I am going to have to start an Excel spread sheet with the authors/detectives of Nordic crime. At this point, I swear that they are all muddled in my head. What separates them from their North American/British counterparts seems to be their angst. It comes in all flavours but they all seem a little stooped under its burden. I was not uber impressed with Edwardson but many people have written that he gets better later in the series so I may give a later one a try. He gets one extra star than I would otherwise give because his detective has relatively little angst. Call me a cynic but it may because he is the only Nordic detective I have come across so far that actually has more than two cents to rub together. Not a very satisfactory mystery and definitely missing a good sidekick (the cop who is supposed to be the sidekick is lame). ( )

The original title of this is Dans med en ängel and the English version is Death Angels. The English version is probably cheaper because of the fixed book prices in Germany, but for some reason I prefer reading Nordic Noir in German.

There were many excellent aspects in this novel, and others that were not so good, but altogether it was a fantastic reading experience.

To begin with, I really like the investigator in this novel. Erik Winter is in his late thirties, he has affairs with several women, and his parents are so wealthy that he does not have to work for a living, but only does so because he likes it. His lifestyle is very luxurious. All of this would usually make me loath the character, but somehow it is not so with Winter - because he has a lot of empathy, I like his work ethics, and he treats his fellow policemen rather well.

The story takes place in Göteborg where a young man from London is murdered in a hotel room. Shortly after, it is discovered that the same also happened reversed - a Swedish young man was killed in a hotel room in London. The murders are very gruesome and the police are at a loss.

Well, the plot is interesting, but what is even more striking is the language. In the beginning the author includes many metaphors and similes, the language is sometimes almost lyrical. It seems a bit too forced, though, and hems the reading flow. After a few chapters, this is toned down, and from then on I loved the language and the atmosphere it creates, creating pictures in my mind and slowing down the reading to make room for emotions like fear and uncertainty.
I became totally engrossed in this story and did not want to put it down. The language remains a bit uneven from time to time, but I am quite sure that it is due to the translation. Other reviewers have commented on that as well and I am happy to see that the translator (Wolfdietrich MĂĽller) changes after the second book.

The only thing that could be improved is the ending because there are several investigation lines left hanging:
Why did the murderer wear a wig?
Why did he dance, or what else did the footprints signify?
What about the aspect of homosexuality? Was it a coincidence or does the murderer hate gay men?
What happened to the burglar who found the clothes?
Why did the murderer choose to kill in two cities, and why London and Göteborg? Was it just to confuse Winter? I thought there might be a deeper meaning.

I also think that the motive is too weak and could have been made stronger by giving more of a background story, by explaining more about the childhood/teenage stories of Winter and Bolger.

I have not read as much Nordic Noir as many others, but I do think that this is very good novel apart from the few points I mentioned above. I am looking forward to continuing with this series very much. ( )

Difficult to follow, difficult to care about the characters and difficult gruesome murders to read about left me wondering why writers such as Henning Mankell wrote their praise on the cover. ( )

The first book in this series, focusing on Erik Winter, who is a police officer with flair in Göteborg. In this first case he has to deal with murders that are committed in his home town and in London -- the two places are well described, the characters are interesting, and the plot works well for me -- you have to pay attention in order not to miss a comment or a small detail. ( )

London. Ein junger schwedischer Tourist wird in einem Hotelzimmer brutal ermordet aufgefunden. Kurz darauf geschieht in Göteborg eine ähnlich sadistische Bluttat. Das Opfer diesmal: ein junger Engländer. Besteht eine Verbindung zwischen den beiden Verbrechen? Spuren an beiden Tatorten deuten auf eine Verbindung zur extremen Hardcore-Pornoszene hin. Hauptkommissar Erik Winter muss sehr bald feststellen, dass ihm der Mann, der den tödlichen Tanz mit dem Engel perfekt beherrscht, näher steht, als ihm lieb ist.