Not my favorite McCall Smith title. I loved his ability to portray modern Sweden in a way that's not as bleak as Scandinavian noir. I was less drawn to his characters in this new series than in his other books, and I found the intertwining mysteries uneven. The first was intriguing, while the last was too strange for my tastes and seemed to end without a final resolution for the characters involved. While I might read a second in the series, I'm certainly not waiting eagerly for it.

Alexander McCall Smith is one of my favorite authors. He has written an enormous amount of books—80–but has never lost his gift or unique philosophical style of writing. So it was with anticipation that I looked forward to being given the opportunity to review The Department of Sensitive Crimes: A Detective Varg Novel which was released in April 2019.

The novel is set in Sweden and centers around a special department in Malmo which quietly investigates unique crimes. The protagonist is named Ulf Varg and his name translates into Wolf Wolf in English. He is thoughtful, kind, and philosophical which is quite in keeping with a protagonist developed by this author. If you use a play on words and think of his name as “Woof Woof” then of course he must have a dog that he is fond of as part of the plot line!

I have heard of—but not read many—of a genre called Scandinavian Noir which explores the dark side of human nature. The ones I am familiar with feature much more violent crimes and disturbed people than I encountered in this novel. But I kind of like that. McCall Smith’s rendering of this genre might be considered Scandinavian Blanc as the crimes investigated do cause harm and involve disturbed people but in a much lighter less violent way. There are a lot of musings and philosophical thoughts thrown in as they are solved. I have always enjoyed other novels of this author because they were “feel good” books with characters that you quickly grew fond of. This was not my favorite protagonist or novel of his—some of the cases were rather bizarre—but it did make me smile at its wittiness several times and the quirkiness of its characters.

What other author would think of crimes involving someone being stabbed in the back of their knee by someone of short stature, or three university girls inventing absurd—if hurtful—imaginary and not so imaginary crimes, and a case involving a werewolf.

Here is a short excerpt to give you an example of the writing:

“There had not been much to do at the office when Ulf and Anna returned from the market. In their absence, Carl had been hard at work: a routine report, one that they were all due to have contributed to, had been completed, Carl haviwg sacrificed his lunch hour to get it finished. All the report required now was signatures, after which Ulf had at his disposal what he called thinking time, an opportunity to let the mind mull over the details of the investigation so far. Something missed? Something suggested by the circumstances that had yet to dawn on him? The obvious, Ulf once observed, is rarely the obvious until the passage of time has proved it so. This was the wisdom of hindsight, which claims that anyone could have foreseen what eventually happened, and was not something that Ulf had ever supported. “We are usually in the dark,” he once said to Anna. “All of us—you, me, Carl—three people in the dark, fumbling around, trying to find our way out of the woods.”

“And yet we have a reasonable rate of success,” she countered. “Which shows that light can sometimes penetrate this darkness.”

“I think that may just be coincidence,” Ulf said. “Sometimes we stumble over the truth. We think we find it, but it finds us.”

Anna asked, “Does that matter? What counts is the result, not the route by which one reaches the result. It’s often all a matter of luck.”

Ulf pondered this. The role of luck in human affairs had always intrigued him. So much of what we did was influenced by factors that were beyond our control—the vagaries of others, sequences of events that we initiated in ignorance of where they would lead, chance meetings that led to the making of a decision that would change our life.”

Thank you Pantheon and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader’s Copy of this novel and for allowing me to review it.

I chuckled all the way through this inventive story - always good to have a laugh or two, even if the wistful feelings of the protagonists sincerely reflect our own nobler human instincts.

I am new to Alexander McCall Smith’s writing, but if this series is typical, I plan to be a lifelong fan. I love this series so far. I have read reviews that say the pace is too slow, but I have to wonder if those reviewers mistake pacing for the very human dithering back and forth between characters. That dithering is precisely what is so funny—and endearing—about these characters. It’s also what drives poor Ulf up a wall. But Ulf (Swedish for “Wolf’) Varg (?Old Icelandic?, also for “Wolf”) is too polite to tell others to shut up.

McCall Smith is a master of dialog; his characters speak like so many of do in social situations. Ulf asks a direct question, but officer Blomquist isn’t programmed to give concise answers. In fact, he does not answer at all until he has first told Ulf—and his fellow detective Anna—all about his sore throat (or other gripe du jour). Anna is sidetracked by Blomquist’s hypochondria and contributes further to the derailment of Ulf’s official inquiry by introducing yet another health-related topic for discussion.

Ulf, a polite man by nature, waits patiently for them to return to the subject of his inquiry. Anna will probably apologize later on the way back to work in Ulf’s vintage Saab. But Blomquist is too self-involved to realize he’s hijacked the conversation. Blomquist has become Ulf’s cross to bear. The real test of his patience comes when he learns that the younger man has wheedled his way into accompanying Ulf on a 3-day investigation several hours away. Three days of nonstop Blomquist blather! How is it to be endured?

