Echoes From The Dead-Johan Theorin

Echoes From The Dead
Johan Theorin
Delacorte, Nov 25 2008, $22.00
ISBN: 9780553385342216

In September 1972 on the Swedish island of Oland, not quite six years old Jens Davidsson vanishes. The assumption everyone makes is that the child tragically drowned in the Baltic Sea.

Twenty years later the lad’s grandfather Gerlof receives a package in the mail; inside is a well worn little child’s sandal that could have been Jens. Needing to know the truth, the retired sea captain persuades his reluctant alcoholic daughter Julia, Jens’ mother to help him investigate what was considered an obvious accident two decades ago. Father and daughter begin to find evidence that notorious alleged killer Nils Kant, was involved with Jens disappearance; the only counter argument is momentous as Kant died before that unfortunate day in 1972.

This engaging Swedish amateur sleuth tale with whispers of the paranormal of a killer ghost wandering the island is a terrific tale that hooks the audience the moment the sandal arrives and never slows down until the final confrontation. Readers obtain a strong cold case mystery investigated by two people with a deep emotional investment in the lost child. Fans also receive a fascinating look at Sweden’s second largest island. However, what makes ECHOES FROM THE DEAD exciting and interesting is desperate a father and daughter sleuthing duo needing closure.

Harriet Klausner