The Wolf and the Watchman

The Wolf and the Watchman by Niklas Natt Och Dag

      I could begin this by saying all the cliché things that have already been said. I’d be accused of lack of originality, plagiarizing what’s already been said about this book, and maybe because of the list of accolades you might dismiss even attempting to read this. But you would be wrong. I was invited to read this as an advance copy. It looked a little out of my comfort zone but intriguing, too. So I said yes. And I’m so glad I did. I might not have picked it up on my own. This is one of those reads that someone might need to put into your hands saying, “This one!!” In the book business we call that hand selling. I can remember some books I used to carry around with me in the store and I’d put them into the hands of customers and say, “don’t leave without this one.” I would say the same to you for The Wolf and the Watchman.

      It’s not pretty. It’s not easy. It might be out of your comfort zone, especially in the beginning when a body is found floating in a sodden lake in southern Stockholm. It’s the mid 1750’s and things are changing not for the better. There is much political angst and the standard of living is slipping. Out of the lake a badly mutilated body is fished out and not a whole lot of people care. But a body is a body and this one is so badly mutilated, someone must care.

      Cecil Winge, a lawyer conspicuously dying of consumption, is charged with solving the mystery/murder. He enlists the help of Mikel Cardell, a former watchman and a man who has issues with his alcohol consumption. Mikel will be Cecil’s legs, taking us through the dark alleys and palaces, we will meet the good and the not so good and we will see things we don’t want to see.

From here, truly, buckle yourself in and try not to get papercuts on your fingers from turning the pages.

     The investigation of this death takes us high and low we meet the good and the not so good, there are many layers slowly peeled away we see it all and in the end, we even see ourselves. We will be in the underbelly of Stockholm, we will meet people we don’t want to admit to but the author has given us a gift of a mirror.   This one.  Don't leave without this one.