At least Ulf’s office mates appreciate him. Erik the fish-obsessed calls him a good man, and Anna agrees.

Each and every character reveals his or her foibles, including Dr. Svensson, Ulf’s longtime psychotherapist. More than once Ulf trips up the good doctor after he makes yet another judgmental statement. Dr Svensson knows he is to appear nonjudgmental, not shake his head “Yes” or “No”. (Perhaps he was just having a bad day...?) For example, He expresses surprise that “a policeman” would read Kierkegaard. Ulf reminds him that he is in fact, a detective inspector. Then Dr. S is off again, once again inserting foot in mouth,

All of McCall Smith’s characters are fabulous, but Hampus Johansson the dance instructor is priceless. Several chapters are devoted to his case. (The same applies to the final two cases.)
Hampus has had it, you see, because Malte Gustafsson the bully makes fun of Hampus every chance he gets for his diminutive size—*and* he is seeing Ingrid, with whom Hampus has secretly been in love forever. And Malte is married! Poor Hampus breaks into tears when Ulf and Anna enter his dance studio to question him. Anna’s maternal instincts rise to fore and she forgets herself, assuring him as she would a small child that “everything will be alright.” Once again, Poor Ulf... Yet another official inquiry derailed. But Anna is his soft spot, so he can hardly chasten her, especially in front of a suspect.

The second case involves a group of young women, all students at the University of Malmö. Two-timing Signe can’t stand that Bim finally has a boyfriend—and a hunky one at that. “Sixten” is actually a figment of Bim’s imagination (again), but Signe won’t let the matter be: She wants to meet Sixten. So Bim must stay one step ahead, creating then recreating his fictitious life, ending with a career move to the North Pole—and breakup with Bim. (Trust me: this story is far more amusing than I have conveyed here.)

The third case is shorter and would not be that amusing were it not for Blomquist. The case is a personal favor for Felix Ahlbörg, Commissioner of Police for the Southern District. It’s a sensitive issue, you see, so it’s only right that it should go to the Department for Sensitive Crimes. Once again, poor Ulf gets more than he bargained for when Blomquist gets to tag along.

Off-hours, Ulf has his deaf dog Martin to deal with. The saintly Mrs. Högfors watches Martin every day while Ulf is at work, takes him on walkies and spoils him with treats. But nothing appeals to Martin. anymore, and Mrs. H is worried. The vet Dr. Håkensson diagnoses Martin with clinical depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)*, What happens next? You’ll have to read to find out.
——
(*You may think the author has made this up, but you would be wrong—SAD is a real condition!)

As always, Smith delivers a gentle but piercing look at human frailty. The fanciful crimes solved here are not as important as the insight to the people who commit and solve them.

It takes a bit of time to introduce and establish characters in the first book of a new series. My advice is be patient, because it's well worth the wait. It's not always easy to categorize Alexander McCall Smith's work into a specific genre, and that is so true with "the Department of Sensitive Crimes". The dictionary defines tour de force as "an impressive performance or achievement that has been accomplished or managed with great skill", and McCall Smith tells the stories of Detective Varg and his team at in layers that culminate in a delightful tour de force. "The Department of Sensitive Crimes" is a enjoyable blend of mystery, suspense and misadventures. I am looking forward to spending more time with Varg and his unit as this new series evolves. Thank you to Net Galley for a pre-pub copy to review.

This is a 1st time author for me and I quite enjoyed this book. It's filled with quirky characters and a unique story-line. The dialogue is unique and witty, sometimes drifting off on tangents not related to the story, but I found it an enjoyable read. I would definitely read more from this author.

I found this title slow and unengaging.

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this title.

Alexander McCall Smith has launched a new series, this one set in Sweden. Thirty-eight-year old Ulf Varg heads up "The Department of Sensitive Crimes," in Malmö. He and his colleagues, Anna Bengtsdotter and Carl Holgersson, are not particularly busy. The few cases that they investigate are as odd and quirky as the detectives themselves. They look for the culprit who stabbed a merchant in the back of his knee, search for a missing boyfriend, and check out unusual occurrences at a spa.

Ulf has been lonely since his wife left him; Carl puts in long hours at the station and adores paperwork; and Anna, who has a dull husband, enjoys a special rapport with Varg. Meanwhile, their clerical assistant Eryk Nykvist, is biding his time until retirement, when he will have the leisure to devote himself to his true passion--fly fishing. Then there is Blomquist, a uniformed police officer who talks incessantly, but proves his worth on more than one occasion.

Most of the sleuthing involves common sense and insight into human nature rather than forensic expertise. The humor is gentle, the characters are mildly entertaining, and there is a hint of a budding romance between Ulf and Anna. Varg and company deserve credit for their insight, kindness, and efforts to temper judgment with mercy. Unfortunately, "The Department of Sensitive Crimes" lacks the energy and originality of McCall Smith's better-written novels. This book does not add much that is new or exciting to an already overcrowded mystery field.

