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Review: Blaze Me a Sun by Christoffer Carlsson, Translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles



Blurb from Goodreads:
In February 1986, the Halland police receive a call from a man who claims to have attacked his first victim. I’m going to do it again, he says before the line cuts off. By the time police officer Sven Jörgensson reaches the crime scene, the woman is taking her last breath. For Sven, this will prove a decisive moment. On the same night, Sweden plunges into a state of shock after the murder of the prime minister. Could there possibly be a connection?

As Sven becomes obsessed with the case, two more fall victim. For years, Sven remains haunted by the murders he cannot solve, fearing the killer will strike again. Having failed to catch him, Sven retires from the police, passing his obsession to his son, who has joined the force to be closer to his father.

Decades later, the case unexpectedly resurfaces when a novelist returns home to Halland amid a failed marriage and a sputtering career. The writer befriends the retired police officer, who helps the novelist—our narrator—unspool the many strands of this engrossing tale about a community confronting its shames and legacies.
My Review:
This was great!  I was worried when I saw that there were 100+ chapters but the chapters are short and the pacing is exemplary. I wish the first book in this series were translated but alas it's not so here's hoping the next book will be because I need more!  If you like police procedurals or Scandinavian crime thrillers generally, I highly recommend this book! So nuanced and beautifully written.

Blaze Me a Sun comes out this week on January 3, 2023, and you can purchase HERE
The box in the attic had, for the first time in a long time, made him think of his father, of the life he had led and how it ended. We tend to see those who are no longer with us in a rosy light. Our memory smooths over imperfections, erases conflicts, and neatly bundles the past up so we can carry it with us. Surely it's the only way. We're only human, and can't always manage otherwise. It hurts to grieve the loss of someone who is also a source of pain.

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