This was a pretty good detective story. I liked the characters and the plot moved around. It seemed a little awkward, with many different points of view.....choppy, I guess. I will read another by this author.

Upgraded from 3.5 stars because of general quality. A well written mystery with plenty of suspense and mostly believable people. The plot threads seem too neatly tied up and there is probably too much attention to the details of several characters' lives. The pace is not plodding but feels unnecessarily slowed by digressions into detectives' personal lives and even a page of Swedish social commentary. Also, the background of some of the bad guys/victims can seem artificially lurid and one periph...

When I picked this book to read, I was under the impression that it was the first in a series featuring female police inspector Ann Lindell of Uppsala, Sweden. It soon became apparent that it was not the first. Evidently, it is actually the fourth in the series but was the first to be translated into English.Never mind. The author actually does a good job of providing the backstories of his main characters, so I did not feel as lost as I might have.This is a police procedural, much in the vein o...

I worked at a used bookstore when I first moved to town in 2003. I felt I was a fairly well-read person, and had an idea or two about some things. So I was surprised when one evening someone called and asked if we had any books on a specific topic."Chiclets!?" I remember asking. "Like... the gum...?"The man on the other end of the line made a really frustrated noise, because obviously I didn't understand something pretty uncommon like this."Cichlids. C-I-C-H-L-I-D-S. The FISH?"I still had no ide...

3.5 starsThe Princess of Burundi won author Kjell Eriksson the Best Swedish Crime Novel award in 2002 and went on to become a bestseller in Sweden. This excellent English translation, courtesy of Ebba Segerberg, was unfortunately not available until 2007 and marked the first appearance of Inspector Ann Lindell, despite her being on maternity leave at the outset of the investigation.When John Harald Jonsson is late home from work in a snowy December evening, wife Berit worries that his dissolute

I finished this book yesterday and initially gave it three stars. I’m downgrading it to two after thinking about it and formulating my reaction into words. This book should have been a very fast read. It was only 300 pages. The writing style was not pea soupy. And every time I managed to sit down and pick it up, I tore through the pages rather quickly. Also I really did want to know whodunit. So why did it take me over a week to finish this blasted thing?Two reasons: 1) too many viewpoints and 2...

First, a note to people reading the American edition:Initially, you might think that The Princess of Burundi is a Fargoesque tale about a violent murder and a plucky, preggers female detective. You might think that because that's what the description says. Apparently, someone pissed off their editorial intern, though, because very little in the description is factually accurate. So, just to be clear: No, the dead man's troubled past doesn't really "catch up with him." It's sort of the point, but...

I probably should have read the reviews before I started.The introduction was immediately compelling, but it went down hill from there. While the characters were interesting, the back story was confusing. I suspect that part of the problem is that this isn't really the first book in the series--just the first that has been translated. As a result you just have to accept that there is no apparent reason for some of angst. The endless ruminations on the deteriorating state of Swedish society quick...

Excellent entry with Ann Lindell taking a supporting role til the end, gives her usual ensemble a chance to shine. nice suspense and use of locations. Recommended.

Yes, this is a novel about fish. There really is a tropical fish called the "Princess of Burundi."So it is not exactly about fish, but rather about the murder of a young father who is really into them. This is the first book in a series by Kjell (pronounced "Shell") Eriksson, noted because I always want to know how to pronounce the names of characters, authors, and places.It is purported to introduce a Swedish female investigator, Ann Lindell, but she has a pretty modest role to play. She is a n...

I think there are more people writing Swedish police procedurals now than there are actual Swedish people living in Sweden, and about 75% of these books (including this one) win awards. Half of them have ties to Africa: either an African character, or an African setting, or just some word like "Burundi" thrown into the title. (The princess of Burundi refers to a tropical fish, as well as to one of the Swedish characters.) Really the only difference between this, and a Wallander, is that this is

Set in Uppsala, Sweden, as the story opens, the winter weather is terrible, and a son awaits the return of his father, John Harald Jonsson. However, John Jonsson isn't coming home that night, or any other night because he's been murdered. Not only that, but there is evidence that John has been tortured. His wife, Berit, can't think of anyone that would want to hurt him let alone want him dead. Enter the police department, with the investigation being led by Ola Haver, who has some personal issue...

I initially struggled to get into this Swedish detective mystery through mix of what initially felt like a stilted a translation and getting used to the many character names that were unfamiliar to me. This was my first read in this story and whilst it can be read as a standalone, I would have probably got more into the story and characters had I read the previous three books in the series first.

This is an entertaining mystery that will keep you guessing. At the end, once you are on to the killer you are still guessing about how the author will wrap it up.The story is told in a series of vignettes each focusing on a character who is associated with the deceased. The format is perfect for a newspaper serial or a TV mini-series.The personalities are described such that you understand and care about them as they approach Christmas in this town in Sweden. Most of those who know the victim h...

A relative newcomer to the crime novel genre- though he's been publishing in his native Sweden for several years- Eriksson introduces his readers to Detective Inspector Ann Lindell and the mean streets of Uppsala. This was solid, smart crime fiction with a cast of characters I'm looking forward to getting to know better!

Intriguing mix of the personal, socio-political and violent crime

I had read about this book in a magazine and put it on my TBR list. Unfortunately, this series is impacted by the whole “Translated Out of Order Syndrome” and it really did matter here. There are references to happenings in the character’s lives that happened prior to the events in The Princess of Burundi, which is somewhat confusing.I am usually a big fan of Nordic/Scandinavian fiction in general but I struggled with this book and it is not a long novel, under 300 pages. It felt like a slog to

This story just didn't come together. It had, seemingly, all the aspects to make a good story, and yet it didn't. It didn't make sense, too many unanswered questions, too many people behaving in ways that didn't fit into a realistic scenario. John, a tropical fish collector and expert, is murdered. His ne'er do well brother wants to find out who killed him and avenge his brother's death. John had money and secrets that his son was aware of but his wife was not. John's son dedicates himself to th...

Unfortunately, I read this before the first 3...and felt it. Could be why I wasn't as excited about this book as others. I'll read the first 3 and they rethink my rating.

3.5 stars rounded up. I truly am a lover of mysteries, police series, psychological thrillers, and combing them into Scandinavian fiction is wonderful. I enjoyed the book for the most part. Sometimes, however, there is an awkwardness, that may or may not be awkward writing, versus awkward translation. I will never know a since I cannot speak Swedish, not even a little, so I am wholly dependent on the translator. That being said, the story was good, the characters interesting, but I felt these li...