Years ago I read a book by Liza Marklund called Bomber , which I thought was fascinating. It was one of the first Scandanavian mysteries that told me something substantive about the health care system and the newspaper business in Sweden, all wrapped up in a finger-biting mystery. Therefore, I gave some latitude to Ms. Marklund for her follow-on novels ( Studio Sex , for one) though I didn't care for them as well.

In this, her fifth Annika Bengtzon novel, Marklund really reminds me what was so good about her first novel. The character of Annika is very well-drawn, strong yet sympathetic, brazen yet vulnerable, a real mixture of a character. I liked reading about her family, her work, her obsessions. But this novel felt a little too long for me, and the plot much too unlikely. I hate to think some people will not read Red Wolf because I didn't give it five stars--it still deserves attention, and lovers of Scandanavian mysteries will love to read of how people live above the Artic Circle. She certainly gives us local color.