Reviews

• “It’s not unusual with cops in fiction who have diagnoses or special skills, but [Sakka Pienni’s] special and skillfully put together – and she made an impression [in the first book of the series]. You instantly wanted to know more about Sakka and her touching background that she constantly drags around but can’t really bear to face. /…/ Since her debut For the Missing in 2017, Bengtsdotter has proven that she possesses a sense for psychological suspense and knows how to create depth and believability in character portrayals. She doesn’t fear darkness – the title The Underground turns out to refer to hell on earth – and at times this page-turner is pure horror. But it is also clever; just when you think you know everything there’s a twist – and then perhaps another one.”

• “As always when Lina Bengtsdotter writes, the prose flows. /…/ What’s really interesting in The Underground are the relationships. It is easy to immerse oneself in the settings Bengtsdotter depicts.”

• “[The characters’] at times unsteady grasps on reality creates a sense of the supernatural, heightening the menacing atmosphere with a suggestive touch. /…/ The narrative perspective mostly follows Sakka closely, and she grows into a complex and interesting character. /…/ Multiple timelines are used both in the murder mystery and in Sakka’s own life. Combined with good tempo, [The Underground] evolves into a really skillful suspense novel.”

• “The parallel storylines are intertwined and as a reader you’re wondering for a long time how they are connected. This device drives the suspense, not in the least because both stories seem independent yet feel connected. /…/ The very skillfully constructed intrigue makes it difficult not to read [The Underground] in one sitting.”