Three Seconds: Paula/Piet

[Fanasty_Lover]

I also think Piet wore the wire for insurance.  He knows that things can go wrong and though he is willing to take that risk, he made sure he had a back up plan.  If you remember right the meeting had important respectable people in it.  If he takes the right precautions and makes the right preparations he can use the tape to frame those people if the situation goes awry.  Though his future can be destroyed or even his life, he wont go through it alone, he would be able take everyone one of those people down with him.

[juliewu]

This book is very interesting. I thought I was beginning to figure the characters out but in the last section of part one I began to change my mind about some of them. Hoffmann past is still obscure although we do know that he did spend time in prison and is now a police informant. The relationship between Hoffmann and Wilson in my opinion is very impersonal and brittle. Wilson claimed that he completely trusted Piet in the meeting at the end of Part One, but then he told Piet that he would be on his own if he messed up this opportunity. The lack of trust is also demonstrated by Piet recording the entire meeting against the knowledge of his coworkers. The murder that Piet witnessed was very real to him because he realized that the person killed could have been him, he was a police informant too. I think this might have been a turning point in his mind about lying to his family. After he witnesses the murder he seems to have deep thought about whether it was acceptable to lie to his wife. Zofia appears to be oblivious to his work and thinks he runs a security firm. I don’t know that I completely believe that Zofia has Absolutley no idea what is going on. I think she might know that Piet is lying to her and that is why she can be so cold to him at some points. Honestly, I haven’t figured out why he is doing this work of the police yet. It is one of the main questions that I would like to be answered soon.

[cdoscher]

In the beginning Erik was talking to Paula and it wasn't until halfway thru the first section of the book that I realized Piet was Paula.

[cdoscher]

What do we know so far about Hoffmann?  We know that he is married with 2 sons, spent time in jail for drugs, has a supposed security agency where he secretly cuts his drugs, and is an inflitrator.

How much do Hoffmann and Wilson trust and respect each other?   In the beginning I thought they trusted each other since they have been together for nine years.  Now I think it is just a mutual respect.  Piet trusts no one but himself.

Why does this particular murder have such an effect on Hoffmann?   The murder effects Piet because it could of been him with the bullet holes lying on the floor.

How much does Hoffmann's wife, Zofia, know about what he does for a living?   This is an interesting question and I wonder myself just how much Zofia knows.  We havn't heard much from her yet.  It is going to be interesting how Piet explains what he will be doing the next few months and I look forward to seeing how much Zofia becomes a part of this book.

Why do you think Hoffmann wears the recorder to his meeting with government and police officials?  Piet trusts no one and he wears it for insurance in the agreement he has made with the government and police.  He made a recording for Grens and I wonder who is going to hold onto this recording and when will it be exposed.

[CAG]

---

Vermontcozy wrote:

I do have a theory about Zofia,,She is either The Daughter,Niece  of someone in the The Polish Mafia,,or Swedish Mafia,..Or even with The Swedish Intelligence,She was introduced to Piet.They 'Fell in Love,and she knows everything..Piet of course is not aware of this.. ..She has kept him focused,happy..with their "Family Life"..But all could change..she might want out and will be on the run..Sounds a bit far fetched....,and the stakes are high......I still believe Grens plays a larger role in this...He is a protector..One of the last Good Guys..so far..Of course as I will read on over the weekend..all will change...Susan

---

Oh, I like your theory. Very interesting thoughts since I have believed from the first Zofia has a secret of her own.

[thewanderingjew]

I think I might have been even more confused than you were! For several chapters, my brain got stuck on an idea that Paula might be a female, romantically involved with Erik. I had to go back and refresh myself on all the characters involved in order to put them in their proper time and place.

At this point, I wouldn't change the book in any way though, it is keeping me interested and guessing as to the outcome in a very solid way. It feels like a well-written book with a purpose we will understand at the conclusion.

---

SandyS wrote:

I wonder if there was a better (faster) way to tie together Piet & Paula.  I needed to reread several portions to try to figure things out.  Once I did figure it out I started the book over to make sure I didn't miss anything.

