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Daniel Trokic #6

by Inger Wolf

Thrilling Scandinavian mystery From an international best-selling author

Anchorage, Alaska: A prominent Danish volcano scientist, Asger Vad and his wife and son, are found shot on the outskirts of the city.

The killer has placed the victims around a table on which there is a doll house with four small dolls and a pile of volcano ashes. However, one person is missing at the table.

The Family’s 11-year-old daughter has disappeared from the house, and a massive search starts. Has she run away, or did the killer take her? Also, what secrets do the family keep?

Inspector Daniel Trokic is sent to Alaska to participate in the investigation. He teams up with the half native detective Angie Johnson, and their hunt for an insane killer and the missing daughter begins.

Grab a copy today.

Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Fiction, Nordic Noir, Contemporary, Detective

287 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Inspired by the Darkness

Inger Wolf is an International Bestselling Danish mystery and thriller writer.

Her first mystery novel, Dark September, for which she was awarded the Danish Crime Academy's debut prize, was published in 2006. Since then, her bestselling books have been translated into several languages.

She loves to travel and get inspiration to her books from all over the world, but lives in the outskirts of the town of Aarhus, the second largest city in Denmark, close to the forest and the sea. In this beautiful place, she got a degree in English and worked as a translator for many years.

Today, Inger Wolf works as a full-time author. The household also includes a dog called Harry Hole, named after one of her favorite detectives, and a cat called Mis (Kitty).

Books to date:

On the Side (Danish)
Dark September (Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, German, Dutch, French, Spanish)
Frost and Ashes (Danish, Norwegian, German, Dutch, Spanish)
The Song Bird (Danish, Dutch)
The Wasp Nest (Danish, French)
Evil Water (Danish, French)
Under a Black Sky (Danish, English)
The Perfect Place to Die (Danish)
Burned Souls (Danish)
The Crow Man (Danish)

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a 3.5 star read.

I was introduced to this new author and series for me by another Danish author, Willow Rose. I'm so glad she did!
In this story we see Inger Wolf's Daniel Trokics character out of his normal surrounds and supplanted in the Alaskan wilderness to help with the local investigation into the murder of Danish citizens, including the murder of one and abduction of another, of their American born children.
I must admit Trokics isn't a very appealing character and he was certainly at the back of the queue when they were handing out peopling skills, but he juxtaposes nicely with his new temporary partner Detective Angie Johnson, a part Alaskan Native. As the story progresses you start to see just how similar they are and why the attraction to each other develops. I hope to become enamoured with Trokics' cuddly curmudgeoness (is that a word? Pfffft ..... it is now!) in future readings of his crime solving.
The author does a wonderful job of immersing the reader into the setting of the novel and envelopes them with the feeling of frozen vastness that is Alaska. I swear I almost put my tongue out to catch a snowflake while I was sizzling in 40°C temps in Australia. While the novel started out slowly and stumbled a bit over the translation to English in the beginning, it soon smoothed out and picked up an anxiety driven pace in the race to find the child. Twists, turns and a piling body count make for a stunning conclusion which I did NOT see coming. An excellent example of the meshing of different countries policing styles, I have already downloaded the next English translated Daniel Trokics novel and look forward to seeing his crime solving skills in his native setting.

[Ken Fredette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inger Wolf did herself a great service to make her next book about 9 people in Alaska murdered and had Daniel Trokics solve the mystery by flying overseas to get there. He was met by Angie Johnson, who was his opposite in the Anchorage police. Together they went through a number of people until they finally figured out what really happened. It was very noir in the end which I appreciated. Daniel Trokics is the main character in this story. It was a very good read.

