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Inspector Huss #2
Nattrond
En kall februarinatt mörkläggs Löwanderska sjukhuset i Göteborg. En man i respirator avlider. Sjuksköterskan som borde funnits på plats ligger mördad ovanpå det saboterade elaggregatet. När kriminalinspektör Irene Huss anländer hävdar det enda vittnet bestämt att den sedan länge döda syster Tekla synts i korridorerna under natten.
288 pages, Pocket
First published January 1, 1999
93 people are currently reading
1514 people want to read
About the author
Helene Tursten
53 books944 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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 272 reviews
July 10, 2022
I had read a few of these books years ago and thought I ought to circle back to the second in the series where Irene has the opportunity to display her judo moves more than once -- like, is she the most banged up detective ever? Me thinks so.
Anyway...I wanted to refresh her family status, etc. before proceeding in watching some of the video of this series on MHz.
Older series that holds up.
Anyway...I wanted to refresh her family status, etc. before proceeding in watching some of the video of this series on MHz.
Older series that holds up.
August 8, 2021
I read the 1st Inspector Huss mystery by Swedish author Helene Tursten back in 2012 and actually didn't finish it. I don't know if it was the translation or the actual story but it just didn't seem to work. So it took me quite awhile to even consider trying another book in the series. It was very disappointing because I had enjoyed other Scandi mysteries. Night Rounds is the 2nd book and much better than the first. I finished it!
There is a power outage at a private hospital in Goteborg. As the head doctor investigates, they discover the body of one the nurses in the generator room. This brings the Violent Crimes Unit, of which Inspector Huss is a member, into the investigation. During the power outage, one of the patients, who is on a ventilator, also dies. An elderly nurse is panic-stricken as she claims she saw a 'ghost' nurse on the ward. It turns out that many years ago, a nurse had killed herself in the attic.
So begins an interesting investigation by the Crimes unit. It's very much a team effort, even if Huss is the focus of the story. You get the morning prayers where the team goes through evidence gathered, discuss clues, all the basics that make for a good investigation. They are all interesting individuals who bring their own set of skills to the investigation. There are also frictions that come to the forefront, even sexual harassment that has to be dealt with.
The story brings out a number of suspects, the owner of the hospital, he being the main doctor, his wife, his ex-wife, boyfriends, all making the investigation more interesting. You also get a nice look at Irene Huss's family life, her daughter becoming involved with militant veganism, the family conflicts. All very interesting.
There are deaths, missing nurses, 'ghosts'? I don't think it's a perfect story but it flowed along nicely. I enjoyed how the investigation progressed; back tracking at times, wheels spinning at times but ultimately coming to a satisfying conclusion. A much better book than the first. I will continue with the series. (4 stars)
There is a power outage at a private hospital in Goteborg. As the head doctor investigates, they discover the body of one the nurses in the generator room. This brings the Violent Crimes Unit, of which Inspector Huss is a member, into the investigation. During the power outage, one of the patients, who is on a ventilator, also dies. An elderly nurse is panic-stricken as she claims she saw a 'ghost' nurse on the ward. It turns out that many years ago, a nurse had killed herself in the attic.
So begins an interesting investigation by the Crimes unit. It's very much a team effort, even if Huss is the focus of the story. You get the morning prayers where the team goes through evidence gathered, discuss clues, all the basics that make for a good investigation. They are all interesting individuals who bring their own set of skills to the investigation. There are also frictions that come to the forefront, even sexual harassment that has to be dealt with.
The story brings out a number of suspects, the owner of the hospital, he being the main doctor, his wife, his ex-wife, boyfriends, all making the investigation more interesting. You also get a nice look at Irene Huss's family life, her daughter becoming involved with militant veganism, the family conflicts. All very interesting.
There are deaths, missing nurses, 'ghosts'? I don't think it's a perfect story but it flowed along nicely. I enjoyed how the investigation progressed; back tracking at times, wheels spinning at times but ultimately coming to a satisfying conclusion. A much better book than the first. I will continue with the series. (4 stars)
March 20, 2017
Irene Huss, Detective Inspector in the Gothenburg, Sweden police force is a person you would like to know and, especially, a person you would want on your side in a crisis. She is an intuitive investigator who also follows accepted procedure--other than when the exigences of the plot force her to do something dangerous which, of course, is the case in just about every crime novel published. After all what is the point of having a protagonist, one that the author develops over a few hundred pages (and in this case, ten or so books) if she isn't the one who ultimately solves the crime or leads those who do.
Huss is a wife and mother raising twin girls with her husband, a chef who owns his restaurant. She is a former international ranked judo competitor although her prowess isn't used often in the series in self-defense unarmed combat situations but generally she hits the mat to help deal with the rigors of the job and the unthinking chauvinism of her mostly male colleagues--"Night Rounds" was written in 1999.
The setting is a private hospital in Gothenburg--a very quiet place with lots of blind corners and dimly lit hallways. A power failure causes a patient on a respirator to die but during that investigation a nurse if found murdered. The prime suspect, according to several witnesses, is a nurse who hung herself at the hospital over 60 years ago.