This book reminded me a lot of the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency as in both books the characters spend a lot of time giving their opinions on society and the behavior of people. This one was, though somewhat enjoyable, was missing the resolution of mysteries -- all of the cases they solved were almost solved but not really resolved--and I liked in the No. 1 series that there was always an overarching mystery that you had to wait until the end to see it solved. This one was more a series of short stories. So far, the characters were not as endearing as that first series either. I'm assuming this is the start of a new series but not sure I would read the next installment.

Alexander McCall Smith delights with the first in a new series, The Department of Sensitive Crimes in which Detective Varg and his Swedish colleagues solve small and unusual crimes with common sense and sensitivity.
McCall Smith unrolls Sweden' s ordinary citizens with humor and touching depth. An excellent and gentle start to a pleasing new series.

I have to confess that I started this book but didn't finish it. I really enjoy some of Alexander McCall Smith's other work, especially his #1 Ladies Detective Agency series. And in many ways, that was my problem with this book: the tone was so much like that of the #1LDA books that it honestly felt stale to me, even though this is a brand-new series for McCall. That sort of gentle, wise, slightly sardonic narration works well in the #1LDA series, and I suppose it would work well here, too, if it didn't all sound so familiar. Maybe I didn't give it enough of a chance--may go back and try it again later. But for now, I'll wait for the next installment of Precious Ramotswe's adventures.

3.5 stars

This was an odd little book, not exactly a mystery. For those who might pick it up because they are fans of the author's other series, it should be said that this is very different, although not without its own charms.

Ulf Varg is a detective with the Sensitive Crimes Unit in Malmo, Sweden. They investigate problems which are unclassifiable or present a public relations problem. The protagonist is very likable -- the author mentions this repeatedly, that he is a good man, a kind man. Varg is divorced and lives with his dog, and sees a therapist. He is secretly in love with a married female co-worker but is too decent to act on his feelings.

This is a meandering story, with many, many conversational detours and narrative wanderings. This is probably not a great choice for those looking for a straightforward mystery with a concise writing style. Thanks to the publisher and to Net Galley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This was my first Alexander McCall Smith novel and I can see why everyone loves these books. It was laugh out loud funny at times. But here's the thing. the language was highly intelligent and at the same time funny. I really enjoyed it. Light read.

Alexander McCall Smith must be a wonderful human being. His decency radiates from every page of every book, whether for children or adults, drawn from anywhere in the world. His characters are complex and sympathetic with a depth that adds great pleasure to a story. A few weeks ago I bought a stand-alone short story introducing The Department of Sensitive Crimes. It was such a tasty morsel, I was delighted when Netgalley.com gave me a chance to dig deeper into this delightfully Swedish investigative bureau. The crimes are a far cry from the tension-filled procedurals of so many popular series, but what a wonderful change that is. The detectives led by Ulf Varg work together in harmony, their individual quirks leavening the investigation. .Even Officer Bloomquist, a pedantic policeman who wants so badly to be a detective, is treated with kindness. Ulf in particular is a man of keen insights. I found myself highlighting something witty or wise observed by him on almost every page.
The stories themselves are not world shattering, but when I read the final page, I was sad to say farewell to this band of conscientious Swedes and look forward to meeting them again.

A light and mildly entertaining book. There is almost no character development or depth, the "sensitive crimes" investigated are a series of small mysteries that don't seem overly sensitive, and almost none seem like actual crimes. Yet, even while you're reading the book and wondering when you're going to get to the central plot (it could be argued, you don't), you enjoy the journey. A good light read for when you need some entertainment and diversion, but nothing too heavy or violent.

Another easy to read first book in a new series from Alexander McCall Smith. I have feasted on the author's No. 1 Lasies' Detective Agency series previously but felt this novel a touch light on content. The characters are quirky and at times, I would chuckle at the verbal interplay between Detective Varg,and the other members of the department, especially Anna, but there were no intense moments. The crimes handled were odd, at times, such as stabbing behind the knee and disappearance of an imaginary friend but Varg's investigations made them seem normal. I will give the next book in the series a chance as there was just enough substance to devour.

This novel is about a Swedish detectives that investigate strange and difficult crimes. This is my first novel by Alexander McCall Smith. It was a good beach read. For me something to just chill to when you don't want something you have to think about.

This isn't quite what I was expecting, but if you like Alexander McCall Smith and / or very descriptive mysteries with a bit of understated sarcasm, this may be the book for you. I'm not sure if I would read a sequel but it was well-written.

This had the bones of a great book and seemed poised to launch into something really funny and revealing. Instead, it felt like it was the outline to the book it should have been. I would try more of the series to see if it tightens up as it goes on.