Citizen Detective
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Author Description
A wonderfully new and imaginative take on Nordic crime fiction." – Quentin Bates In the hard summer heat of Capital City a butcher is found dead in strange circumstances and Citizen Detective Arne Blöm is assigned to clear things away. Blöm may be the city's finest, but as an underpaid and overworked State employee his life is also one of routine; managing his expenses, padding his time-sheet and enduring small annoyances like the fact that his brogues are in need of re-soling. However, Blöm has barely reached a conclusion about the dead butcher before he's roused from his bed by an agent of the shadowy Ministry of Governance and Homeland. Blöm quickly realises that the MGH and the Central Executive have their own motives for taking an interest in the dead butcher's case, and that it's of far greater significance than he could have imagined. In fact, if the repair of his brogues is anything to go by, the fate of the whole State apparatus may now rest in his hands – and on whether he believes in the story of Ulf and the Ewe. "Gloriously weird, serious and funny." – Ewa Sherman, Nordic Lighthouse
Menrva's Summary
THE PULSE
A routine investigation into a butcher's death unravels into a conspiracy threatening the entire state. Citizen Detective Arne Blöm, a meticulous but underpaid State employee, is assigned a seemingly straightforward case. However, his investigation is quickly interrupted by the shadowy Ministry of Governance and Homeland (MGH), revealing that the butcher's death is entangled with motives far beyond his initial assessment. As Blöm delves deeper, he uncovers a plot of significant state-wide importance, forcing him to confront the possibility that the fate of the entire apparatus rests on his ability to decipher a cryptic story.
INSIDE THE PAGES
- A protagonist who is a meticulous but world-weary detective.
- A setting in a hot, oppressive Capital City.
- The involvement of a clandestine government agency, the Ministry of Governance and Homeland (MGH).
- A central mystery involving a dead butcher with hidden significance.
- A narrative that blends elements of crime investigation with political intrigue.
- The presence of a cryptic, possibly allegorical, story ('Ulf and the Ewe') that holds a key to the larger plot.
- A tone that is described as both serious and humorous, with a 'gloriously weird' quality.
THE COLLECTIVE ECHO
The book is positioned as a fresh and imaginative entry into the Nordic crime fiction genre, with praise highlighting its unique blend of the serious and the humorous. Reviewers note its 'wonderfully new and imaginative take' and describe it as 'gloriously weird, serious and funny.' The narrative appears to engage with political undertones and a unique, possibly allegorical, central mystery. The reception suggests a work that subverts typical genre expectations with its distinctive style and thematic depth.
Page Count:
373
Publication Date:
2021-03-07
Publisher:
Independently published
ISBN-13:
9798599572879
Thriller
Fiction
Mystery
Crime
Crime fiction
Political Thriller
