The next victim

No leads, no suspects, no solution in sight. Who will be the next victim?

Kaalbringen. A small coastal town in Sweden. Everyone knows everyone. Everyone trusts their neighbour.
At night, no one locks their front door. Until two bodies appear in quick succession. Both men were murdered.
Both were, it seems, attacked with the same weapon: an axe. The local police are desperate.

Inspector Van Veeteren is called to the scene, but even he can't find an immediate solution to the problem. The killer, apparently, made no mistakes. When a third body appears, everyone redoubles their efforts, but the available information is practically non-existent. Van Veeteren and the police don't know what to do. They've followed every idea and investigated every lead, even the vaguest ones.

Only when one of the local police officers disappears without a trace does Van Veeteren realise that the killer is playing a game. And that he is his opponent.