Collect Return Composed By Hkan Nesser Volume

Return' is the third book by Håkan Nesser's in his series in which the main character is the acerbic Inspector Van Veeteren, I've read the previous two books in the series, and I've grown to like both Nesser's style of writing and his main character a bit each time.
His stories are set in an undetermined north European country, which seems to be the Netherlands, but could be somewhere in Scandinavia, The return referred to in the Return's title is the homecoming of a prisoner who has been released after serving a second long prison sentence, both times having been found guilty of murder.
Several months later, a decomposed and dismembered body is found hidden in some woods, Van Veereren is in hospital, recovering from a minor operation, but insists that his team keep him updated on the investigation, Despite the slightly gruesome subject matter, this is an enjoyable and easy book to read, right up to the surprising and slightly shocking ending, The third of Hakan Nesser's novel that was translated into English, featuring the detective squad of the fictitious town of Maardam in a country thta is never named but is sort of Scandinavian.
Inspector Van Veteeren is the main character here, although in later books he has resigned as a police inspector and become an antique shop owner, Nesser weaves a compelling story that draws in the story of: a new murder that sparks links to two previous murders, Not only is Van Veteeren trying untangle the threads that weave the three murders together with little evidence to go on he also undergoes major surgery in the middle of the story.
In lesser hands this would all come out sounding really implausible but Nesser has such skill it all works, Nesser lets the story unfold in a way that keeps you hanging on but without the annoying, so obvious cutting away to a separate story line to frustrate reader.
I would not hesitate to recommend this book in particular and Hakan Nesser in general, He concentrates far on the solving of the mystery, with just the right amount of background of the detectives' lives so that it does not intrude on the crime.
He does not go into the stomach churning detail of Jo Nesbo, although I love the Harry hole books too, A really satisfying read.

This is another top rater from Nesser and all the interesting as the main character Van Veeteren is not actively involved but rather on the periphery of incidents.
All the police in the department have something to offer character wise and again, this book is well written and translated and a compelling read, The villain is always interesting in a Nesser novel and sometimes the reader tends to feel a little sympathy for him or her when trying to avoid the attentions of VV et al! It would not be fair to reveal any details of this story because that would devalue what, for me, was a cracking read which I literally could not put down.
The Return is the third outing in the highly acclaimed series featuring the grumpy and sardonic DCI Van Veeteren and whilst the suspense is admittedly fairly muted, a meticulously plotted case, deadpan humour and some prescient flashbacks will once again keep readers thoroughly entertained.
Written inbut not translated until, the murder of a twice imprisoned man sees Van Veeteren in typical philosophical form, often bemusing his colleagues along the way.
Opening in August,with the release of a man after twelve years spent inside the Big Grey prison, he steps into the morning light with an unspecified clear intention firmly rooted in his mind.
At the age of fifty seven and with a combined total of twenty four years spent behind bars he can afford to be patient, Fast forward to April,and the discovery in the woods at Behren by a group of children of a corpse rolled inside a filthy carpet, lacking a head, hands or feet and thus impeding identification.
As the lengthy process of identification drags on, DCI Van Veeteren has the worry of the imminent removal of a four inch cancerous growth from within his large intestine and is summoned to hospital for the operation.
Typically restless, grumpily recuperating and the scourge of the nursing staff, sidekick Mnster keeps him entertained with the rather amusing physical defect one testicle of the victim making for uncomfortable questioning of his nearest and dearest as the team attempt to verify his identity.
The body is of one Leopold Verhaven and on hearing his name Van Veeteren immediately assumes charge of the case into a man who was no stranger to the headlines.
As a leading middle distance runner in the's and the holder of several national records, his subsequent ban from competition and disgrace for substance abuse saw him return to his childhood home, Kaustin, where he was always regarded as something of an eccentric loner.
Verhaven is also a notorious criminal and something of a one off in that he is the only person in the country to have ever been found guilty of first degree murder twice, despite denying it on both occasions.
DCI Van Veeteren's predecessor, DCI Mort, led the two investigations with Van Veeteren involved on the fringes of the second murder as a uniformed cop, with a now eighty four year old judge, Heidelbluum, presiding over both cases.
Two convictions for murder, separated by twenty years and with a guilty verdict issued in both cases despite largely circumstantial evidence, only for the release of Verhaven to bring a swift meeting with his maker and a brutal death.
It falls to Van Veeteren and his team to uncover just what has seen a twice convicted killer end his days as a victim, As the two convictions for murder are reprised and the efficiency and efforts of the former investigating officers come under scrutiny covering nobody involved in glory, the spurious reasoning leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the current detectives.
With technical proof rudimentary at best and circumstantial evidence minimal, the entire team are left scratching their heads wondering just what how watertight Verhaven's sentences were, Along the way DCI Van Veeteren exposes the media's role in Verhaven's conviction and how public opinion impacted on the cases from both his days as a disgraced athlete to his outsider status in his home town.
More significantly, if Verhaven was wrongly convicted of two murders then who is the real killer of the two women and who acted to quickly silence Verhaven As the media coverage over the course of Verhaven's life is analysed, Van Veeteren comes to think that he may have been condemned in advance of his two trials.
Could the rural backwater of Kaustin have been harbouring a double murder all this timeAs morale amongst the team flags and they await a stroke of genius from DCI Van Veeteren upon his release from hospital, chief of police Hiller assigns all but his unmanageable chief inspector onto other cases.
More at home tending his botanical office than running a police force, Hiller's inability to comprehend irony is a constant source of amusement for readers and the officers he commands.
As Van Veeteren formulates his theories he suspects that perhaps Verhaven knew the identity of the murderer and a confrontation has brought a third murder, Beatrice Holden in, Marlene Nietsch in, Leopold Verhaven in, . did the same man murder them all Given there is nothing that Van Veeteren hates as much as hospitals and things he doesn't understand, his recuperation period sees him issue an ultimatum to satisfactorily resolve a baffling triple murder.
Traversing back and forth courtesy of some well placed flashbacks contributes much to the story and has the benefit of inviting readers to make their own judgements and assess the extent to which a person's past and the popular opinion of their peers can prejudice the course of justice.
Despite the limited suspense, The Return brings readers closer to the secondary police cast, sees Van Veeteren appraise his life and health after a brush with his own mortality and is a plotting triumph with plenty of opportunity for some memorable Nesser characterisation.
The Return is also an excellent opportunity to learn about the people and passions in fifty seven year old DCI Van Veeteren's life, written by Rachel Hall hallrachel,