Review of Obscuritas | From Millennium to a new series

The Swedish writer who signed volumes 4 to 6 of Millénium presents here the two heroes of his brand new detective series, which takes place in Stockholm in the early 2000s.

At first sight, nothing seems to destine these two individuals, whom everything opposes, to join forces to investigate together. The first, Micaela Vargas, is a young policewoman of Chilean origin who grew up in a disadvantaged neighborhood of the capital. The second, Hans Rekke, is a brilliant psychologist and teacher who comes from a wealthy background, but suffers from mental illness and various addictions – a kind of fallen genius. When an Afghan-born referee is killed after a match, the police arrest a suspect; Vargas and Rekke are the only ones to doubt his guilt.

It will be a few months before the two of them find themselves cooperating on this case – which will eventually happen in the second half of the novel. It is then a rather psychological and historical investigation that unfolds before our eyes, since this murder involves them in the aftermath of September 11, the secret prisons of the CIA in Afghanistan and the recent past of the country. Although there is no real suspense or tension in the plot – the author seems to have preferred to concentrate on the construction of his characters to prepare the continuation of the series -, it is all about a entertaining thriller that will appeal to lovers of in-depth investigations.