A Small Indiscretion

Marianne Jidhoff #1

by Denise Rudberg, Laura A. Wideburg (Translation)

Marianne Jidhoff is having trouble getting back on her feet after the death of her husband, Hans. As Stockholm’s Attorney General, Hans was known as much for his marital indiscretions as his ability to solve complex cases. But Olle Lundqvist, Lead Prosecutor at the department and Marianne’s friend of many years, knows that she was the brain behind Hans’s success. He persuades her to come back to work, and she quickly shakes her grief as she finds herself at the center of a series of mysterious killings among Stockholm’s upper echelons. Marianne teams up with the brash and handsome investigator Torsten Ehn to find out who is behind the murders, and together they uncover a kinky secret society populated by the city’s elite.

This sexy twist on the Scandinavian crime tradition—dubbed Elegant Crime by the author—is both a colorful glimpse into the rarefied world of Sweden’s rich and powerful and a beguiling mystery featuring a cast of unforgettable characters.

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Swedish Literature, Mystery, Audiobook

484 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Denise Rudberg, född 1971, är bosatt i Stockholm. Hon har studerat film och dramaturgi i New York och har bland annat skrivit två löst sammanhållna romantrilogier.

Senast gjorde hon succé med Jenny S, Matilde och Åse som alla har blivit stora försäljningsframgångar. Denise Rudberg har även skrivit en svit ungdomsböcker, Tillsammans, som fick pris som 2008 års mest sålda ungdomsbok. Sommaren 2010 påbörjar hon en ny ungdomsbokstrilogi, Baristas, och hösten 2010 debuterar hon i en ny genre - elegant crime - med Ett litet snedsprång, den första i en serie, där alla böcker redan är sålda till SF för att bli film.

(Från förlagets hemsida.)

Reviews

[Gretel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I find it quite funny that Denise Rudberg calls her novel A Small Indiscretion 'elegant crime'. There's not much elegant about this book. Unless you find a whole chapter about going to see the gynecologist (I am not exaggerating this) or cringeworthy sex scenes elegant. Perhaps it means something different in Swedish and something has gotten lost in translation, but there wasn't much that was elegant in this book. Or much that was to do with crime, for that matter.

Rudberg started off as a chick-lit author, and it really shows. As a study of character, I would've given this three stars, but as I was expecting a crime novel, I am giving it two. The crime parts could've taken up only about a hundred pages in a book that is almost five-hundred pages long. While Rudberg makes her characters human with backstories, I feel as if there is too much detail at times. There's a lot of chapters that could've been omitted and it wouldn't have effected the novel. I wanted a crime story, but didn't get one. To Rudberg, the crime part of this crime novel seems to be an afterthought. The ending is very rushed and a bit of a deus ex machina. I can't say I was satisfied by this novel and found it rather weak, but props to Rudberg for giving her characters backgrounds, even if she did go overboard with details.

[Diana Donnelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a Goodreads win. It was the first book I've read by this author. It had the mystery that I always enjoy and the characters were well described and became real to me. The author had a page titled Cast of Characters at the beginning of this book which I found helpful. This book was originally written in Swedish and translated into English. The translator certainly did a fine job. I will be looking for other books by this author.

[Carl Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me start by saying that this was a Goodreads giveaway win. Let me also say that all my experience with Swedish crime drama comes from reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo a couple of years ago.
That being said, I went into this book with little to no expectations, and I was pleasantly surprised. This book is very easy to read. I blew through it in less than a week. I'm curious to see if this develops into a series.
I did have a few problems with this book. I think that there may have been something lost in translation, some of the characters dialogue seemed kind of... I don't know... faked, forced, kinda weird. The "secret society" was a little under used I thought. The solution to the crime and resolution of the story seemed a rushed and tacked on to me. And Marianne's obsessiveness with the way she looks in the first few chapters got on my nerves. Although I think that this just underlines the changes to her outlook on life later in the story. I also thought that the relationship between Marianne and Torsten did not get completely explored. Yet another reason that I think that this could become a series. They sniff around each other quite a bit but nothing ever happens. Maybe I'm just being nitpicky.
Don't get me wrong, this is a good book. Would I recommend it to someone who likes mysteries, yes. Would I read it again? Probably not. I've got too many other books on my shelf to read.

[Roger Leissner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mycket trevlig läsning. Skönt med en 55 årig huvudperson som rör sig i lite andra kretsar än vad man är van att läsa om.

[Ken Fredette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really liked this book, Denise Rudberg knows how to tell a story. Marianne Jidhoff's husband died of cancer but also died with another womans name on his lips. She goes back to work after years of taking care of her husband. I'm not going to say anything else, because you should read this book.

[Julia EP Simon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Vet du vad jag inte vill läsa? Långrandiga skildringar om tråkiga brott där störst fokus läggs på dieter och klyschigt snusk. Mycket besviken.

[Karen M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book seems to be the only one by this author which has been translated from Swedish to English! Horrors! I want to read more by this author!

