The highly anticipated first novel in the Inspector Van Veeteren series in now available in English. At last, American readers will be able to enj...
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Dec 25, 2011
Ellie
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I loved Mind's Eye by Håkan Nesser, the first in the Swedish crime series featuring Inspector Van Veeteren, the grumpy, cynical, aging detective who has a stinging sense of humor. In fact, although I'm an incorrigible multi-book reader, I found myself unable to read anything else until I finished this book (a rare event that I always hope for). The character of Van Veeteren is the primary attraction but the other characters are all seamlessly drawn and the plot is well-paced and absorbing. I can
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Jan 17, 2012
Susan
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Janek Mattias Mitter, a high school teacher of history and philosophy, wakes up one morning so hung over he cannot remember his own name or where he is. As he, very slowly, moves through his apartment he begins to catch glimmers of memory. But not enough to prepare him for the sight that awaits when he jimmies open the locked bathroom door with a screwdriver. His wife of three months lies dead in the bathtub. And he can remember nothing of the night before.
While in custody, he is q More...
While in custody, he is q More...
Oct 14, 2011
Linda Branham
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The mystery begins when Janek Mitter awakens one morning, and finds his wife dead in the bathtub. He remembers nothing. But, Janek of course is the chief suspect. The police have no other viable suspects and Janek's suspicious behavior makes it look like and open and shut case. Certainly Inspector Van Veeteren thinks so. After all who could believe Janek's convenient loss of memory as to what happened that fateful night because he drank too much at dinner?
Van Veeteren is the main character More...
Van Veeteren is the main character More...
Aug 14, 2011
Lucinda
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Mind’s Eye (English 2008, Swedish 1993) introduces Chief Inspector Van Veeteren, a veteran of 30 years of police work, in a country that resembles Sweden. Van Veeteren is working on a case that seems open-and-shut. Janek Mitter is charged with the murder of his wife, who he found dead one morning, facedown in the bathtub of their locked apartment. Mitter admits he was in an alcoholic coma the night before and can’t remember much, but he’s pretty sure he didn’t murder his wife. Unfortunately he c
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Jul 09, 2011
Mind’s Eye, by Hakan Nesser, Laurie Thompson, translator, b-plus, Narrated by Simon Vance, produced by Highbridge Company, downloaded from audible.com.
This is one of the Chief Inspector Van Veeteren series. Janek Mitter woke one morning with a brutal hangover and discovered his wife of three months lying facedown in the bathtub, dead. Since he could not remember anything beyond a certain point from the night before, he could virtually not provide a defense. He is convicted by the j More...
This is one of the Chief Inspector Van Veeteren series. Janek Mitter woke one morning with a brutal hangover and discovered his wife of three months lying facedown in the bathtub, dead. Since he could not remember anything beyond a certain point from the night before, he could virtually not provide a defense. He is convicted by the j More...
Jun 01, 2011
Ethan
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At the heart of this novel is the story of a man who is being accused of murdering his wife. Unlike most detective novels, the first third of the book spends a fair amount of time in the mind of the accused. Håkan Nesser writes in a way that made me root for the husband while still leaving some doubt in my mind as to if his claims of innocence deserved my belief. The middle section lags a bit, especially after the stelar opening, but the ending regains momentum and provides a great ending. This
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Aug 12, 2010
James
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This is the book that introduced Swedish Inspector Van Veeteren.
After a drunken night of love-making, Janek Mitter awakens to find his wife drowned in the bathtub, and Mitter has absolutely no recollection of what might have happened. Van Veeteren is not completely certain that Mitter is guilty of the murder, but with the evidence stacked against him and no real defense, Mitter is convicted and sent to a mental institution.
After some time in the institution, Mitter is br More...
After a drunken night of love-making, Janek Mitter awakens to find his wife drowned in the bathtub, and Mitter has absolutely no recollection of what might have happened. Van Veeteren is not completely certain that Mitter is guilty of the murder, but with the evidence stacked against him and no real defense, Mitter is convicted and sent to a mental institution.
After some time in the institution, Mitter is br More...
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May 19, 2010
Bernadette
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Schoolteacher Janek Mitter wakes up with a hell of a hangover one morning and discovers the body of his wife in the bathtub. While it’s clear she has been murdered the question that neither police nor Mitter can answer is whether or not he was the one who killed her. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, Mitter is tried, convicted and confined to an asylum for the mentally ill but the case is not yet finished and events cause the police to investigate further.
By reputation Scandinavi More...
By reputation Scandinavi More...