With a creepy setting, a ghost that no one believes exists other than those who have seen her and yet another murder, credible characters and seemingly true to life police investigative procedures, "Night Rounds" is recommended for those (like me) who enjoy such things.
Huss is a wife and mother raising twin girls with her husband, a chef who owns his restaurant. She is a former international ranked judo competitor although her prowess isn't used often in the series in self-defense unarmed combat situations but generally she hits the mat to help deal with the rigors of the job and the unthinking chauvinism of her mostly male colleagues--"Night Rounds" was written in 1999.
The setting is a private hospital in Gothenburg--a very quiet place with lots of blind corners and dimly lit hallways. A power failure causes a patient on a respirator to die but during that investigation a nurse if found murdered. The prime suspect, according to several witnesses, is a nurse who hung herself at the hospital over 60 years ago.
With a creepy setting, a ghost that no one believes exists other than those who have seen her and yet another murder, credible characters and seemingly true to life police investigative procedures, "Night Rounds" is recommended for those (like me) who enjoy such things.
September 6, 2017
This is one of those books that looks at gender issues but does it very subtly. Irene Huss is not a perfect character, she might not even be the smartest detective in the room, but unlike many other detectives, in particular nordic ones, that I can think of, she is one of the most well adjusted ones. She is an everywoman, and there is something comforting about that.
The mystery here is quite good and rather engrossing. It plays with the ideas of ghosts, both "real" and emotional.
The mystery here is quite good and rather engrossing. It plays with the ideas of ghosts, both "real" and emotional.
September 9, 2018
Somehow I skipped this and read the third in the series, The Torso after reading the 1st in the series, Detective Inspector Huss. This was more plodding than either of those two and normally that would mean it wasn't quite as good. That wasn't the case.
Detective Inspector Irene Huss is a mother and wife, the proud owner of a small dog, a woman who has, like most of us do, some self doubt about many things in her life, and oh yes, quite an intuitive detective in the violent crime squad of the Göteborg, Sweden police.
She deals with all of the realities of life; twin 14 year old daughters who are taking first steps toward adulthood, a husband with a successful career of his own, a dog that needs to be walked, rain or shine, bodies that pile up in a strange crime blamed by some on a ghost. In other words, Ms. Tursten brings Irene to life in a very real way.
This series is filled with characters that bring the story to life, whether it is a young teen girl spreading her wings about veganism, a husband who comes home after a long, hard day in the kitchen as chef of a popular restaurant (and too tired to make love to his wife), team members on the violent crime squad who have their own problems.
I am reminded of the team of detectives in the 87th Precinct. In that great series Ed McBain brings the various detectives to life both on and off the job. While Joe Carella and his cohorts operate in a similar manner; an environment that can be hot or cold, dry or wet, and some better than others; there are many differences too. At one point Irene watches a crime film on TV and thinks about how ridiculous the amount of shootings there are. Irene doesn't carry a gun normally.
On a very different note; the stores of Lillian Jackson Braun with Qwilleran, Koko and Yum Yum created an atmosphere that you looked forward to coming home to in each book as you read it. Tursten does that with her books, creating a group of characters that it's like coming home to. It's not all blood and guts but it includes hurt feelings, irritants in how someone treats another, a car that is old and recalcitrant at times, a boss that you may respect but you may also be frustrated by. In short, a group of characters that we can believe in.
But then there is that spectral hand on the window. "What?" you ask? Here you go. . . read the book.
Tursten gives us characters we can believe in, relate to, laugh with, be irritated with and thoroughly enjoy.
If you like a who done it type of mystery, characters that could be part of your own life, events that make you laugh, cringe, worry, rejoice with, then read this book. You'll be glad you did.
Detective Inspector Irene Huss is a mother and wife, the proud owner of a small dog, a woman who has, like most of us do, some self doubt about many things in her life, and oh yes, quite an intuitive detective in the violent crime squad of the Göteborg, Sweden police.
She deals with all of the realities of life; twin 14 year old daughters who are taking first steps toward adulthood, a husband with a successful career of his own, a dog that needs to be walked, rain or shine, bodies that pile up in a strange crime blamed by some on a ghost. In other words, Ms. Tursten brings Irene to life in a very real way.
This series is filled with characters that bring the story to life, whether it is a young teen girl spreading her wings about veganism, a husband who comes home after a long, hard day in the kitchen as chef of a popular restaurant (and too tired to make love to his wife), team members on the violent crime squad who have their own problems.
I am reminded of the team of detectives in the 87th Precinct. In that great series Ed McBain brings the various detectives to life both on and off the job. While Joe Carella and his cohorts operate in a similar manner; an environment that can be hot or cold, dry or wet, and some better than others; there are many differences too. At one point Irene watches a crime film on TV and thinks about how ridiculous the amount of shootings there are. Irene doesn't carry a gun normally.
On a very different note; the stores of Lillian Jackson Braun with Qwilleran, Koko and Yum Yum created an atmosphere that you looked forward to coming home to in each book as you read it. Tursten does that with her books, creating a group of characters that it's like coming home to. It's not all blood and guts but it includes hurt feelings, irritants in how someone treats another, a car that is old and recalcitrant at times, a boss that you may respect but you may also be frustrated by. In short, a group of characters that we can believe in.
