Why a Booktrail?
2000s: A secluded hut in the middle of the woods. A double life that could be his downfall.
The Secret Life of Mr Roos
What you need to know before your trail
At fifty-nine years old, Valdemar Roos is tired of life. Working a job he hates, with a wife he barely talks to and two step-daughters he doesn’t get on with, he doesn’t have a lot to look forward to. Then, one day, a winning lottery ticket gives him an opportunity to start afresh.
Without telling a soul, he quits his job and buys a hut in the remote Swedish countryside. Every day he travels down to this man-made oasis, returning each evening to his unsuspecting wife. Life couldn’t be better, until a young woman arrives in paradise . . .
Anna Gambowska is a twenty-one-year-old recovering drug addict. On the run from the rehab centre she hated and an abusive relationship she can’t go back to, all Anna’s prayers are answered when she comes across a seemingly vacant hut in the Swedish woodland. But it’s not long before Anna’s ex discovers her location, and an incident occurs that will mar the lives of both Anna and Valdemar forever.
Inspector Barbarotti doesn’t take much interest when a woman reports her husband as missing. That is, until a dead body is found near the missing man’s newly-bought hut, and Mr Roos becomes the number one murder suspect .
Travel Guide
Hakan Nesser and the Swedish woods
The town of Kymlinge and Maardam do not exist but Kymlinge is around the area of Svarto as there’s a factory there in the novel and this is some 20kms north of Kymlinge.
There are plenty of woods and red and white wooden houses in and around Sweden and they’re very scenic but this is chilling:
“It wasn’t large. Just an insignificant cottage with stone-built foundations and a tiled roof. It looked pretty much like all the other cottages in the country. The wood was painted the traditional red ochre, with white corner, rather knocked and scuffed in places…..”
” On three sides of the house and beyond the field, it was all forest”
Sounds nice at first, but then this is Hakan Nesser territory…..
Booktrailer Review
There’s always a reason to read a Håkan Nesser
Book 3 of the Barbarotti series. This is what I would call slow paced Swedish Noir with a sting in its tail. Characters with more layers than an onion and just as tricky to get to without it affecting your breathing and ability to see clearly. Motivations and secrets come to light and you never know who or why…
Take this story – a man comes into a windfall but decides not to tell his family. He moves into a small cabin in the woods. He’s just lost his job but pretends to his wife that he’s going to work each day. He’s an odd character in more ways than one too!
What follows is a slow building novel with red herrings, shades of doubt and twisty characters blending in that Swedish forest. When Mr Roos goes to his woodland cabin, he’s not the only one no -one else knows is there….
BookTrail Boarding Pass: The Secret Life of Mr Roos
Destination: Sweden (fictional Kymlinge) Author/guide: Håkan Nesser Departure Time: 2000s
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