Final Curtain Eurocrime by
Kjersti Scheen
pbk out September 04
(Arcadia Books)
at £10.99
There are enough Scandinavian crime novels out here now to start drawing
some conclusions. First, Scandinavian countries, contrary to rumour,
seem plagued with just as many corrupt politicians, neo-Nazis and serial
killers as you could wish for. Second, their police inspectors (pace
Mankell and Indridason) have no time (see above) to accumulate CD
collections. And third, the female of the species (writers that is) have
developed just as many variations of the genre as their UK and US-based
equivalents.
Recent arrivals on the UK scene include Liza Marklund's intrepid journalist Annika
Bengtzon (see
separate review) and this one, Kjersti Scheen's feisty forty something Margaret
Moss. Final Curtain is Moss's first case (Scheen could use some advice
from Janet Evanovitch on titles!), published back in Oslo in 1994. And it's a
cracker. But in this tale of lady actress Rakel Winkelmann vanishing from a train
somewhere between Oslo and Bergen, it's the sheer humanity of Cath Staincliffe's
Sal Kilkenny, rather than the New Jersey sass of Stephanie Plum that more often
comes to mind.
A failed mid-life career change from bored actress to lawyer has left
ex-political radical, divorced Margaret Moss (offspring: one punk
daughter, 17 years old), scrabbling for a living as a private eye.
Crumbling home, old car, time spent tailing aberrant wives, that sort of thing. Even
so, she is reluctant to return the call from the son of an old theatrical
colleague, the previously mentioned Rakel. And when she does so, it is not long
before she is knee-deep in old associations, not all of them theatrical and including
the odd neo-Nazi or two.
Scheen writes in sprightly, humorous and often perceptive prose,
(well rendered by translator Louis Muinzer), dialogue a particular forte.
Margaret Moss comes over as a highly attractive figure: instinctive, self-
deprecating, plucky and astute. And realistic enough to recruit a fanciable
passing truck driver (strong hints of a return in future books) to help out
with the rough stuff. Nor does Scheen neglect her other characters, her
women a particular strength. Finally her plot, if a little conventional in
theme, is well developed, its disparate strands combining to produce a
climax of mounting tension and pace. If feisty female private eyes are
your thing, here is a highly appealing contender from an unusual
background.
Final Curtain Eurocrime by
Kjersti Scheen
