THE MIND'S EYE: HAKAN NESSER

Nesser is a Swedish writer I have just discovered, though he's well know in Sweden,  His novels follow Chief Inspector Van Veeteren, the typical loner, almost like the great French detective, Maigret, who solves the crime mostly by intuition, as he gathers the facts, then tries to see how they connect, and unlike his colleagues, he ends up solving the crime.  Here, the novel opens with the drowning of Eva Mitter, discovered by her drunk husband Janek.  He remembers nothing from the night before, ends up being accused of the crime, and being tried for the murder.  Van Veeteren, of course, senses something is wrong, that this accused teacher, is telling the truth.  We are led to the school, back  to the victim's early life, and in between, we get to know Van Veeteren (he and his wife are thinking of getting back together for the second time), and his attempts to best his colleague, Inspector Munster, who plays his foil, at badminton.  He is always in the dark, wanting to know how Van Veeteren's deductive mind works. We end up liking Van Veeteren, despite his alleged misanthropy, troubled marriage, and wayward son, all which weigh upon him as he solves the case.  Well worth reading and I will go back for more.