Nattfåk

(English title: The Darkest Room)
by Johan Theorin
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In the winter of 1846 while the work of erecting the two lighthouses is still ongoing at Eel Point on Öland a storm causes a ship wreck. Nobody from the ship can be rescued but the timber it was carrying drifts ashore and is used to build a grand building for the lighthouse keepers and their families. Now one of the lighthouses is no longer in use and the other is automated and the previously impressive manor house is decaying.

Katrine and Joakim Westin move with their children Livia and Gabriel to Eel Point from Äppelviken in Bromma, outside of Stockholm. Despite the secluded location and the stories they've been told about the history of the house as well as the treacherous winterstorm they are looking forward to restoring the property and lead a quieter life than in Stockholm.

But all is not quiet on Öland. Henrik Jansson is paid a visit by two men who want his expert knowledge of the island to rob the now empty summer houses. They do not however rely only on his advice but also consult "the other side" through the help of a ouija board.

At the same time Marnäs police station is re-opened with Tilda Davidsson as newly appointed attendant. Tilda is not only looking forward to her new job, she sees this as her final chance to learn about her family history. She does so by interviewing her grandfather Ragnar's brother Gerlof Davidsson. Ragnar too is connected to Eel Point and Eel Point is where Tilda goes on her first assignment as the local police representative.

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I liked Johan Theorin's first book, Skumtimmen (Echoes from the Dead) a lot and this book is even better. His rendition of the barren Öland is still there, now even more desolate and in a winter setting. So are the folk tales and the supernatural content. And Gerlof is still there, conveying his knowledge of the place and of human nature, as observant and sharp as ever even though he has moved into a housing for the elderly. Also in this book does Theorin take us back in time, both in longer and shorter perspectives.

What has been added is a broader cast of characters and a combination of several histories that all converge at Eel Point in different ways, having their conclusions or solutions come to place in the middle of the raging winter storm. For me it was impossible to put the book down until I had the explanation to how everything was connected.

I recommend this book to anyone who wants an exciting and stimulating read.

Johan Theorin has written the following novels:
Skumtimmen (2007) - Echoes from the Dead (2008)
Nattfåk (2008) - The Darkest Room (2009)