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Inspector Huss #3
The Torso
Praise for Detective Inspector Huss:
"Absorbing, intelligent holds its own alongside the best feminine hardboiled novels currently being written by Englishwomen Val McDermid and Liza Cody, and our own Sara Paretsky."-Maureen Corrigan, NPR, Fresh Air and The Washington Post Book World
"A truly satisfying police procedural."-The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Another winner."-ALA Booklist
Part of a human torso washes up on a beach near Göteborg, Sweden. It is so mutilated that gender is only established by DNA testing. A similar crime, now several years old, remains unsolved in Denmark. Detective Inspector Irene Huss is dispatched to Copenhagen to liaise with police there in pursuing the killer. Then a third corpse is discovered. This time it's identified. She is a girl Detective Huss knew; she was asked by the girl's mother to locate her missing daughter. The next victim, the son of the woman heading the Copenhagen crime squad, is also known to Huss. She fears the killer is tracking her, killing people with whom she is connected. There is even a chilling suggestion that he or she is one of her colleagues.
"Absorbing, intelligent holds its own alongside the best feminine hardboiled novels currently being written by Englishwomen Val McDermid and Liza Cody, and our own Sara Paretsky."-Maureen Corrigan, NPR, Fresh Air and The Washington Post Book World
"A truly satisfying police procedural."-The Philadelphia Inquirer
"Another winner."-ALA Booklist
Part of a human torso washes up on a beach near Göteborg, Sweden. It is so mutilated that gender is only established by DNA testing. A similar crime, now several years old, remains unsolved in Denmark. Detective Inspector Irene Huss is dispatched to Copenhagen to liaise with police there in pursuing the killer. Then a third corpse is discovered. This time it's identified. She is a girl Detective Huss knew; she was asked by the girl's mother to locate her missing daughter. The next victim, the son of the woman heading the Copenhagen crime squad, is also known to Huss. She fears the killer is tracking her, killing people with whom she is connected. There is even a chilling suggestion that he or she is one of her colleagues.
360 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1999
162 people are currently reading
1489 people want to read
About the author
Helene Tursten
53 books948 followersHelene Tursten (born in Gothenburg in 1954) is a Swedish writer of crime fiction. The main character in her stories is Detective Inspector Irene Huss. Before becoming an author, Tursten worked as a nurse and then a dentist, but was forced to leave due to illness. During her illness she worked as a translator of medical articles.
Series:
* Irene Huss
Series:
* Irene Huss
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 230 reviews
April 6, 2025
A mediocre murder mystery, written in an inconsistent narrative style, with disgusting descriptions and a slightly questionable representation of queer, especially gay, people. And to top it all, the female author repeatedly uses sexual harassment as a (perceived) knee-slapper.
But for all that, the book is not completely uninteresting. 2.5 stars.
But for all that, the book is not completely uninteresting. 2.5 stars.
July 13, 2007
Last May I was lucky enough to hear Helene Tursten when she visited San Francisco (in the company of Hakan Nesser, Kjell Eriksson and Inger Frimansson), reading from her most recently translated novel, The Glass Devil.
I highly recommend her well-plotted policiers, enjoyable especially because her star detective is a unpretentious policewoman, a happily-married wife and mother without any of the barbed dysfunction of DS Jane Tennison, but with Tennison's drive and intelligence. (Don't get me wrong: I can't get enough of Tennison's dysfunctions, especially as portrayed by Helen Mirren!)
The Torso is my favorite of the three books translated so far. Completely satisfying.
I highly recommend her well-plotted policiers, enjoyable especially because her star detective is a unpretentious policewoman, a happily-married wife and mother without any of the barbed dysfunction of DS Jane Tennison, but with Tennison's drive and intelligence. (Don't get me wrong: I can't get enough of Tennison's dysfunctions, especially as portrayed by Helen Mirren!)
The Torso is my favorite of the three books translated so far. Completely satisfying.
February 19, 2014
Irene Huss is still the best. There is not even one detail redundant. I am looking forward to reading the nest one.
May 10, 2015
First sentence: The wind gave no warning of the ghastly discovery.
Only the torso of a body is found on a beach in Sweden. The only way to even identify the gender is through DNA testing. Irene Hess and her team discover there was a similar crime, still unsolved, in Denmark. The mother of a girl Hess knew is missing in Denmark and is found to be the third victim, although not as completely mutilated. With the fourth victim, Hess fears the killings are somehow related to her.
Hass is a very descriptive writer and very good at setting a scene. This is particularly helpful with a foreign setting to which readers may never have been. One thing very much appreciated is that all the money, weights, distances, etc., were converted in footnotes, for American readers.
From the outset, we are introduced to Irene and her team--and doesn’t every team have that one, obnoxious member. It’s a nice individuality that Irene’s boss refers to the morning meeting as “morning prayers.” It is also a pleasure to have a DI with a supportive husband, two teen-aged daughters and dog Sammie; a normal family life. Thursden is very good at balancing the different aspects of the story and even includes several delicious meals prepared by her chef husband.
There is a wonderful mix of personalities to the characters, particularly that of Tom Tanaka, a sex-shop owner who knew one of the victims. Some of the characters also provide red herrings for the story. One thing that is clear is the much more open attitude toward sex in Denmark than in other countries.
Their laissez-faire approach did surprise me. One does notice a certain fixation on eating and never missing a weekend. The police never seem to miss a meal, even in the middle of an investigation. It’s very much food-first; and no fast food here…”All of them chose tender ox rolls in a divine cream sauce, black currant jelly, and a large helping of early spring greens. Everyone had beer.”
