Murder on the Thirty First Floor

Title: Murder on the Thirty First Floor

Author: Per Wahloo

Number of pages: 224

Started: 4 April 2012

Finished: 6 April 2012

Opening words:

The alarm was raised at exactly 13.02. The chief of police phoned the order through personally to the Sixteenth police district and ninety seconds later the alarm bell sounded in the operational rooms and administrative offices on the ground floor. It was still ringing when Inspector Jensen got down from his room. Jensen was a middle-aged officer of normal build, with an unlined and expressionless face. On the bottom stop of the spiral staircase he stopped and let his eyes scan the reception area. He adjusted his tie and went out to the car.

Plot summary:

In an unnamed country, in an unnamed year sometime in the future, Chief Inspector Jensen of the Sixteenth Division is called in after the publishers controlling the entire country's newspapers and magazines receive a threat to blow up their building, in retaliation for a murder they are accused of committing. The building is evacuated, but the bomb fails to explode and Jensen is given seven days in which to track down the letter writer.
Jensen has never had a case he could not solve before, but as his investigation into the identity of the letter writer begins it soon becomes clear that the directors of the publishers have their own secrets, not least the identity of the 'Special Department' on the thirty first floor; the only department not permitted to be evacuated after the bomb threat.

What I thought:

This is the first book by Per Wahloo book that I have read. I enjoyed the book, but found it one that was difficult to really immerse yourself in because somehow the story always seemed to be at a distance. It was an interesting plot, but lacked that element of connection with the reader.