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Available
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Publication
Helsingissä : Otava, 2014
Description
"[When] DS Evert B�ckstr�m is told that Thomas Eriksson--a mafia lawyer and renowned defender of the guilty--has been killed, he can't help but celebrate ... B�ckstr�m's good mood is spoiled, however, when he's assigned to the frustrating case, as narrowing down the list of people who wanted Eriksson dead is almost impossible ... Fortunately, B�ckstr�m has spent years cultivating a group of questionable acquaintances and shady associates who will prove invaluable in solving the crime--as long as his colleagues don't find out about these illicit connections, or that B�ckstr�m owes them a few favors"--Amazon.com.
User reviews
LibraryThing member Welsh_eileen2
A great Scandi Noir story of murder and mystery, in the same mould as the Scandinavian series' on
T V recently.
Deserves to have a series of its own.
As the cover says - if you liked The Bridge you'll love this!
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Random House/Transworld Publishers
T V recently.
Deserves to have a series of its own.
As the cover says - if you liked The Bridge you'll love this!
I was given a digital copy of this book by the publisher Random House/Transworld Publishers
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via Netgalley in return for an honest unbiased review. Show Less
LibraryThing member atticusfinch1048
The Sword of Justice – A Bäckström Classic
I had heard of Bäckström first via the American drama of the same name, which has Americanised the stories. Picking up Leif GW Persson’s latest Bäckström story I wanted to read the original version and in The Sword of Justice, I was not
Detective Superintendent Evert Bäckström was to be woken early with the news that would make the best day in his life, his team woke him to inform him that gangster lawyer Thomas Eriksson had been murdered. He even turns up and has a wander around the crime scene and cannot believe how much of a good day it is going to be.
There is not much positive about Bäckström as a person, he is fat, lazy and not respected by his colleagues who is also lecherous, racist, sexist, homophobic and on the take. All these faults should not make him a success, but at the same time all the cases he is involved with seem to get solved. With all these faults he is still a hero of Swedish Policing to the general public with his own fans forum who he likes to exploit for his own aims.
He is leading the investigation in to the murder of Thomas Eriksson and at various points in the story he is looking at the mafia, biker gangs and crooks all people Eriksson has defended and offended in the past. When an art collector tells him of an art collection, that has links to the last Tsar and in particular a Faberge music box, Bäckström sees an opportunity for self-enrichment while solving the crime.
With all the twists and turns this is an excellent example of Swedish Noir at its finest, and this may be the third book in the Bäckström series, this book would be able too standalone and still be a wonderful read. At times you cannot help but be flabbergasted at what Bäckström that makes him a truly loathsome person, at the same time how he is able to get away with things.
We see a man, who guides the investigation from a far letting everyone else do the hard work, but by using his connections with the rich and powerful, line his own pocket on the back of others. He does not care whose toes he treads on, even if it is the Security Police and the Royal Palace.
Bäckström is a character we should really dislike but he breathes a breath of fresh air in to the Swedish Noir genre and you cannot help but enjoy him. Leif GW Persson has created a monster and uses humour to offset that, and his writing is completely engrossing. It is easy to see why Persson is recognised as a master crime writer.
A Truly loathsome, disgusting anti-hero, Bäckström should not work, but he does and I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Brilliant story, great detective anti-hero and humour throughout the book a true masterpiece and bound to become a classic.
I would like to thank the published for the ARC for an honest review.
I had heard of Bäckström first via the American drama of the same name, which has Americanised the stories. Picking up Leif GW Persson’s latest Bäckström story I wanted to read the original version and in The Sword of Justice, I was not
Show More
disappointed. My best advice would be to avoid the TV series and read the books, a far better experience.Detective Superintendent Evert Bäckström was to be woken early with the news that would make the best day in his life, his team woke him to inform him that gangster lawyer Thomas Eriksson had been murdered. He even turns up and has a wander around the crime scene and cannot believe how much of a good day it is going to be.
There is not much positive about Bäckström as a person, he is fat, lazy and not respected by his colleagues who is also lecherous, racist, sexist, homophobic and on the take. All these faults should not make him a success, but at the same time all the cases he is involved with seem to get solved. With all these faults he is still a hero of Swedish Policing to the general public with his own fans forum who he likes to exploit for his own aims.
He is leading the investigation in to the murder of Thomas Eriksson and at various points in the story he is looking at the mafia, biker gangs and crooks all people Eriksson has defended and offended in the past. When an art collector tells him of an art collection, that has links to the last Tsar and in particular a Faberge music box, Bäckström sees an opportunity for self-enrichment while solving the crime.
With all the twists and turns this is an excellent example of Swedish Noir at its finest, and this may be the third book in the Bäckström series, this book would be able too standalone and still be a wonderful read. At times you cannot help but be flabbergasted at what Bäckström that makes him a truly loathsome person, at the same time how he is able to get away with things.
We see a man, who guides the investigation from a far letting everyone else do the hard work, but by using his connections with the rich and powerful, line his own pocket on the back of others. He does not care whose toes he treads on, even if it is the Security Police and the Royal Palace.
Bäckström is a character we should really dislike but he breathes a breath of fresh air in to the Swedish Noir genre and you cannot help but enjoy him. Leif GW Persson has created a monster and uses humour to offset that, and his writing is completely engrossing. It is easy to see why Persson is recognised as a master crime writer.
A Truly loathsome, disgusting anti-hero, Bäckström should not work, but he does and I cannot recommend this book highly enough.
Brilliant story, great detective anti-hero and humour throughout the book a true masterpiece and bound to become a classic.
I would like to thank the published for the ARC for an honest review.
Show Less
Language
Original language
Swedish
Original publication date
2013
Physical description
560 p.; 22 cm
ISBN
9789511286776