Reviews

• “The little fat disaster Evert Bäckström has become one of the most popular police detectives in the Swedish crime genre, despite the fact that he is corrupt, bigoted, and unbearably conceited… Leif GW Persson knows how to write about Bäckström's bad behavior in a way that makes the reader laugh. … Leif GW Persson is one of Sweden's best crime authors … and in The True Story of Pinocchio's Nose his imagination and his incredible ability to build a complex plot thrives. It's like watching a skillful juggler send ball after ball up in the air while you anxiously hold your breath expecting a crash, but no! All the balls land exactly where they should, everything corresponds and one can only applaud.”

• “A solidly entertaining crime novel. Pace, plot, and not least the depiction of police work makes the 600 pages fly by.”

• “Despite – or thanks to – Bäckström's asinine character the plot strands are elegantly woven together into a powerful whole that satisfies the readers' desire for a titillating cast of characters, strange coincidences, and a waft of history.”

• “An expansion of an already versatile repertoire in terms of genre and style. The linguistic playfulness has always been there, but here the narrative technique thrives… Unquestionably among the most entertaining you can find in the season's crop of Swedish crime fiction.”

• “Leif GW Persson is a highly intelligent entertainer. He is simply one of the few in the genre that, in true Sjöwall & Wahlöö-fashion, is able to make the reader writhe with laughter on one hand and flinch over the sharp and critical depictions of contemporary society on the other … To put it simply, I haven't had this much fun reading a crime novel in a long time.”

• “Leif GW Persson undoubtedly writes the most entertaining crime literature in Sweden right now, not least because of the priceless police detective Bäckström – a con man whom we love to hate.”

• “Persson is a formidable plot maker and storyteller, who with wit and a good portion of humor pierces his protagonist as well as the many quirky characters that populate this novel. He depicts a precise portrait of the police force, where the different departments cooperate poorly and where the employees are far from superheroes.”

• “You can almost hear the puppet master Persson chuckle while writing, and that's half the pleasure of the novel: The strong impact of an author, who castigates the Swedish upper class and the often incompetent police force in one single gesture. / …/ In other words, you clearly see that Leif GW Persson has a history within the National Police as a criminologist, and the combination of crisp satire and professional level of details makes The true Story of Pinocchio's Nose a wildly entertaining reading experience.”

• “[Leif GW Persson's books] are some of the most thrilling, funny and imaginative ever to have been created in the Nordic crime genre. / …/ The True Story of Pinocchio's Nose shows that Persson is in good form. / …/ Pitch-black clever entertainment …”