30. The Blood Spilt by Asa Larsson

Stockholm tax attorney Rebecka Martinsson, last seen in Larsson’s first novel, Sun Storm, is back for more adventures in Kiruna, Sweden. Still recovering from having to kill three men trying to attack her, Rebecka just returned to her law office to find that her law firm is using her newfound celebrity status to their advantage to drum up new clients. When a female priest, Mildred Nilsson, is found murdered in her church, Rebecka welcomes the chance to go back to her native Kiruna to help investigate. The only problem is that Mildred, a staunch feminist, had caused many people in the community to dislike her and finding out who could have killed her and why is harder than Rebecka thought – especially when most people in the area stop being helpful to Rebecka and police.

Larsson not only develops a great character such as Rebecka, but also has created a wonderful policewoman, Anna-Maria Mella, who is also in the first mystery. Very realistic, with real worries, such as just having had a child and having enough time to clean her house as well as solve crimes, Anna-Maria also has great interactions with Rebecka and helps tie in Rebecka’s involvement with the police force. Once again, the wonderful midsummer setting in northern Sweden, with its never-ending daylight, is the perfect setting for this story. For other mysteries with a midsummer setting, try reading Unseen by Mari Jungstedt (see review at http://www.tcpl.org/sarah/2007/01/test.html), Never End by Ake Edwardson (see review at http://www.tcpl.org/sarah/2007/03/13-never-end-by-ake-edwardson.html), or Blackwater by Kerstin Ekman.