[Dimitris Passas (TapTheLine) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a pleasant surprise for me as I've never read any of Inger Wolf's novels, a mistake I deeply regretted after finishing reading ''Under a Black Sky''. First of all the novel is set in the extreme nature of Alaska, more specifically to the town of Anchorage, a really murky place surrounded by a pleiad of active volcanoes and wild animals such as brown or black bears. The protagonist of the series is detective Daniel Trokics a half-Croatian, half-Danish police officer with a troubled past who is sent literally to the edge of the world in order to help the local authorities with the gruesome murder of a Danish volcano expert and his wife and son. Reluctant at first, Trokics will leave Aarhus and fly to Alaska where he meets Angie Johnson, a tough woman detective who is assigned to the case. The chemistry between the two detectives is good and this is one of the -many- positive aspects of this solid police procedural mystery, narrated wonderfully by Inger Wolf whose descriptions of Alaskan wilderness (in the afterword that follows the last chapter of the novel, Wolf writes that she herself went to Alaska for the research) manage to capture the natural darkness which reflects the murkiness of the grisly case that the two detectives are trying to solve. My correct rating is more like 3.5/5, this is a book which should be read by every Nordic Noir fanatic.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

[Denise Zendel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Danish Inspector Daniel Trokic is sent to Alaska to investigate the bizarre deaths of Danish volcano scientist, Asger Vad and his wife and son, and the kidnapping of the Vads’ 11-year-old daughter. He is teamed up with Alaska native and half-Tlingit detective Angie Johnson. She’s not too thrilled with getting stuck with the new guy, and he’s irritated that he’s been shipped off to Alaska to keep his superiors happy.

I was drawn to this book because of the setting, and the apparent clash of cultures. I stayed for the elegant writing, the vividly-set scenes, and the depths of the characters. On the surface, Trokic and Johnson are complete opposites, but when it comes down to it, they have more in common than not. Both are flawed, both are struggling with interpersonal demons, and both are outsiders in their communities. The Job is what keeps them going and gives them purpose. They are both driven to bring the killer (or killers) to justice, and to save the young girl.

The story is told from multiple points of view, and normally that annoys me, but not this time. The whole time I read, I felt like I was in the car with Trokic and Johnson, or sitting in an interrogation room next to them, or sharing their anguish over the girl’s fate. I possibly could have figured out whodunnit mid-way through the story, but I chose to be carried along with the plot and find out when the main characters did. The ending was a surprise, but satisfying.

I thought this was first in a series, and when I was done, I went looking for more books involving Trokic and Johnson. Turns out, this was No. 3 in what Amazon is listing as a three-book series. I don’t know if that’s because the author only planned a three-book series, or if that’s all she’s done so far. Amazon says if you like Stieg Larsson, you’ll like Inger Wolf. I can’t speak to that, having not read Larsson, but I can say I hope there will be more stories from Trokic and Johnson. I liked this one so much I immediately purchased books 1 and 2 in the series and binge read them. Reading them out-of-order was not a problem.

[Milton Edgeworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great mystery

I read a lot, but seldom do I finish a book on the same day I started the story. The characters are interesting, the plot a complexity of human emotions and devices. I have got to find more books in this series, but hopefully not today...husband is going to have a fit!

[VickiLee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Daniel Trokic is sent from his Danish homeland to help solve the murder of a Danish scientist who studies volcanic activity in Alaska. Daniel is reluctant at first, but the austere, cold Alaska and an emotionally and physically appealing partner add depth to his visit. The ending is touching when we realize the raven cannot fly far from Alaska.

[L · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm breaking my rule and giving 5 stars to a novel that does not address a pressing social issue. It's Alaska that did it. Wolf put me there, viscerally. I sat in Miami and shivered with the cold! Also, it's a great mystery with a satisfactory ending. I do really like the Trokics character.

[Janet Mahlum · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only thing I didn't like about this book was that it is the only one in English. It was excellent. Well, except why do the detectives always have to fall in love with each other and pop into bed together? The story was well-written, except for when the two detectives head off in a snow storm and erupting volcano in Alaska in December right around Christmas when the days are at their shortest looking for where a mother and her daughter might have been buried 10 years ago. What are the odds on finding a grave under those conditions? What I REALLY liked was as the detectives discovered information, we also knew that information so we had a reasonable chance of discovering the murderer. At any rate, it wasn't a shot in the dark guessing game. The cops suspected the guy was crazy, the reader KNOWS he's crazy. But no one took phone calls off stage, found information and tucked it in a pocket without revealing exactly what it was. I had the opportunity to visit Anchorage 4 times and Kenai peninsula at least twice on those visits, once backpacking and once all the way to Homer during breakup. It was really fun to read a mystery based there. I was lucky. I was on vacation when I read this so I wasn't interrupted by phone calls, housework, yard work. Please, Ms. Wolf, give us some more books in English!

