A stolen BMW blazes past two Swedish policemen grabbing a bite to eat and sets in motion a bizarre chain of events. As the officers take off in pursuit of the car, they see it slam into a pedestrian without stopping. The hit-and-run victim is mangled beyond recognition. Then, when the burned-out BMW is later found and officers search the area for the car thieves, they find the body of a young girl in an abandoned cellar. She was clearly malnourished and bears signs of sexual trauma.
Detective Inspector Irene Huss and the rest of the Göteborg police force are overwhelmed by the complicated cases. Who were the car thieves? Who is the victim of the hit-and-run? Who is the dead girl? Are sex traffickers involved? The questions lead Huss all the way to Tenerife, in the Canary Islands, and the answers shock her to her very core.
The Beige Man is the seventh entry in the Inspector Huss series, and once again Helene Tursten (The Fire Dance) creates engaging characters, a vivid Swedish setting, an absorbing mystery and a likable protagonist. The rather grim nature of the cases nicely contrasts with Huss's happy home life; her chef husband and twin daughters are friendly and entertaining.
Fans of Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbø are sure to enjoy this novel, and though it's not the first book in the series, readers new to Tursten's work can enjoy it without any difficulty. --Jessica Howard, blogger at Quirky Bookworm