Under the Storm by Christoffer Carlsson

What an interesting book. Unlike most police procedurals that focus on finding a perpetrator, this book looks more at the lives of those associated with the murder and what has happened to them over the years. It is an engaging and beautifully crafted novel that is by turns unsettling and embracing.

Rookie policeman Vidar Jorgensson is the first on the scene of a house fire, where he finds the body of murder victim Lovisa Markstrom in the ashes. Vidar also discovers the unconscious body of Lovisa's lover, Edvard Christensson, nearby and evidence he had been in the house before Lovisa's death. Edvard and the male members of his family have a history of violence and bad decisions, and it isn't long before he is arrested and convicted of Lovisa's murder. Edvard's ten-year-old nephew, Isak Nyqvist, who adores and defends his uncle, is soon an outcast among his peer group, setting his life path on an unexpected trajectory that intertwines with the young policeman.

The years pass, and although Vidor was on the periphery of the investigation., he can't stop revisiting the crime in his spare time. Edvard has never stopped saying he is innocent, and Vidor starts believing him, but how can he prove it with little evidence?

This is a mystery and a coming-of-age story as the reader follows Isak through his teen and young adult years. It is an expertly plotted and well-written book whose characters are nicely drawn. Carlsson is an award-winning Swedish writer, and this book is already an international bestseller. I'm so happy to have found this book and author.

4.5/5 stars.

Thank you, NetGalley and Hogarth Books, for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The publication date is February 27, 2024.

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