The Department of Sensitive Crimes

Unlike Scandinavian Noir, the Department of Sensitive Crimes is Scandinavian Blanc. Ulf Varg is a Detective Inspector in the Sensitive Crimes Department of the Criminal Investigation Authority for the city of Malmö, Sweden. His world is not noir. Ulf is worried about strange but not particularly dangerous crimes, such a back of the knee stab wound from an unidentified hand, young ladies who give in to their need for a boyfriend, and strange activities occurring in a spa on the south coast of Sweden.

Ulf is a Swedish detective, of course, and Swedish detectives typically lead lives plagued by some form of issue. To begin with, there's his name: Varg is derived from the Old Norse word for "wolf," while Ulf is the current Swedish term for "wolf." Ulf is not a vulpine, though; he is a kind, intelligent, and endearing man who is interested in and knowledgeable about modern and Scandinavian art. The only dog in Sweden who can lipread is his dog, Marten, although he can only do it in Swedish. Martin starts to feel down and requires help. In Sweden, it seems that dogs are especially vulnerable to seasonal affective disorder (SAD). However, since it's summer, there must be another event going on.

Ulf has several colleagues whose lives we learn about. There is Carl, whose father is a well-known Lutheran theologian who has written a book on the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard; there is Anna, who is married to an anesthetist but is very fond of Ulf; Erik, who only enjoys fishing; and Blomquist from the uniformed branch, who is constantly complaining about his health issues but appears to have exceptional luck when conducting investigations. Dr. Svensson, Ulf's psychotherapist, is another person whose insights on Ulf's life and a variety of other subjects enlighten—or perhaps confuse.

The first full-length book in the Detective Varg series is titled The Department of Sensitive Crimes.