(Review) Buried Angels

A COUPLE recovering from the loss of a child move back to the wife’s c­hildhood home in the Swedish town of Fjällbacka.
The house was formerly a youth camp and is the site of the mysterious 1974 ­disappearance of the wife’s entire family, with her as the only survivor.
Almost immediately, ­attempts are made on the couple’s lives, prompting local investigators to look into the decades-old case to find a ­connection. Their attention gradually shifts to five men who were in the youth camp as teenagers.
Despite their varying paths in life, it soon becomes clear the men are united by a shared secret that seems to be ­connected to the family’s ­disappearance.
The plot is also ­interspersed with flashbacks beginning in 1908 about Dagmar, ­daughter of the child-killer known as the ­Angelmaker, and her own ­daughter, ­Laura. Their painful family history has a complex ­connection to the present-day mystery.
Children are central to the book’s theme. The story ­begins with the death of a child, and various characters are either pregnant, have just had children or are trying to get children. It ends ­appropriately, with a child being found.
Author Camilla Lackberg has ­written a rich Scandinavian thriller, the latest in her ­continuing series set in ­Fjällbacka.
The books follow the husband-wife team of ­Detective Patrick Hedstrom and writer Erica Falck, who solve mysteries alongside the the local police force.
The focus also switches smoothly ­between the ­different groups of people involved in the mystery, ­giving an insight into the characters while building the rather ambitious plot.
Lackberg is able to capture all these emotions well, and bring readers into the ­characters’ ­personal dramas with realistic ­dialogue that ­almost makes you feel like you are actually there.
However, the numerous characters are overwhelming at times, some ‘twists’ seem a little too convenient for the plot, and the ending is a little too melodramatic for my liking.
But, at least, the story was an entertaining, engaging ride all the way.
If you like Scandinavian thrillers, this is a pretty good choice, whether you are a first-time reader or a long-time fan of Lackberg’s stories.