The forensic information is fascinating. The tension builds with each chapter and it is not a book one is inclined to set aside. One wants to keep going and see where the trail leads. There is tremendous attention paid to the details in every aspect, but it the case or people’s personal lives. One criticism would be that there is tremendous building up to the end, and then it just…ends.
“The Torso” is gruesome, but not gratuitously so. However, It is a thoroughly engrossing, true follow-the-leads police procedural.
THE TORSO (Pol Proc-DCI Irene Huss-Sweden/Denmark-Contemp) – VG
Tursten, Helene – 3rd in series
Soho Crime – April 2007
Only the torso of a body is found on a beach in Sweden. The only way to even identify the gender is through DNA testing. Irene Hess and her team discover there was a similar crime, still unsolved, in Denmark. The mother of a girl Hess knew is missing in Denmark and is found to be the third victim, although not as completely mutilated. With the fourth victim, Hess fears the killings are somehow related to her.
Hass is a very descriptive writer and very good at setting a scene. This is particularly helpful with a foreign setting to which readers may never have been. One thing very much appreciated is that all the money, weights, distances, etc., were converted in footnotes, for American readers.
From the outset, we are introduced to Irene and her team--and doesn’t every team have that one, obnoxious member. It’s a nice individuality that Irene’s boss refers to the morning meeting as “morning prayers.” It is also a pleasure to have a DI with a supportive husband, two teen-aged daughters and dog Sammie; a normal family life. Thursden is very good at balancing the different aspects of the story and even includes several delicious meals prepared by her chef husband.
There is a wonderful mix of personalities to the characters, particularly that of Tom Tanaka, a sex-shop owner who knew one of the victims. Some of the characters also provide red herrings for the story. One thing that is clear is the much more open attitude toward sex in Denmark than in other countries.
Their laissez-faire approach did surprise me. One does notice a certain fixation on eating and never missing a weekend. The police never seem to miss a meal, even in the middle of an investigation. It’s very much food-first; and no fast food here…”All of them chose tender ox rolls in a divine cream sauce, black currant jelly, and a large helping of early spring greens. Everyone had beer.”
The forensic information is fascinating. The tension builds with each chapter and it is not a book one is inclined to set aside. One wants to keep going and see where the trail leads. There is tremendous attention paid to the details in every aspect, but it the case or people’s personal lives. One criticism would be that there is tremendous building up to the end, and then it just…ends.
“The Torso” is gruesome, but not gratuitously so. However, It is a thoroughly engrossing, true follow-the-leads police procedural.
THE TORSO (Pol Proc-DCI Irene Huss-Sweden/Denmark-Contemp) – VG
Tursten, Helene – 3rd in series
Soho Crime – April 2007
February 8, 2015
While the crimes in this book were a bit too grisly for my taste I did find this to be a worthwhile read. I like the main character, her co-workers and her family drama which was a nice contrast to the horrific crimes that were depicted.
July 27, 2018
According to Goodreads this is Inspector Huss #3 but according to bookseriesinorder.com this is the second book in the series. Second or third, it doesn't matter, it's a good read.
If I were a Christian I would be worried about going to hell because of my sin of gluttony. I am a glutton for books. So many books, so little time is a way of life for me, not just an ironic adage.
I read so many series; The Prey Series and the Virgin Flowers series by Sandford, Lincoln Rhyme by Deaver, various series by Pearson and more recently Hamilton, Flynn and Heywood. That is by no means inclusive. And while I'm reading one book another author and/or series will come to my interest for one reason or another.
I don't remember how or when Tursten's Inspector Huss series came to mind and I put off this second (or third, whichever) of the series while I explored other books, mostly series but some stand alone novels.
I enjoy Scandinavian crime books. They open up a land that I haven't explored except by these books. Well, I do remember reading about the Laplanders in the 5th grade I believe. The books I read are works of fiction. One cannot take the atmosphere displayed in a crime novel as the gospel. But they do impart a way of thinking. As an example at one point in this book Irene Huss ponders the way an American police department operates after watching a crime movie. She is amused by the open office plan of a squad room with criminals walking next to a detective's desk or that those detectives carry their weapons where a criminal might easily grab it out of the detective's holster.
Huss has a desk in an office shared by another inspector (detective). It is her space.
Whether Huss' musing are all that correct isn't the point; the point is the different attitudes of crime solving and operations of a squad.
I also enjoy visiting different parts of this world as seen through the eyes of the author. I visit beaches, neighborhoods, restaurants and pubs. I travel on ferries and European railways. (At one time in the 19th century the U.S. led the world in rail travel, both in miles of track and quality of that travel. How we have fallen behind with no apparent concern in site to catch up.) (End of rant.) (For the moment at least.)
Inspector Huss is leading the investigation of a murder, a partial body, dismembered, has washed up on the shore and the Violent Crimes team needs to find out who the victim is, even if it's male or female. Before this crime is solved we have additional bodies and the Copenhagen police become involved when some of those bodies show up there. At one point it seems that the killer is stalking Huss and those close to her.
And all through the story we see that Irene Huss is a detective but she's also a mother, a housewife, the owner of Sammie, her Wheaten Terrie and the father to a litter of pups, the result of a scandalous affair with a black poodle from down the street. (You dog you! Literally.)
When I find the time I will read more of Huss and the other members of the Violent Crime Squad. They are all well worth the read.
If you like books about far away places (well, for us Yanks at least though there are certainly a good number of goodreaders from that area of the country) that are also good reads as to crime and investigations, let me recommend Helene Tursten.
If I were a Christian I would be worried about going to hell because of my sin of gluttony. I am a glutton for books. So many books, so little time is a way of life for me, not just an ironic adage.
I read so many series; The Prey Series and the Virgin Flowers series by Sandford, Lincoln Rhyme by Deaver, various series by Pearson and more recently Hamilton, Flynn and Heywood. That is by no means inclusive. And while I'm reading one book another author and/or series will come to my interest for one reason or another.
