3.75 on the rating scale The Glass Devil is the final translated installment of Helene Tursten's series to feature Detective Inspector Irene Huss; fortunately, she has another five books already written, hopefully waiting to be translated. (Dear Soho Press: hint hint wink wink.) This is a most excellent series; while the previous book The Torso was my favorite of the four, The Glass Devil is also quite good, and here Tursten takes a bit of a different tack in storytelling, focusing much more on the work of Irene Huss and less on the usual Göteborg team effort or on family life than in her previous novels.On a cold March night, a young schoolteacher, Jonas Schyttelius, drives up to his cottage, removes his gym bag, lunch box and groceries from his car, and walks into his house. Out of nowhere, a shot rings out and he's dead. Not far away, his mother and father, the rector in a church in the small community of Kullahult, are also killed in the same way. At both crime scenes a pentagram, painted with the victims' blood, is left behind on the victims' computers. The Violent Crimes Unit is called in on the case, with very little to go on. They interview a circle of people acquainted with the pastor, unearthing very little in the way of motive but quite a bit in the way of nastiness as the competition heats up for the dead pastor's job; Irene also encounters a cantor whose spirituality takes more of a new-age format. What she manages to find out is that Jonas has a sister, Rebecka, living in London, to whom the family had once turned for research on Satanists; now Irene wonders if Rebecka is also in danger since the murderer seems to have focused his attacks on the Schyttelius family. Even if she is not, she may be able to shed some light on the killer's motives, which remain unknown. The problem is that Rebecka has had a nervous breakdown and is unable to come to Sweden. Irene decides that she must go to London to get any help she can in the hope of solving this most baffling case.The story moves along at a brisk pace, with very little going on in the Huss homefront. The biggest problem facing Irene and her family this time is the death of a neighbor's cat by their dog. On the work side, the team is caught up in other crimes, leaving Irene to work mainly by herself on the Schyttelius case until she reaches London, where she meets her counterpart Glen Thompson. There are also some tempting red herrings scattered here and there, but what it comes down to are two very intriguing mysteries: first, who killed Jonas and his parents and why, and second, why is Rebecka's business colleague trying to thwart Irene's attempts at talking to her? As intense a read as this book is, as chilling and bleak as the ride is to the end turns out to be, there is a moment when the show is practically given away, or at the very least, where anyone following along closely enough might be able to figure out what's going on. Although this may be a bit frustrating, it's certainly not a deal breaker because there is enough left for the reader to still try to put it all together. What comes out of this story is so heartbreaking that this early nod toward the solution doesn't even scratch the surface of the ultimate revelations to be found in this tragedy. There are some books where the author asks you to consider certain underlying questions, and this is one of those. First there is the nature of justice; second, the workings of fate; but most importantly, the blinding nature of evil in its most fundamental form. Irene Huss says it all here: "A glass devil is a person in whom evil becomes transparent. People simply don't see it, despite the fact that it's there all the time."Another of Tursten's novels that is decidedly not for weak hearts or fitting fare for people who need an uplifting ending, I definitely recommend The Glass Devil, as well as all of the books in the Inspector Huss series. I just love these books!
This is a poor example of the Scandinavian crime genre, I'm saddened to say, especially because Inspector Irene Huss is an interesting protagonist - a loving wife and mother and workaholic. A teacher is found brutally slain, and when the police go over to his parents' place to break the news, they find that the couple have been murdered as well. There are signs of Satanism (inverted pentagrams and all), and evidence of computer geekery - the hard-drives of the machines have been found completely wiped. It turns out that the surviving member of the family is a daughter (a computer geek) based in London, who has been so stunned by the deaths of her kin that she suffers a mental collapse. Huss is forced to travel to London to interrogate the woman, and there's an entirely pointless addition of a travelogue about the places she has time to visit and H&M shopping she is able to accomplish while she awaits the woman's pleasure. Even more egregious is the several pages describing a gruesome attack on Huss by drug-addled rapists that she is able to repel owing to her Olympic-level jiu-jitsu. What was the point of this? What are the chances that a chance visitor in London will suffer such an attack? Negligible, I'd have thought. The attack does nothing to advance the plot, adds little to Huss's character development, and serves no earthly purpose I could discern. But what really got my goat were the footnotes that dotted the book at various places. The publisher evidently is targeting an American audience, for whenever the text used metric measurements, a footnote would translate into imperial measures. Now consider - how many readers of translated fiction would be unaware of the metric system? It's just a insult to one's intelligence. Pshaw, I say, pshaw.
What do You think about The Glass Devil (2007)?
This mystery kept me guessing to the very end who could have done it.That means it was a good book.I like the setting, which happened to be Sweden. I haven't read many books from that area.I also like the main detective. She was a real person with a family, that had worked her way up to Inspector.At the beginning they believe the murders were performed by Satanists. It turns out to be far worse-child pedifiles who didn't want to be identified. In order to get in the "club" they had to rape a child and film it. They would then post it to the web. Disgusting! For 4/5 of the book you think it is a Satanist group and in the last section you find out the truth.It mentioned on the back flap that it had been made into a tv series. I'll bet it was good.
—Jessica
This is the third novel in the Detective Inspector Irene Huss series. The book opens up with a triple homicide, possibly committed by satanists. There are signs of Satan worshipers left near the bodies, the computers are covered by the victims' blood and the hard drives wiped clean, and the christian crosses in the bedroom are turned upside down. The victims are a pastor, his wife, and their son. Each has been shot at close range and it appears that the murderer has carefully planned out the crime.As Irene questions others working at the church, she uncovers a lot of jealousy, gossip and spite. Nothing is as it seems.Irene is again working with her colleagues Hannu and Superintendent Andersen. The crime takes her to London where the pastor's daughter lives. There she is met by a woman who is seriously depressed and traumatized. Is she hiding something or have the murders broken her?Irene has a full plate. At home, her husband Krister works a full-time job as a head cook in a ritzy restaurant. Her teen-aged twin girls give her a run for their money. One is into rock music and the other is entering a beauty contest. Of course, there is Sammie, Irene's loyal dog who has just killed their neighbor's cat and is causing a ruckus.The novel is fast-paced and the characterization is good. I enjoy this series and look forward to reading more about Detective Inspector Huss.
—Bonnie Brody
Like previous stories from Helene Tursten, "The Glass Devil" rates a "thumbs up" with me. This time out, Detective Inspector Irene Huss investigates the murder of a rector, his wife, and their adult son. It is an investigation that takes Huss to London in search of clues. I was was maybe a little disappointed in the way Tursten wrapped it all up too quickly, but I continue to enjoy the way she incorporates Huss' family life into the stories of her investigations of mostly very gruesome murders. For me, it's important to like the main characters of a book, and I do like Huss, her family, and her co-workers. Tursten makes me care about what is going on in their lives. And for this reason alone I'm anxious to return to Goteborg again soon for "The Golden Calf."
—Jim Nolt
