If there have been detective stories more nihilistic than the Blue Place, I beg you, please, enlighten me. Though Stay, the second novel in this loose trilogy, is easily the best of this series, The Blue Place stands out thanks to its two main strengths: the vividness of its anti-hero protagonist (Aud, pronounced oud) and the gripping nature of its conclusion.
The daughter of a Norwegian diplomat and a naturalized US citizen, Aud Torvingen was an officer in the Atlanta police force before withdrawing into private life. Though the reasons for her departure from the force are never discussed in great detail, it does not take long to realize that Aud's strange personality was not a match for the protect-and-serve brigade. Whether she is autistic or sociopathic -- I can generate arguments for both --, she is 100 percent kick-ass. She is undoubtedly more interesting than the book's core mystery which is presented to our dark heroine by her old boss in the Atlanta PD, a case that takes her from the overheated South to the frozen fiords of her ancestral home. A half-hearted tale that, while finishing strong, is utterly electrified throughout by easily one of the best characters I've encountered. (4/5 Stars)
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