In this second installment of Persson's trilogy of police procedurals featuring the 'small, fat and primitive' Evert Bäckström, the grand master's most appallingly repulsive (and funniest) character is finally given his 15 minutes of fame by way of his patented combination of laziness, luck and an unbelievable sense of timing.

A seemingly ordinary murder puzzles Bäckström, who is struggling with strict orders from his doctor to lead a healthier life. His gut feeling proves him right: within days his team has another murder linked to the first on their hands and reports of alleged ties to a Securicor heist gone out of control, killing two.

The nation needs a hero, and the newly appointed head of the Västerort police force, Anna Holt, needs somebody to kill the dragon for her. Who better to pay heed to the task than Evert Bäckström: self-sufficient, ostentatious, devoid of morals, Hawaiian shirt-clad and, latterly, armed?