The Vault

A book filled with frustrating characters, sensationalistic themes, and a masterfully constructed plot. Box 21 tells the story of Swedish police investigating a hostage/murder-suicide incident at a hospital. The perp is a young girl who has been kept as a sex slave for three years. The police have to uncover the dark secrets of modern slavery and sexual abuse, while struggling with the ethical behaviour of their own force. The blurb on the cover compares the novel to Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy and, in some ways (mostly the repeated references to forced sodomy, the comparison is apt. But Box 21 is not as overtly political and it is far less meandering.

The structure of Box 21 is a thing of beauty. Each chapter deals with a day in the investigation, with brief flashback chapters framing the main story. A chapter-for-a-day isn't all that innovative, but the authors build the drama and suspense in each chapter with such meticulous timing that each chapter ends and seemingly the perfect moment. The book is also divided into two larger parts, signaling a shift in the tone and focus of the story (like the two books of Lolita, or the change in Psycho after the shower scene.) The characters are presented as real people, which makes their selfish and often vindictive actions all the more believable. The last second plot twist is a little less believable, but it does give an appropriately frustrating end to the novel.