But then there is that spectral hand on the window. "What?" you ask? Here you go. . . read the book.
Tursten gives us characters we can believe in, relate to, laugh with, be irritated with and thoroughly enjoy.
If you like a who done it type of mystery, characters that could be part of your own life, events that make you laugh, cringe, worry, rejoice with, then read this book. You'll be glad you did.
February 15, 2012
I was excited to win a copy of Night Rounds: A Detective Inspector Irene Huss Investigation by Helene Tursten in the Goodreads first reads. I am a big fan of Swedish thrillers-of the Scandinavian, "Nordic Noir" genre generally. And I enjoyed Detective Inspector Huss, the first in a series featuring a non-angsting Swedish detective, Irene Huss.
Irene is wife to a chef (I admire a woman who marries well!), mother of twin teenage girls (one of whom is passionate, excitable, and prone to getting herself into difficulties), former ju-jitsu champion, and detective on the Swedish police force. This thriller begins with a power failure at a small private hospital. When the lights go back on, a patient has died, a nurse has been murdered, and a ghost (Tekla-a former nurse) has been spotted.
Irene's squad is having problems aside from a possibly murderous ghost. There is serious harrassment issues: not so much of Irene as a colleague, Brigitta. Irene tries to help her colleague survive a male-dominated work force while solving a case with too many suspects. And, as in the first book, she manages to get herself banged up in the process.
The mystery in this book was more absorbing than the first and the character of Irene as well as her relationships with family and colleagues just as interesting. I enjoy Irene's ordinariness-she's smart but not brilliant, her children can be worrisome without anguish and her marriage appears almost extraordinarily ordinary-in a happy way.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre and to ordinary fiction lovers as well. I can't wait to read another book in this series.
Irene is wife to a chef (I admire a woman who marries well!), mother of twin teenage girls (one of whom is passionate, excitable, and prone to getting herself into difficulties), former ju-jitsu champion, and detective on the Swedish police force. This thriller begins with a power failure at a small private hospital. When the lights go back on, a patient has died, a nurse has been murdered, and a ghost (Tekla-a former nurse) has been spotted.
Irene's squad is having problems aside from a possibly murderous ghost. There is serious harrassment issues: not so much of Irene as a colleague, Brigitta. Irene tries to help her colleague survive a male-dominated work force while solving a case with too many suspects. And, as in the first book, she manages to get herself banged up in the process.
The mystery in this book was more absorbing than the first and the character of Irene as well as her relationships with family and colleagues just as interesting. I enjoy Irene's ordinariness-she's smart but not brilliant, her children can be worrisome without anguish and her marriage appears almost extraordinarily ordinary-in a happy way.
I strongly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys this genre and to ordinary fiction lovers as well. I can't wait to read another book in this series.
July 29, 2012
I was eagerly waiting for this fourth installment of Swedish Investigator Irene Huss. The first books, Detective Inspector Huss, Torso, and Glass Devil, had been so complex and intense that I had expected that level of page-turning compulsion from this book.
Truthfully, I had been a bit put off by the perversities of the other books (incest, sado-masochism, religious zeal), but I found that I missed that element in this book. This was a no-frills police procedural, well-written, but just not compelling.
One thing I do like about these books – her personal life is kept to a minimum. We see the stress a woman must manage with a family and a demanding job, but it doesn’t dominate the story. She has another family – her co-workers – and we see her interaction with them just as much as we do with her husband and daughters.
I understand that several films have been made based on her first books and that six new Swedish films are in production. Also, several more books are being translated into English and should be available in the States soon. I’m not giving up on Irene Huss; I like her and her Wheaten terrier and want to read more.
Truthfully, I had been a bit put off by the perversities of the other books (incest, sado-masochism, religious zeal), but I found that I missed that element in this book. This was a no-frills police procedural, well-written, but just not compelling.
One thing I do like about these books – her personal life is kept to a minimum. We see the stress a woman must manage with a family and a demanding job, but it doesn’t dominate the story. She has another family – her co-workers – and we see her interaction with them just as much as we do with her husband and daughters.
I understand that several films have been made based on her first books and that six new Swedish films are in production. Also, several more books are being translated into English and should be available in the States soon. I’m not giving up on Irene Huss; I like her and her Wheaten terrier and want to read more.
January 15, 2020
For a mystery that takes place in a creepy old hospital haunted by a nurse whose ghost was sighted on the night of the murder, this is pretty humdrum. That may be partly down to the flat prose (whether that’s original or a lacklustre translation, I can’t say). I kept reading, but I also chose to go to sleep when I only had the short “all is revealed” chapter left, so . . . .
The inclusion of Irene Huss’ daily life not just as a police inspector but as a wife and mother, including reflections on how she struggles to balance it all and deals with (puts up with) sexism on the job should make her a deeper, more sympathetic character, but it all felt pretty flat.
This is the second book in the series I’ve tried and they were both just OK, so I think it’s not for me.
The inclusion of Irene Huss’ daily life not just as a police inspector but as a wife and mother, including reflections on how she struggles to balance it all and deals with (puts up with) sexism on the job should make her a deeper, more sympathetic character, but it all felt pretty flat.