[Richda Mcnutt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Completely riveting - from beginning to end. Set in Alaska - with a Danish policeman assisting - and an unstable volcano - as well as an unstable killer - and a dollhouse (yes, a dollhouse). And it all works. Inger Wolf knows how to assemble primary characters that the reader wants to learn more about, an out-of-the ordinary setting, a crime that is unsettling and macabre, but not overdone by description, and a plot that moves along without extraneous fillers and leaves you satisfied at the ending. I look forward to seeing this series continue.

[Terry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rather dry, boring

I'm Alaskan and the descriptions of local areas make it sound like Anchorage is some kind of small town. Uh, it's not. 250,000 people live inside city limits, and it's a modern city with the same stores, neighborhoods, schools as Any City, USA. The small towns right around it put total population well over 300,000. No podunk town. The "new" police station, 20+ yrs old, is made of a pale pink granite, and not so sure about its designer but it's not all that lovely. Staying at the downtown Ramada? Tourist trap with a toursty bar and grill, fairly new but not a local hangout. Much better food elsewhere, blocks away. And the big deal about snow and winter? It's like Denmark is the same but it is. The movie made about the baker serial killer was pretty good, I auditioned for a bit part but didn't get it. About 300 other women did, too! Something new to do. Redoubt, Spurr, St Augustine, and the one I always forget the name of (Iliamna?) Aware very real but no rivers of mud EVER endangered any city. Impossible. They're much too far away and all are across Cook Inlet. It's not a stream! This story was just so ... boring. I skipped pages to get to the good stuff. And why it didn't dawn on anyone to question the brother til the last minute? That's NOT APD standards, and you can bet your bippy the FBI would've been in on the strange crimes from day one. Soon, not accurate descriptions of Alaska and boring dialogue .... Not recommended. Decent enough but nothing like some of the other Scandinavian authors I've read. I cannot like anyone who messes up describing Alaska anyway. Guess I'm prejudiced about that but how would anyone else like to read of their home town inaccurately?

[Vicki · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Great mystery and great writing. Kept me on the edge of my seat. I want to know what becomes of Marie and Angie

[Lynda Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

An easy 5* for this new author to me and even better is that it was free, too. I'll be more than happy to pay for the next one, though. This one was left with a possible open end and it states in the subtitle it's part of a series but this is her only book thus far translated into English. She's a new Danish author to me and another to add to my ever-expanding list of Nordic writers. For me, they write tremendous books with WAY fewer errors than any English or American writers (who ought to hang their heads in shame, I reckon). They clearly take a lot more pride in their presentation which is mainly why reading them is so much more of a pleasure than wading through e-books full of mistakes courtesy of so many Americans and Brits, sadly.
It's a great story and the 2 main characters are very, very different people from very opposite backgrounds but both are very likeable. Together they make a great team. I hope in the future installments that they encounter one another again.
I greatly enjoyed reading about Mayor Stubbs and even happier when I saw he's still Mayor of Talkeetna !!
It mentioned at one point that Griffin had children but we only encountered one so wasn't sure if he had more or not. And I was a little baffled about the thermoses they all drank from and wondered perhaps if something was lost in translation and the same for a mention of a suppository ??
She went with American spellings and did use that awful word I personally hate when they write it-"DRUG across a floor." I always think it sounds like something a kid would say. Why do they not use dragged ? I've never understood this. I spotted 1 apostrophe error and once body was used and it should have been bodies and that was it for mistakes. How impressive is that ?? So American and English authors need to sharpen their acts up. They should be embarrassed that authors where English is not their first language do a better job of writing in English than many of them do.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 and 1 / 2 stars

Detective Angie Johnson responds to a report of multiple deaths. Asger Vad, his wife and ten-year old son were dead. On the kitchen table is an elaborate dollhouse. Asger Vad was a world renowned volcanologist living in Anchorage, Alaska. But the approximately eleven-year old daughter, Marie, is missing.

