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Detective Ulf Varg is a man of refined tastes and quite familiar with the art scene in Malmö. So when art historian Anders Kindgren visits the Department of Sensitive Crimes to report a series of bizarre acts that have been committed against him, Ulf and his team swing into action. Fish stuffed into the vents of Kindgren’s car and a manipulated footnote in a recent publication would be cause enough for an investigation, but when a painting Kindgren had confidently appraised as genuine is later declared to be a fake, it’s clear that someone is out to tarnish his reputation.
Meanwhile, Ulf is also weathering personal issues, which quickly spiral out of control. When his lip-reading dog, Martin, engages in a contretemps with a squirrel that results in a grievous wound, Ulf must rush Martin to the veterinarian and weigh the merits of cosmetic surgery for animals. And later, when Martin’s blood is found in the back of Ulf’s classic Saab, Ulf finds himself the subject of a departmental investigation.
In the end, Ulf will have to muster all his detective skills and bureaucratic cunning to restore Kindgren’s reputation—as well as his own.
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Creators
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Series
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Publisher
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Release date
July 20, 2021 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780593316115
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780593316115
- File size: 2349 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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Starred review from May 31, 2021
In Smith’s delightful third mystery featuring Malmö, Sweden, police detective Ulf Varg (after 2020’s The Talented Mr. Varg), art historian Anders Kindgren has been plagued for months by a series of “nasty little events,” starting with someone stuffing rotten fish into his car hood air vents. Now the stakes have risen. A painting he recently authenticated has been discovered to be a forgery. Certain that a forgery was substituted for the original after his evaluation, Kindgren wants Ulf, the thoughtful, tolerant head of the Department of Sensitive Crimes, to catch the person trying to besmirch his reputation. The gossamer-thin plot is almost irrelevant. The novel’s pleasures lie in Ulf’s philosophical asides and comments on how to live a good, just life: “It was hard to remain tolerant; it was hard to do the right thing; but we simply had no alternative. Oppression and violence brought sorrow—and more violence.” Smith’s gift is to use crime as a structure for writing about morality and making it such a pleasure to read. This is a refreshing change from the standard Scandinavian noir fare. -
Starred review from June 1, 2021
The indefatigable McCall Smith, author of numerous stand-alone novels for adults and children, and three long-running series, including the wildly successful No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency novels, launched the Detective Varg series with The Department of Sensitive Crimes (2019). It's about a branch of the Swedish Police, based in Malm�, and dedicated to the investigation of highly unusual crimes--ones that may seem miniscule, even comic, except to the victims. Detective Ulf Varg is a delight to follow as he muses on a wide range of topics, including his own conflicted, self-critical character. The "sensitive crime" in the third installment involves a noted art historian who consults Varg after a series of attacks, starting with someone stuffing fish in his car's vents and escalating to a serious assault on his reputation. McCall Smith guides readers through the sometimes treacherous world of academia and auction houses, with Varg finding an ever-expanding list of people who may have it in for the suffering art historian. What appears, at first, to be a "nothing" series of crimes expands into an incisive character analysis with a ""wow"" of a resolution, all while sustaining its comic bent. The Varg series is a nice antidote to Nordic noir.COPYRIGHT(2021) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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