The Dying Detective by Lief Persson is a different kind of detective novel.
The detective is Lars Johansson, a retired legendary head of the National Criminal Police who has just had a stroke and is recovering in hospital. His doctor tempts him back into bed ridden action in an endeavour to solve a 25 year old brutal rape and murder of a young girl. The only problem, apart from being retired and bed ridden, is that the statute of limitations on the case has expired so even if Lars discovers who the killer was he won’t be able to bring him to justice.
Is is not just a whodunnit. The side story of how Lars copes (or fails to cope) with his physical disabilities, his unwillingness to adapt his life and diet to help his recovery, the rag bag collection of friends, family and helpers and the witty combination of dialogue with his own internal commentary provide a good counterpoint to the detection bit. Even though you can see the end coming you don’t want to put this down.
The Dying Detective is very good, I will look out for more of Persson’s writing 4/5