I was not disappointed. Translated by Steven T. Murray this book opens with the death of a young girl, found floating in the water the victim of an apparent accidental drowning. Except that the death isn't an accident and the ensuing investigation reveals many secrets of the small town's residents while police try to uncover the identity of the killer.
In addition to the current day happenings Lackberg jumps back and forth to the story of stonecutter Anders Andersson, which begins in 1923. I have to admit that for a good part of the book I was more intrigued by the flashback story of Anders' forbidden affair with his boss' spoiled daughter, the beautiful Agnes, and trying to figure out how it tied into the modern day mystery.
Lackberg hasn't broken new ground here, but The Stonecutter is entertaining and unsettling, a good solid mystery, and enough to make me want to search out her earlier works The Ice Princess and The Preacher. I also liked how many of the characters seemed real and flawed, like struggling new mom Erica (the mother of Patrik's infant daughter Maja) and the detective himself, who has to deal with the delicate investigation of his neighbours while putting up with several colleagues who don't do much more than grasp and fumble. It also becomes very clear how such an unthinkable crime in a small town can tear at the social fabric holding the community together.
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