Detective Varg

Alexander McCall Smith

In a quiet corner of Malmö, Detective Ulf Varg and his colleagues at the Department of Sensitive Crimes investigate cases too peculiar—and too low-priority—for ordinary police work. Their inquiries range from a mysterious injury behind the knee and a missing imaginary boyfriend to unsettling encounters at a supernatural spa, drawing the team into the strange, intimate mysteries of everyday life. With gentle humor, humane insight, and a distinctly Scandinavian Blanc sensibility, the novel explores loneliness, empathy, emotional uncertainty, and the often-surprising ways people seek connection. Alexander McCall Smith offers a warm, understated alternative to conventional Nordic noir, where the detectives’ greatest challenge may be understanding the people they are trying to help.

Alexander McCall Smith

In Stockholm, Detective Inspector Ulf Varg navigates a series of unusual cases where human frailty, loneliness, and hidden motives matter as much as evidence. The silver Saab that carries him through his investigations becomes unexpectedly significant when traces of blood are discovered inside it, placing Varg under departmental scrutiny. Alongside a cast of eccentric, deeply likable characters, he must use empathy, intuition, and a delicate touch to uncover the truth. Wry, humane, and quietly atmospheric, the novel blends gentle crime fiction with a thoughtful exploration of the complexities of modern life.

Alexander McCall Smith

Spring arrives hesitantly in Malmö, and Detective Ulf Varg finds little warmth in his work at the Department of Sensitive Crimes. As he investigates the blackmail of a celebrated novelist alongside another deeply personal and delicate case, Varg must navigate the hidden motives, emotional complications, and quiet absurdities of modern Swedish life. With its wry humor and affectionate parody of hard-boiled Scandinavian noir, the novel explores empathy, morality, relationships, and the difficulty of understanding what people truly want.