Name: The Murder of Halland
ISBN: 9780956284075

Pia Juul

Detective and mystery stories. Denmark's foremost literary author turns crime fiction on its head. Bess and Halland live in a small town, where everyone knows everyone else. When Halland is found murdered in the main square the police encounter only riddles. For Bess bereavement marks the start of a journey that leads her to a reassessment of first friends then family.

The Murder of Halland

Ronas K

It ends up making its plot clear very early on without any major character development. The main character is completely apathetic to her husband's murder from the beginning and therefore never quite becomes the 'soft on the inside, rugged on the outside' girl boss that the author wants us to believe she is. Characterising it as a story of grief is stupid. The story is just a vehicle for some very pompous reflections on the part of the author. 

And then there are the countless disjointed quotes at the beginning of each chapter, none of which tie into the story particularly well. Another medium for inane literary references.