“The boy in the suitcase” by Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis is a Scandinavian mystery, following the lives of different characters as a little boy, Mikas, is kidnapped, put in a suitcase, and picked up by the unsuspecting Red Cross nurse, Nina Borg. While Nina has no clue what to do with the boy, one thing is clear as she sees an enraged man with a Nazi haircut beating the locker where the suitcase had lain: they are both in danger. The same danger is felt acutely by Sigita, Mikas’s mother, after waking up in the hospital and failing to remember what happened to her, and having to cope with the disappearance of her son after a mysterious woman offered chocolate to him. It is unclear whether her ex-husband Darius, her mysterious boss Dobrovolskij, or the mystery woman is to blame. But Sigita won’t stop until she finds her son. Jan is flying in an airplane, having arranged for his employee Karin to give a hefty amount of money to Jucas, in exchange for the suitcase. Only Karin backs out of doing her part. And things go horribly wrong, as Jucas starts hunting for the money he was due, killing anyone in his way. It takes a while to see how all the storylines are connected, but when the connection is made, the book really takes off. The most interesting character is Nina, who is the least informed of all the characters, but the most courageous—being ready to risk her own life for the safety of a mysterious little boy, all the while trying to figure out why they are being hunted. I can see the authors making a series with Nina Borg. Overall, this is an interesting mystery with multifaceted storylines and characters. I also liked the international setting. Published by Soho Crime. 304 pages. November 8, 2011. List price $24.00
