“The cult”: Heatwave in Stockholm

Building on the success of The magic boxthe first volume of their trilogy featuring the germaphobic investigator MinaDahbiri and the mentalist ASD (autism spectrum disorder) Vincent Walder, the queen of Scandinavian thrillers Camilla Läckberg and the mentalist Henrik Fexeus once again unite their overflowing imagination in order to propel the disconcerting duo into a breathless pas de deux that will lead them into the world of sects and on the trail of child murderers.

“What if mom and dad had the concer (sic)? And they are dead? And that’s why we picked him up from school. But then, why didn’t grandma and grandpa come? He curls up on the mattress. It has a funny smell. Everything here has a funny smell. »

In addition to Mina and Vincent, disturbed in the presence of one another, the authors bring back their stereotypical characters to which they give a little more complexity, while cultivating moments evoking the detective sitcom or the sentimental comedy. Julia, the strong and fragile leader of the squad, finds it difficult to combine work and family. Proud dad, Peder exhausts his colleagues with the videos of his triplets. Ruben, the toxic male, goes to therapy and discovers that a baby has been made on his back. As for Christer, the hardened bachelor, he seeks to reconnect with a person who has been lost for 35 years – we will know more about it in the next volume.

Once again, Läckberg and Fexeus take sadistic pleasure in trapping Mina and Vincent in a dark place that will put their sanity to the test.

The arrival of a policeman of Ugandan origin will stimulate the unconscious biases of his colleagues: “Adam Blom had a remarkable physique, substantial biceps and chocolate chips visible through his tight T-shirt. She noted with amusement that Ruben had unconsciously sat up and drawn in his stomach. In the wake of the investigation, Mina will worry for her mother and her daughter when they learn that they have joined the ranks of an epicurean movement led by the charismatic Nova, who also lends a hand to the squad.

As the victims were very young children, the authors wisely avoided long grisly descriptions as in The magic box. However, they didn’t skimp on the details to describe the stifling heat that descends on Stockholm, which heats the spirits as well as the nerves, makes clothes stick to the skin and multiplies the proliferation of germs a thousandfold. As the race against the clock speeds up, the mind becomes more confused and the body’s movements become slower. Once again, Läckberg and Fexeus take sadistic pleasure in trapping Mina and Vincent in a dark place that will put a strain on their sanity.

If we follow the investigation with pleasure until its outcome, which risks tearing a few tears from more sensitive readers, we are once again surprised at the discrepancy between the ultra-sophisticated treasure hunt inspired by the game of chess developed by the authors and their inability to retain enough clues to preserve the mystery surrounding the identity of the chief of operations. Despite everything, they reserve some surprises until the last page.

The cult

★★★

Camilla Läckberg and Henrik Fexeus, translated by Susanne Juul and Andreas Saint Bonnet, Actes Sud “Actes noirs”, Paris, 2023, 722 pages

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