This is the second book in the series I’ve tried and they were both just OK, so I think it’s not for me.
May 24, 2020
Or perhaps 3.5 stars but I'll give her the benefit. This series is towards the cozy end of the murder mystery scale; not as cozy as Agatha Christie or Ngaio Marsh, but cozier than Jo Nesbo or Michael Connelly. I was sucked in, she's a pretty good writer and the mystery was interesting, although it was pretty clear whodunit fairly early on. It was nice to see my suspicions firmed up along with those of the investigation team. DI Huss is a sympathetic protagonist and the team has the usual array of different characters. There's also a bit of her home life with her husband, twin teenage daughters and dog. As in the first book there's a small crisis with a daughter that's solved quickly. Overall a quick and satisfying read with few gory details. On the negative side it's all a little too cozy, and the ending felt quite rushed and convenient. Another negative was the translation, there were too many weird sentences and a few irritating elements, eg I think currency names should not be translated - Sweden has krona, not "crowns". I think this likely robbed the book of some local color - certainly compared to the translations of Nesbo's books. I see that the first 3 books in the series have different translators so I guess Tursten doesn't have her own translator and the publisher finds one; the translation was better in the first book. I also noticed that as with Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole series, the English translations were published out of order, so watch for that - these should be read in order, although each is self-contained.
September 7, 2016
I really like Swedish detective mysteries and have read all of the Inspector Huss books. The last one "The Torso" was so graphic and disturbing that I was questioning whether I would want to read another. However I think Irene Huss is a strong female character and I feel like the books give some insight into the workings of Swedish culture, which I find interesting. The sub plots of Irene and her family are entertaining, as well as the personalities and interactions within the police department and the way that they deal with sexual harassment and women in the work force.
Night Rounds was an enjoyable book and I read it fairly quickly. It was pretty obvious who the murder was early on in the plot, but that didn't make it less interesting. The ending however, seemed very forced, and the confession extremely unrealistic. The epilogue too was pretty unnecessary and rather silly. I would give this book at 3.5 if I could - all in all an enjoyable read.
Night Rounds was an enjoyable book and I read it fairly quickly. It was pretty obvious who the murder was early on in the plot, but that didn't make it less interesting. The ending however, seemed very forced, and the confession extremely unrealistic. The epilogue too was pretty unnecessary and rather silly. I would give this book at 3.5 if I could - all in all an enjoyable read.
November 12, 2013
Helene Tursten does not disappoint in her second novel with Detective Inspector Huss. The story is well plotted, with interesting characters. This one takes place in a private hospital in Goteborg, Sweden, In the darkest night, the electricity goes out, and when it gets back on, an elderly surgical patient and a nurse are found dead. A few more deaths happen before the perpetrator is caught. There is also a ghost nurse, representing someone who committed suicide at the hospital many years ago. The back story of the ghost adds another interesting dimension to the plot.
Well done. A good escape read.
Well done. A good escape read.
September 27, 2019
Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge: A book set in Scandinavia.
And man, was it hard to find a book I could make it through that was set in Scandinavia! I'm pretty sure I only really finished this one because I didn't want to have to start at square one again. Anywho.
This book is billed as less dark and depressing than others of the Nordic noir genre. There were quotes on the copy I read praising the heart-pounding ending and the complexity of the mystery. Well...
I didn't think the mystery was especially complex. I guessed the not-that-difficult-to-spot motive pretty quickly. And ya know, the main reason I wasn't reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or other Nordic noir was because I don't trust strange white straight male authors not to be misogynistic. So it was deeply disappointing to find the misogyny filling this book. I'm going to get a little spoiler-y so I'm hiding the rest behind a tag. Just know, spoiler free, I was not impressed.
And so I leave you with actual footage of Irene Huss considering the consequences of her actions:
And man, was it hard to find a book I could make it through that was set in Scandinavia! I'm pretty sure I only really finished this one because I didn't want to have to start at square one again. Anywho.
This book is billed as less dark and depressing than others of the Nordic noir genre. There were quotes on the copy I read praising the heart-pounding ending and the complexity of the mystery. Well...
I didn't think the mystery was especially complex. I guessed the not-that-difficult-to-spot motive pretty quickly. And ya know, the main reason I wasn't reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo or other Nordic noir was because I don't trust strange white straight male authors not to be misogynistic. So it was deeply disappointing to find the misogyny filling this book. I'm going to get a little spoiler-y so I'm hiding the rest behind a tag. Just know, spoiler free, I was not impressed.
And so I leave you with actual footage of Irene Huss considering the consequences of her actions:
March 24, 2021
Kun aloin lukemaan kirjaa, huomasin että olin lukenut sitä jo aiemmin jonkun matkaa kirjanmerkistä päätellen. Selailin luettuja sivuja eikä mitään mielikuvaa ollut luetusta. Niinpä aloitin sen uudelleen. Helene Tursten on minulle ihan uusi kirjailija.