I don't remember how or when Tursten's Inspector Huss series came to mind and I put off this second (or third, whichever) of the series while I explored other books, mostly series but some stand alone novels.
I enjoy Scandinavian crime books. They open up a land that I haven't explored except by these books. Well, I do remember reading about the Laplanders in the 5th grade I believe. The books I read are works of fiction. One cannot take the atmosphere displayed in a crime novel as the gospel. But they do impart a way of thinking. As an example at one point in this book Irene Huss ponders the way an American police department operates after watching a crime movie. She is amused by the open office plan of a squad room with criminals walking next to a detective's desk or that those detectives carry their weapons where a criminal might easily grab it out of the detective's holster.
Huss has a desk in an office shared by another inspector (detective). It is her space.
Whether Huss' musing are all that correct isn't the point; the point is the different attitudes of crime solving and operations of a squad.
I also enjoy visiting different parts of this world as seen through the eyes of the author. I visit beaches, neighborhoods, restaurants and pubs. I travel on ferries and European railways. (At one time in the 19th century the U.S. led the world in rail travel, both in miles of track and quality of that travel. How we have fallen behind with no apparent concern in site to catch up.) (End of rant.) (For the moment at least.)
Inspector Huss is leading the investigation of a murder, a partial body, dismembered, has washed up on the shore and the Violent Crimes team needs to find out who the victim is, even if it's male or female. Before this crime is solved we have additional bodies and the Copenhagen police become involved when some of those bodies show up there. At one point it seems that the killer is stalking Huss and those close to her.
And all through the story we see that Irene Huss is a detective but she's also a mother, a housewife, the owner of Sammie, her Wheaten Terrie and the father to a litter of pups, the result of a scandalous affair with a black poodle from down the street. (You dog you! Literally.)
When I find the time I will read more of Huss and the other members of the Violent Crime Squad. They are all well worth the read.
If you like books about far away places (well, for us Yanks at least though there are certainly a good number of goodreaders from that area of the country) that are also good reads as to crime and investigations, let me recommend Helene Tursten.
March 17, 2012
The Torso is to date my favorite book in the Irene Huss series; it is much darker in tone than either of the previous two novels (Detective Inspector Huss and Night Rounds), the plot is very well constructed, and the investigation takes center stage, with little else to distract from the main storyline. Frankly speaking, I couldn't put this book down.
Tursten captures the reader's attention within the first three pages with the discovery of a human torso inside of a garbage bag. Already busy with two major cases, the police in the Göteborg Violent Crimes Unit have their hands full, and adding to their burden is the fact that the torso yields little in the way of clues to help them out. All they have to go on is a strange tattoo which ultimately leads them to Copenhagen, where their counterparts in the police there are also dealing with a similar crime. Irene Huss also takes on the case of a friend's missing daughter; her trail also leads to Copenhagen, so Irene goes looking for her while she's there. After returning home, various events lead Irene to believe that she's being followed, and that her presence in the two police investigations has led the unknown murderer to strike again. This is no ordinary murderer, but rather someone who takes great delight in not only killing, but dismembering and disemboweling the victims as well. The focus in this book is on the two-pronged investigation, with the two police teams pulling together to chase down a vicious killer. Huss is, however, wary of sharing too much information with her Danish colleagues after a source in Copenhagen reveals that there might possibly be a cop involved. Aside from the police investigations, Huss has to deal with her teen daughters, a colleague whose work may be leading him toward alcoholism, and the personal aspects of her investigation into her friend's missing daughter. Tursten also uses the opportunity to examine attitudes toward homosexuals, women who work in prostitution and the sex industry in general.
If ever there was a book not for the faint of heart, this is it. There is a great deal of description involving decapitations, dismembering, removal of inner organs, and necrosadism which may lead you into wanting to put the book down after a while. But don't. First, while some parts are incredibly graphic, they're not written in a sensationalistic fashion, nor is there anything in these descriptions that doesn't belong in terms of the story line. Second, although the nature of the crimes may be abhorrent, what elevates this book is the police investigation -- this is one of the best police procedurals I've read this year. It is well conceived and well plotted, taking unexpected twists and turns along the way, topping anything Tursten has done in the previous two series novels.
I heartily recommend The Torso with zero reservations -- definitely a must for Scandinavian crime fiction readers, for crime fiction readers in general and for people who like their crime on the darker side.
Tursten captures the reader's attention within the first three pages with the discovery of a human torso inside of a garbage bag. Already busy with two major cases, the police in the Göteborg Violent Crimes Unit have their hands full, and adding to their burden is the fact that the torso yields little in the way of clues to help them out. All they have to go on is a strange tattoo which ultimately leads them to Copenhagen, where their counterparts in the police there are also dealing with a similar crime. Irene Huss also takes on the case of a friend's missing daughter; her trail also leads to Copenhagen, so Irene goes looking for her while she's there. After returning home, various events lead Irene to believe that she's being followed, and that her presence in the two police investigations has led the unknown murderer to strike again. This is no ordinary murderer, but rather someone who takes great delight in not only killing, but dismembering and disemboweling the victims as well. The focus in this book is on the two-pronged investigation, with the two police teams pulling together to chase down a vicious killer. Huss is, however, wary of sharing too much information with her Danish colleagues after a source in Copenhagen reveals that there might possibly be a cop involved. Aside from the police investigations, Huss has to deal with her teen daughters, a colleague whose work may be leading him toward alcoholism, and the personal aspects of her investigation into her friend's missing daughter. Tursten also uses the opportunity to examine attitudes toward homosexuals, women who work in prostitution and the sex industry in general.
