Game by Anders de la Motte

Published in Sweden in 2010; published in translation by Atria/Emily Bestler Books on December 3, 2013

The concept of using a game to manipulate human behavior isn't new, but Game creates a more carefully-conceived purpose for the game than is common in thrillers that make use of that theme. Mix that with another well-used theme (global conspiracy) and you have a novel that entertains if you're prepared to abandon all reason and enjoy the action. By that measure, Game works reasonably well.

Henrik Pettersson (known to his few friends as HP) is over thirty but still a kid. When finds a cellphone that asks him if he wants to play a game, he agrees. There's money in it and even a modest measure of fame. Besides, HP is a sociopath who enjoys causing mayhem and that's what the game is about. As the reader would expect, the tasks he is assigned to perform escalate from pranks to serious crime and HP soon finds that treating life as a game has consequences, particularly when you're only a pawn.

The novel's other primary character, Rebecca Normén, is glad that her ex is dead, but she isn't happy that her little brother was convicted of causing the death for which she holds herself accountable. Ironically, Rebecca joined the Police Academy shortly after her ex died. Now she's with the Sweden's Security Police, assigned to guard political officials. Her life quickly and repeatedly intersects with the game that HP is playing.

HP compares his situation to the plots of a couple of conspiracy movies as well as Mission Impossible. He also recalls the famous airplane scene in North by Northwest when an airplane chases him. I think those references are Anders de la Motte's way of reminding us not to take the story too seriously. It's meant to be a fun diversion and on that level, it succeeds. HP is an anti-social jerk but he has just enough of a conscience to earn the reader's grudging sympathy. In a predictable but satisfying way, he becomes more likable as the novel progresses. I like the idea of making the central character a sociopath even if (to assure that the reader cheers for him) he's a sociopath who develops empathy. Rebecca is likable from the start, and the cause of her remorse -- the role she actually played in her ex's death -- gives the reader something to ponder until the unsurprising truth is finally revealed.

Nothing about Game takes it into the top tier of thrillers -- the prose is ordinary, the plot is a retread, the characters are familiar -- but the story moves quickly, maintains interest, and entertains. Game isn't a book I would read twice, but it made me look forward to the next installment in the trilogy.

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