Kirjan tapahtumat sijoittuvat sairaalamaailmaan. Eräänä yönä sairaalassa kuolee potilas kun sähköt katkeaa ja yöhoitaja löytyy murhattuna puolen yön jälkeen. Murhaa alkaa tutkimaan Irene Huss. Vuorossa ollut toinen yöhoitaja väittää nähneensä aaveen ja on täysin varma että se on murhan takana. Sairaalassa nimittäin on aikoinaan entinen hoitaja nimeltä Tekla tehnyt itsemurhan ja tarinan mukaan tämän haamu tulee joka yö klo 00-01 kummittelemaan sairaalan käytäville. Samaan aikaan myös toinen hoitaja katoaa. Tutkijat ovat ihmeissään. Myös sairaalan henkilökunnan taustoista löytyy mielenkiintoisia yksityiskohtia. Alkuun tuntuu että rikostutkijat junnaavat paikallaan eikä murhan tutkimuksissa päästä eteenpäin. Lopulta murhaajalle löytyy silminnäkijä. Tekla saa lisävahvistusta. Ei mene kauaa kun tämä silminnäkijä löytyy myös murhattuna. LisäksiIrenen oma tytär aiheuttaa lisähuolta sekaantumalla vääriin piireihin.
Murhatutkimuksissa jakaudutaan selvästi kahteen leiriin. Osa uskoo ettei menneisyydellä ole mitään merkitystä nykyisten murhien kanssa mutta toinen puoli on sitä mieltä että Teklan ja sairaalan menneisyys pitää ensin selvittää, jotta nykyiset murhat selviää. Paljon joutuu penkomaan ja kyselemään ennen kuin vastauksia löytyy. Kun Irene kumppaneineen saa selvyyttä menneisiin, myös nykyiset murhat alkavat selvitä. Epäilyksen alle joutuu useampi ja lopulta on helppo päätellä kuka on murhaaja. Se valkeni minullekin aika pian ennen loppua. Ihan kohtalainen dekkari mutta ei saanut minua vielä vakuuttuneeksi että tältä kirjailijalta kannattaa lukea enemmänkin.
Kirjan tapahtumat sijoittuvat sairaalamaailmaan. Eräänä yönä sairaalassa kuolee potilas kun sähköt katkeaa ja yöhoitaja löytyy murhattuna puolen yön jälkeen. Murhaa alkaa tutkimaan Irene Huss. Vuorossa ollut toinen yöhoitaja väittää nähneensä aaveen ja on täysin varma että se on murhan takana. Sairaalassa nimittäin on aikoinaan entinen hoitaja nimeltä Tekla tehnyt itsemurhan ja tarinan mukaan tämän haamu tulee joka yö klo 00-01 kummittelemaan sairaalan käytäville. Samaan aikaan myös toinen hoitaja katoaa. Tutkijat ovat ihmeissään. Myös sairaalan henkilökunnan taustoista löytyy mielenkiintoisia yksityiskohtia. Alkuun tuntuu että rikostutkijat junnaavat paikallaan eikä murhan tutkimuksissa päästä eteenpäin. Lopulta murhaajalle löytyy silminnäkijä. Tekla saa lisävahvistusta. Ei mene kauaa kun tämä silminnäkijä löytyy myös murhattuna. LisäksiIrenen oma tytär aiheuttaa lisähuolta sekaantumalla vääriin piireihin.
Murhatutkimuksissa jakaudutaan selvästi kahteen leiriin. Osa uskoo ettei menneisyydellä ole mitään merkitystä nykyisten murhien kanssa mutta toinen puoli on sitä mieltä että Teklan ja sairaalan menneisyys pitää ensin selvittää, jotta nykyiset murhat selviää. Paljon joutuu penkomaan ja kyselemään ennen kuin vastauksia löytyy. Kun Irene kumppaneineen saa selvyyttä menneisiin, myös nykyiset murhat alkavat selvitä. Epäilyksen alle joutuu useampi ja lopulta on helppo päätellä kuka on murhaaja. Se valkeni minullekin aika pian ennen loppua. Ihan kohtalainen dekkari mutta ei saanut minua vielä vakuuttuneeksi että tältä kirjailijalta kannattaa lukea enemmänkin.
February 18, 2012
Reading the ARC of Night Rounds for the first time was quite intriguing and mixed for me. As a crime book I enjoyed at least the overall crime story of having many twists and turns as a good crime story should. I never realized though that you had to question the same people countless times as the book did. I believe the book had swelled greatly from the beginning to the middle but then had became a shallow wave.
The part where Sverker nor Carina had not demanded a search warrant struck me odd but I had let that go. Then along to where Irene had used herself to gain a confession from Carina was just plain lame and mediocre for me. I did not truly understand or get how a woman wanting a hospital to become a fitness center and knowing her husband was cheating could be mentally distraught or ill to actually cause herself to start ranting about how she did it just because she was full of hubris. I also did not enjoy the fact that Irene and her partner found Sverker and Carina so attractive and yet Irene and Tommy have their own family. At one point I was getting the hint that Irene wanted to have sex with Kurt Hook! I also didnt really enjoy the parts about Jenny and her problems I really just wanted to focus on the crime at hand and not keep having interruptions of how a silly girl becomes a vegan in a family of meat eaters. And at parts I got a hint of hubris for Irene too. I felt that she was like at the top as well. Stating herself as a proud handball champ, jujutsu black belt 3rd Dan, fit runner, inspector, woman with a chef as a husband, etc I completely ignored. I rate this book based on its crime plot only.
