Un cantante barato llamado John Schwarz se gana la vida en un ferry entre Suecia y Finlandia, cantando para pasajeros borrachos. Una noche, pierde los estribos con un hombre que acosa a las mujeres en la multitud y lo golpea hasta dejarlo inconsciente. Como las reyertas de borrachos son habituales en los transbordadores del Báltico, nadie levanta una ceja.
Nadie, excepto el detective Ewert Grens. Preocupado por los detalles del informe del caso, Grens no puede evitar pensar que alguien capaz de tal violencia debe tener antecedentes. Como medida de precaución, ordena arrestar a Schwarz, algo que, aparentemente, está justificado cuando Schwarz ofrece tal resistencia que tiene que ser sedado.
La sospecha se convierte en sorpresa cuando Grens descubre que John Schwarz no existe. Cuando se entera de que el hombre bajo su custodia es en realidad John Meyer Frey, un ciudadano estadounidense de Marcusville, Ohio, se sorprende aún más. John Meyer Frey no puede estar sentado frente a él: John Meyer Frey murió en el corredor de la muerte el año anterior.
Este misterio iniciará la investigación criminal más notable de la carrera de Ewert Grens, cuyas repercusiones alcanzarán el nivel más alto de la política internacional y harán estallar el debate mundial sobre la pena de muerte.

This book had a great plot: opponents of capital punishment smuggle a wrongly convicted man out of prison in Ohio prior to his execution. When he is arrested for attempted murder/aggravated assault of a drunken lout on a ferry crossing into Stockholm, Detective Ewert Grens has to figure out who he is. There was even a good political battle as to whether Sweden would capitulate and extradite a man in contravention of its policy against capital punishment; however, Sweden and Grens both wimp out, leaving retribution as a task for someone else. Disappointing performance by both, but a clever ending. 3.5 stars. ( )

It's too much America and not enough Ewert Grens for my liking ( )

I found this book to be really hard going, until 75% through I still was not enjoying it, however, the ending was very good ( )

READ IN DUTCH

As always when I read a novel by Roslund and Hellstrom, this was a very interesting book which poses some very interesting questions. Since I grew up in a country which abandoned the death penalty a long time ago, it is hard for me to imagine there are places where capital punishment is still supported by a large enough fraction of the population to keep it going. It might not be as much edge-of-your-seat as the other books in the series, but it is definitely worth a read. ( )