Jul 14, 2009
Nancy
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This is actually the first installment in the series featuring Inspector Van Veeteren, set in Sweden, and it is a good one. I really love Nesser's books, having read the first three in the series so far (Mind's Eye, Borkmann's Point, The Return). In this debut (and you'll never believe it's the first of a series, it's that good), Van Veeteren takes the case of Janek Mitter, who wakes up one morning after a night of heavy drinking to find his wife Eva in the bathtub, dead. The only suspect is Mit
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May 21, 2009
Tony
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Nesser, Hakan. MIND’S EYE. (1993; US-2008). *****. This was the first Inspector Van Veeteren mystery novel by this author, but had a delayed translation into English so that it was the third to be published in this country. It would have been good to have read them in order, since this first novel introduces Van Veeteren and his quirky ways of going about solving crimes. Information about his personal life is also in this book that is only referred to obliquely in later novels. Anyway, th
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Jan 25, 2009
Michael
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This seems to be a common pattern that foreign detective novels from a series are translated out of order - several other Inspector Van Veeteren novels came out in English before this one. Thus the book, set in the "current day" is now describing a Sweden of almost twenty years ago.
Presumably publishers do this (out of order) because they decide that one of the later titles is more compelling for an English speaking audience - and that the first one is weaker. It certain More...
Presumably publishers do this (out of order) because they decide that one of the later titles is more compelling for an English speaking audience - and that the first one is weaker. It certain More...
Jan 29, 2012
Dave
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I guess the message from the works of Nesser is quality. Always good writing. Wry humour. Crafted plotting without calculated misdirection.I think he is the true heir to Wahloo and Sjowall as he writes in their mode. Police procedurals that get to where they're going in their own good time.
The seemingly light writing touch obscures the artifice in the engineering that enables all the Van Veeteren novels to come together. The more I read of Nesser the more I respect his skill. It is More...
The seemingly light writing touch obscures the artifice in the engineering that enables all the Van Veeteren novels to come together. The more I read of Nesser the more I respect his skill. It is More...
Feb 20, 2012
Spuddie
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Another of those very oddly-written Scandinavian mysteries, this one featuring Inspector Van Veeteren, a toothpick-chewing, somewhat plodding man ten years from retirement and wishing it were sooner. When teacher Ava Ringmar is found drowned in her bathtub, her husband becomes the prime suspect--he found her when he woke from a drunken stupor in the morning and doesn't recall a thing, although he protests his innocence. Months go by, the jury finds him guilty of manslaughter by reason of insanit
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Oct 28, 2010
This book starts off when Janek Mitter finds his wife, Eva Ringmar, dead in the bathtub, he calls the police and waits for them to arrive. And while he’s waiting he tidies up a little bit his house! Well by doing this the police take him in as a suspect in the murder. I was confused at the beginning because I didn’t have enough background information to know who was who and what was happening. Mitter wasn’t the greatest in cooperating with the authorities, he basically didn’t say anything, could
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Feb 03, 2010
Shivesh
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There is something in the water in those Scandinavian countries, perhaps leakage from Iceland. The hype about the various mystery writers from Sweden, Norway and Finland is no joke - much like the denizens of Reykjavik, there is something about the northern latitudes that is extremely conducive to a journey into a dark and deep mystery.
My first introduction to this kind of writing was 'Jar City', which itself was well introduced to me by its movie adaptation. When I saw 'Mind's Eye More...
My first introduction to this kind of writing was 'Jar City', which itself was well introduced to me by its movie adaptation. When I saw 'Mind's Eye More...
Apr 16, 2011
Lulu
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Nesser is a great psychologist. Mind's Eye kicks off with the murder of a young teacher. Her husband denies responsibility, saying he has no memory of what happened, which (predictably) doesn't do him much good in court. After his conviction, he's murdered in custody, and Van Veeteren sets about trying to find out what really happened. The detective's often sour and unpleasant character - a blurb on the back of the book compares him to Dr. House - plays better when he's with his regular team
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Sep 02, 2009
Karen
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The novel starts with Janek, a teacher, waking up from a night of drinking. So much drinking that he's lost all his memories of the night before. Not just his memories, but even his own name. Okay...first off I think this guy's got problems, but that could also lead to some interesting stories. Anyways, he ends up finding his wife (Eva, also a fellow teacher) of 3 months dead in their bathtub, behind a locked bathroom door.
Obviously, he becomes a suspect, and his admission of not rem More...
Obviously, he becomes a suspect, and his admission of not rem More...
Aug 11, 2010
Katherine
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"He peered over his spectacles as if to smile, as if to suggest they were singing from the same hymn book" (41).
"He recalled Reinhart once saying that no two professions were more similar than those of teachers and actors" (70).
"'What's the next thin you remember after the casserole adn the sexual intercourse?'" (75). **What a great question!
"...Havel was forced to resort to his gavel" (77).
“The rain was a mere drizzle, not really f More...
"He recalled Reinhart once saying that no two professions were more similar than those of teachers and actors" (70).
"'What's the next thin you remember after the casserole adn the sexual intercourse?'" (75). **What a great question!
"...Havel was forced to resort to his gavel" (77).
“The rain was a mere drizzle, not really f More...
Oct 12, 2010
Sasha
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First of all, if you're considering reading this book, avoid reading the official descriptions--they give away a plot twist that happens quite late in the book.
Otherwise, I am enjoying this book quite a bit. It is spare, realistic, vaguely (usually subtly) brutal, occasionally humorous. I avoid most contemporary mysteries because they've tended to be sort of goofy and postmodern, so this is a nice change.