If ever there was a book not for the faint of heart, this is it. There is a great deal of description involving decapitations, dismembering, removal of inner organs, and necrosadism which may lead you into wanting to put the book down after a while. But don't. First, while some parts are incredibly graphic, they're not written in a sensationalistic fashion, nor is there anything in these descriptions that doesn't belong in terms of the story line. Second, although the nature of the crimes may be abhorrent, what elevates this book is the police investigation -- this is one of the best police procedurals I've read this year. It is well conceived and well plotted, taking unexpected twists and turns along the way, topping anything Tursten has done in the previous two series novels.
I heartily recommend The Torso with zero reservations -- definitely a must for Scandinavian crime fiction readers, for crime fiction readers in general and for people who like their crime on the darker side.
June 11, 2016
Three reasons I am starting to love Helene Turston's series about Irene Huss (and friends):
1. It may be translated into English, but the translation does not translate all the "Swedish-ness" out of the book: "You shouldn't eat Jansson's Temptation right before you go to bed, especially if you have problems that can affect your night's sleep." Oh, yeah!
2. Helene Turston is a cool, controlled hot mess. She is always above board and by-the-book...until she suddenly choses not to be. There is a nice balance between her being a judo expert and then using this skill sparingly. And we've seen in the past that she is very willing to break the law (and cover things up) when it comes to a question of harm to her daughters.
2b. I also appreciate the slow-burn side stories about her co-workers. Things are happening in their lives during the course of the investigation, but these are allowed to play out when they play out.
3. Irene and her co-workers finally definitively figure out who the killer is. And then...
And one thing that I wish was different:
4. I like that this is the third narrative shift in three volumes of Irene Huss stories...each case stands alone. This volume veers into Val McDermid's territory similar to Carol Jordan and friends dealing with vile serial killers. However, Irene's co-workers are starting to take a back seat. This is less of a team investigation. There are two other cases happening in the background, but they mostly disappear into the background. I'm used to Val McDermid deftly handling multiple cases in the foreground and hope that happens again in the upcoming Irene Huss novels. There is a quiet power to the Irene Huss series and much of that has to do with Irene being a member of a team. She is very capable, but cannot be everywhere.
1. It may be translated into English, but the translation does not translate all the "Swedish-ness" out of the book: "You shouldn't eat Jansson's Temptation right before you go to bed, especially if you have problems that can affect your night's sleep." Oh, yeah!
2. Helene Turston is a cool, controlled hot mess. She is always above board and by-the-book...until she suddenly choses not to be. There is a nice balance between her being a judo expert and then using this skill sparingly. And we've seen in the past that she is very willing to break the law (and cover things up) when it comes to a question of harm to her daughters.
2b. I also appreciate the slow-burn side stories about her co-workers. Things are happening in their lives during the course of the investigation, but these are allowed to play out when they play out.
3. Irene and her co-workers finally definitively figure out who the killer is. And then...
And one thing that I wish was different:
4. I like that this is the third narrative shift in three volumes of Irene Huss stories...each case stands alone. This volume veers into Val McDermid's territory similar to Carol Jordan and friends dealing with vile serial killers. However, Irene's co-workers are starting to take a back seat. This is less of a team investigation. There are two other cases happening in the background, but they mostly disappear into the background. I'm used to Val McDermid deftly handling multiple cases in the foreground and hope that happens again in the upcoming Irene Huss novels. There is a quiet power to the Irene Huss series and much of that has to do with Irene being a member of a team. She is very capable, but cannot be everywhere.
August 13, 2016
‘Personal’ is a cute word
Inspector Irene Huss is good at balancing home and office but some cases cannot be contained in the files at office. When parts of human torso start washing up at beaches, it looks like just another serial killing at first glance but when Huss tries to solve the case by pulling some old and new ones, she discovers a puzzle with roots deeper than she could imagine. With one corpse being identified as a girl she knew and another corpse being identified as son of another woman known as Huss, she feels how much personal it is this time for the killer and herself.
Now that is an excellent story premise. But sadly the book delivers less than promised. First of all, the length. The book drags so much (more at the first half) that it could have shed about 30 pages easily. Lets give an example, "Maybe it would have been more elegant if the shoe had had a bit of a heel to go with the nice pants, but if you were one hundred and eighty centimetres tall without shoes, you don't wear heels. A short pass with lipstick would have to do as a means of freshening up her makeup. On the way down the stairs she twisted her arms into a new trench coat-style jacket. It was blue, the color of her eyes." Not so frustrating yet? Ok, now imagine paragraphs after paragraphs written about how our heroine had to face the problem of changing clothes quickly because someone was at the door or how she had to face the problem of changing her sweaty bra.
There are things like these scattered among a crime thriller about serial killer investigation. It is so frustrating and boring that even if you just say, "Meh" and skip 2-3 pages you won't feel that you have missed something important.
But even after all these frustration, the book still manages to keep you interested because the mystery is very good and because Inspector Huss is damn good at what she does. I almost felt like vouching for the book to be better when it ended.
To be frank, I want to read more of Inspector Huss mystery series but I am also very much afraid.
Inspector Irene Huss is good at balancing home and office but some cases cannot be contained in the files at office. When parts of human torso start washing up at beaches, it looks like just another serial killing at first glance but when Huss tries to solve the case by pulling some old and new ones, she discovers a puzzle with roots deeper than she could imagine. With one corpse being identified as a girl she knew and another corpse being identified as son of another woman known as Huss, she feels how much personal it is this time for the killer and herself.
