Hi, Ed Goldberg, Reference Librarian and Mystery buff here.
Blaze Me a Sun is Swedish author Christoffer Carlsson’s English language debut. Carlsson, a noted criminologist in his home country, is the author of countless novels, several of which have either won or were shortlisted for best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year by the Swedish Crime Writers’ Academy and the Glass Key Award. Blaze Me a Sun is actually a standalone sequel to his literary suspense novel Under the Storm, which unfortunately has not been published in English.
Onto the book–
On the same February night that Swedish Prime Minister Olaf Palme is assassinated in Stockholm in 1986, a woman is raped in the small town of Halland. Police receive an ominous phone call in which the anonymous perpetrator says, “I’m going to do it again,” and, indeed, he does…twice. His first victim dies from her wounds and the body of the second was never found. The third survived only because the perpetrator was interrupted. The investigation goes largely unnoticed by the media, as the attention of the nation is on the Palme assassination.
For the rest of his career, and indeed for the rest of his life, police officer Sven Jörgensson is plagued by his failure to solve the crimes, as is his son, Vidal, who becomes a policeman and continues the investigation.
In a parallel present day story line, a recently divorced writer whom the book refers to only by his nickname, “Moth,” has moved back to Halland, his childhood home. Somewhat at loose ends and having not published in years, he decides to interview some of the people who were central to the unsolved crime and possibly reanimate his muse in the process.
The story is told in parallel timelines of Moth, Sven and Vidal.
Blaze Me a Sun is part police procedural, part modern inquiry into a very cold case and part sociological study of the evolution of Swedish society in the post-Palme years, discussing the impact of getting away with assassinating a high ranking politician. It is a haunting tale of a man who, despite all his efforts, cannot solve a heinous crime, and who has a hard time living with that failure. The bleak countryside, the bleak weather and the bleak future for Halland residents all combine to make Blaze Me a Sun a solid entry into the Scandinavian noir genre.
One reviewer said “The writing is absolutely excellent in this intelligent, engrossing crime novel…” Another said “A brainy page-turner… The plot unfolds slowly but masterfully, with serial surprises.”
I hope you enjoy it.
Blaze Me a Sun is available in regular print and on eBook or audiobook on Overdrive/Libby.
So, until next time, stay safe and stay healthy!
-posted by Ed, Reference Services
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