"The Hanging"

"The Hanging" is a thriller authored by a brother and sister team of authors - Lotte and Soren Hammer.  Lotte trained as a nurse and has worked all over the world from Greece to Greenland.  Soren was going to become a teacher but is now a programmer and lecturer at Copenhagen University College of Engineering.  Before this book was published in Denmark, its rights had been sold to 16 countries around the world which is the first time that happened in their Danish publisher's long history.  It has been published in 20 countries around the world and has sold over 120,000 copies just in Denmark.

Detective Konrad Simonsen is on vacation with his daughter, Anna Mia, in a villa belonging to one of his team known as "The Countess."  However, before he can enjoy his vacation he is called back to Copenhagen to head up a team (with unlimited resources and answerable to no one) to investigate a gruesome murder.  Five men (later it is learned they are all pedophiles) have been hanged, had their hands cut off, and mutilated in the gym of an elementary school.

As the team tries to identify the victims and their murderers, Denmark is in an uproar and ready to have their lax sexual molestation of children laws strengthened.  People also are not very inclined to assist the police and their anger at the victims leads them to lash out at other known pedophiles making it even more difficult for the police to do their work.

This is a well written thriller and this team has written 4 more books in this series -- I am waiting for the next one to arrive.  pazt