Grendel’s Game

Chief Supt. Walther Ekman of Weltenborg, Sweden, the clever, overweight hero of Mauritzson’s well-constructed and multilayered debut, receives a bizarre letter from someone signing himself Grendel, who boasts of his taste for human flesh. Ekman takes the letter seriously, and soon a combination of missing-person cases and further communications from Grendel make it clear that he’s a threat and Ekman is one of his targets. Ekman adroitly maneuvers through the bureaucracy of bigwigs while directing a capable team of investigators. Pressure intensifies when County Councillor Eugen Westberg’s lawyer son, Rodger, disappears. Suspicious connections between Rodger’s fiancée, accountant Stina Lindfors, and others who have disappeared provide one line of inquiry. A gruesome package delivered to Ekman’s home ups the ante. Grendel’s shadowy presence never quite clicks, but an excellent cast of characters, especially Ekman, will leave readers hoping to see more of them in a sequel. (July)