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edgwareviabank 's review for:
L'uomo che scherzava col fuoco: L'ultima inchiesta di Stieg Larsson
by Jan Stocklassa
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
NOTE: while this review is in English, I read the Italian edition of the book.
Even though I wasn't nt familiar with Jan Stocklassa and knew very little about the Palme case, I bought this book the moment I saw it at the store, because I couldn't miss the opportunity to get close to Stieg Larsson's work again. I read a lot about his approach to investigative journalism, and how it informed the writing of the "Millennium" trilogy, and was very excited to find out how another journalist might continue an investigation he left unfinished.
Stocklassa makes a very good case for his (and Larsson's) theories on who murdered Swedish prime minister Olof Palme. It all unfolds like a very good crime novel, and even though it's nonfiction, it feels right to say it's an engrossing and fascinating plot: the existence of a complex international plot, swept under the rug by official sources, is exactly what Stocklassa wants to prove. It's much stranger than fiction, and at the same time, sounds completely believable (when he meets some of the main players, it's not just for a coffee and a chat - there's an undercurrent of danger to some of these encounters). When, more recently, the Swedish government announced they were ready to close the Palme case, I was fully expecting some of Stocklassa's findings may come into play, and was disappointed they went in a completely different, not as convincing direction. Did someone else feel that way? I can't have been the only one.
The level of detail in the investigation impressed me, and so did knowing that it was the work of many years. Stieg Larsson may have gained his fame with "Millennium", but he was looking into this case way before starting to write his novels, and thoroughly researched a political and criminal landscape that spans across continents. There's a lot to learn, regardless of how close Larsson and Stocklassa did or didn't get to the identity of the murderer. I recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime, and to all of those who wanted to give Stieg Larsson's "Millennium" a chance but never got through the first book (for one, this is much lighter in violence and gore).
Even though I wasn't nt familiar with Jan Stocklassa and knew very little about the Palme case, I bought this book the moment I saw it at the store, because I couldn't miss the opportunity to get close to Stieg Larsson's work again. I read a lot about his approach to investigative journalism, and how it informed the writing of the "Millennium" trilogy, and was very excited to find out how another journalist might continue an investigation he left unfinished.
Stocklassa makes a very good case for his (and Larsson's) theories on who murdered Swedish prime minister Olof Palme. It all unfolds like a very good crime novel, and even though it's nonfiction, it feels right to say it's an engrossing and fascinating plot: the existence of a complex international plot, swept under the rug by official sources, is exactly what Stocklassa wants to prove. It's much stranger than fiction, and at the same time, sounds completely believable (when he meets some of the main players, it's not just for a coffee and a chat - there's an undercurrent of danger to some of these encounters). When, more recently, the Swedish government announced they were ready to close the Palme case, I was fully expecting some of Stocklassa's findings may come into play, and was disappointed they went in a completely different, not as convincing direction. Did someone else feel that way? I can't have been the only one.
The level of detail in the investigation impressed me, and so did knowing that it was the work of many years. Stieg Larsson may have gained his fame with "Millennium", but he was looking into this case way before starting to write his novels, and thoroughly researched a political and criminal landscape that spans across continents. There's a lot to learn, regardless of how close Larsson and Stocklassa did or didn't get to the identity of the murderer. I recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime, and to all of those who wanted to give Stieg Larsson's "Millennium" a chance but never got through the first book (for one, this is much lighter in violence and gore).