Hakan Nesser's Borkmann's Point

They say the sign of a well-written mystery is one that allows you to figure out who the murderer is just before the author makes the big reveal. Borkmann's Point was just that kind of mystery.

I was immediately drawn into the plot because the narrative voice, despite being in translation, is wonderfully suspenseful and also contains a raw, sarcastic sort of humor. The opening line of the novel exemplifies this tone perfectly: "Had Ernst Simmel known he was to be the Axman's second victim, he would no doubt have downed a few more drinks at The Blue Ship." See? Who wouldn't want to keep reading?

Borkmann's Point is the second mystery in the Inspector Van Veeteren Mystery series, so the novel started with a bit of set up to contextual Van Veeteren and who he is as a detective. Like all detectives, for whatever reason, he's sort of lonely. He's divorced, isn't particularly fond of anyone he works with, and has a grown son who has problems with the law (At the time of the novel, his son is in jail but had just been allowed out for a week's vacation with Van Veeteren just before the plot begins. Yes, even when incarcerated, prisoners can get a quick reprieve to go on vacation. Classic Scandinavia). Of all the mysteries I've read, he seems to fit the stock detective character. There is a female inspector, Beate Moerk, who is particularly interesting because she is clearly the most intelligent in the otherwise all-male police station.

In the classroom, this mystery is particularly exciting because it makes for a great example of a mystery novel. In fact, the title "Borkmann's Point" doesn't refer to a character in the text (I became pretty convinced the murderer was Borkmann and was just waiting for him to show up in the text), but to a piece of advice Van Veeteren received from his mentor, Borkmann. Borkmann makes the point that:

"In every investigation... there comes a point beyond which we don't really need any more information. When we reach that point, we already know enough to solve the case by means of nothing more than some decent thinking. A good investigator should try to establish when that point has been reached, or rather, when it has been passed; in his memoirs, Borkmann went so far as to claim that it was precisely this ability, or the lack of it which distinguishes a good detective from a bad one. A bad one carries on unnecessarily."

Seems like great advice to this reader! Additionally, the traditional structure of a mystery is present, and I believe the students would be able to keep up with the moving pieces and ultimately reach that completely satisfying place of solving the mystery before its revealed. I'm looking forward to teaching this text!

***You may be asking yourself, "This is a Swedish mystery, but the name Van Veeteren is very clearly Dutch. What's with that?" The answer, in short, is that Van Veeteren mysteries take place in a fictional northern European town that is part Sweden, part Netherlands, part Poland. Thus, while the novel does not take place in Sweden specifically, it is written by a Swedish author and reflects Scandinavian culture and sensibilities.***

#Sweden #BorkmannsPoint #HakanNesser #Mystery