Publisher's Weekly Review
In the first of Swedish author Karjel's novels to appear in English, Ernst Grip, of Sweden's security police, is sent on a mission to an American military base in Diego Garcia, a coral reef in the Indian Ocean, in 2008. His assignment is to interview a recalcitrant detainee known only as N and determine if he is a Swedish citizen. As Grip's FBI contact, agent Shauna Friedman, explains, N is suspected of being conscripted by a wealthy American named Adderloy to rob a bank in Topeka, Kansas. Though the plot is unusually complex, reader Harding's clear, appropriately dramatic rendition adds mightily to its accessibility and enjoyment. His presentation of the main characters is just as helpful. Ernst's over-enunciated English mirrors his need for caution. Shauna's voice, like the agent herself, is authoritative, uncompromising and unflappable. N, for good reason, sounds a bit like Ernst, though more taciturn, cynical, and hopeless. And Adderloy, the mastermind behind the robbery and its aftermath, apparently hails from the American Southwest. He is loud, arrogant, and demanding, and not the novel's only example of America at its worst. A Harper hardcover. (July) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Booklist Review
*Starred Review* In an intricate, fast-moving plot, Swedish air-force officer Karjel poses morally ambiguous views of achieving justice. New York FBI Agent Shauna Friedman asks specifically for the help of Swedish secret-security agent Ernst Grip, presumably to determine the nationality of the mysterious N., a survivor of the 2004 Thai tsunami who's been imprisoned and tortured on the U.S. military's Indian Ocean island of Diego Garcia. Grip soon ascertains that N. is Swedish and, along with other tsunami survivors, took part in a bank robbery in response to an evangelical pastor's diatribes that the tsunami was divine retribution in which five people died. But Friedman seems to be after something more, as she alludes to works of art previously stolen in New York, thefts that were masterminded by Grip. (Despite his legendary prowess with women, Grip recently turned to men for sex and fell for Ben Hayden, a New York art-gallery operator with HIV.) As the connections between the major players become more involved, they do what they must to survive. With this smart, compelling English-language debut, Karjel deserves a place in the rankings of notable Nordic crime writers.--Leber, Michele Copyright 2015 Booklist
Library Journal Review
This intriguing, complicated thriller concerns a suspected terrorist detained on Diego Garcia, a remote military outpost in the Indian Ocean, by U.S. authorities, who suspect the detainee to be Swedish. Ernst Grip of the Swedish security police is summoned to try to discern this person's identity. While listeners follow Ernst's journey, they also follow the fate of the detainee from the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami to his encounters with displaced people in the aftermath of the catastrophe to Topeka, KS, and then to Diego Garcia. Jeff Harding gives an animated and expressive reading of this tale. His pronunciation is clear, and he creates a distinct, melodic reading of the narrative, giving each character distinct voices that he performs consistently throughout. VERDICT Public libraries and those collections in which action thrillers are popular should consider this work.--Michael T. Fein, Central Virginia Community Coll., Lynchburg © Copyright 2015. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
