After the Monsoon

Twin mysteries take Swedish security officer Ernst Grip to the Horn of Africa in a dazzling thriller. David Colacci narrates Grip's journey to Djibouti to investigate the accidental death of a Swedish army lieutenant. On unfamiliar ground with little support, Grip becomes swept up in the abduction of a wealthy Swedish family. Colacci's quiet intensity complements this slow-burning thriller to great effect. Various accents are subtle and give the characters effective nuances. However, sections that involve detailed transcripts are jarring despite Colacci's strong character differentiation. The plot invites some incredulity, but the increasing intensity of the narration helps to offset it. Ernst Grip's adventure spans blazing deserts and harsh seas. It's a tale filled with incredible characters and shocking moral quandaries. J.M.M. � AudioFile 2018, Portland, Maine

Starred review from May 14, 2018
Karjel’s excellent sequel to 2015’s The Swede finds Ernst Grip, a member of Sweden’s security police, attached to a raid on a suspected Somali terrorist cell in an immigrant Stockholm neighborhood. Normally an agent on the bodyguard detachment, the unenthusiastic Grip and a gung ho SWAT team break into an apartment, where they apprehend three men. The only piece of intel they glean happens later, under interrogation: a cryptic reference that one of the three makes to a terrorist known only as Yuhuudi (the Jew). Meanwhile, an army lieutenant with Swedish forces in Djibouti is shot dead at a shooting range, and Grip is dispatched to the Horn of Africa to investigate. His mission there is complicated by the kidnapping of a Swedish family from their sailboat by Somali pirates. Grip faces a host of dangers large and small before arriving at the morally complex solution to the lieutenant’s killing. No surprise, Yuhuudi turns out to have a role in Grip’s adventures. With its realistic characters, sophisticated plotting, and assured prose, this entry puts Karjel at the top of the thriller pack. Agent: Markus Hoffmann, Regal Literary.

May 1, 2018
After a Swedish army lieutenant is shot dead on a shooting range in Djibouti, security agent Ernst Grip is sent to the African nation to investigate what some fear was an act of terrorism.Grip, who works mainly as a bodyguard, isn't a standard choice for the job. But he quickly establishes himself as a force to be reckoned with after determining that the shooting was not a terrorist act and that the Djiboutian being held by local authorities for the killing was not responsible for it. When a Swedish officer advises Grip to "Let it go," that only motivates the security agent more, leading him into a thicket of secrets, lies, and international conflict. And if that weren't enough, a wealthy Swedish couple and their two children are being held by pirates who commandeered their sailboat as it sailed past the Horn of Africa, heading to the Great Barrier Reef. The pirates' businesslike leader, Darwiish, has demanded $10 million in ransom. Karjel (The Swede, 2015), a former member of the Swedish Air Force who trained with the U.S. Marines, has a muscular prose style layered with sensitivity: Grip is mourning the death in New York of his longtime male partner from AIDS. The book never attains the Robert Stone-like moral complexity it aims for. But Karjel skillfully handles the twin narratives, which at first run parallel and then circle each other, and maintains a quiet intensity throughout.Karjel's second novel to be translated into English is a solid, dependable work that makes us believe in its characters and situations; the author brings firsthand knowledge to his unusual story of Swedes in Africa.

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