Piet Hoffman works undercover for the Swedish police. As an
infiltrator, he has clawed his way up the chain in Wojtek
Security International, a front for the Polish Mafia's
amphetamine business. But Wojtek wants more from him. They
want to take over the drug trade is prison. So, Hoffman sets
himself up to be arrested and go to prison to do Wojtek's
budding under the watchful eye of his handlers.
But a drug trade gone awry in Stockholm puts everything in
jeopardy. An undercover agent for a police force in another
country is killed by a Polish member of Wojtek, but Hoffman
was a witness. Ewert Grens, a depressed but dogged detective
superintendent of the Stockholm City Police wants to solve
the murder and won't give up until he finds answers.
Roslund and Hellstrom have done a fabulous job in writing
THREE SECONDS. The translator has also done their work
justice. Switching from viewpoint to viewpoint, the story
moves at a steady and action-filled pace. At times, the
writing is in short jagged sentences, mirroring the edginess
sand tension in the story. I've also read The Beast
and The Vault, and this tale is by far the best from
these two writers in my opinion. Not only have they clearly
done their research, but their characters are multi-layered
and extremely realistic. Not only is Hoffman playing both
sides of a very dangerous game, but he's also married with
two kids. Yes, he has a past history with drugs and while
infiltration isn't supposed to be legal, you find yourself—
at least I did—rooting for him. Yet Grens, too, is a fully
developed character: a brilliant detective who still mourns
the death of his wife 25 years ago and who is still
searching for his own peace. All of his energy goes into
solving cases, so you want him to succeed as well.
For readers fascinated by mysteries, especially those that
will keep you reading late into the night with detail that
bring the whole plot to life, THREE SECONDS is a terrific
read. I'm currently trying to get my hands on Cell 8, the
next Grens story.
He leads a double life: one with a beloved wife and two
small boys– a family he will protect no matter what the
cost. And another, secret life in which every single day he
risks losing everything.
Intelligent, gripping, and brutal, Three Seconds is the new
thriller from Roslund and Hellström, the heirs apparent to
Stieg Larsson and Henning Mankell as the masters of
Scandinavian crime.
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