The part where Sverker nor Carina had not demanded a search warrant struck me odd but I had let that go. Then along to where Irene had used herself to gain a confession from Carina was just plain lame and mediocre for me. I did not truly understand or get how a woman wanting a hospital to become a fitness center and knowing her husband was cheating could be mentally distraught or ill to actually cause herself to start ranting about how she did it just because she was full of hubris. I also did not enjoy the fact that Irene and her partner found Sverker and Carina so attractive and yet Irene and Tommy have their own family. At one point I was getting the hint that Irene wanted to have sex with Kurt Hook! I also didnt really enjoy the parts about Jenny and her problems I really just wanted to focus on the crime at hand and not keep having interruptions of how a silly girl becomes a vegan in a family of meat eaters. And at parts I got a hint of hubris for Irene too. I felt that she was like at the top as well. Stating herself as a proud handball champ, jujutsu black belt 3rd Dan, fit runner, inspector, woman with a chef as a husband, etc I completely ignored. I rate this book based on its crime plot only.
March 26, 2008
In letzter Zeit haben die skandinavischen Krimis ja einen wahren Boom gehabt, eingeläutet von Henning Mankell. Im Gegensatz zu amerikanischen Krimis geht es dort meist viel ruhiger und beschaulicher zu. Hier werden die Polizeiinspektoren bei einem Verhör zu Hause schon mal zu einem Tässchen Kaffee und Keksen eingeladen. Undenkbar dass sowas Alex Cross bei James Patterson passieren würde. Auch kommt der gesamte Roman von Helene Tursten ohne einen einzigen Schußwechsel aus, was ebenfalls eine willkommene Abwechslung vom Rumgeballere in US-Krimis ist.
Leichen gibt es allerdings schon, aber nicht wirklich ein Motiv. Was natürlich die Polizei vor ein Rätsel stellt, was sie am Ende dann aber doch lösen. Und meine erste Vermutung bezüglich des Täters war doch nicht richtig, was ein weiterer Pluspunkt ist. Nichts ist langweiliger als wenn man nach den ersten 10 Seiten schon weiß, wie es ausgeht.
Die Geschichte an sich fand ich also interessant, die Umsetzung leider manchmal nicht so gut. Der Schreibstil von Tursten ist glaub ich nicht so ganz mein Fall, vielleicht liegt es aber auch an der Übersetzung? Außerdem fand ich die Einflechtung des Privatlebens der Inspektorin nicht immer gelungen. Sicher, sie sollte nicht nur als Polizistin sondern auch als Mutter und Ehefrau rüberkommen, aber meiner Meinung nach ist das irgendwie nicht gut gelungen. Da hätte ich eine Fokussierung auf den Kriminal-Fall besser gefunden als diese Nebenhandlungen.
Leichen gibt es allerdings schon, aber nicht wirklich ein Motiv. Was natürlich die Polizei vor ein Rätsel stellt, was sie am Ende dann aber doch lösen. Und meine erste Vermutung bezüglich des Täters war doch nicht richtig, was ein weiterer Pluspunkt ist. Nichts ist langweiliger als wenn man nach den ersten 10 Seiten schon weiß, wie es ausgeht.
Die Geschichte an sich fand ich also interessant, die Umsetzung leider manchmal nicht so gut. Der Schreibstil von Tursten ist glaub ich nicht so ganz mein Fall, vielleicht liegt es aber auch an der Übersetzung? Außerdem fand ich die Einflechtung des Privatlebens der Inspektorin nicht immer gelungen. Sicher, sie sollte nicht nur als Polizistin sondern auch als Mutter und Ehefrau rüberkommen, aber meiner Meinung nach ist das irgendwie nicht gut gelungen. Da hätte ich eine Fokussierung auf den Kriminal-Fall besser gefunden als diese Nebenhandlungen.
March 28, 2017
A nurse is murdered during a power failure in a small private hospital. At the same time a patient dies as there is no electricity to power his ventilator and the next day another nurse is discovered missing. An elderly nurse insists she saw the perpetrator and she was a ghost. This is the basic plot of a solid police procedural. It is not particularly riveting but it gets the job done, examining the case from all angles and leading the team looking into the historical aspects to be nicknamed Ghostbusters. I enjoyed these historical details and the methodology behind the investigation but I felt the ending was a bit of a damp squib. I also liked the way Ms Tursten intertwined the investigation with details of Inspector Huss's home life - it makes her more human, especially as she frequently expresses a desire to stop work and go home, not something you see often in crime fiction but understandable given the shocking sexism rife in her department - surely that cannot be the way things were in the 90s? There are good and bad things in this novel but it is, as I've said before, a solid read.
April 15, 2018
I find the Swedish crime stories of Helene Tursten very appealing. Despite a profusion of characters and situations, her exposition is admirably logical, clear, and consistent. The characters are plausible and well-developed, suspense grows, and the challenges of armchair detection are just sufficient. Inspector Irene Huss is uncomplicated, strong, and realistically feminine, balancing the demands of policing with looking after her twin daughters and husband. Night Rounds seems a little more complicated than it needs to be, but red herrings must be served.
