Mind's Eye--An Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery

The novel that launched the successful Inspector Van Veeteren series is narrated by the stellar Simon Vance. He brings a refined touch to the story of Janek Mitter, a man who awakens one morning with no memory of the night before to find his wife dead in the bathtub. The case falls to Van Veeteren, who is known for closing cases by following his instincts, and he continues to investigate the confounding murder even after a conviction takes place. Vance's authentic pronunciations and deft emotional nuances provide a worthy listening experience that is perfect for fans of Scandinavian mysteries. K.O. (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine

April 28, 2008
World-weariness in a detective is well and good—but what if it ends up costing innocent victims their lives? That's the predicament in which Detective Chief Inspector Van Veeteren finds himself in this moodily affecting mystery, the first to appear in Nesser's native Sweden but the third to be published in the U.S. (after The Return
and Borkmann's Point
). Though the melancholy cop suspects accused killer Janek Mitter is innocent of drowning his new bride during an alcoholic blackout, Van Veeteren opts to focus on such more personally compelling matters as his own ruptured marriage and to let the judicial process run its course—until a second, truly shocking murder boots him and the book into high gear. The suspense intensifies as it becomes apparent that the initial killing was no garden-variety domestic drama but part of a bloody tapestry worthy of Greek tragedy. Even if you guess the book's final twist a bit early, this is a hauntingly powerful tale you won't soon forget.