Detective Lieutenant Daniel Trokic’s boss tells him of a multiple murder in Anchorage. He knew Asger quite well and he sends Daniel there from Denmark to observe the investigation and lend a hand. Angie’s boss decides that she will partner Daniel Trokic.

Angie and Daniel begin their investigation by speaking to several people: friends of the family, acquaintances and neighbors. No one seems to know anything. When they speak to Asger’s colleagues at work, they pick up a possible suspect. It seems s though at work Asgar was not as well liked as he was in his personal life. He and another man were both vying for the director’s position when the current director retires.

When another of their suspects and his family get killed in the same manner as the Vad’s, the police are confounded. They have a bigger problem on their hands than they suspected. They are now down to two suspects, having finally located the carpenter who bought an identical dollhouse to the one left at the Vad house from the lady who makes them. They also find one of Marie’s mittens by the side of the road. They lose another suspect due to a lack of evidence. Now they are down to one.

Interspersed throughout the main story there are little bits about how Marie is getting along with her kidnapper. The tension in the book mounts and the action begins to come very fast.

The identity of the killer came as a surprise to me.

This book is extremely well written and plotted. I appreciated the way Angie and Trokic’s relationship grew, but it was not over the top or too descriptive. I like the way the teams pulled together. I will definitely read more of Inger Wolf’s novels.

[sjnash · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful book. Interesting, complex characters. A beautiful, intriguing setting. A disturbing, haunting murder spree that drives the story.

The setting is in Alaska with vivid descriptions of the mountains, an unstable volcano the harsh climate and terrain. A well-known Danish volcano expert who settled in Anchorage is killed along with his wife and child. The case is assigned to Detective Angie Johnson but a Danish Detective, Daniel Tropic is sent to assist. In many ways, they are different people and are not used to having a partner but they gradually come together to form an effective team investigating these murders.
Through the investigation, you learn more about the detectives, the victims and suspects. People are complex, driven by events in their lives, haunted by their pasts. As the Danish detective learned about Alaska, the reader is informed in a natural and unobtrusive manner.

Over-all, it was a well written story. They detectives were flawed, interesting characters that you become invested in. Through their awkward paring, you learned about their history, their flaws and watched them evolve from a reluctant team to something much more.

My only real complaint was that not as much attention was given to the killer. While we know the killer’s motivation, I got no sense of how he evolved into this deranged killer. Was he always this deranged? If so, how was it not apparent to those around him? If he evolved over time, it would have been a more interesting story to see the evolution (i.e., Silence of the Lambs).

That being said, this was a very enjoyable read and I am intrigued to see what happens to the two detectives as they move forward.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can't remember why I downloaded this mystery, but I'm really glad I did. It turned out to be a real page turner with an exciting setting (Alaska during a volcanic eruption) and powerful characters. I enjoyed the interaction between the local police investigator and the visiting policeman from Denmark, who is there because the victims were Danish, although they had lived in Alaska for some time. In addition to solving the murders, they are also trying to find the daughter of the murdered family who has apparently been kidnapped by the murderer. The mystery provided lots of nice (and sometimes confusing) clues, and the ending was satisfactory, although it did leave you wanting to know more about the lives of the two detectives and the remaining family member of the murder victims. It appears that so far this is the only one of this author's books which have been translated into English. I hope that will be remedied soon!

[Mary Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. We get to enjoy seeing Daniel in an unfamiliar place when he sent to Alaska to assist in the investigation when a Danish family are brutally murdered at home and their daughter is missing. A dolls house is left at the scene which certainly had me hooked.

I loved the different setting in this book so we only see Daniel and his local police partner rather than the rest of his team that we are used to. The whole setting involving volcanoes was fascinating and made for a very interesting backdrop. The whole dolls house side of things felt very creepy and this ensured I wanted to keep reading while they tried to figure out where it had come from. There's several red herrings throughout and even when we think it's all over, there was another twist to come. Highly recommend this series which gets better and better.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Terric853 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Daniel Trokic is a Danish detective whose boss sends him to Alaska to help with a murder investigation of a Danish scientist that his boss has known since childhood. Daniel is assigned to work with Angie Jackson, lead dectective, on the case.

