The Drowning, by Camilla Läckberg

Camilla Läckberg is another excellent import for anyone who enjoys well-written crime novels set in Sweden. Her books are centered on Erica Falck, an author of true crime non-fiction, and her husband Patrick Hedström, a homicide detective. In The Drowning, Erica’s friend Christian Thydell has published his first book, a literary work called The Mermaid. As his book is launched and he begins to participate in promotional events, it’s revealed that he has been receiving threatening letters for 18 months. Frightening personal attacks follow the letters, and others from his past are targeted as well.

Erica is working on her own book, but can’t help being drawn into the drama surrounding Christian. She convinces Patrick to help investigate, which he does reluctantly until it becomes apparent that there are connections between Christian’s background and a recent murder nearby.

The pacing of The Drowning is good; it kept me turning the pages and although it’s a long book (476 pages) I was able to finish in just a few days. In addition to the main characters, the book explores the relationships between Patrick’s co-workers and Erica’s sister as well as their children. Ms. Läckberg has a light touch of humor in how she treats some of the characters, like Patrick’s boss who is incompetent in his job but endearing in his treatment of his girlfriend’s grandchild to whom he’s grown attached. The Drowning is 6^th in a series of 12 books featuring Erica Falck and Patrick Hedström, so I’m late to the game, but it’s good enough to leave me wanting to read the rest of the series.

Camilla Läckberg. The Drowning. New York: Perseus Crime, 2015. 476 pages. ISBN 9781605988566.