Now that is an excellent story premise. But sadly the book delivers less than promised. First of all, the length. The book drags so much (more at the first half) that it could have shed about 30 pages easily. Lets give an example, "Maybe it would have been more elegant if the shoe had had a bit of a heel to go with the nice pants, but if you were one hundred and eighty centimetres tall without shoes, you don't wear heels. A short pass with lipstick would have to do as a means of freshening up her makeup. On the way down the stairs she twisted her arms into a new trench coat-style jacket. It was blue, the color of her eyes." Not so frustrating yet? Ok, now imagine paragraphs after paragraphs written about how our heroine had to face the problem of changing clothes quickly because someone was at the door or how she had to face the problem of changing her sweaty bra.
There are things like these scattered among a crime thriller about serial killer investigation. It is so frustrating and boring that even if you just say, "Meh" and skip 2-3 pages you won't feel that you have missed something important.
But even after all these frustration, the book still manages to keep you interested because the mystery is very good and because Inspector Huss is damn good at what she does. I almost felt like vouching for the book to be better when it ended.
To be frank, I want to read more of Inspector Huss mystery series but I am also very much afraid.
February 6, 2014
This is the first Irene Huss novel I've read but it will not be my last. I plan to read all the books in this series. Irene is a police detective from Goteborg, Sweden, a woman almost six feet tall and once the Ju Jitsu champion of her country. She is a force to be reckoned with.
In this mystery/thriller, there is a partial body that has been disemboweled found washed up on the Swedish beach during 1999. It is similar to a crime that took place in Copenhagen two years previously. The police find themselves searching for a necrophilic killer who is also a necrosadist. It takes Irene to the gay underworld of Scandinavia as she moves back and forth from Goteborg to Copenhagen searching for the killer. At the same time, the killer is stalking Irene and killing people who come into contact with her. She is becoming fearful.
The reader gets to meet the officers that Irene works with and the characterizations are in depth and startlingly good. There is Jonny who has a serious drinking problem and spends his time with the bottle rather than at the job. There is Jens who mysteriously disappears into a brothel and later that evening a prostitute from there is killed. Hannu is the go-to guy. He is short on outer emotions but seems to know someone who owes him a favor in every department.
Then there are the characters who are not police. Tommy owns a gay sex store and was once a Sumo wrestler. He has some photos on his wall that may put him in danger. Isabell, once a childhood friend of Irene's twin daughters, is now a Copenhagen prostitute who has disappeared. Her mother has contacted Irene hoping for help in finding Isabell.
Tursten knows how to write and the translator is excellent. The writing flows and there is no awkwardness in the prose. The characters come alive and I felt like I knew them all. I also felt a deep fear as I read about the twisted mind of the killer. I especially liked the fact that things didn't come together until the last pages of the book. This kept me guessing throughout. Kudos to the author.
In this mystery/thriller, there is a partial body that has been disemboweled found washed up on the Swedish beach during 1999. It is similar to a crime that took place in Copenhagen two years previously. The police find themselves searching for a necrophilic killer who is also a necrosadist. It takes Irene to the gay underworld of Scandinavia as she moves back and forth from Goteborg to Copenhagen searching for the killer. At the same time, the killer is stalking Irene and killing people who come into contact with her. She is becoming fearful.
The reader gets to meet the officers that Irene works with and the characterizations are in depth and startlingly good. There is Jonny who has a serious drinking problem and spends his time with the bottle rather than at the job. There is Jens who mysteriously disappears into a brothel and later that evening a prostitute from there is killed. Hannu is the go-to guy. He is short on outer emotions but seems to know someone who owes him a favor in every department.
Then there are the characters who are not police. Tommy owns a gay sex store and was once a Sumo wrestler. He has some photos on his wall that may put him in danger. Isabell, once a childhood friend of Irene's twin daughters, is now a Copenhagen prostitute who has disappeared. Her mother has contacted Irene hoping for help in finding Isabell.
Tursten knows how to write and the translator is excellent. The writing flows and there is no awkwardness in the prose. The characters come alive and I felt like I knew them all. I also felt a deep fear as I read about the twisted mind of the killer. I especially liked the fact that things didn't come together until the last pages of the book. This kept me guessing throughout. Kudos to the author.
June 12, 2011
I've come to expect dark writing from Scandinavian writers, but this one is exceptionally gruesome. Dealing with the subject of necrosadism, this is not a murder mystery for the fainthearted. A torso, just that, a torso with all distinguishing features that would even indicate the gender having been carved out and internal organs removed, is found in a washed up black trash bag.
The Swedish criminal investigation department are completely baffled and without distinguishing mark, limbs and a head, it is difficult to even identify the victim. And where are the missing appendages, for that matter? Expanding their search, they discover that over in Denmark, there was a similar murder, also with just the torso found, but in that case though, they were able to identify the victim eventually.
Upon a closer examination, a small tattoo is discovered on the Swedish torso. The tattoo is unique and Inspector Irene Huss is sent to Copenhagen to work with the police team there, perhaps there's a connection between their torso and the one her team are working on. In addition, her trip will help her try to locate the missing daughter of a family friend, last heard to be working with a modeling agency in Copenhagen.
Eventually, smaller pieces of the puzzle start emerging, and a picture of very disturbing necrosadism forms, although the murderer's identity continues to confound. And why is it that almost everyone Inspector Huss speaks to is later found dead?
Although the evidence and story unfolds slowly, it builds the anticipation and provides for a really good thriller.
The Swedish criminal investigation department are completely baffled and without distinguishing mark, limbs and a head, it is difficult to even identify the victim. And where are the missing appendages, for that matter? Expanding their search, they discover that over in Denmark, there was a similar murder, also with just the torso found, but in that case though, they were able to identify the victim eventually.
Upon a closer examination, a small tattoo is discovered on the Swedish torso. The tattoo is unique and Inspector Irene Huss is sent to Copenhagen to work with the police team there, perhaps there's a connection between their torso and the one her team are working on. In addition, her trip will help her try to locate the missing daughter of a family friend, last heard to be working with a modeling agency in Copenhagen.