It's a small point, but the 2012 translation by Laura A. Wideburg assumes too little knowledge of Scandinavian culture among English-speaking readers, and tends to apply American usage and colloquialisms. I want to stay in Sweden, not a cultural colony of the United States.
It's a small point, but the 2012 translation by Laura A. Wideburg assumes too little knowledge of Scandinavian culture among English-speaking readers, and tends to apply American usage and colloquialisms. I want to stay in Sweden, not a cultural colony of the United States.
May 4, 2018
Not a fan of this book. First of all, I found the writing to be very simple and the grammar off, but think that may come from the fact it was originally written in Swedish and was translated. Also, the Swedish names made a little harder to follow and I thought there were way too many characters named. Major characters, minor characters and then ones that didn't really matter to this story. I found the story to be dragged out with a lot of irrelevant information. I found myself getting bored while reading and not really caring what happened with the story. It is a murder mystery with elements of a ghost story.
March 23, 2017
Straightforward and intriguing, this novel explores a series of murders at a private hospital. Irene Huss and her colleagues use solid police procedure to solve the mystery. There is some domestic drama with Irene's teenage twin daughters but it illuminates the family pressures a dedicated detective endures and handles while working a high profile case. This book is blessedly free of annoying foreshadowing (a pet peeve of mine) and illustrates how a well crafted mystery does not need unnecessary bells and whistles to keep the reader turning pages.
May 19, 2019
Murder mystery set in Sweden. It’s nice to have a detective story without all the gory details and gun violence typical of American murder mysteries.
Detective Huss is called to a hospital when a night nurse is found murdered and the other nurse on duty says the murderer was a ghost of a nurse who had committed suicide in the hospital’s attic 50 years previously. Before the story ends, 2 others are murdered and there are 2 arsons. Detective Huss solves the crimes - partly because the suspect pool keeps getting diminished!
Detective Huss is called to a hospital when a night nurse is found murdered and the other nurse on duty says the murderer was a ghost of a nurse who had committed suicide in the hospital’s attic 50 years previously. Before the story ends, 2 others are murdered and there are 2 arsons. Detective Huss solves the crimes - partly because the suspect pool keeps getting diminished!
November 11, 2017
Second in the series and I am definitely a fan. Solid police procedural with believable characters. Detective Irene Huss has a normal family life with two teenage daughters who do what teenagers do: bicker and rebel. The interactions at work are unfortunately too realistic: a boss who tolerates sexual harassment or doles out lame consequences. But work gets done and crimes get solved, and the reader has hope that the jerks will get their comeuppance eventually.
April 15, 2018
I liked this as much as the 1st one. Getting to know the family better.....that Jenny needs to have her ass kicked though! I get the teen thing, but she's too much, Irene kills her with kindness.! Then there's the stuff with Birgitta. It's interesting how Andersson hasn't been dealing at all well with that.....this was written before all the focus has been put on sexual harassment. I'm still of a mind that when someone hassles you, you kick them in the balls and be done with it.
May 23, 2018
This is the second book in the Irene Huss series and it looks like Helene Tursten is beginning to hit her stride. It's a well-plotted mystery about a trio of murders in a spooky private hospital in Goteborg, Sweden and it keeps you dangling until very close to the end. Good book and I recommend it for mystery lovers. Note: there are some social issues raised in a minor way (veganism, sexual harrassment) and they only add to the story.
June 16, 2012
For fans of the Scandinavian mystery, this series, featuring Inspector Irene Huss, is always a fun read, and a lot less preposterous than the Girl with a Dragon Tatoo series. I always like the picture it affords of Swedish society, and Irene is a much more believable character than most mystery detectives.
September 24, 2012
This was the best Helene Tursten so far. I thought I would hate a hospital murder mystery but Helene sure did a nice job of erasing that thought. Irene Huss is not noir but that doesn't stop it from being interesting. She makes her family play the part of the screwed up life. I know how that comes up in real life, personally. My hat goes off to Helene.
March 14, 2012
3.5 Not as dark as most of the Nordic mysteries I have read. Do like the main character of Irene Huss and her twins. This was just okay for me, liked it but did not avidly turn the pages to get to the solution.
October 30, 2017
A light read, I am beginning to think Helene Tursten has a formula that she follows for each story, ticking the boxes as she goes through each scenario. But I will keep reading from time to time, as the story is still enjoyable and the plot hard to guess.
March 30, 2024
Night Rounds by Helene Tursten is the second book of the Inspector Irene Huss police procedural mystery series set in contemporary Sweden.
One fateful night: a private hospital has a power outage, a patient dies, an elderly nurse sees a ghost, a young nurse goes missing. The police brush off the ghost sighting (how dumb of them; it's obvious the killer wore a disguise!). The police also ignore the missing young nurse for too long.
The sole physician at the hospital is an unfaithful playboy (odd that Huss finds him attractive). The case proceeds in the usual police procedural manner: interview after interview, discoveries of dead bodies, forensic lab work. Why didn't the police search the entire hospital on the first night?
