Publishers Weekly
★ 12/10/2018
Det. Insp. Embla Nyström, who appeared as a police intern in Tursten’s 2015 Irene Huss mystery, The Treacherous Net, is now with the Västra Götaland County Bureau of Investigation’s mobile police unit in this outstanding series launch. The line between Embla’s professional and personal life blurs during an annual family moose hunt, when she feels drawn to a new participant, Peter Hansson, who has just returned to the area. But the prospect of a relationship is threatened by the disappearance of two fellow hunters, Jan-Eric Cahneborg and Anders von Beehn. Shortly before, Cahneborg received a letter containing a bandanna and a slip of paper on which the words “I remember. M.” were printed, a message that sent him into shock. The reader is also aware that the identical message was sent to von Beehn, accompanied, in his case, by an empty BMW key ring. Murder follows. Embla is a refreshingly capable lead, whose situational ethics means that she doesn’t feel she must do everything by the book. (Feb.)
From the Publisher
A CrimeReads Most Anticipated Crime & Mystery Novel of 2019
A Criminal Element Best of the Month Book of February 2019
Praise for Hunting Game
“[A] satisfying series debut . . . Swedish author Helene Tursten, well known for her books featuring the steadfast Detective Inspector Irene Huss, introduces a different sort of hero in Hunting Game.”
—Wall Street Journal
“Haunted, driven, immensely human and highly trained as a hunter and tracker, Embla is a winning new Scandinavian noir lead.”
—Jane Ciabattari, BBC Culture
“Impetuous and physical . . . [Embla is] a bright light among young Swedish cop characters.”
—Toronto Star
“Solid and absorbing . . . Tursten takes her time staging the story, focusing on fine descriptions of her rugged setting and the engaging, tough young detective.”
—Adam Woog, The Seattle Times
“A powerful new heroine.”
—Check It Out, KWIT.org
“Tursten captures the atmosphere of rural Sweden and the hunting party effectively and develops what can be described as a rather classic noir story, with missing people, corpses, and, of course,
unanswered questions . . . Tursten creates a compelling classic mystery, bolstered by a very strong sense of place.”
—The Popular Culture Association
“An interesting and conflicted heroine . . . Tursten sets the scene perfectly . . . The unassuming prose with some unexpected twists keeps the reader on their toes.”
—Crime Review
“[An] outstanding series launch . . . Embla is a refreshingly capable lead, whose situational ethics means that she doesn’t feel she must do everything by the book.”
—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
“Embla, still plagued by nightmares about losing her teenage best friend, is a sharp, willful, though emotionally vulnerable detective. Fans of the Huss novels in particular and Nordic noir in general will want to follow this series from its start.”
—Booklist, Starred Review
“Hunting Game sets up the beginning of what is sure to be an enjoyable series . . . As always, Tursten aptly captures the quotidian details that make her characters memorable, giving glimpses into hunting culture and the coldness of a Swedish winter.”
—Shelf Awareness
“A breathless thriller that’s impossible to put down. I was fascinated by Embla, a credible and complex character who is hiding secrets . . . A great reading experience.”
—Anna Jansson, author of the Maria Wern series
“Policewoman and prizewinning Nordic welterweight, Embla is a badass. Yes, she’s smart and strong—but also refreshingly complicated and flawed . . . and you couldn’t have a better setting for a chilling mystery than the Nordic wilderness.”
—Book Riot
“Hunting Game is easy-to-read, exciting and interesting. Embla Nyström will surely appeal to readers as much as Irene Huss.”
—Dagbladet (Norway)
“A superb mystery perfect for the reader of classic detective novels . . . Tursten writes in spare, concise prose, foregoing frills and in-your-face violence, focusing instead on true-to-life storytelling and character development.”
—Criminal Element
“Fellow Irene Huss fans, never fear. I think you're going to like Embla.”
—Kittling Books
"A great beginning to a new series."
—ParrySound.com
Praise for Helene Tursten
"As good as Louise Welsh's similarly creepy tour of Glasgow.”
—Gillian Flynn, Entertainment Weekly
"These days Scandinavian crime writers are thick on the ground. It's nice to see that the women can be just as bloodthirsty as the men.”
—The New York Times Book Review
"[Tursten] imbues this novel with a cold chill of dread that can't be attributed only to the subfreezing temperatures of Gothenburg in winter.”
—Chicago Sun Times
"Truly satisfying.”
—Philadelphia Inquirer
"An engaging mystery with a very likable heroine. With a writing style reminiscent of Camilla Läckberg or Henning Mankell, Helene Tursten offers a detective with a nuanced and compelling personal life, as well as a dark and intriguing mystery.”
—Shelf Awareness
