THE LAST GRUDGE is the newly released third installment in Max Seeck’s Ghosts of the Past series, which I have enjoyed immensely. The prologue is a mysterious one as we meet an individual known only as L’Etranger. We see him typing some cryptic messages and putting the photos of two intended victims inside his copy of a book on the life of Søren Kierkegaard.

The action then shifts to the novel’s first major victim --- wealthy business owner Eliel Zetterborg, who founded EZEM Pipes Co. 50 years ago. As his driver Joonas drops him off at his apartment to change for a business dinner, Eliel starts feeling some chest pains, which are about to be severely intensified when a stranger plunges a knife into him.

"THE LAST GRUDGE whizzes by with nonstop action and clues that make for one of the best reads in this taut and eerie series."

Assigned to the case as lead investigator is Detective Sergeant Yusuf Pepple of the Helsinki Police Violent Crimes Unit. He is stepping in for Jessica Niemi, who is supposed to be on a leave of absence. But we soon find Jessica following up on a previous case that has consumed her. Yusuf and his team are knee-deep in their investigation and find an intriguing clue. It appears that a jigsaw puzzle that Eliel was working on had a message written on the back of it, which raises major suspicions.

Yusuf does not get much time to breathe before a connected situation arises. Sanni Karppinen, a cleaner of Eliel’s, is found tied to her bed. The mystery man who did this to her took a set of keys that may have allowed him to gain access to Eliel’s apartment.

Meanwhile, Yusuf locates the game shop that sold the puzzle to Eliel. The man who purchased it for him only gave the name “Faust” to the owner. However, he also bought a UV marker. This leads Yusuf and his forensic team to grab a UV light reader, which turns up some floor markings inside Eliel’s apartment that direct them to a certain spot. I found it humorous that at one point Yusuf thought to himself that everything bad in detective novels and horror movies always happens at night.

Eventually, Yusuf and Jessica combine their efforts on the case, which seems to be quickly spinning out of control. When another member of Eliel’s company is found shot through the heart, attention shifts to the many corporate hunting retreats that Eliel sponsored over the years. It appears that there may be some bad blood from these outings that are now bringing about these targeted revenge killings. Yusuf and Jessica can identify the man they believe to be Faust, but he does not fully fit the description they anticipated. He is connected to these trips, which makes for some interesting probing into his past.

Seeck creates a blend of various characters, each of whom could be a viable suspect. THE LAST GRUDGE whizzes by with nonstop action and clues that make for one of the best reads in this taut and eerie series.