a book where you actively have to participate if figuring out whose character you are listening to and putting the pieces together, from your perspective and then seeing if you've got it right in the end.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.