The Harbor

I've mostly gone off police procedurals and am increasingly impatient with improbable crimes, but this was an enjoyable entry in a series that has grown stronger since the first entry. A boy goes missing, leaving a mysterious quotation behind. We learn the boy's situation - entrapped in an island fortress - which is a fairly manipulative way to wind the ticking clock, but it keeps the pages turning. There is also ongoing storylines for both investigating detectives and their troubled relationships and a rather wonderful elderly character who plays a role in identifying the literary clue and is a welcome contribution to the otherwise a bit standard story. Esther steals the scene, as far as I'm concerned, but maybe that's because I'm a jaded reader who has become wary of copaganda, unlikely motives, and tormented-but-hardworking detective tropes. (It helps that the setting is Denmark.)