Did anyone get as confused as I did?

---

Lis49 wrote:

It took me a while to figure out that Paula and Piet were the same person. 

---

---

[Peppermill]

Anyone find it strange that Ewert Grens sat on the floor in his office as colleagues came and went?  Why this quirk?  What did it signify?

[pen21]

---

CAG wrote:

---

Vermontcozy wrote:

I do have a theory about Zofia,,She is either The Daughter,Niece  of someone in the The Polish Mafia,,or Swedish Mafia,..Or even with The Swedish Intelligence,She was introduced to Piet.They 'Fell in Love,and she knows everything..Piet of course is not aware of this.. ..She has kept him focused,happy..with their "Family Life"..But all could change..she might want out and will be on the run..Sounds a bit far fetched....,and the stakes are high......I still believe Grens plays a larger role in this...He is a protector..One of the last Good Guys..so far..Of course as I will read on over the weekend..all will change...Susan

---

Oh, I like your theory. Very interesting thoughts since I have believed from the first Zofia has a secret of her own.

---

I love predictions. This is a good one.

Why has Zofia not confronted Piet more? Wouldn't any wife question more what is going on with the 'business' Piet is involved in?

Your comments are making me think more on this.

[dhaupt]

---

pen21 wrote:

---

CAG wrote:

---

Vermontcozy wrote:

I do have a theory about Zofia,,She is either The Daughter,Niece  of someone in the The Polish Mafia,,or Swedish Mafia,..Or even with The Swedish Intelligence,She was introduced to Piet.They 'Fell in Love,and she knows everything..Piet of course is not aware of this.. ..She has kept him focused,happy..with their "Family Life"..But all could change..she might want out and will be on the run..Sounds a bit far fetched....,and the stakes are high......I still believe Grens plays a larger role in this...He is a protector..One of the last Good Guys..so far..Of course as I will read on over the weekend..all will change...Susan

---

Oh, I like your theory. Very interesting thoughts since I have believed from the first Zofia has a secret of her own.

---

I love predictions. This is a good one.

Why has Zofia not confronted Piet more? Wouldn't any wife question more what is going on with the 'business' Piet is involved in?

Your comments are making me think more on this.

---

Luanne, you are so right. And I feel so naive just taking all this in as fact.

[pen21]

---

dhaupt wrote:

---

pen21 wrote:

---

CAG wrote:

---

Vermontcozy wrote:

I do have a theory about Zofia,,She is either The Daughter,Niece  of someone in the The Polish Mafia,,or Swedish Mafia,..Or even with The Swedish Intelligence,She was introduced to Piet.They 'Fell in Love,and she knows everything..Piet of course is not aware of this.. ..She has kept him focused,happy..with their "Family Life"..But all could change..she might want out and will be on the run..Sounds a bit far fetched....,and the stakes are high......I still believe Grens plays a larger role in this...He is a protector..One of the last Good Guys..so far..Of course as I will read on over the weekend..all will change...Susan

---

Oh, I like your theory. Very interesting thoughts since I have believed from the first Zofia has a secret of her own.

---

I love predictions. This is a good one.

Why has Zofia not confronted Piet more? Wouldn't any wife question more what is going on with the 'business' Piet is involved in?

Your comments are making me think more on this.

---

Luanne, you are so right. And I feel so naive just taking all this in as fact.

---

Don't feel naive. I think we all get so involved in the story and the characters lives that we assume our feelings on the storyline. I think that is what can make a story so unique to each of us. But when each of us make a prediction of where/what a character will act/do next, I see how different each of us is. I just love that about these discussions.

[Superbookworm]

---

cdoscher wrote:

In the beginning Erik was talking to Paula and it wasn't until halfway thru the first section of the book that I realized Piet was Paula.

---

Me too!

[Peppermill]

---

Superbookworm wrote:

---

cdoscher wrote:

In the beginning Erik was talking to Paula and it wasn't until halfway thru the first section of the book that I realized Piet was Paula.

