BLOOD ON THE SNOW : THE KILLING OF OLOF PALME

Book ID/图书代码： 03360005B02524

English Summary/英文概要： The Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme, a major figure in world politics and an ardent opponent of apartheid, was shot dead on the streets of Stockholm in February 1986. At the time of his death, Palme was deeply involved in Middle East diplomacy and was working under UN auspices to end the Iran-Iraq war. Across Scandinavia, Palme’s killing had an impact similar to that of the Kennedy assassinations in the United States - and it ignited nearly as many conspiracy theories. Interest in the Palme slaying was most recently stirred by reports of the death of Christer Pettersson, who was tried for the murder twice, convicted the first time, and then acquitted on appeal. In his investigative account of Palme’s still-unsolved murder, the historian Jan Bondeson meticulously recreates the assassination and its aftermath. Like the best works of crime fiction, this book puts the victim and his death into social context. Bondeson’s work, however, is noteworthy for its dispassionate treatment of police incompetence: the police did not answer a witness’s phone call reporting the murder just 45 seconds after it occurred, and further time was lost as the police sought to confirm that someone had actually been shot. When the police arrived on the scene, they did not even recognize the victim as the Prime Minister. This early confusion was emblematic of the errors that were to follow. Bondeson demolishes the various conspiracy theories that have been devised to make sense of the killing, before suggesting a convincing explanation of his own. A brilliant piece of investigative journalism, Blood on the Snow includes crimescene photographs and reconstructions that have never before been published and offers a gripping narrative of a crime that shocked a continent.

Chinese Summary/中文概要： 瑞典首相帕尔梅活跃于世界政坛，他极力反对种族隔离制度，但是不幸的是1986年二月，在斯德哥尔摩的大街上他被人枪杀了。在他临死之前，他一直全心投入中东外交事务，并在联合国的帮助下努力要促使两伊战争的结束。可以说帕尔梅的死在斯堪的纳维亚岛引起了轩然大波，其影响力决不亚于肯尼迪总统刺杀案给美国带来的冲击力，当然也同样激发了许多阴谋理论。最近人们才开始对帕尔梅的死特别关注，原因就是因为有报道说Christer Pettersson死了，他曾两次被指控谋杀罪，一次被定罪，后在上诉时被赦免了。

历史学家Jan Bondeson仔细剖析了整个暗杀过程，以及暗杀后的影响。和其他所有优秀的犯罪小说一样，《血溅白雪》很巧妙地把这位无辜的受害者和他的死与社会大环境结合起来。然而，Bondeson作品有一点很值得注意，就是它很客观地批评了警方在处理这件案子上的无能：在谋杀案发生的45秒之后，有个目击证人打来电话来报案，但是警方却没人接听电话，警察为了进一步确认的确有人被谋杀这又浪费了很多宝贵时间。当警察最后来到现场时，他们甚至都没认出这个受害人竟然是首相。这一团混乱为后来的很多失误埋下了伏笔。

Awards/获奖情况："On February 28, 1986, at 11:21 p.m., Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme was fatally shot while walking toward a Stockholm subway station. Jan Bondeson, a doctor, scientist, and investigator of unsolved mysteries, has written an extraordinarily penetrating book on the case, complete with a vivid minute-by-minute account of the crime as well as a detailed description of the failed police investigation and, best of all, a keen analysis of the byzantine political and financial intrigues in which Palme had been involved."—Edward Jay Epstein, Wall Street Journal

"Bondeson explores a variety of assassination theories that have arisen amid a botched police investigation, conflicting witness testimonies, and Palme’s celebrity status. . . . Bondeson delves into the nature of the investigation and the uncertain guilt of the convicted killer—issues that have captivated Swedes and others for almost 20 years."—Library Journal

"Blood on the Snow is a melodramatic title, but the story of the 1980s murder of a Scandinavian politician so stretches skepticism and credulity that any sober, dry-as-dust academic treatment would have jarred. Jan Bondeson’s involved, committed approach is the best way to do full justice to the complexity of an astounding case. . . . I doubt if the massively tangled web round Olof Palme’s killing will inspire a more engrossing or a better-researched book."—Joseph Farrell, Times Literary Supplement

"Palme was a fascinating politician; an aristocrat and deeply committed socialist. He supported Castro’s Cuba, thus guaranteeing he fell out with the US. He was hated by the opposition who accused him of everything from homosexuality to being a KGB spy so, not surprisingly, when he was murdered the rumour mills began grinding and a cycle of fantastic explanations and bizarre conspiracy theories emerged. In this well-written book Jan Bondeson attempts to explain why Palme was killed. The result is a non-fiction work that reads like a Tom Clancy political thriller."—Bruce Elder, Sydney Morning Herald

"The story of Olof Palme’s murder and the many turns in the botched murder investigation is truly fascinating and reveals a great deal about Swedish society: the criminal underworld, the police, and social democratic establishment, and possibly, according to the author’s own, quite plausible, theory, the arms export business."—Jonas Pontusson, Princeton University

"The murder in February 1986 of Olof Palme was a watershed event. It changed Sweden, forcing on it a soul-searching, and had an incalculable effect on the rest of the world. Jan Bondeson gives a lively and comprehensive account of the crime itself and most meticulously examines the fascinating ambiguities and inconsistencies of what happened in its wake. Blood on the Snow should certainly set us all thinking."—Paul Binding

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