A journalist knows more than the police. Huss gets a tip-off; the source is killed. No one pays much attention at first, because this latest victim was homeless. A chance to rant about the social system.
Detective Huss covers up for a family member participating in a crime...Hmm.
The synopsis tells us Huss is a former Ju-Jitsu champion, which seemed odd, but finally made sense when Huss needed all her training to survive an encounter with the killer.
Much more memorable is the author's delightful 2-book series: An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good and An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed. I hope there will be more to come in the Elderly Lady series.
One fateful night: a private hospital has a power outage, a patient dies, an elderly nurse sees a ghost, a young nurse goes missing. The police brush off the ghost sighting (how dumb of them; it's obvious the killer wore a disguise!). The police also ignore the missing young nurse for too long.
The sole physician at the hospital is an unfaithful playboy (odd that Huss finds him attractive). The case proceeds in the usual police procedural manner: interview after interview, discoveries of dead bodies, forensic lab work. Why didn't the police search the entire hospital on the first night?
A journalist knows more than the police. Huss gets a tip-off; the source is killed. No one pays much attention at first, because this latest victim was homeless. A chance to rant about the social system.
Detective Huss covers up for a family member participating in a crime...Hmm.
The synopsis tells us Huss is a former Ju-Jitsu champion, which seemed odd, but finally made sense when Huss needed all her training to survive an encounter with the killer.
Much more memorable is the author's delightful 2-book series: An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good and An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed. I hope there will be more to come in the Elderly Lady series.
December 14, 2023
Disappointing. I had a lot of difficulty suspending disbelief. Part of my problem may be the difference between the Swedish and US medical systems, or perhaps different terminology.
It seems impossible that even a small hospital would have only one on-call doctor and two nurses - and no security guard - to take care of patients overnight. Maybe a Swedish ICU is more inpatient surgery followup, not a ward of desperately ill patients. Even so, the descriptions of the hospital and its staffing beggared belief.
Part of the plot is that someone sees a ghost and thinks that’s the murderer. So much is made of this ghost! Why would police possibly believe in the ghost in the first place, and then devote so much energy to discussing it? The police keep saying they clearly don’t believe in the ghost, but their behavior belies their words.
We still have the issue of outright sexism and misogyny. At one point one of the detectives calls a coworker a bitch behind her back, and the Detective Superintendent silently agrees.
I’m willing to try the first few chapters of the next in the series but if I find it all annoying, I’m not spending any more time on it.
Edited to add: Nope. Nope. Nope. No more of this foolishness. Less than halfway into the first chapter of The Torso, the third book, I was assaulted by all those features that drive me bonkers about this series. So I quit.
It seems impossible that even a small hospital would have only one on-call doctor and two nurses - and no security guard - to take care of patients overnight. Maybe a Swedish ICU is more inpatient surgery followup, not a ward of desperately ill patients. Even so, the descriptions of the hospital and its staffing beggared belief.
Part of the plot is that someone sees a ghost and thinks that’s the murderer. So much is made of this ghost! Why would police possibly believe in the ghost in the first place, and then devote so much energy to discussing it? The police keep saying they clearly don’t believe in the ghost, but their behavior belies their words.
We still have the issue of outright sexism and misogyny. At one point one of the detectives calls a coworker a bitch behind her back, and the Detective Superintendent silently agrees.
I’m willing to try the first few chapters of the next in the series but if I find it all annoying, I’m not spending any more time on it.
Edited to add: Nope. Nope. Nope. No more of this foolishness. Less than halfway into the first chapter of The Torso, the third book, I was assaulted by all those features that drive me bonkers about this series. So I quit.
January 11, 2025
In Göteborg, Sweden, a private hospital nurse is murdered. A concurrent blackout kills a patient. Two witnesses claim to have seen the ghost of a nurse who hanged herself years ago. Detective Inspector Irene Huss must make sense of it all.
Huss, in her second appearance in Helene Tursten’s series, impresses a reader as competent but not extraordinary. She occasionally misreads a suspect or misses a clue. She needs the cooperation of the other members of the Violent Crimes Unit, who must also attend to another case. She can be hampered by problems at home, specifically twin daughters rebelling in different directions.
Readers looking for a grim Nordic noir may be disappointed with Night Rounds, but I felt Tursten succeeded in depicting the drudgery of crime solving in a modest-sized city. The police worked out the case painstakingly, and though I did not guess the culprit, I felt that the revelation emerged fairly with the accumulation of detail; nothing came out of the blue to finish the novel quickly. I was less sure of the sly epilogue.
Huss, in her second appearance in Helene Tursten’s series, impresses a reader as competent but not extraordinary. She occasionally misreads a suspect or misses a clue. She needs the cooperation of the other members of the Violent Crimes Unit, who must also attend to another case. She can be hampered by problems at home, specifically twin daughters rebelling in different directions.
Readers looking for a grim Nordic noir may be disappointed with Night Rounds, but I felt Tursten succeeded in depicting the drudgery of crime solving in a modest-sized city. The police worked out the case painstakingly, and though I did not guess the culprit, I felt that the revelation emerged fairly with the accumulation of detail; nothing came out of the blue to finish the novel quickly. I was less sure of the sly epilogue.
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