---

Me too!

---

My immediate reaction when Paula said (s)he was going ahead without Wilson was "(S)he is going to die."  I still presumed Paula was female at that point and the whole situation sounded too high risk without backup.

But, I don't understand why the timing got so messed up.  I wonder if we are ever given an explanation.  These writers don't seem to tell their stories with a lot of detail about motivations or logistics.

[Vermontcozy]

---

pen21 wrote:

---

dhaupt wrote:

---

pen21 wrote:

---

CAG wrote:

---

Vermontcozy wrote:

I do have a theory about Zofia,,She is either The Daughter,Niece  of someone in the The Polish Mafia,,or Swedish Mafia,..Or even with The Swedish Intelligence,She was introduced to Piet.They 'Fell in Love,and she knows everything..Piet of course is not aware of this.. ..She has kept him focused,happy..with their "Family Life"..But all could change..she might want out and will be on the run..Sounds a bit far fetched....,and the stakes are high......I still believe Grens plays a larger role in this...He is a protector..One of the last Good Guys..so far..Of course as I will read on over the weekend..all will change...Susan

---

Oh, I like your theory. Very interesting thoughts since I have believed from the first Zofia has a secret of her own.

---

I love predictions. This is a good one.

Why has Zofia not confronted Piet more? Wouldn't any wife question more what is going on with the 'business' Piet is involved in?

Your comments are making me think more on this.

---

Luanne, you are so right. And I feel so naive just taking all this in as fact.

---

Don't feel naive. I think we all get so involved in the story and the characters lives that we assume our feelings on the storyline. I think that is what can make a story so unique to each of us. But when each of us make a prediction of where/what a character will act/do next, I see how different each of us is. I just love that about these discussions.

---

I think we  are being set up as well By Our Distinguished Authors..Isn't that what Good Authors do..This is a unique inside look to a System that is probably a lot like ours,but sometimes as Americans we tend to overlook,I don't want to know,mentality.We do want to know.in "Three Seconds" Certain books bring out the best in us as readers.Dissecting every Sentence..Plus I am sticking with my Zofia Theory..for now   : )...

[Vermontcozy]

---

Peppermill wrote:

Anyone find it strange that Ewert Grens sat on the floor in his office as colleagues came and went?  Why this quirk?  What did it signify?

---

Still grieving..He feels at home in his office..His colleagues know what he has gone through...He's just that way.Quirky..Enough to get to the bottom of what is going with this investigation as well..Just some thoughts...Susan

[thewanderingjew]

Peppermill wrote:

Anyone find it strange that Ewert Grens sat on the floor in his office as colleagues came and went?  Why this quirk?  What did it signify?

I had the feeling that he had been acting strangely for some time, perhaps since his wife's illness or death. His colleagues more or less accepted his bizarre behavior.

I think he was on the floor because his most treasured belongings were being packed away there. Then when he slept on the floor, he slept with the remaining two boxes and slept better than he had in recent times.

The packing away of his grief freed him from his torment and he, after falling so low, was able to rise up again and perform his duties.

[MomOf2Turds]

What do we know so far about Hoffmann?

We know that he is an ex-con.  We know that he is now an informant for the police.  We know that he is a married father of two.  We know that he is having a hard time keeping his wife out of his "secret" life.  And we also know that he is in deeper than anyone else has ever made it.  He also has a conscience.

How much do Hoffmann and Wilson trust and respect each other?

I believe that they respect each other a great deal.  Trust, on the other hand, I feel there is only enough for each of them to make them feel comfortable meeting and talking together, even though they have been working together for almost ten years.  Wilson didn't trust that Piet would tell him the truth and the whole truth about the murder, and that is why he went and inspected the crime scene before he ever met with him about the murder, and why he inspected it from so many angles so that he knew what really happened before anything was told to him.  Piet keeps saying how he is on his own and can't trust anyone but himself.  This is evidenced in the fact that although he knew that Wilson was going to bat for him at the meeting, he still felt the need to smuggle in the recorder and record the entire thing to keep himself covered.