Eventually, smaller pieces of the puzzle start emerging, and a picture of very disturbing necrosadism forms, although the murderer's identity continues to confound. And why is it that almost everyone Inspector Huss speaks to is later found dead?
Although the evidence and story unfolds slowly, it builds the anticipation and provides for a really good thriller.
October 13, 2012
I like dark stuff like Harry Bosch or Harry Hole, and have been struggling to find either dark enough stuff written by a woman or where the protagonist is a woman. I think Tursten gets clsoe to what I'm looking for. Probably even closest to what I'm looking for (and I just have not found the perfect thing yet).
The crimes in the book are vile and very dark. The detective, Irene Huss, is not dark herself, but she attracts the dark people in the story. And while there are elements of other Scandinavian female protagonist crime stories that are also present in this (a family oriented woman, or a woman who is desperately seeking for a man as the main thing), I really liked this one, unlike all the other Åsa Larsson/Kjell Ericksson/other Scandinavian books with a female character. Irene brings balance to the crimes; if the crimes were less gruesome, she, and the book would be more boring. I also liked the details of everything Swedish (from weather to what one wears to what's on the plate), and the differences between the Swedish and the Danish, and the soft reflections around people. The soft, humane touch balances well the gruesome crimes in the book. Many side characters were enjoyable too, my favorites being Tom the sumo guy and Hannu.
4.5 stars. Not quite 5, but yet more than 4 - I don't think I can think of a single thing that's missing or could be better (other than a few procedural things that could have been done differently).
The crimes in the book are vile and very dark. The detective, Irene Huss, is not dark herself, but she attracts the dark people in the story. And while there are elements of other Scandinavian female protagonist crime stories that are also present in this (a family oriented woman, or a woman who is desperately seeking for a man as the main thing), I really liked this one, unlike all the other Åsa Larsson/Kjell Ericksson/other Scandinavian books with a female character. Irene brings balance to the crimes; if the crimes were less gruesome, she, and the book would be more boring. I also liked the details of everything Swedish (from weather to what one wears to what's on the plate), and the differences between the Swedish and the Danish, and the soft reflections around people. The soft, humane touch balances well the gruesome crimes in the book. Many side characters were enjoyable too, my favorites being Tom the sumo guy and Hannu.
4.5 stars. Not quite 5, but yet more than 4 - I don't think I can think of a single thing that's missing or could be better (other than a few procedural things that could have been done differently).
May 6, 2014
Not going to miss reading the fanciful, elaborate descriptions of "Manpower" AKA "Penis Power" at all. Very illuminating to say the least (if you read/ have read it I'm sure you'll understand the reference). I'll leave it at that because any insight as to what it represents could spoil it all for you. (Tragic.)
Didn't really get into it at first, but the plot picked up throughout the middle and onward to the end. Despite:
(In stanza!)
Never felt acquainted with the killer //
Feels like a gaping hole in this thriller
(stanza unplanned but as I was formulating the thought it seemed so rhyme-y I had to)
Countering with:
For the most part I enjoyed the voice of the woman detective and her perspective through which the story unfolds, even though I often balked at her characterization of women (perhaps influenced by this "man's world"?) -- was even more dumbfounded since the author is a woman.
"She smiled apologetically and tried to look female and scatterbrained" (p. 183).
Aside from this and a few other gaffes, the writing, slow reveal and ending were well executed.
2.5 stars (rounded up) for this perverse, gruesome thriller. Emphasis on gruesome. And perverse.
Didn't really get into it at first, but the plot picked up throughout the middle and onward to the end. Despite:
(In stanza!)
Never felt acquainted with the killer //
Feels like a gaping hole in this thriller
(stanza unplanned but as I was formulating the thought it seemed so rhyme-y I had to)
Countering with:
For the most part I enjoyed the voice of the woman detective and her perspective through which the story unfolds, even though I often balked at her characterization of women (perhaps influenced by this "man's world"?) -- was even more dumbfounded since the author is a woman.
"She smiled apologetically and tried to look female and scatterbrained" (p. 183).
Aside from this and a few other gaffes, the writing, slow reveal and ending were well executed.
2.5 stars (rounded up) for this perverse, gruesome thriller. Emphasis on gruesome. And perverse.
August 29, 2018
What was I thinking? I’m not a fan of gruesomely detailed thrillers but I read Torso anyway. I am a fan of Inspector Irene Huss though with all her foibles and inconsistencies. I just should have known Torso would take me down a dark path littered with mutilated bodies and twisted necrophiliacs. Hence my 3 star rating! If all the gore hadn’t put me off, I would have given Torso a 4 star rating.
July 10, 2017
Gruesome, glacial and teasingly misleading police procedural. This series is mainly focused on one detective and her reactions to the crimes, suspects and colleagues. She's a bit prim in unusual ways and I like her.
February 22, 2018
Definitely a page-turner. Super gruesome though, even as someone who's been in surgeries and cut up a cadaver (for science)
September 27, 2009
I do love the Scandinavians, and this one was not nearly as bleak as the type trends, despite the really rather grisly premise of this mystery. You can guess the killer's MO from the title. The writing is fine, and the main character terrifically likeable and mentally whole, unlike many of the popular police inspectors introduced in many mysteries today. I was loving the experience of reading about Göteborg and Copenhagen and was liking the characterizations, but a false note was introduced late in the story and it was so discordant that I started to look at the book more critically.
