Blood on the Snow: The Killing of Olof Palme

by Jan Bondeson

The Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, a major figure in world politics and an ardent opponent of apartheid, was shot dead on the streets of Stockholm in February 1986. At the time of his death, Palme was deeply involved in Middle East diplomacy and was working under UN auspices to end the Iran-Iraq war. Across Scandinavia, Palme's killing had an impact similar to that of the Kennedy assassinations in the United States―and it ignited nearly as many conspiracy theories. Interest in the Palme slaying was most recently stirred by reports of the death of Christer Pettersson, who was tried for the murder twice, convicted the first time, and then acquitted on appeal. In his investigative account of Palme's still-unsolved murder, the historian Jan Bondeson meticulously recreates the assassination and its aftermath. Like the best works of crime fiction, this book puts the victim and his death into social context. Bondeson's work, however, is noteworthy for its dispassionate treatment of police incompetence: the police did not answer a witness's phone call reporting the murder just 45 seconds after it occurred, and further time was lost as the police sought to confirm that someone had actually been shot. When the police arrived on the scene, they did not even recognize the victim as the Prime Minister. This early confusion was emblematic of the errors that were to follow. Bondeson demolishes the various conspiracy theories that have been devised to make sense of the killing, before suggesting a convincing explanation of his own. A brilliant piece of investigative journalism, Blood on the Snow includes crime-scene photographs and reconstructions that have never before been published and offers a gripping narrative of a crime that shocked a continent.

Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, History, Sweden

250 pages, Hardcover

First published April 7, 2005

About the author

Outside of his career in medicine, he has written several nonfiction books on a variety of topics, such as medical anomalies and unsolved murder mysteries.

Bondeson is the biographer of a predecessor of Jack the Ripper, the London Monster, who stabbed fifty women in the buttocks, of Edward 'the Boy' Jones, who stalked Queen Victoria and stole her underwear, and Greyfriars Bobby, a Scottish terrier who supposedly spent 14 years guarding his master's grave.

He is currently working as a senior lecturer and consultant rheumatologist at the Cardiff University School of Medicine.


(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[dejah_thoris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is going to be the first of several non-fiction works by this author that I plan on reading because she writes on such interesting historical topics. Its being first was entirely random (our library had it but not those titles preceding it) but when I pulled it I wondered if I really care about the assassination of a politician I've never heard of from a such a small country. (Pardon my limited American viewpoint, but I'm being honest.) Well, if you haven't heard of the socialist Olof Palme, you'll quickly learn to appreciate his place in world society and the strangeness of his murder. Bondeson likens it to the JFK assassination in terms of impact but in execution it's far more bizarre. The cover-up appears very plain but what exactly is being covered up still remains a mystery to everyone except Lisbeth Palme. I wish there had been a second edition, however, because Bondeson hints at new evidence possibly being declassified in the recent future, which might have made for a good update, even if it's only a new introduction.

[David Corleto-Bales · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book on the mystery behind the assassination of Olof Palme, the prime minister of Sweden in February, 1986. Palme was one of the foremost Social Democrats in the world, a prominent voice for peace and disarmament and a notable, long-time European head of government. On the last day of 1986 he was gunned down at night in Stockholm in front of a cinema and since then conspiracy theorists have had a field day trying to come up with new and more outlandish solutions to his murder; the investigation was largely confused and botched by the Swedish police who were unaccustomed to such political killings and the "official" investigation at various times tried to blame Kurdish terrorists and an alcoholic career crook for the assassination. Other theories centered around right-wing police officers and neo-Nazis, Iranians, the CIA and others. The murder remains open and unsolved.

[Adrian]

I'll never look at Sweden the same way again. Normally a paragon of cool efficiency this tale of total bumbling by the Stockholm police is a revelation. Every mistake that could be made in solving the mystery of who killed Olaf Palme, was. Author Bondeson doggedly tracks down every possible conspiracy theory attached to the assassination and effectively lays them low. At the point when I was becoming exhausted by his research and his limitations in English (the word 'sinister' gets a particular workout in this book) he recovers and produces two chapters near the end that outline his own theory of what happened that February night in 1986. His idea is clear and cogently presented and makes sense. It was refreshing to dip into a culture and mindset that you don't often hear or read about.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Engrossing account of the assassination of Palme and the police investigation. After going through all the suspects and theories I found his belief that it was done at the behest of middle men invovled with the Bofors deal most credible.

[Suze McCullagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate the amount of work and research that went into this book but once past the interesting opening and background to Olof Palme, the majority of the tome gets bogged down in excruciatingly dull information about all the suspects. Do we really need to know what they were wearing on said day and what they'd had for breakfast? I exaggerate but it really felt that tedious. Disappointing as it started off well... I guess I was expecting a Wallander-style whodunnit!

[John Barrett · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not sure I’m 100% on board with the author’s conclusions. If it was up to me to pick a culprit I’d probably blame the South African government. But in the absence of a smoking gun, I don’t think anyone is going to 100% know what happened that night.

This was gripping and well reported. I recommend it to anyone looking to get fully noided.

[Tyler Wolanin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good, thorough overview, but dry and methodical. Link to full review: https://tylerwolanin.com/blog/2019/7/...

[Larissa]

Left my university job and had to return all my library books (of which this was one) before I finished, so I never actually got to Bondeson's theory of who shot Olaf Palme. Certainly a subject I'd be interested in returning to one day.

[Jack Greenberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sensational case! Quite a shame that the Bofors connection was not taken seriously by the Palme Detectives. In my opinion, it should presents the most logical explanation for why Palme might have been killed. Overall, Bondeson does a good job of explaining all facets of the Sweden's 'National Trauma'.