Asa Larsson, The Blood Spilt

The Blood Spilt

Asa Larsson

Delacorte, Feb 2007, $22.00

ISBN: 0385339828

Three years have passed since Rebecka Martinsson killed three men in self-defense and saving the lives of children, but she has not gotten past the trauma. She cannot sleep and rarely goes to work. When one of the lawyers at her firm asks her to accompany him to Kiruna, a place she has avoided, she reluctantly agrees to help him try to win the church as a client.

When their business is completed, Rebecka decides to stay there in order to confront her demons. She makes friends with a person who has a man's body but a child's mind. When church officials ask her to get the key to a murdered priest's locker, she does; before giving it to them she copies his papers and hands them to the police, which enables her to find peace for the first time in years until another priest is killed and she begins to wonder if another serial killer exists in the area.

The first book in this series won Sweden's Best Crime Novel Award and readers will agree that THE BLOOD SPLIT is worthy of at least further nominations. This is a literary crime tale with a cast of memorable realistic characters. The audience will feel sorry for Rebecka who has suffered much trauma due to the priest killings. Asa Larsson follows up the terrific SUN STORM with an excellent thriller.

Harriet Klausner