Police inspector Ann Lindell has left the Uppsala police and is living a quiet life, producing local cheese in a small town in Uppland. But life in the country is not as idyllic as it seems. On New Year's Eve someone sets fire to the former village school which is now a home for asylum seekers, and three people are killed. Ann Lindell's investigative instincts come back to life and soon she takes on the case.
The Night of the Fire is a disturbing book. There are unmistakable if unintended parallels with tensions in Sweden and the United States over immigration and the integration of refugees into the fabric of society. Ericksson is a perceptive writer: his characters speak of the past with nostalgia-tinged with the sickening reality that 'past is prologue' ... On a lighter note, The Night of the Fire reminded me of similarities between middle-aged, high ranking female detectives. If you like Jane Tennison and Vera Stanhope, you’ll also enjoy Ann Lindell ... Lindell’s generous way of viewing the world, and her innate self-honesty and self-awareness is very appealing. I will be eagerly awaiting the twelfth Lindell mystery and I am grateful for the generous backlist.
In the contemporary Sweden of Kjell Eriksson’s The Night of the Fire, certain citizens still tussle with existential riddles from the time of Kierkegaard ... The Night of the Fire, rendered into English by Paul Norlen, is rich with characters struggling to make sense of a hate-filled political and moral landscape quite different from the one they grew up in.
... exceptional ... Eriksson adeptly teases whether there’s a connection between the call and the fire, even as violence claims more lives. This artful blend of mystery and psychology is sure to please Scandinavian noir fans.
