This is one of a series of Detective Lorimer Police novels.

Set in Glasgow a young Swedish girl called Eva Magnusson who lives in a nice house that her rich Father bought for her, shares it with another young girl called Kirsty, Rory, Colin and Gary who are also all students.
One night Eva is found murdered in her room. Suspicion falls on Colin. He is quickly arrested and sent to Barlinnie prison. Kirsty doesn't think Colin is capable of this crime. Kirsty's Dad is a Policeman and she asks Lorimer to advise her.

Some other young Women out jogging who look similar to Eva are also murdered. So they Police may have got it wrong about Colin.
Lorimar even goes to Sweden to interview Eva's Father and her old ex Boyfriend Anders.

A young Junkie called Kevin is quickly found to be the offender killing young Glasgow women with Blonde hair who look a bit like his ex who died of a Heroin overdose.
He confesses but said he never killed Eva.

There was an old neighbour called Derek McCubbin who is struggling to cope with the death of his friend who used to own the house the students live in. He thinks they are making fun of him.
He goes to live with his overbearing daughter but then returns to his own home, he kills himself and leaves a note confessing his guilt over the murder of Eva.

OK easy to read book this. ( )

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DCI Lorimer, now DS Lorimer, is back in his old division, only that he is now the boss. He has a team of capable officers working for him in the 10th installment of the series taking place in Scottish city of Glasgow.

Eva Magnusson is a beautiful Swedish student at the University. She is leaving in a newly owned flat, her father bought for her, in a poss district of the city. Her flatmates, all hand picked by her father, are four. Kirsty, a detective’s daughter and the only other girl in the flat, Colin, Roger and Gary. Two girls and three boys, what could go wrong?

Truth be told, the five of them make a very good company all together. Until one night, when Kirsty returns to the flat after work expecting to find it it empty, as all her mates were at a party, and she actually finds Eva, the Swedish girl. Only she is dead. Murdered actually. As one of her friends is accused with the murder and being locked up until the trial, Kirsty finds it difficult to believe that this kind boy would be capable of such an act, Therefore, she contacts DS Lorimer, who is now her father’s boss and ask for his help in finding the Eva’s killer.

To be honest here, this is the first of the Lorimer books I’ve ever read. However, I had no difficulty connecting the dots and following the Detective’s character along the book, neither that of any other character in the story. The author does a pretty good job displaying all the information to make the reader understand who is who and their characters, without having to go back in time to understand the very essence of their existence. Whenever there is reference to the past, it is done in such way that the abstract information is there and out for the reader, without implying any hidden stories.

Lorimer’s character is the series star, however, it seems that the whole investigation team as well as other characters play significant role into the narration, which is a very good thing actually. I loved the fact that he is not a detective with issues and that he does enjoy a good cup of coffee or tea through the book!

The story is told from different angles and we can see how the different characters are built, how the feel and what they think during the course of the story. There are a few suspects that could be responsible for the girl’s death and the author is taking us from one to the other by revealing every little detail that could be each one’s motive. There’s even a parallel case that the detective’s team is working on, on what turns out to be a serial killer, that could be connected to Eva’s case. It works as a hope for the girl and detective as well, so as to set free the poor boy they believe to be innocent.

One thing that I did not like about the book is a female character that played significant role in the boy’s arrest. Eva’s case is headed by DI Jo Grant, a beautiful, strong opinionated, tough female cop that dresses pretty fashionably and arrests people with very little evidence. How could a district attorney allow this arrest with only so little in hand? And even if this is not how things are done in Scotland, why should there be a female character making that mistake? It goes without saying that a cop’s job is harder for women, as they have to work twice hard as their male colleagues to prove themselves. I would not expect a female writer to support the idea that female cops don’t do a good job and jump into conclusions very easily. Even though, there were second thoughts from the DI’s side, no matter how she did not like the fact that her superior was investigating a case she considered closed, behind her back.

And that, is the background plot that adds to the story! ( )

The Swedish Girl
By
Alex Gray

What it's all about...

