Bad Intentions

It's hard to believe that it's only a decade since Scandinavian crime writing became popular in the UK. Now it's hard to imagine the mystery landscape without the snow-fringed work of Stieg Larsson, Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbo. Karin Fossum has, over the same period, developed a strong and dedicated following - and with good reason: her books are clever, tightly plotted and feature one of the best detectives of recent years, Inspector Sejer.

In this, the seventh Sejer mystery to be translated into English, the detective is called upon to investigate a dead body floating in a lake by a remote cabin. The verdict is one of suicide, but Sejer is convinced there is more to the death than initially thought. When another body - that of a teenage boy - is also found nearby, the investigation takes a disturbing and dark turn. 

Fossum's no nonsense prose beautifully highlights the cold and inhospitable landscape of northern Norway. But this is more than just an exercise in atmospherics: Bad Intentions is an utterly engrossing and darkly compelling mystery that easily confirms Fossum as one of crime writing's most distinctive voices.