This book was rich with characters that were well developed to a point where I either loved or hated them. This, for me, is a good sign. The different areas of Stockholm and the many street names are close to being tongue-twisters but you get a feel for the city and the people. The clues are there but it was almost the conclusion before I figured out who done it.

Marianne's less than good husband has died (my feeling was good riddance but then I really like Marianne) and she is contacted by her former boss to return to work after years of staying at home. She has been depressed and reluctant to leave the house but Olle, her former boss, is insistent that he needs her help. So, Marianne returns to the prosecutor's office as his secretary but they both know her real skill is in sorting through the details of the reports and finding connections and mistakes. This time she is working with Torsten, a police detective who is also middle aged and divorced and as persistent and devoted to their work as she is. They are working on a murder case when another murder occurs which Torsten is convinced is connected, somehow, to the first murder and with the help of his new partner Augustin and Marianne they set out to solve these murders.

Have I said I love these characters and want to read more from this author? I don't know if there is a sequel but I can hope.

I won this book in a First Reads giveaway.

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was ridiculous.

[Nightwitch · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read, although somewhat hampered by the stilted tone that some translated novels get. Marianne, our heroine, is fifty-five and recently windowed - and mad as hell at her late husband, who was flagrantly unfaithful throughout their marriage. She gets talked into resuming her job as a legal secretary and we mosey along with Marianne, hot fifty-something cop Torsten (who thinks Marianne is just lovely, natch) - and somewhat less successfully, bored housewife Paula and eventually Paula's nameless stalker. What I'm saying is this is not great literature but it has that addictive soap opera quality as Marianne and Torsten's friends, relatives, and enemies get up to various shenanigans, and by the way there's a murder or two to solve along the way.

[Ingalill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing special, men ok nok til å lese resten av serien (8 bøker).
Liker hovedpesornen (gammelmarianne 40+) og synes Rudberg er bedre her enn i
chicklitten sin..

[Shelly Donaghey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A SMALL INDISCRETION appears to be the first in a series of Swedish crime dramas from author Denise Rudberg. The crime is of course murder, a late 30 something family man is run down, backed over and run over again. This murder is the impetus that brings our three protagonists.
First up is Marianne Jidhoff who has been on grief leave from the prosecutor’s office after the death of her husband Hans, Stockholm’s Attorney General and a philanderer of a husband. Now she has been asked to return to work to assist in the investigation.
Torsten Ehn is the police investigator assigned to the case. Divorced, good looking and smart, he uses a lot of footwork and gut instinct to try to tie this murder to a seemingly unrelated follow-up murder that occurred under totally different circumstances.
Augustin Madrid is the third member of the team and he is something of a mystery. Young attractive, from the upper classes it would appear, he is a bright rising star in the police world but something of a misfit and so he is placed in Ehn’s care in the hope the younger man can learn investigative wiles from his would be mentor.
The majority of the novel is set among the upper class of Stockholm where money can’t buy happiness, divorce is looming and people are trying out ways to “Discover Themselves” at a place called Right Now. As we wend our way through the novel we see marriages falling apart and some families coming together, strong parents and weak, and a mysterious stalker who might or might not be the killer.
Swedish crime drama separates itself from both British and American crime fiction in that there is a heavy dose of family involved. Even as our investigators try to discover the truth in the events they are presented with, they also struggle with siblings and parents and spouses and children. This involvement rounds out their character and allows the reader to garner a greater sense of them and their life and their surroundings.
This was a Goodreads win that I would have happily gone out and purchased. It appears to be one of a dozen books Ms. Rudberg has written, the first to be translated into English, and hopefully not the last of this series to be brought forth internationally.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an attempt at mixing a more human-style narrative into the Swedish crime drama and it works really well as a novel. I quite liked it. I'm not sure the mystery itself was 100% satisfying, but it's not really the only focus. It's a bit more like those JK Rowling mysteries where you read them for the dynamic between the detective and his assistants. In this case, it's a team of three. I also enjoyed all the detail about Stockholm and various cafes and neighborhoods. To be completely honest: I read this because I know the translator. But the translation is really one of the best things about it. I never felt that I was reading a translation and there was never that jarring moment when you wish you were reading it in the original language. Kudos!

[Mrs Book Pond (Anna-Lena) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eftersom jag börjat lyssna på podden Första Glaset kände jag ganska snabbt att jag ville uppdatera mig på Rudberg/Bleys författarskap och Ett litet snedsprång var först ut. Jag hade inte så höga förväntningar; min pappas omdöme var att den var helt händelselös - men jag älskade denna första del! Jag kan på en gång säga att deckarhistorien i sig är sekundär, även om den inte alls var dålig, men det är pga Marianne Jidhoff och karaktärerna runt henne som man vill läsa vidare. Det var en fröjd att både få följa hennes första trevande steg in i yrkeslivet igen och hennes privata utmaningar. Jag var helt fast i Östermalm på bussen varje dag!

