For international readers, David Lagercrantz’s name may be best known for picking up the mantle of the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series, having written three sequels of the Millennium series following the death of original author Steig Larsson.

Lagercrantz is, though, an established author in his own right, and Fatal Gambit is the second in a new series of books featuring Swedish detectives Rekke and Vargas. Though still early in the series, it is worth reading book one, Dark Magic, first as Fatal Gambit spends little time in setting the scene.

What initially appears to be an innocent photograph provides the starting point of this latest investigation, the recent picture seems to show Claire Lidman in a crowd of people, it’s a picture that Lidman’s husband wants to investigate as his wife supposedly died 14 years previously.

Is it a case of a doppelganger or is there more to Lidman’s disappearance than was originally suspected?

Initial doubts are soon discarded and there’s a roller coaster investigation that takes the detective duo into a world that leads them into the murky underworld of Swedish organised crime.

Lagercrantz showed us in the Millenium series that he’s not afraid to show the darker side of humanity and the same braveness is shown in Fatal Gambit. There’s a brutality underlying the complex interwoven plot lines that shows this is far from the idyllic Swedish stereotype of ABBA and Ikea.

This is also a case that delves deep into the personal world of our detectives. Relationships are strained, links to the case mix personal and professional and dark shadows from the past threaten to implode into the present for both detectives. 

It makes for a complex, sometimes meandering, read and requires the reader’s full concentration. This isn’t one of those novels you can half-read while distracted. The attention it requires pays dividends though and its complexity brings its own rewards. 

Geopolitical drama, gang warfare and intense personality clashes all ramp up the tension and the climax is generally thrilling, repaying the effort needed to track this complex story.

Ironically though, it is that complexity that sometimes is the weakness of Fatal Gambit. Lagercrantz revels in the detail and, in Ian Giles’ translation the prose sometimes seems indulgent. The fastness of the plot pace is sometimes derailed by exposition that feels like it could have been cut in the editing stage without detriment to the whole.

That said, Fatal Gambit is a welcome addition to a new literary franchise, and it will be interesting to see where these two characters head next.

Fatal Gambit by David Lagercrantz, translated by Ian Giles, is published by Macelhose press and out now.