On the Treacherous Net

Many of our readers are familiar with Swedish author Helene Tursten. Her character, Detective Inspector Irene Huss, appears in a number of books, audiobooks, & DVDs in our library catalog. The Treacherous Net, her latest translated mystery, is a complex work, with an ambitious theme dealing with loneliness, the most widespread disease in Sweden, and modern society as a whole.

There are three concurrent storylines: a time-sensitive case to save teenage girls from an online predator; a mummified body discovered during a house demolition that triggers the reopening of a cold case from 42 years ago; and an intense workplace conflict between Huss and her new boss, Efva Thylqvist.

Loneliness, an internal poverty, is reflected fully in the book. Young teenage girls from both rich and poor family backgrounds turn to the treacherous Web for love and romance. But face-to-face interaction can be treacherous, too. Ever since her former boss was replaced by Thylqvist, Irene has experienced the taste of loneliness at work. She has been passed over and her input ignored. Worse, she has become isolated from her best friend/colleague, who was moved away from their shared office, and from the rest of her fellow officers, who have been won over by their attractive, seemingly hardworking new boss.

Faced with these challenges, Huss does not give in and quit her job, for she loves what she does. As the case progresses, Huss finds her true allies within and outside her department. And she surprises herself by finding the strength to speak out and give credit to the deserving when the new superintendent intends to grab all the glory herself.