My only complaint (aside from the official spoilers) is that nearly all More...
Otherwise, I am enjoying this book quite a bit. It is spare, realistic, vaguely (usually subtly) brutal, occasionally humorous. I avoid most contemporary mysteries because they've tended to be sort of goofy and postmodern, so this is a nice change.
My only complaint (aside from the official spoilers) is that nearly all More...
Sep 23, 2008
Sydney
rated it:
This was a fun myster/thriller, although it wasn't as involved or as disgusting as I usually appreciate (think Dean R. Koontz). Very suprise ending, lots of fun characters, and worth a read.
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Feb 03, 2012
Sharon
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First of this writer but will read again. Now that I feel a bit more for the flow of the writing and character. He writes very few details, sparse description and no excess of emotion. I like that about the book but it made it slow to get into. However, once the pace picked up, it really was a Good Read. Enjoy the mystery of place location and names. See the writer lives in Sweden and New York and has a couple more available so will look for them. Also very happy to again read translation
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Dec 27, 2009
Lee
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I'm on a Swedish crime fiction kick since reading Stieg Larsson and his next book isn't out till the end of May, so I'm trying different authors. This is the first of the Van Veeteren series and the first Hakan Nesser book I've read. It will be interesting to see how the curmudgeonly detective character develops through the series. I did figure out the mystery - can't say when exactly because that would give away the ending. But the author supplies enough clues to figure it out. The plot twist i
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Oct 11, 2009
Kat
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I am still not sure how the Scandinavians (esp. Swedes and Icelanders) have managed to corner the mystery genre in the very small market of foreign books that get translated and published in the US, given that their crime rates are so low. Hey, maybe that's why: their policemen, though brooding, broken, and often alcoholic, don't actually have that many crimes to investigate! And they are driven by civic duty and a unique sense of justice. This book is the first I have read by this author and it
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Mar 09, 2011
Martina
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers.
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Mar 12, 2009
Monica
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This is an English translation of a Swedish mystery writer's book, a mystery writer who has won many awards for his writing in Europe. Even though I thought the solution to "who done it?" was obvious early on in the book, the book was still well worth the reading because of the well-drawn characters. Also, I enjoy stories set in cultures not my own - to catch a glimpse of what a slice of life in Sweden might be like, even a fictional glimpse though the eyes of characters in a work of
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Jul 29, 2011
This book is from 1993 and it definitely seems dated--Van Veeteren is a recognizable Scandinavian detective, meaning that he is understand, knows that when things seem too good to be true they are too good to be true and doesn't jump to conclusions too quickly. He didn't seem particularly upset when the man who went to prison for his wife's murder, who he was pretty sure was innocent, gets killed. Again,there is a "these things happen" sensibility to the book. I did not find the plo
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Jul 31, 2011
Lisa
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I'm glad I read the 2nd book in the series first; I might not have continued after this first novel. The murder suspect refers to Van Veeteren as "the disagreeable one" and that's right on the mark. He reminded me more and more of House as the book went on. (I swear I came up with that on my own and only later saw the reviews making the same comparison!) V.V. withholds information from both his team and the reader. Although I was able to put the pieces together, I was frustrated b
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Aug 04, 2010
Jim
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um...where do i start. i'm pretty sure a lot was lost in translation although i'm not convinced a lot was lost in culture as well. the book is bizarre. i sort of had to stumble through it. i'm a big fan of the scandos and their mystery writing and i thought this would be OK. maybe if i learned swedish...
the plot had no rhyme or reason at points and the characters were all over the place. they all wanted cigarettes really badly. van veeteren is an interesting lead but mostly because h More...
the plot had no rhyme or reason at points and the characters were all over the place. they all wanted cigarettes really badly. van veeteren is an interesting lead but mostly because h More...
Aug 25, 2009
Lawrence
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Sweden is certainly the nation of great mystery writers like Henning Mankell and Per Stovall(sp?). But this Nesser book is just ok and not the greatest. There's not enough character development and detail. And there's no sense of place. Some of the book seemed to be just sketched. It doesn't have all the scrumptious detail that Mankell gives. Detail brings mysteries closer to the reader because they are books about the world we actually live in and about what happens in its hidden corners w
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Dec 11, 2011
April (CSI:Librarian)
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(Originally posted @ CSI:Librarian.)
There was so much that this book did well and over all I enjoyed listening to it, but I do sort of feel like the plot/case was a bit underwhelming. I liked the complexity that was added to everything due to Mitter being so drunk that he apparently developed severe memory loss. Or perhaps it was a result of trauma, hard to say.
Anyway, the notion of following Janek Mitter around from the time he wakes up to discover his wife to the time he hi More...
There was so much that this book did well and over all I enjoyed listening to it, but I do sort of feel like the plot/case was a bit underwhelming. I liked the complexity that was added to everything due to Mitter being so drunk that he apparently developed severe memory loss. Or perhaps it was a result of trauma, hard to say.
Anyway, the notion of following Janek Mitter around from the time he wakes up to discover his wife to the time he hi More...
