Anders Roslund

"Knock Knock," by Anders Roslund, was translated from the Swedish by Elizabeth Clark Wessel. Detective Superintendent Ewert Grens has not been joyful for years, but he is even more downcast than usual of late. Grens, who is sixty-four, fears that he will be forced to retire when he turns sixty-five. Since he has no other way of filling his time, Ewert cannot imagine leaving his job. Meanwhile, he is investigating a series of execution-style killings that bear eerie similarities to a seventeen-year-old scene of carnage that still haunts him. In addition, Piet Hoffmann turns up, asking for Ewert's help. Not only has Piet spent time in prison, but he subsequently went undercover in order to infiltrate and bring down criminal networks.

This convoluted tale involves a traumatized little girl who has lost everyone she loves; felons eager to corner the market in illegal arms; and a shadowy individual who pressures Piet to start a gang war in Sweden. If Hoffmann refuses, his wife and three young children will pay the price. Piet and Grens join forces in an effort to identify the mastermind behind the mayhem and prevent further bloodshed.

Roslund's central characters are vivid and well-defined. Grens is edgy, sleeps poorly, and suspects that a bent cop may be undermining him. Mariana Hermansson, Ewert's outspoken, hard-working, and competent subordinate, is offended when her boss questions where her loyalties lie. As for Piet, he had settled into a comfortable routine with his family, but now reverts to the warrior he once was—a cunning predator and strategist who will do whatever is necessary to neutralize his adversaries. The novel is a bit long and rambling, and readers may groan when Roslund introduces plot elements that do not ring true. In general, however, the author juggles most of his story lines skillfully, maintains a high level of suspense, and wraps things up with an intense and unanticipated finale. The bottom line is that brutality breeds brutality, and those who lust for vengeance will never know peace.







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"Three Minutes," by Anders Roslund and Borge Hellström, is the compelling story of Piet Hoffmann, an ex-con who has been to hell and back. He was sentenced to life in a Swedish jail, was nearly killed, and escaped to South America with his wife and two young sons. Now, Piet is the bodyguard and right-hand man of El Mestizo (nicknamed Johnny), the psychopathic head of a Colombian drug cartel. Johnny does not suspect that Piet is also an informant for the U. S. Drug Enforcement Agency. Hoffmann sends the DEA the locations of cocaine factories and details of pending drug shipments. He hopes that, in return for the valuable intelligence he provides, he will be allowed to return Sweden as a free man. In his corner is Stockholm detective Ewert Grens, a curmudgeon whose one soft spot is the love he feels for his late wife.

This is a lengthy, complex, and violent thriller that derives its power from vivid figurative language, unpredictable twists and turns, and a stinging indictment of cynical and self-serving government officials in three continents. Piet knows that, ultimately, he can rely on no one but himself, since promises are made to be broken. Roslund and Hellström transport us to dense, insect-ridden jungles, and horrify us with accounts of Colombian boys trained to carry out assassinations in exchange for cash from drug lords. Timothy Crouse, the United States Speaker of the House, has a personal reason to despise drugs and those who peddle them for profit. He pays a visit to Colombia to oversee operations that he helped fund, not realizing that he is placing himself and his security force in grave peril.

This novel requires intense concentration, a large investment of time, and a strong stomach for scenes of murder and torture. "Three Minutes" is a powerful tale that conveys how cynicism and greed can motivate people to commit malicious and immoral acts. The characters are well-rounded—even Johnny shows occasional flashes of humanity—and Roslund and Hellström infuse their narrative with intriguing details about satellite imagery; encrypted communications; and even an undetectable way of smuggling cocaine. The book's last page is stunning and unexpected; it left me bewildered and disheartened. I am still pondering the finale.… (more)

Anders Roslund and Börge Hellström collaborated on six well-received thrillers before Hellström died in 2017. Roslund's latest novel is "Three Hours," ably translated from the Swedish by Elizabeth Clark Wessel. The hero is Detective Superintendent Ewert Grens, a dour, brusque, but still sharp sixty-four-year-old who has been a police officer for forty years. He is not doing well, either physically or emotionally. Grens is out of shape and has been depressed since his beloved wife, Anni, died after spending many years in a nursing home. So far, he is unwilling to let go of his long-standing guilt and bottomless grief.

At least, Ewert's job keeps him busy, and he is initially puzzled when five bodies that had never been logged in mysteriously turn up in two local morgues. Adding to the mystery, trained cadaver dogs find a shipping container containing sixty-eight corpses on a loading dock at Vartä Harbor. To his horror, Ewert learns that a band of well-connected and unscrupulous individuals are taking in large sums of money from refugees who are fleeing war and starvation. The desperate migrants are stuffed into overloaded and rickety vessels and promised admission to a welcoming country. Tragically, not everyone makes it to his or her destination.

"Three Hours" is a powerful, darkly poetic (an example: "Few scenes are as forlorn as a big city that's suddenly fallen silent."), and well-constructed tale of good vs. evil, although at times the lines between right and wrong become blurred. At almost four hundred pages, the story drags a bit now and then, but the second half is particularly suspenseful and mesmerizing. The author explores the intricacies of homicide investigations; his dialogue is incisive and often witty; and Roslund skillfully fleshes out his large cast of characters. Underneath Ewert's gruff exterior, he is compassionate and, much to his surprise, discovers that he has a soft spot for children. In addition, he relies a great deal on his dedicated, tireless, and brilliant subordinates, Mariana Hermansson and Sven Sundkvist. Because of the delicate nature of this operation, Ewert reluctantly recruits Piet Hoffman, a former undercover agent who has done time in prison. Hoffman is courageous, reckless, and a genius at handling weaponry and explosive devices. He is the only person that Grens knows who has the necessary skills to neutralize the conspirators. "Three Hours" is a chilling, compelling, and timely work of fiction that will anger anyone who is repelled by callous opportunists who are indifferent to the suffering of others.
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I thought this book was well-written, but I did not particularly like the story. Part of being well-written meant that it was a fast read even if the pieces were slow to fall into place; definitely thriller-like as you’d anxiously await the next piece... okay, come on, what are you going to do?

A big issue for me for any book is whether or not I liked the characters. In this case I did not; I never got into any of them. They didn’t resonate in any way so the major elements of the story didn’t peak my interests. All were weak in their own way, and all were pathetic in their own way. Okay, the two girls sold into sex-slavery were somewhat interesting, and the one cop Hermansson, but they were smaller players in the bigger picture.

I thought the plot lines were actually good, but the story itself went in a direction that was wholly unsatisfying. I would have liked them to have been put together in a completely different way. Like I get the feeling that the premise and ending came first – we’re going to pursue this story line - and then the authors built it out from there. Without giving it away, the ending was predicable even if you weren’t sure if that’s where it was going. The end of the book left me feeling flat and unfulfilled; I wish it hadn’t gone in that direction.

Apparently I had read this book a dozen years ago (per LT 5/2012), but I had not recalled having done so. Only the obsession and reliance on Siw Malmkvist by Ewert Grens sounded vaguely familiar.

Anyway, this was close to being a very good book, but since I didn’t like the conclusion(s) I cannot see myself running out to find the other Roslund & Hellström novels. Worth reading, yes. Top of the list, no.… (more)