... a somewhat arid, if absorbing, legal thriller ... It is both a strength and a frustration of Beyond All Reasonable Doubt that the author does not feel the imperative to explain too much or to tie her ending up in a neat bow. Instead, while by the end of the book the central question has been answered, even more have been posed — and not in the way that sets up a sequel (though that could happen), but in the way that imitates life, in all its messiness and obfuscation ... You kind of want to throw it against a wall. And you want to meet Sophia Weber again.
Award-winning Swedish author Giolito excels at portraying those accused of horrible crimes ... the plot frames what is the best part of the writing, an intricate examination of the psyches of criminals and those who work with them, accompanied by pointed questions about who is served by the justice system. While this is a fine novel on its own merits, it is perhaps a bit less compelling than its predecessor [Quicksand]. Still, both novels are great reads, and libraries should have them on hand for when Netflix airs its production of Quicksand on April 15, 2019.
... a taut, sobering ride, playing out against cold, rain and flinty skies ... The novel evokes a Scandinavia where herring is pondered and directness is a virtue even in its cunning ... A lawyer herself, Giolito is clever in the intricacies and personalities, including prosecutors, judges and journalists, propelling a justice system that whirs on sensation and jurisprudence ... The pace is quick and the writing fluid, although at times sentences ring flat, as if missing a beat or a bit of evocative imagery.
There are practically no courtroom scenes and relatively little about the steps in the legal process Sophia works her way through. Even the submission to the Supreme Court, when she gets to it, is almost anticlimactic ... interesting reading, not quite a psychological study of the lawyer (that, indeed, gets less interesting when it veers towards the more psychological ...). The case itself, and Katrin, in some ways get short shrift -- with Persson Giolito giving herself something of an out by making (and ultimately leaving) the case one more of procedure -- she petitions for a retrial -- than a determination of Ahlin's guilt or innocence. That works quite well for much of the novel, but ultimately, in the way she resolves it, can feel like something of a cop out ... If some of the bits feel a bit forced, Beyond All Reasonable Doubt mostly moves along very quickly and well, the story gripping in a way quite different than its premise and summary might lead one to expect. It's hard for Persson Giolito to pull that all the way through, and it seems almost appropriate that Sophia literally drifts away in some of the latter stages of the novel, taking a boat out to sea, as also the novel then drifts over much of the waiting weeks and months. But all in all it's a solid and quite satisfying read -- though certainly not in the sense of all the ends getting neatly tied up: indeed, the only end that is neatly tied up (Ahlin's fate) is the least satisfactory one.
...[an] intriguing legal thriller ... An ongoing series would be welcome given the author’s legal savvy, well-drawn characters, and insightful look at the subtle variations of guilt. No courtroom fireworks but smart, well-written legal and procedural drama.
...[a] searing legal thriller ... [Giolito] builds tension by alternating between Sophia’s search for evidence to free Ahlin and flashbacks to the original police investigation ... meticulously crafted ... Fans of Nordic noir won’t want to miss this one.