Why does this particular murder have such an effect on Hoffmann?

This murder has such a great effect on him for several reasons.  One, he is part of the reason the man is dead.  Yes, it was self preservation, but he is still partly responsible for it.  Two, he realized just how close to death he was right then if he hadn't have called out the Carsten guy.  And three, it showed him just how much he and his family had to lose if he became the victim.

How much does Hoffmann's wife, Zofia, know about what he does for a living? 

I think that she knows a lot more than she is letting on.  There is a reason she doesn't question him or what he does.  I'm just not sure about how she knows what they haven't told us that she knows yet.  Is she working with the police, too?  Or is she some part of the mafia side of the story?  I'm really curious as to how that all comes into play.

Why do you think he does this dangerous undercover work for the Swedish Police?

I think he does it to help get his previous record expunged so that his wife and kids never have to learn about what he was like before he met his wife and they had their children.

Why do you think Hoffmann wears the recorder to his meeting with government and police officials?

I think he wears it because he knows that they are going to throw him to the wolves when things start to go bad.  They are going to let him take the fall and he wants to make sure that he can prove that they promised him that they wouldn't so that they would be held accountable.

[MomOf2Turds]

---

DebsScott wrote:

 I am a suspicious person at heart...LOL...I question everyone's motives and try to eek out if there is a hidden agenda to their actions.  We have a ways to go in this book, and although I hope I am wrong about Piet Hoffmann, I don't trust him at all.  If he turns out to be a super good guy, I will print off this post and eat my words!

---

Can we get a video of that if it happens?  

[elaine_hf]

---

thewanderingjew wrote:

Peppermill wrote:

Anyone find it strange that Ewert Grens sat on the floor in his office as colleagues came and went?  Why this quirk?  What did it signify?

I had the feeling that he had been acting strangely for some time, perhaps since his wife's illness or death. His colleagues more or less accepted his bizarre behavior.

I think he was on the floor because his most treasured belongings were being packed away there. Then when he slept on the floor, he slept with the remaining two boxes and slept better than he had in recent times.

The packing away of his grief freed him from his torment and he, after falling so low, was able to rise up again and perform his duties.

---

I also think it's strange, but I think it's more interesting that, once he made up his mind to do so, he was so quickly able to compartmentalize his grief into a 'box', pack it up and ship it off, and move on. Maybe that's the sign of a good detective, to be able to 'pack up' your emotions and put them behind you. 

As far as sitting on the floor, I have the feeling that this is only one example of his odd behavior, and his co-workers are used to it and don't react like you'd expect. He was at a low point, what more appropriate place to sit than low, on the floor.

[laoliver67]

Hoffmann operates under two persona & lives two lives.  He portrays a loving, if absent, husband and father and his thoughts of his love for Zofia are touching.  

I think that Wilson sees Hoffmann as a very valuable asset in the undercover operation and he comments that Hoffmann is the best undercover he has.  I don't think that trust necessarily goes along with this type of relationship and both Wilson and Hoffmann seem to trust one another only to a certain point.  

At this point, Zofia appears to just accept what her husband says he is doing for a living.  It seems unlikely that this acceptance will be long-lived.  As some others have noted, I agree that it is a bit hard to believe that she doesn't suspect more than she does.  Still, a busy Mom with a husband away often for "business" may not think much of it and Hoffmann takes care to do special things for her and the boys like making a quick meal before he leaves and sending flowers to Zofia.

I think its possible that Hoffmann does this work for the Swedish Police because he hopes this will legitimize him even though he is an ex-con.  Still, he clearly takes pride that he has gone so deep undercover but that pride is measured quite equally with fear.  Wearing the recorder to the meeting with the government and police would indicate his distrust of them to follow through on promises.  In his line of work, distrust comes with the territory.

[DawnGR]

---

cdoscher wrote:

In the beginning Erik was talking to Paula and it wasn't until halfway thru the first section of the book that I realized Piet was Paula.

---

That did trip me up to at first..