Review: The Department of Sensitive Crimes

Title:  The Department of Sensitive Crimes

A Detective Varg novel

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Publisher: 12th February 2019 by Hachette Australia

Pages: 240 pages
How I Read It: ARC book
Genre: General Fiction (Adult) , Mystery & Thrillers

My Rating: 3 cups

Synopsis:

From the beloved and bestselling author of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series comes a lighthearted comedic novel about a Swedish police department tasked with solving the most unusual, complicated, and, often, insignificant crimes.

The detectives who work in Malmo Police's Department of Sensitive Crimes take their job very seriously. The lead detective, Ulf Varg, prioritizes his cases above even his dog's mental health. Then there are detectives Anna Bengsdotter, who keeps her relationship with Varg professional even as she realizes she's developing feelings for him . . . or at least for his car, and Carl Holgersson, first to arrive in the morning and last to leave, who would never read his colleagues' personal correspondence--unless it could help solve a crime, of course. Finally, there's Erik Nykvist, who peppers conversations with anecdotes about fly fishing.

Along with an opinionated local police officer named Blomquist, the Department of Sensitive Crimes takes on three extremely strange cases. First, the detectives investigate how and why a local business owner was stabbed . . . in the back of the knee. Next, a young woman's imaginary boyfriend goes missing. And, in the final investigation, Varg must determine whether nocturnal visitations at a local spa have a supernatural element.

Using his renowned wit and warmth, Alexander McCall Smith brings a unique perspective on Scandinavian crime. Equal parts hilarious and heartening, The Department of Sensitive Crimes is a tour de farce from a literary master.

My Thoughts

The Department of Sensitive Crimes is the first in a new series, by the much-loved author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series -  Alexander McCall Smith. Having written a number of series, it’s always tempting to delve into McCall’s newest writing, as I adore his warmth and philosophical observations. Whilst this proved a very different read, it was still light and quirky with his signature ramblings:

‘Sometimes we stumble over the truth. We think we find it, but it finds us.’

Anna asked, ‘Does that matter? What counts is the result, not the route by which one reaches the result. it’s often all a matter of luck.’

Ulf pondered this. The role of luck in human affairs had always intrigued him. So much of what we did was influenced by factors that were beyond our control –the vagaries of others, sequences of events that we initiated in ignorance of where they would lead, chance meetings that led to the making of a decision that would change our life.’

I am a huge fan of McCall's No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency and have delved into some of his other tales but sadly this one was not up there with my favourites even though it follows a similar vein as No.1 Ladies. We have a detective working on quirky cases who contemplates and passes observations. The ‘crime’ side of the novel is very gentle, much like No.1 Ladies.  The problem I feel is that, that being character driven, Ulf and associated characters do not portray the same charms as Mma Ramotswe and crew. It seemed to lack that unique attraction and heartfelt engagement of the African plains. Maybe it was not transferable to Sweden?

Still, it is McCall’s writing that I enjoy and a pleasant enough read, sprinkled with the musings that we have come to love and expect.

‘There were subtleties in the claiming of space; we staked out our territory on beaches, small squares of sand to which we felt entitled to return after our swim; we created all sorts of unseen boundaries, temporary and informal, by leaving our possessions on seats and benches  – a jacket left on a chair made a claim every bit as specific and discouraging as a notice of legal title. This is mine –I’m coming back. Don’t think of sitting here.’

This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher and provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. The quoted material may have changed in the final release