Pablo Delgado the
Jun 28, 2024
Since her first novel, published in 2010, Anders de la Motte (Sweden, 1971) has received relatively good reviews and prestigious awards for his books. The Swedish author has joined the already well-established cast of Scandinavian crime novel authors. After the boom Generated by the work of Steig Larsson, Scandinavian literature, especially that referring to crime novels, exploded, and today, leaves behind authors who truly make a difference in this broad narrative panorama.
Anders de la Mottte is one of them, along with Camila Lackberg and Jo Nesbo, the Swedish author has stabilized showing a powerful and accessible work that delights all readers who until now have been able to access his work. Now with The murderer on the mountain (Planet) For the first time, Spanish-speaking readers can access the captivating dark and criminal prose of Anders de la Motte.
Hemingway said something like that in order to write, you have to experience life and then tell it, so de la Motte knows what he writes about in his novels, since he worked for eight years as a policeman before becoming head of security for the technology company Dell for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, a position that he eventually left to devote himself fully to writing. Thus, We are facing one of the European writers of thriller with greater criminalistic and forensic preparation, so this is noticeable in his novels, making them more credible and shocking.
His narrative debut was with Game (2010), which earned him the award for Best First Novel from the Swedish Academy of Crime Writers. In 2015 he was awarded the Best Crime Novel award for Ultimatum. He is also especially known for his quartet of books on the seasons: Sensommer, Høstdåd, Vinterild and Våroffer.
With The murderer on the mountain, de la Motte writes a mix of police thriller and psychological crime. Through Chief Inspector Leonora Asker, who in principle is the best candidate to head the Violent Crimes Department. A series of events arise that transform the main character, especially when the daughter of a wealthy family in Sweden disappears. Then due to another past event, her superiors remove her from the case and make her responsible for a somewhat special and somewhat forgotten Unit in the building, the Missing Case Unit, the unsolved cases division of the police station made up of four very peculiar.
Humiliated in her new replacement position and removed from the case of the young woman’s disappearance, Leo finds herself embroiled in an investigation that seems trivial: someone is altering the scenes on a large model railway. However, after a figure identical to that of the missing girl appears on the model, Asker understands that they are facing a ruthless killer and there is only one person who can help her: Martin Hill, a professor of architecture and expert in urban exploration.
The story follows Inspector Leo Asker, a very interesting character with an even more interesting backstory. She has worked hard to leave behind a past in which she lived with a father who distrusted everything and everyone, falling into conspiracies and the theory that the end of the world was near. This experience during her adolescence left its mark on Asker, but what she learned in her childhood will also help her solve this case, which will not be easy, because she has to face the “King of the Mountain.”
With a strong beginning that hooks the reader from the first page, and that I am sure you will try to read in one sitting. The novel focuses on five characters: Leo Asker; Smila, the missing young woman; the King of the mountain; Martin Hill, Leo’s architecture professor and friend; and Jonas Hellman, Leo’s former boss and lover. His consecutive stories offer us different points of view throughout the events, giving the narrative structure a freshness and dynamism that traps the reader in that tense investigative atmosphere provided by de la Motte.
Her investigation takes her to empty buildings and beyond. This is where the environment and the urban exploration, a very growing activity that consists of visiting abandoned, hidden or places that have restricted access to the public. A form of alternative tourism that has become very popular especially among young people looking for different and exciting experiences.
As is the work of the Swedish author. In it there are many twists, turns and revelations along the way, maintaining the tension at all times and this is due in large part to the short and agile chapters. It’s a great way to create an atmosphere that just crackles constantly with great energy and leaves readers breathless. A novel full of tension, danger and suspense.
With The mountain killer, de la Motte also starts a new series starring Asker. It has been one of the most anticipated releases in Scandinavia since its author announced the creation of this character. The novel has swept the lists of best-selling books in Sweden, Norway and Denmark. So if Anders de la Motte is an author that has not been read or heard of, I recommend that you give him a chance and Inspector Asker another.
The mountain killer // Anders de la Motte // Planeta // Translated by Pontus Sánchez Giménez // 2024 // 21.90 euros
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Pablo Delgado
Jun 28, 2024
