The Darkest Room: A Novel [Paperback]

Since I discovered Karin Fossum's "The Indian Bride" last year, I've been hooked on the mysteries/thrillers by Scandinavian authors. My favorites are Karin Fossum, Henning Mankell, Steig Larssen, Mari Jungstedt, Arnaldur Indridasson, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, and now, Johan Theorin. I picked "The Darkest Room" as a Kindle title, and did not expect to be so completely drawn in by the haunting mystery and the rich atmosphere surrounding the island of Oland, off the Swedish coast.

The main setting is Eel Point, which is made up of an imposing and historic manor house, itself built using timber from a shipwreck and thus associated with supersitions by the locals who think it cursed. This is not helped by the dark reputation it has acquired over the decades after several deaths there. The author credibly uses the flashback technique to show us the numerous tragedies that have befallen the inhabitants of Eel Point over the years since the 1800s. In the contemporary setting, the reader is introduced to Joakim and Katrine Westin, a young couple who have recently moved from Stockholm to Oland, having bought the manor house at Eel Point. Together with their two young children, Livia and Gabriel, the family is in the process of settling into their new home when tragedy strikes. Tilda Davidsson is the novice cop who assumes responsibility on the island and finds her hands full dealing with suspicious break-ins throughout the island, a complicated love affair, and also a great-uncle who is recounting old family stories to her.

The different story arcs are well-explored and credibly told, with a cast of interesting characters that are also explored at length, especially the main characters, i.e. Joakim and Tilda. These are complex characters that draw readers into their confused and complicated worlds, and elicit one's empathy. There is a great sense of atmosphere throughout this novel, especially of the harsh winter climate, as portrayed through the unforgiving blizzard 3/4 into the novel. Elements of the supernatural are also explored, but without an element of the fantastic, instead it is seamlessly woven into the fabric of the story so as to render it altogether credible. The descriptions of the manor house, the two lighthouses, and the rest of Oland enhance the atmosphere in the novel. "The Darkest Room" will appeal to fans of atmospheric mysteries, and has all the elements essential to good storytelling - a compelling and unpredictable plot, interesting multifaceted characters as well as high atmosphere and vivid descriptions. Highly recommended!

Unfortunately, some of the reviews here have revealed too much of the plot, thus robbing future readers of some very nice surprises.

Having said that, in my opinion Johan Theorin is well on his way to becoming as big a writer as Henning Mankell. Like Mankell, this author's writing transcends the mystery genre and becomes literature. And fans of Scandinavian mysteries (of which I am one) will appreciate Theorin's wonderful descriptions of the Swedish island's fierce landscape and weather, almost transforming them into major characters.

Johan Theorin's "The Darkest Room," expertly translated by Marlaine Delargy, takes place on a desolate island named Öland off the coast of Sweden, facing the Baltic Sea. Eel Point has a bleak history, and some claim that the spirits of those who died here still make their presence known to the living. In a series of flashbacks, the author provides disturbing snapshots of a series of tragedies that, he implies, has marked Eel Point as a place forever corrupted by evil. The Westin family is oblivious to this when they move into a "magnificent lighthouse keeper's manor house" that dates back to the mid-nineteenth century. Joakim and Katrine Westin have been married for seven years. They have a talent for restoring and decorating old homes and Katrine has already started working her magic on this one. When Joakim joins her and their two young children after he finishes his work on the mainland, he plans to help his wife complete the renovations.

Eel Point's bad karma may indeed be a factor when disaster strikes and Joakim is left to pick up the pieces. Little does he know that other dramas are playing out on the island, as well. A small band of thieves have started targeting uninhabited homes, and they soon set their sights on making larger hauls from houses whose owners are asleep. In addition, a twenty-seven year old police officer named Tilda Davidsson, who has just started a new job at Marnäs, is paying frequent visits to her grandfather's brother, former sea captain Gerlof Davidsson. At eighty, the old man remains extremely sharp. Not only does he have an excellent memory, but he enjoys solving difficult puzzles and finding connections that others miss. All of these plot threads eventually converge in a most unpredictable manner.

A host of Scandinavian authors have taken America by storm, and Theorin deserves to take his place among the best of them. "The Darkest Room" combines a number of elements seamlessly: police procedural, ghost story, murder mystery, and family drama. Theorin's gloomy and detailed description of the forbidding atmosphere at Eel Point foreshadows impending disaster. In good weather, Eel Point is a marvel of nature at her most beautiful, but the winters are brutal, and ferocious blizzards have been known to bear down on Oland with little warning. Snow and ice play a significant role in this narrative. Among Theorin's most intriguing characters are Joakim, a devoted father and loving husband who finds himself in a situation that he cannot control or understand; Tilda, a smart and self-confident woman who wants to prove that she can do her job as well as any man; Karine's mother, Mirja, a hard-drinking and self-indulgent individual who has little time for her family; and Gerlof, the voice of reason, whose wisdom and objectivity prove to be invaluable. Lovers of intricate psychological thrillers will be mesmerized by this chilling novel, which has an electrifying conclusion that few will see coming.

› Go to Amazon.com to see all 21 reviews  4.6 out of 5 stars