This being a life-and-death story, one simply must trust the main character, in this case, Police Inspector Irene Huss, will make reasonable judgements regarding the investigation of a murderer. I did notice that even as the body count was rising precipitously (and perhaps preposterously), the detectives would go home every night and eat on time at nice pubs. This may just be a cultural habit, which I find more interesting than something to be critical about, coming from a culture where work is more important than any bodily function or relationship. But at one point Police Inspector Huss does not warn a potential victim about his safety, and at another point allows her daughters to travel alone on an overnight when the killer is actually stalking her and her family. Since death, and a very grisly death indeed, is the probable outcome of a mistake at this point in the story, I find it hard to believe that such a reasonable person as Irene Huss has proven herself to be would make this kind of choice. Unfortunately, Tursten then became for me just an ordinary writer instead of a magician. But I do like her main chancter enough to make another attempt.
This being a life-and-death story, one simply must trust the main character, in this case, Police Inspector Irene Huss, will make reasonable judgements regarding the investigation of a murderer. I did notice that even as the body count was rising precipitously (and perhaps preposterously), the detectives would go home every night and eat on time at nice pubs. This may just be a cultural habit, which I find more interesting than something to be critical about, coming from a culture where work is more important than any bodily function or relationship. But at one point Police Inspector Huss does not warn a potential victim about his safety, and at another point allows her daughters to travel alone on an overnight when the killer is actually stalking her and her family. Since death, and a very grisly death indeed, is the probable outcome of a mistake at this point in the story, I find it hard to believe that such a reasonable person as Irene Huss has proven herself to be would make this kind of choice. Unfortunately, Tursten then became for me just an ordinary writer instead of a magician. But I do like her main chancter enough to make another attempt.
May 15, 2016
This may be one of the most gruesome books I've read in a while. The Torso is the second in the Irene Huss series. We are still learning about Irene, her family and coworkers. When a torso is found washed up on the shore in a plastic bag, the discovery that internal & external organs as well as mammary glands have been removed. At first the pathologist is not even sure if it is a male or female body. It is determined that the body is that of a male. Irene's investigation leads to a similar murder in Copenhagen. While she is there, Irene also searches for the teenage daughter of a former neighbor. The girl has told her mother that she is modeling in Copenhagen, but it soon becomes obvious that it's definitely NOT modeling. Irene's investigation leads to a group of necrosadists, people who satisfy their sexual urges by mutilating corpses. Despite being gruesome, the book has very little overt action. It's all about police work and the private lives as well as the interactions of Irene's coworkers.
January 22, 2018
The Swedish series of Irene Huss does not do this story justice. The book is so much better. Huss is a stable detective, who has the normal flaws that we have. She works, she sometimes looks where she shouldn't, but unlike most detectives I can name, she is happily married and has two daughters who are doing well.
The mystery is were the angst is, and it is a very violent mystery. Huss even travels to Denmark so you get some wonderful Swede/Dane back and forth going on - and they have much beer.
But it is impossible not to like Huss because she is a human who is not constantly moping and whining. She does her job and lives her life, and that is wonderful.
The mystery is were the angst is, and it is a very violent mystery. Huss even travels to Denmark so you get some wonderful Swede/Dane back and forth going on - and they have much beer.
But it is impossible not to like Huss because she is a human who is not constantly moping and whining. She does her job and lives her life, and that is wonderful.
April 14, 2017
Pretty gruesome, a little too homophobic for my tastes, and less focus on Detective Inspector Irene Huss home life, which was a nice anchor in the previous book. More romantic intrigue which some readers might like, I thought that was silly. I appreciated the very, datadadah ending, as implausible as it was.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 2, 2008
The opening the terrible. The finish is weak. The bulk of the book is somewhat more interesting. Irene Huss is a decent character, but nothing compared to Erlendur, Wallander, Winter, van Veeteran et. al.
February 5, 2017
Hold nu op den var spændende - og hoved karaktererne er stadig ret interessante.
January 23, 2020
Excellent mystery with interesting characters, about murders/mutilations occurring in Gotenberg Sweden and Copenhagen. I liked the writing style and the vivid descriptions of people, places, etc. My only minor quibble is that I didn't need so much detail about the coffees and lunches. Nevertheless, I shall be reading more by this author.
April 23, 2022
This third installment in Helene Tursten’s Inspector Huss series is a bit more choppy than the first two books. Ultimately, the murderer sort of made sense, but almost seemed like a caricature and had too many unusual “fingerprints” mashed together. The path to finding the murderer also seemed overly complex.
One element less evident in this book is the home life of Inspector Huss, which sets this series apart from similar books. I hope the next few books return to weaving in the impact of a detective’s grueling and uncontrollable schedule on her husband and children.
One element less evident in this book is the home life of Inspector Huss, which sets this series apart from similar books. I hope the next few books return to weaving in the impact of a detective’s grueling and uncontrollable schedule on her husband and children.
May 29, 2018
As you might guess from the title, this installment of the series involved a brutal, nay, a revolting crime but I found the chase intense and the book impossible to put down. Well plotted.
April 14, 2024
Detective Inspector Irene Huss of the Goteborg Violent Crime Division is called to the scene of a gruesome murder. An eviscerated torso has been washed up on the beach. DNA evidence determines the body is a male and a tattoo is the only clue to his identity. Soon more body parts start to appear in trash bags throughout the country. When a young girl Irene is searching for is found dead in a similar way in Copenhagen, Irene takes her investigation there.
Irene is a very strong and capable detective. She's also a wife and mother of two teenage girls, dog owner and a judo expert. She's able to take care of herself in all the situations she encounters but these murders are so unsettling for her.
There are some pretty graphic crimes here (necrosadism, Swedish and Danish sex trade) and readers may not care for some of the themes. The secondary characters and Swedish atmosphere and culture are refreshing and authentic. The author weaves Irene's work and home life together in a very believable way. The story is complicated but not confusing.
