The Return - (Inspector Van Veeteren) by Hakan Nesser (Paperback)

About the Book

The author of "Borkmann's Point" spins a story that leaves even the most veteran crime novel readers chilled. Chief Inspector Van Veeteren confronts a new case--the complicated history of a nearly perfect murder.

Book Synopsis

International Bestseller

Chief Inspector Van Veeteren is forced to unlock the secrets of a nearly perfect murder in this taut psychological thriller.

On a rainy April day, a body--or what is left of it--is found by a young girl. Wrapped in a blanket with no hands, feet, or head, it signals the work of a brutal, methodical killer. The victim, Leopold Verhaven, was a track star before he was convicted for killing two of his ex-lovers. He consistently proclaimed his innocence, however, and was killed on the day of his return to society. This latest murder is more than a little perplexing and Chief Inspector Van Veeteren is determined to discover the truth, even if it means taking the law into his own hands.

Review Quotes

"The mystery of a headless corpse . . . brings insight to the puzzle of human behavior." --The New York Times Book Review

"Foreboding. . . . A number of crime writers try to explore morality and motivation. . . . Nesser achieves more than most." --Deseret News

"Every bit enjoyably creepy as his previous offering." --Entertainment World

"Mystery fans should rejoice." --Richmond Times-Dispatch

About the Author

Håkan Nesser was born in 1950 in Sweden. In 1993 he was awarded the Swedish Crime Writers' Academy Prize for new authors for his novel Mind's Eye, and is the only author to have won the Academy's best novel award three times: in 1994 for Borkmann's Point; in 1996 for Woman With Birthmark; and in 2007 for A Rather Different Story. In 1999 he was awarded the Crime Writers of Scandinavia's Glass Key Award for the best crime novel of the year for Carambole. His novels have been published to wide acclaim in twenty-five countries.