Review: Meet me in Malmo by Torquil MacLeod

Meet me in Malmo by Torquil MacLeod

Publisher: McNidder & Grace Crime

Release date: 26 March 2015

Rating: ****

Back cover blurb: A British journalist is invited to Malmö to interview an old university friend who is now one of Sweden’s leading film directors. When he discovers the director’s glamorous film star wife dead in her apartment, the Skåne County Police are called in to solve the high-profile case. Among the investigating team is Inspector Anita Sundström, who soon finds the list of suspects growing. As Anita battles to discover the answers amid the antagonism of some of her colleagues, she even begins to think that the person she is becoming attracted to could be the murderer. Meet me in Malmö is the first in the series of the best-selling crime mysteries featuring Inspector Anita Sundström. Murder in Malmö and Missing in Malmö are the second and third titles.

Torquil MacLeod although Scottish, clearly knows Sweden well and it shines through in this novel.

Ewan Strachan a struggling journalist is keen to write about Swedish film sensation Mick Rosyln, an English guy that Ewan was at the prestigious Durham University with.

A chance meeting with him at a film festival sees him being offered an invitation over to Malmö where Mick is based with his wife, the beautiful Swedish actress Malin Lovgren, to interview Mick and maybe Malin, which pleases Ewan's lecherous boss who is reluctant at first to let Mick go.

Upon arriving for the scheduled interview at the couple’s apartment in Malmö, Ewan is horrified to discover Malin’s body. Roslyn arrives for the interview having been away from the apartment overnight and immediately assumes the worst, attacking his old university friend in the process. The Police are promptly called, introducing us to Anita Sundström.

Ewan quickly becomes one of the prime suspects, having been in the immediate vicinity when the body was discovered. But Malin Lovgren was a Swedish movie star, who was bound to have lots of admirers.

Could her murder be the result of a deranged fan?

When Anita discovers that Mick Roslyn was not where he said he was on the night of his wife’s murder her suspicions shift. Could Malin have been murdered by her husband after all?

Upon questioning Mick, Anita uncovers a history to Ewan and Mick’s relationship that neither of them had thought fit to mention before. Could this be the key to the investigation or is Mick just trying to take the heat off himself?

As the novel draws to its thrilling final chapters, it finally becomes clear who the murderer was. Or does it?

There is a twist at the end that I personally didn’t see coming, and I think this is ultimately designed to test Anita’s strength as a character. I actually quite enjoyed it, it was nice not to be right for once. But I’m sure it’s an ending that has provoked mixed opinions from readers. 

Meet Me in Malmö is available to buy now from Amazon online.

Murder in Malmo, the 2nd novel in the Anita Sundström series will be published by McNidder and Grace on 13 August 2015.

I will be hosting a review as part of the Murder in Malmö blog tour on 9th August 2015.

   

Don't forget to check out the other sites on the tour!

 

Thank you to McNidder & Grace Crime who sent me an advanced copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.