"Death Angels", by Ake Edwardson

4th novel translated into English from the Erik Winter series

This series has not been released to the English audience in the order it was written, “Death Angels” is actually the 1st in the series. For those who are already familiar with Chief Inspector Erik Winter this novel will bring you back in time to when the Inspector was younger and unmarried. 

In this novel, Erik teams up with Scotland Yard to solve a mysterious case that has the same M.O. as other cases in which British and Swedish young men have been found murdered in extremely violent ways. The discovery of filming equipment suggests the killer maybe recording his deeds to gain notoriety in the snuff film world. While Winter works the UK side of the case his colleague in Sweden questions a stripper named Angel, who he believes knows more than she is telling, her beauty and her expertise in handling people prove to be daunting challenge….. However the key to solving the case may lay with the thief who found a sack full of bloody clothes……

I found the story to have a sluggish start and be a touch less captivating than the other books I have read so far in this series. It is intensive in police procedural and takes a while before the action kicks in however just when you think it has peaked you are thrown a few more curves to keep you guessing. The effects a homicide has on the officers working the case and on the victims’ families is quite emotional and well done. I was quite fascinated by the in depth psychological characterisation of the Chief Inspector and his British associate. There are many sub-characters and keeping up with their Swedish names and their parts can be challenging at times. I have the feeling I was on the wrong track at times and missed out on some of the important nuances between players. 

If I had started with this book I doubt if I would have continued with the series. I found the other books much more exciting and captivating however this one gives us an important introduction to Erik Winter, Sweden’s fictional youngest Chief Inspector.