THE QUARRY

Per Morner is preparing for Easter with his children on the Swedish island of Oland when he receives a phone call from his estranged father Jerry asking for help.  Per find his father near death in his blazing woodland studio, he has been stabbed and later, two dead bodies are discovered in the burnt out building.  The only suspect is Jerry’s work partner who is later confirmed as one of the dead.  However, Jerry insists his colleague is still alive and thinks he is a threat to his life.

After Jerry dies in hospital a few days later, Per is determined to find out was really happened, but the closer he gets to the truth, the more danger Per find himself in and nowhere more so than the nearby quarry.

There is no doubt of Johan Theorin’s love of the Swedish island of Oland.  He writes with obvious affection for a place he spent a large part of his childhood, that said the almost idyllic background of this popular tourist destination in the Baltic Sea forms an interesting contrast with the feeling of menace that gradually pervades the pages.

Mixing a good old fashioned mystery with local folklore is an interesting touch and I found the characters engaging and three dimensional.  Theorin’s writing has fluidity and captivates the reader.  Comparisons with other Swedish authors will be made but I felt Theorin’s writing was more personal and although he slowly builds to the central part of the plot, unlike Larsson who I felt spent page after page not saying much, he is able to push the narrative on effectively.

This is the third novel Theorin has written about Oland and I, for one intend to backtrack and read the others.