Three Seconds by the Swedish writers Roslund and Hellstrom, (Silver Oak, 2011) is the winner of the "Best Swedish Crime Novel" award and now comes to the U.S. in English translation. It is the story of how the police use confidential informants (criminals) in their attempts to snare other criminals in the net. A thief and sometimes drug dealer is recruited by the Swedish police to infiltrate an international crime gang to stop its attempt to take over the movement of drugs in Swedish prisons. The story centers on two people, the CI Hoffman, who has infiltrated the Polish mafia and the local police detective, Grens, who is on his trail as a witness to a murder. The problem centers around the attempts by higher authorities to deflect Grens before he finds Hoffman and ruins their plan to stop the mafia. Plot twists abound in this unrelievedly dark and stark novel and although it moves at a plodding pace. it is well worth the read for those who enjoy police and crime novels.
Thank you to Melvin Steely for his review.
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