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this mystery set in Stockholm, Sweden. The people and setting were well drawn and the mystery continued until almost the end. It gave a good idea of how police work intersects with prosecution in Sweden. I feel like the end was signaling the beginning of a series, and I hope that is true. The author apparently was a chick-lit author before writing this mystery, but this is the first of her books translated into English. It will be interesting to see if others are translated if this one does well.

[Johanna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jag vet inte vad Denise Rudberg ville uppnå med denna bok? Den verkar knappast reflektera verkligheten, och allt sexuellt umgänge kändes mest onödigt och knappast en del av storyn i det stora hela. För känslan att hon försökt blanda en deckare med Harlequin.
Uppdelningen av storyn var dock helt okej, spännande att följa fyra personligheter med korta, jämna mellanrum. Dock var uppslutningen alldeles för snabb, fick hon slut på sidor? Eller var det slut på idéer?

[Robin Tauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good read

I don't know why foreign mysteries seem so interesting to me, especially the Scandinavians. The characters in this book seem so real. Even though I have never been to Sweden, I seem to see the places the characters inhabit. The story never lagged and the mystery had a solid conclusion. Interesting people, interesting place and a good story make a really good book.

[Anne Holappa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Huomaa kyllä, että kirja on naisen kirjoittama. Niin paljon pantiin aikaa sukkahousujen kiertymisen ihmettelyyn ja muihin vastaaviin "naisellisiin" teemoihin, jotka olivat kyllä varsinaisen juonen kannalta merkityksettömiä. Puolessa välissä jouduin ihan muistelemaan että mikä se rikos taas olikaan ja kuka oli kuollut, kun keskityttiin ensisijaisesti päähenkilön upeuteen ja ihmissuhteisiin - sivujuonteisiin. Niin, viihdettä, semmoisenahan tämä menee.

[Katja Halonen · Rating 3 out of 5]

En yleensä lue dekkareita, mutta nyt jatkoa taitaa seurata. Kirjassa oli tarpeeksi yllättäviä juonenkäänteitä, mutta väkivalta ei ollut liian suuressa roolissa. Minulle seksikohtauksista olisivat riittäneet hieman vähemmän yksityiskohtaiset kuvaukset, mutta ehkäpä ne kuuluivat asiaan. Kirjailija kuvaa hyvin ihmisten välisiä suhteita ja jännitteitä, henkilöt tuntuvat todellisilta.

[Eva Dillner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Den här boken gillade jag av flera anledningar. Personportätten var fascinerande, handlingen och dialogerna intressanta och hela boken var härlig att läsa. Jag gillar de olika personligheterna som figurerar och ser fram emot mer böcker i serien.

[Duffy Pearce · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the characters. The solution to the mystery was a little sudden but the resolutions to the characters' life issues were satisfying. I'm hoping this is the first in a series, I'd definitely pick up another.

[Rebecca Jaramillo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit Chick-Lit'ish, yes, but the Swedish settings, cultural and social descriptions, food and society comments were interesting. It was a nice change from the other more DARK Scandinavian police thrillers that we have been given. So, not Nordic Noire. More like Nordic Christie. And that is okay.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slightly late to the party on this one; my book club read it earlier this year. But I blew through it in 2 days- I was immediately caught up in the story line, and I loved the main characters. Not sure if this is going to be a series; but fingers crossed. I want to know more!

[Suketus]

Hyvin keskinkertainen dekkari länsinaapurista. Tarinassa ei ole oikeastaan mitään sen kummempaa koukkua, ehkä kiinnostavinta on uskottomuusteema, mutta siihenkään ei päästä kovin syvälle. Jännitys hiipuu, eikä syyllisen motiivi ole kummoinen. Höh.

[Rebeca Lindquist · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kan varmt rekommendera denna boken, även andra som Denise Rudberg skrivit har tillfallit min smak.
En härligt blandning av spänning, klurigheter och känslor.

Ser fram emot läsa fortsättningarna om Marianne Jidhoff.

[Maria Laru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ihan sujuvaa tekstiä, hyvä dekkari mutta onko ihan pakko sortua harlekiinisarjamaiseen kohtauskuvaamiseen välillä - ja miksi ihmeessä pitää päähenkilön käynti gynekologin vastaanotolla sisällyttää dekkariin ? Koko loppukirjan mietin, että liittyiköhän tämä jotenkin tarinaan... no ei liittynyt.

[Okidoki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ett infall fick mig att läsa Denise Rudberg för första gången. Mordgåtor tilltalar mig inte, men besök i intressanta miljöer. Jag föll direkt för Östermalm, Marianne Jidhoff och hennes sympatiska kollegor Torsten och Augustin. Jag är mycket road.

[Vivienne · Rating 3 out of 5]

great book until the end, the plot got thin and characters disappeared. it was like another author wrote the last chapter!

[Theresa Archibald · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome

Best book I've read in a while! I was really disappointed that more of her works weren't translated into English yet.

[Anja Myllylä · Rating 3 out of 5]

Luin suomennetun version Yksi tappava syrjähyppy
(ei vielä löydy täältä Goodreadsistä)

[Marja Aarnipuro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every page of it. Marianne Jidhoff is a lively and interesting character.