STONE COFFIN

When a speeding car kills a young mother and daughter, complications indicate much more than a simple hit-and-run.

Josefin Cederén and her 6-year-old daughter, Emily, are struck by a car and killed while walking to the graveyard in southern Sweden where Emily’s grandmother is buried. Their deaths hit Ann Lindell and her fellow detectives in Uppsala-Näs’ Violent Crimes unit hard. Though the hit-and-run might have been a simple, tragic accident, policy necessitates an investigation for possible foul play. Neighbors report a recent change in Josefin’s demeanor, and tension between her and Emily’s neglectful father, Sven-Erik, has recently spiked. When the man turns up missing along with a large sum recently transferred from his bank, he shoots to the top of the suspect list. Could he have gone to the Dominican Republic, where he’s recently purchased property? In the middle of this, a group of activists called the Animal Liberation Front take over a local television station to protest the practices of MedForsk, a medical lab that happens to employ Sven-Erik. The head of the company, Jack Mortensen, tries to stonewall, but he withers under Ann’s skillful questioning. The case ultimately leads the Violent Crimes team to Spain, where the cooperation of local police becomes crucial to closing the case. After a period without a committed relationship, Ann meanwhile contemplates a reunion with her ex, Edvard, a decision complicated by an accidental pregnancy.

Eriksson’s seventh (Black Lies, Red Blood, 2015, etc.) is full of twists, three-dimensional characters, quiet authority, and heart.