The victim is prominent volcano expert, Asger Vad, and his wife and son are found shot dead and posed at their dining room table. The 11-year-old daughter, Marie, is missing.

Daniel and Angie pursue clues and run into some dead ends. Their relationship thaws - Angie originally resented Daniel's involvement in "her" case - and they work closely to find the killer and Marie alive.

I enjoyed the twists and turns and the growing relationship between Daniel and Angie. The biggest disappointment of the book, to me, was that Daniel has to go back to Denmark, leaving his relationship with Angie unresolved.

[Nancy Silk · Rating 5 out of 5]

"A Great Police Procedural Investigation"

From an international best-selling author comes this thriller, a Scandinavian mystery, which takes place in Alaska. Asger Vad is a Danish Volcano Scientist. He and his wife and son are found murdered in their home near Anchorage. They were very brutal murders. Asger's 11-year old daughter, Marie, was not murdered, but cannot be found. Was she taken away by the murderer? Did she runaway and is hiding? Inspector Daniel Trokic is sent to Alaska to be part of the investigation. The investigative team leader is Angie Johnson and they work closely together to hunt down this insane killer. This story is very well written, has well defined characters, and a great, thrilling story line. I thoroughly enjoyed it and could not put it down until the stunning end. What a mind blower!

[Pamela Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Book about a Serial Killer in Alaska.

Fascinating book about a killer who kills families and leaves dollhouses after the kill. The author has such a wonderful way with her description of the landscape and State of Alaska that you can almost see the rugged mountains and feel the cold air and snow. She does an amazing job of characterization that I didn't know who the bad guy was until the last part of the book. The only thing I hate are cliffhangers and even though the book had an ending with the bad guy getting caught, it felt like there was still unfinished business between the detectives and the little girl. In this case you hope for a sequel. I like the author very much and think anyone who likes serial killer detective novels will enjoy reading this as well.

[Gail Baugniet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting Characters Kept Me Reading

The setting of Alaska for this murder mystery first attracted my attention. The solid characters held my attention throughout. When almost an entire Danish family living in the 49th state is killed for no apparent reason, local law enforcement decides to bring in assistance from Denmark to help solve the case.

The quick and easy connection between the main characters, male and female, felt believable enough to keep me rooting for their success in capturing a killer. Plenty of action and well-written scenes followed to a satisfying conclusion.

An initial crime scene detail (clumsy wording in an attempt to avoid spoilers) reflected a storyline that encompassed an entire season of a TV series, however, and added more confusion than suspense to this novel.

[Hester · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I read Dark September I gave Inger Wolf the benefit of the doubt and blamed the lackluster writing on the translator, after reading this one and noticing that no translator has been credited, the lackluster writing is all on her.

For some reason Wolf decides to send Danish detective Daniel Trokic to Alaska to assist Alaskan police officer Angie Johnson in a murder/kidnapping case. A Danish volcano expert and his wife and son are found dead and positioned around the kitchen table with a doll house right smack in the middle. The daughter of said murdered family has been kidnapped. Trokic has been sent to help Angie because the volcano specialist was a friend of his boss.

Inger must think that all American's have generic names like Angie Johnson, there are a lot of generic names floating around this book. I was surprised to learn that Denmark must be a warm sunny place because Trokic comments about how cold and snowy Alaska is. Don't they have cold and snow in Denmark? Trokic sees a bird and calls its beak a nose. Do they not have birds in Denmark? It's insulting that Angie refers to herself as a half breed because she's half caucasian and native Alaskan. And why in the hell can't a man and woman work together without sleeping together and kind of fall in love with each other? Not all Americans are complete assholes and would call someone from Denmark a "viking asshole" as Angie does before meeting Trokic. And most importantly the FBI would be assisting in a kidnapping case because kidnapping is a federal offense.

This book started off with real promise but then went to hell in a hand basket and never came back.

