Mafia Blanca. (White Mafia)

This second title in Lapidus's "Stockholm Noir" trilogy continues the story of Jorge, Mrado, and JW, the three criminals who inhabit the dangerous Swedish criminal world. The underworld becomes more dangerous than ever, with three new antiheroes on the scene: Mahmud, who is forced to work for Yugoslavian mobster Radovan on release from prison; Niklas, who has just returned from Iraq; and Thomas, a corrupt policeman. The sudden murder of Swiss prime minister brings all three men together in a world of violence, narcotics, and the mafia. Intense, brutal, and full of rich and realistic detail, this novel is as gripping as the first and reads well as a stand-alone. While the staccato, slangy dialog takes some getting used to, footnotes help explain some elusive references. And, though the characters are not exactly sympathetic, Lapidus is skilled in making us care about their destiny. A criminal defense lawyer, Lapidus is a good follow up for fans of Stieg Larsson. Recommended for crime fiction collections and large pubic libraries.—Alison Hicks, Univ. of Colorado at Boulder.