Murders of young joggers are occurring and actually increasing in frequency. The women who are murdered are similar in appearance. However a young girl is murdered in the house she lives in. The problem is trying to establish a connection with the other murders or even if there is one. And a housemate has been accused and jailed for this murder. But is he the one? Many secrets and lies come out about the murdered housemate that connect other people...including her father.

Why I wanted to read it...

This is my first venture into this series but not my last. I already purchased three more books in this series. I love Chief Inspector Lorimer And his wife and his cat. I loved the mystery in the book I read. I loved the other characters and their dialogues as they try to solve these crimes.

What made me truly enjoy this book...

I loved these characters...well Lorimer and the good guys...not the bad ones.

Why you should read it, too...

If you love a great Scottish Mystery...this is an amazing series! I was actually sad when it ended so I bought two more!

I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it. ( )

This was a book that was a dark horse for me, and I enjoyed reading it. I had never heard of the author before. The story involves some Glasgow college students living in a shared apartment, and one of the girls is murdered in the apartment. The plot thickens as it is discovered that the victim, the Swedish girl, was very promiscuous and had sex with another roommate, Colin, prior to her murder. So Colin is sent up awaiting his trial for murder, while more murders occur with the same MO. Finding the real killer becomes the focus of the story, while unveiling all the different perspectives people have of college age students.

( )

Find more in https://chillandreadblog.wordpress.com/2018/01/15/the-swedish-girl-by-alex-gray-...

DCI Lorimer, now DS Lorimer, is back in his old division, only that he is now the boss. He has a team of capable officers working for him in the 10th installment of the series taking place in Scottish city of Glasgow.

Eva Magnusson is a beautiful Swedish student at the University. She is leaving in a newly owned flat, her father bought for her, in a poss district of the city. Her flatmates, all hand picked by her father, are four. Kirsty, a detective’s daughter and the only other girl in the flat, Colin, Roger and Gary. Two girls and three boys, what could go wrong?

Truth be told, the five of them make a very good company all together. Until one night, when Kirsty returns to the flat after work expecting to find it it empty, as all her mates were at a party, and she actually finds Eva, the Swedish girl. Only she is dead. Murdered actually. As one of her friends is accused with the murder and being locked up until the trial, Kirsty finds it difficult to believe that this kind boy would be capable of such an act, Therefore, she contacts DS Lorimer, who is now her father’s boss and ask for his help in finding the Eva’s killer.

To be honest here, this is the first of the Lorimer books I’ve ever read. However, I had no difficulty connecting the dots and following the Detective’s character along the book, neither that of any other character in the story. The author does a pretty good job displaying all the information to make the reader understand who is who and their characters, without having to go back in time to understand the very essence of their existence. Whenever there is reference to the past, it is done in such way that the abstract information is there and out for the reader, without implying any hidden stories.

Lorimer’s character is the series star, however, it seems that the whole investigation team as well as other characters play significant role into the narration, which is a very good thing actually. I loved the fact that he is not a detective with issues and that he does enjoy a good cup of coffee or tea through the book!

The story is told from different angles and we can see how the different characters are built, how the feel and what they think during the course of the story. There are a few suspects that could be responsible for the girl’s death and the author is taking us from one to the other by revealing every little detail that could be each one’s motive. There’s even a parallel case that the detective’s team is working on, on what turns out to be a serial killer, that could be connected to Eva’s case. It works as a hope for the girl and detective as well, so as to set free the poor boy they believe to be innocent.

One thing that I did not like about the book is a female character that played significant role in the boy’s arrest. Eva’s case is headed by DI Jo Grant, a beautiful, strong opinionated, tough female cop that dresses pretty fashionably and arrests people with very little evidence. How could a district attorney allow this arrest with only so little in hand? And even if this is not how things are done in Scotland, why should there be a female character making that mistake? It goes without saying that a cop’s job is harder for women, as they have to work twice hard as their male colleagues to prove themselves. I would not expect a female writer to support the idea that female cops don’t do a good job and jump into conclusions very easily. Even though, there were second thoughts from the DI’s side, no matter how she did not like the fact that her superior was investigating a case she considered closed, behind her back.

And that, is the background plot that adds to the story! ( )