If you're interested in a different type of female led police procedural you might want to start with the first of this series, Detective Inspector Huss where you'll be introduced to Irene.
Irene is a very strong and capable detective. She's also a wife and mother of two teenage girls, dog owner and a judo expert. She's able to take care of herself in all the situations she encounters but these murders are so unsettling for her.
There are some pretty graphic crimes here (necrosadism, Swedish and Danish sex trade) and readers may not care for some of the themes. The secondary characters and Swedish atmosphere and culture are refreshing and authentic. The author weaves Irene's work and home life together in a very believable way. The story is complicated but not confusing.
If you're interested in a different type of female led police procedural you might want to start with the first of this series, Detective Inspector Huss where you'll be introduced to Irene.
October 23, 2016
This one was a difficult one -- darker, more tense than the other ones. The story starts with a body part being found -- part of a torso in a black plastic garbage bag, tossed in the sea. As the police move forward trying to identify the body based on the little they have (they eventually find a few more parts in black plastic garbage bags), a tattoo points them to Copenhagen, and so off to Denmark Inspector Huss goes.
There she finds that the story began two years earlier, as the Danish police have an unsolved murder mystery with a similarly mutilated body. The body count, both in Copenhagen and in Goteborg, begins to add up -- and even when the bodies are as completely gutted as in the first two, there are enough similarities that the forensic pathologists in both countries are convinced it's the same murderer.
The plot revolves around as darkly perverse sexual kinks as one can imagine, and was really fairly tense as the murderer seemed to be aware of Irene and her investigation .... and one step ahead. And Irene develops a knack for making a few mistakes in this one, perhaps thrown off by being in Copenhagen for some of the investigation rather than her home turf.
Did like it, was engrossed throughout, but now ... am ready to take a short break from Detective Inspector Huss, just to recover from some of the images at play in this book.
There she finds that the story began two years earlier, as the Danish police have an unsolved murder mystery with a similarly mutilated body. The body count, both in Copenhagen and in Goteborg, begins to add up -- and even when the bodies are as completely gutted as in the first two, there are enough similarities that the forensic pathologists in both countries are convinced it's the same murderer.
The plot revolves around as darkly perverse sexual kinks as one can imagine, and was really fairly tense as the murderer seemed to be aware of Irene and her investigation .... and one step ahead. And Irene develops a knack for making a few mistakes in this one, perhaps thrown off by being in Copenhagen for some of the investigation rather than her home turf.
Did like it, was engrossed throughout, but now ... am ready to take a short break from Detective Inspector Huss, just to recover from some of the images at play in this book.
July 29, 2013
The novel is ploddingly written with no particular suspense. The characters all remain sketchily depicted except Huss, and her every thought is recorded, no matter how mundane. Unfortunately, many of her thoughts are mundane. Every character is thoroughly described including each person’s changes of outfits.
My biggest negative reaction has to do with unlikeliness in the investigation. Perhaps police procedure is different in Sweden than here, but I was surprised to find the coroner providing a profiler lecture based upon one examination of the body and a lot of supposition. In addition, the reactions of Huss and other offficers to some sights and remarks seem to be implausibly squeamish, considering their positions. It also seems implausible to me that the team would retain the obnoxious alcoholic cop Jonny, who seems to be incompetent to boot. Rather than assume Swedish procedure and police behavior is that different, I am inclined to believe that Tursten doesn’t know anything about criminal investigations.
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/t...
My biggest negative reaction has to do with unlikeliness in the investigation. Perhaps police procedure is different in Sweden than here, but I was surprised to find the coroner providing a profiler lecture based upon one examination of the body and a lot of supposition. In addition, the reactions of Huss and other offficers to some sights and remarks seem to be implausibly squeamish, considering their positions. It also seems implausible to me that the team would retain the obnoxious alcoholic cop Jonny, who seems to be incompetent to boot. Rather than assume Swedish procedure and police behavior is that different, I am inclined to believe that Tursten doesn’t know anything about criminal investigations.
See my complete review here:
http://whatmeread.wordpress.com/tag/t...
May 21, 2017
3.5 Stars. Engaging and the forensics is interesting. Some disjunctures (how did the perp know all the info about everyone without obvious connections to get all the info; gratuitous killing of girl as a warning a bit of a stretch). Somewhat formulaic, in that the family relations serve as filler to get you to care about the detective; gets tedious (also much description of food and meals)).
"Part of a human torso washes up on a beach near Göteborg, Sweden. It is so mutilated that gender is only established by DNA testing. A similar crime, now several years old, remains unsolved in Denmark. Detective Inspector Irene Huss is dispatched to Copenhagen to liaise with police. Then a third corpse is discovered. This time it’s identified. It is a girl Detective Huss knew; she had been asked by the girl’s mother to locate her missing daughter. A fourth victim, the son of a woman heading the Copenhagen crime squad, is also known to Huss. She fears the killer is tracking her, killing people with whom she is connected. There is even a chilling suggestion that he or she is one of her colleagues.
"Part of a human torso washes up on a beach near Göteborg, Sweden. It is so mutilated that gender is only established by DNA testing. A similar crime, now several years old, remains unsolved in Denmark. Detective Inspector Irene Huss is dispatched to Copenhagen to liaise with police. Then a third corpse is discovered. This time it’s identified. It is a girl Detective Huss knew; she had been asked by the girl’s mother to locate her missing daughter. A fourth victim, the son of a woman heading the Copenhagen crime squad, is also known to Huss. She fears the killer is tracking her, killing people with whom she is connected. There is even a chilling suggestion that he or she is one of her colleagues.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 22, 2018
This one is by far the best of the three I've read. Looking forward to #4 in the series.
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