The book takes you deep into the hearts and minds of both victims and perpetrators, and, as in other Karin Fossum novels, the mystery is not who did it, but what made them do it. Fossum is no apologist for criminal behaviour, and never makes light of the consequences of her characters' villainous actions. Nevertheless, she can make you understand them in ways no other writer can. She shows a depth of compassion and insight rare not only in crime literature, but any literature. It's as if she's saying, "what this person did is atrocious; this is how they think; this is what happened to them", and we end up taking the complicated and uncomfortable stance that she seems to be taking herself - that is, that there is no excuse for the crimes done, but that the criminal is coming from a place where he or she could not have acted otherwise, given their psychology and twisted thought processes.
Her writing style is superb. The similes and metaphors are enlightening, and ring true. It's no surprise to me that she is also a poet of some standing.