Strange Bird

A pigeon racing enthusiast on the island of Gotland finds a strange pigeon at his pigeon coop so he entices it in.  He discovers, from its band, that it is from Eastern Europe.  No wonder it looks so bedraggled.  Unfortunately the next day it is dead, and he is feeling unwell.  So unwell, that he asks a neighbour to look after his pigeons.  Before long she is unwell, the enthusiast and his pigeons are dead.

Shortly after the pigeon arrived, DI Maria Wern is called to a gruesome murder scene.  The victim had been camping, and no one seemed to know anything about him.

More people become ill before Dr. Jonathan Ericsson realises that they may have a serious bird flu situation on their hands.  He is forced to quarantine the soccer school where Wern's son Emil is in attendance.  The country has limited resources if this is a major flu outbreak, those who came into contact through the initial vector are also quarantined.  Health officials confirm that it is the bird flu.

Another murder is discovered during this time of crisis, which Wern has to attend to.  The victim is a young woman.  As more deaths occur from the bird flu, panic arises on the island.  Later it is discovered that the man the second murder victim was associated with has gone missing.

Author Anna Jansson gives the reader a complete surprise at the end of this murder mystery.  Although at times the story seems disjointed, the author does tie the threads of the story together well.  A good read.