Detective Inspector Irene Huss is not one to be easily rattled, and when she notices that a garden seat was moved and her rosebush damaged, she attributes it to mischievous youths, but when her asters are destroyed, she becomes a tad suspicious. She has a nagging feeling that maybe someone is watching her, but duty calls, as she must go to a crime scene. Women are being killed, strangled, and it's obviously the same perpetrator: the MO is the same, but the connection between the murders remains elusive. And do Irene's incidents have anything to do with the case? Is Irene targeted, or is she the recipient of someone else's revenge?

I love police procedurals, and I try to read as many as I can from various countries. WHO WATCHETH takes place in Göteborg, Sweden, and while Ms. Tursten aptly conveys the local colour, the story is universal: WHO WATCHETH is a classic serial killer tale, made more personal because of Irene's personal life, which takes up a good chunk of the book, and is just as interesting as the chase for the killer. I did feel that, at times, there were a tad too many inconsequential details not pertaining to the mystery arc, and that made me antsy to get back to finding the killer. It's not that it's distracting per se, but I am an impatient reader! I loved the roles dogs play in WHO WATCHETH, not in cute way, but as meaningful characters in their own right, and they nearly as fully-rounded as the superb cast of secondary characters.

WHO WATCHETH was the first Irene Huss Investigations book I have read, and I immediately felt at ease with the characters and the set-up. Ms. Tursten, with a few precise sentences and crisp descriptions, takes the reader in Irene's world, whether the home front or the police department, I got the dynamics of DI Huss' environment. Irene is fair and generous, as is the author, in giving a wide berth to young Sara Persson, whom I particularly liked; she's a bit of a younger Irene. Best of all is that Irene Huss is a true hero: she's a woman, a mother, and a detective who doesn't need a man to rescue her. If the identity of the killer seemed a sure thing around halfway, I definitely did not expect the ending, which was quite daring and left me happily stunned. WHO WATCHETH may not be the expected Scandinavian noir crime thriller, but it certainly is very dark grey, and I loved it!

Book Summary

He watches the women from the shadows. He has an understanding with them; as long as they follow his rules, they are safe. But when they sin, he sentences them to death.

A woman is found dead in a cemetery, strangled and covered in plastic. Just a few days before her death, the victim had received a flower, an unintelligible note, and a photograph of herself. Detective Inspector Irene Huss and her colleagues on the Violent Crimes Unit in Göteborg, Sweden, have neither clue nor motive to pursue, and when similar murders follow, their search for the killer becomes increasingly desperate. Meanwhile, strange things have been going on at home for Irene: first the rose bush in her garden is mangled, then she receives a threatening package with no return address. Is Irene being paranoid, or is she next on the killer’s list?