Review of Three Seconds by Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom

Three Seconds

Anders Roslund & Borge Hellstrom

Silver Oak Publishing

496 pages

Three Seconds is the 6^th novel featuring detective inspector Ewert Grens and police officer Sven Sundkvist.

The chamber of commerce of Sweden wants you to think it’s all lily white and crime free but the underbelly of crime still exists and with it the organizations that rule the underworld. On the other side of the fence sits the law enforcement officers who try to fight crime and with the help of certain citizens, undercover operatives they succeed more than they fail. This is a case of good vs evil only the lines will smear and soon even the best of you will have trouble separating the good guys from the bad.

Piet Hoffmann is living a double life and soon the family man will have to be put away in order for the hardened criminal to come out and play. But the play will be rough and he may not survive. Erik Wilson is Piet’s handler and while he’s out of country learning how to be a better police man someone is attempting to put Piet out of commission, permanently. Ewert Grens has spent 35 years solving crimes and he’s got a solid solve ratio going but he may have just found one of those that will have to be put on the cold case shelf unless he get’s some cooperation and unless he get’s some straight answers.

Authors Mr.’s Roslund & Hellstrom know how to keep their audience’s attention and they use every trick in the book to do it, conspiracy theories, drug trafficking, prison infiltrators and corrupt officials nothing that you haven’t seen in the paper or on the network news but they have such a way with words that you actually feel like you’re living the life they’re describing. The characters are all three dimensional and excellently portrayed in the novel with each part so crucial to the outcome of the tale. Piet, Erik and Grens each play a main role and play it beautifully and out of the three I think that it’s Piet who steals the show with his attention to detail to the ninth degree and yet it’s his love for his family that really brings out the humanity in him. The only trouble you might have is the dialogue that may seem at times a bit choppy but if you were able to get through any of Stieg Larsson’s novels this one will breeze by.

Whether you’re a fan of crime drama, thrillers, police mysteries or conspiracy theory novels this one has all the bells and whistles to fit the bill. It’s an action packed, edge of you seat, non-stop roller coaster ride of an adventure one you’ll not soon forget by a pair of brilliantly intricate storytellers. By the time you finish you’ll have a hard time telling up from down.