Have you ever read a book where lots of characters intrigued and engaged you? You wanted to find out how their story arcs would unfold. When it came down to it, you would even say you cared. And then, the alleged protagonist not only took on the role of a fairly minor character but turned out to be quite despicable?

That’s where I’m at so far with The Man Who Wasn’t There by Michael Hjorth and Hans Rosenfeldt (written in Swedish in 2012 and translated to English in 2016). I’m enjoying some of it – yet another Swedish crime novel but plenty to chew on. However, if I had to rank characters in order of sympathy, Sebastian Bergman would be a long way down the list. That’s a shame as apparently this is a ‘Sebastian Bergman Thriller’.

Here’s hoping for some redemptive streak in the last seventy-five pages or other ‘Sebastian Bergman Thrillers’ are likely to stay on the shelf.