The Unlucky Lottery (Van Veeteren Series) [Paperback]

At the end of `The Inspector and Silence' we saw Chief Inspector Van Veeteren offering his services to the owner of an antiquarian book shop. The case had taken too much out of him and he is now on sabbatical, although right from the start of 'The Unlucky Lottery' I could feel his presence looming in the background. Meanwhile, Inspector Münster is assigned to a rather puzzling case. Four friends have just won the lottery and they go out to celebrate, but tell no-one that they have won. Hours later Waldemar Leverkuhn is stabbed to death in his home. Who would want to brutally murder this harmless old man who appears to have no enemies? Then another member of the syndicate goes missing as well as Waldemar Leverkuhn's neighbour. At this point Münster calls on Van Vetereen for help. Münster uncovers dark secrets about the Leverkuhn family which ultimately threaten his own life.

You may discover the murderer for yourself before the end but then Nesser does provide plenty of clues and his books are as much about character as the plot. He wants the reader to understand why the crime was committed and in doing so leaves us with a sense of moral ambiguity, we know that murder is wrong but ......

Once again Nesser has produced a compelling read with his trademark literary and humorous style. Having read the entire series I wouldn't say that this is his best but I still enjoyed it and look forward to discovering what Van Veeteren does next.

I love Inspector Van Veeteren and this novel is yet another in the series which ticks all the boxes. The characters are so well drawn and Nesser's books are a clever mix of humour and, at times, the macabre. I particularly liked the idea of lottery winners being targetted as gambling is not for me but the way the book builds to a fitting end is just sublime. Readers of Nordic crime and fans of Nesser will not be disappointed by this latest offering - enjoy!

The Unlucky Lottery, once again set in Sorbinowo - a forested Swedish lake side town - is an enjoyable romp that explores not only murder but deeply hidden secrets, secrets that have stayed undiscovered and undisclosed for decades until one pivotal moment causes a ripple effect that changes the lives of all those around it.

In Håkan's previous book - The Inspector and The Silence - it was driven for the most part by Inspector Van Veeteren, a curious, colourful and enigmatic character that certainly carried the book. Towards the end of that book we discover that Van Veeteren has decided to take a sabbatical and work in an antique book store much to the chagrin of his fellow officers. The Unlucky Lottery follows on from this decision, months down the line in fact, and Van Veeteren is comfortable, relaxed and still enjoying the life of leisure, rolling his own cigarettes and sitting in a comfortable chair staring at antique books - getting to know his books he calls it.

In fact, Van Veeteren plays but a cameo role in this book which in turn allows another character to step forward and bask in the limelight - Inspector Münster. Although out of sight, Van Veeteren is never out of mind and the police officers often refer to the great master and comment on how he would approach a particular suspect and pondering what he would do in their shoes.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book - apart from being a very quick read - was the storyline. Waldemar Leverkuhn is out celebrating a lottery win with his fellow winners and the next day he's found brutally stabbed to death in his bed. That same day another member of his small syndicate - and close friend - mysteriously goes missing. It's all very baffling for the police and they never quite get to grips with the curious events. I have to admit that I never saw the twist coming at the end and the way Nesser crafted this story out of seemingly nothing was terrific. I did find myself wondering where he was going with the story but it all made sense in the end. Nesser has this seemingly natural ability to tie things up with consummate ease.

Another plus for me was the way he portrayed the police officers. They come across as amateurish and as with his previous book I wondered if they would ever catch those responsible for the crimes committed. I'm not sure if these scenes are supposed to come across as humorous but they did make me chuckle at their ineptitude and lack of urgency.

So there we have it, another cracking title from the Swedish master Håkan Nesser, it just goes to prove that there's something other than Swedish Meatballs being exported out of Sweden worth getting your teeth around. Roll on his next title!