[Teresa Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under a Black Sky is my favorite book in this series so far. While Trokic is out of his element and it takes a bit for him to get his feet back under him, he comes through in his normal exceptional way. I love Angie's character. She is competent, smart, and intelligent, and can go toe to toe with Trokic when it comes to investigations. They made a formidable team. Plus, the Alaskan setting with the constant stress of a possible volcanic eruption provides a somber and overbearing sense of unremitting tension. And while the m.o. of the killer isn't as eerie as in some of the other books, the crime scene and motivation stand up quite well to any of the other books. I also enjoyed the glimpse of Daniel's softer side. I wasn't sure he even had one. I'm not sure where Ms. Wolf is going with Angie's character, but I sure hope this isn't the last we see of her. And hopefully this isn't the last book in the series. I have yet to be disappointed with any book in the series, and I'm not ready to say goodbye. I highly recommend this series for fans of crime, police procedurals, foreign mysteries, and psychological thrillers. Ms. Wolf has something for all of us.

[Joe Vitucci · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contains a different cast of characters which ends up working pretty well. A native American police woman in Alaska, a Danish policemen assigned to help the Anchorage police force because of the killing of a former Danish family, the family killed, except for the daughter which is missing, a dollhouse left at the murder scene, the woman who made the dollhouse and others like it, workers at the volcano research place, the volcano, and a few others. The book maintains a steady level of suspence, which isn't high, throughout the book until the final pages when it peaks. So many books give you a roller coaster ride of suspence, but not here which I found worked well. A pretty good story which will keep you interested.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

If I had to choose one word to describe this book it would be "perfunctory."

I waited a couple of days to write this review because I was trying to decide why this novel didn't move me at all. I normally love mysteries set in Alaska but I didn't get a sense of place until the very end. The characters seemed one dimensional and the romance between Angie and Daniel was expected and not very interesting.

When I can't get excited about a story (which had all the requisite things that define a thriller) and don't look forward to reading it at night I know there is something fundamentally wrong. I won't be continuing with this series.

[Antigone Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detective Daniel Trokic is sent to Alaska after a Danish family is slaughtered and the family's young daughter is abducted. He is paired with a part Native American female detective. soon they are traversing the wild but brutal wilderness in seacrh of a killer and the ugly truth that motivates him.

Really enjoyed this book. Trokic is at his best and the ensuing romance is believable. I did identify the doer at first appearance but it was still fun to watch the story unravel. could have lived with a little less about Alaskan volcanos and earthquakes but overall a well done, interesting novel.

[Elizabeth Sulzby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second English Translation of Inger Wolf

This is the 2nd English translation of the Danish policeman Daniel Trokics who is actually half Croat. I still left this as Scandanavian Noir because Trokics is Danish but the mystery is mostly set in Alaska where Trokics has been dispatched to help search for a young Danish girl whose family has been brutally murdered. His assigned Alaskan partner is Angie, a very competent partner. Their relationship, as it develops, shows a new side to private Trokics and the mystery itself unfolds in a thrilling way. The ending (no spoiler) is satisfying because motivation is also revealed in action as well as from the confession.

Page turner.

[Tanya Stewart · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and good plot

This book was a little slow for me to get into but eventually the story hooked me and I enjoyed it very much. The beginning is laying a lot of groundwork and information that comes to play in this complex storyline so it was worth sticking with it til the end. I was actually so involved with it that I was hoping it might be the beginning of a series. I wanted more by the end! Great characters that slowly evolve into strong, fully fleshed individuals that you feel like you know.

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Under a Black Sky, was AMAZING!!

A definte MUST READ!! A Danish police officer, Daniel Trokic, is sent to Anchorage Alaska, to help solve the murder of a Danish family and their missing daughter. Daniel is teamed with an Anchorage Police offier, Angie. Can he make the partnership work, as he would rather work alone? A second murder occurs, could it be connected to the first? Then there are old dollshouses involved, that were found at the crime scenes. A fantasic book, with a lot of information about volcanoes!! Full of action, from start to finish!!

[Terri Marshall · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars. I have read Book 1 and 6 in this Danish series. I really like the lead character and his gruff ways hiding a tender heart, but I feel like I'm missing big pieces of his personal story. Hoping the other books will be translated into English soon so I can catch up on the back story. This book also introduces a female Alaskan detective that Daniel works with. I think another series could easily be based on this unique and complex detective. For me the personal interaction of the characters solving the case is as compelling as the crime itself.