In Swedish author Läckberg’s engaging, if subpar, fourth crime thriller set in Fjällbacka (after 2012’s The Stonecutter), Det. Patrik Hedström investigates a local woman’s death in what appears to be a D.W.I. accident. Some things don’t add up, like the off-the-charts alcohol level for a victim, who everyone says never drank. Meanwhile, the battered corpse of one of the cast members of a reality TV show filming in Fjällbacka surfaces inside a garbage truck. Läckberg skillfully handles the ensuing probe—which will stretch over half of Sweden and into crimes dating back decades, including the abduction of a young brother and sister from Fjällbacka—as well as the domestic dramas dominating the life of writer and new mom Erica Falck, who is soon to wed Patrik. Less successful are the florid chapter-opening flashbacks and the puzzle’s farfetched solution. Hints of the next installment’s plot promise a return to form. Agent: Joakim Hansson, Nordin Literary Agency (Sweden). (May)
If Camilla keeps producing mysteries as richly textured and downright breathtaking as her latest, who knows? Maybe, one day, we might be identifying Agatha Christie as ‘the British Camilla Läckberg.'
Eerie. Läckberg will keep you guessing.
One of those mysteries that ruin a vacation. Take it to the beach and your eyes will be so locked on its pages, you’ll never even know there’s an ocean in front of you.
Fire and ice! Masterful suspense as compelling as secrets lying far beneath the dark sea. Läckberg is the perfect crime novelist who combines her gift for intriguingly complicated plots and a keen understanding of the ‘grotesques’ who live among us. Erotic and terrifying.
Eerie. Läckberg will keep you guessing.
Sweden's best-selling author (The Stonecutter) has produced her best book to date in this fourth series entry. Det. Patrik Hedström and his fiancée, writer Erica Falck, are only six weeks away from their nuptials and have yet to start making formal plans. However, Hedström's participation in wedding preparations is derailed by his intense investigation into a suspicious suicide and the murder of a celebrity contestant from a popular reality show. Initially it appears the two incidents are unrelated, but further examination reveals plenty of surprising coincidences and twists that lead to an ever-broadening circle of complicity. VERDICT Läckberg presents a change from the usual Nordic mystery in her protagonist Patrik Hedström, who's not the typical deeply flawed, moody, and despairing character many detectives are in this genre. Highly recommended for Läckberg's many devotees as well as fans of cozy police procedurals.—Deb West, Gannon Univ. Lib., Erie, PA
Fjällbacka, which must already be the most crime-ridden little town in Sweden (The Stonecutter, 2012, etc.), gets both a serial killer and a reality program. Everyone knows that Marit Kaspersen hated liquor. So why did she have a toxic level of alcohol in her bloodstream when her car crashed into a tree? Before Detective Patrik Hedström and his colleagues on the Tanumshede police force can do more than establish that the accident that took Marit's life was no accident, a second murder claims their attention. With the full cooperation of wealthy Erling Larson and his compliant town council, TV producer Fredrik Rehn and the crew of misfit partiers he's assembled—bosomy Barbie, spoiled rich kid Calle, untalented singer Tina, bully-boy Uffe and neurotic Mehmet—have descended on the town to shoot Sodding Tanum. Larson, who's convinced that the show will put the place on the map, gets his wish in spades when one of the dim stars turns up strangled at the end of an especially enthusiastic round of partying, and the surviving cast members are the obvious suspects. Since Patrik is busy welcoming bright new colleague Hanna Kruse into his squad and preparing for his wedding to crime novelist Erica Falck, he scarcely has a moment to spare for the Kaspersen case. When he does look more closely into it, though, he soon realizes that it's linked to at least three far-flung earlier murders over a period of 10 years and perhaps even to the much higher-profile killing that's outraged locals without ever slowing down the production of Sodding Tanum. Patrik's still no great shakes as a detective—people keep bringing him crucial evidence other cops would have to hunt for—but the surprising punch the big reveal packs makes this the best of Läckberg's four appearances in English to date.
As with all Scandinavian murder mysteries, it’s darker, bleaker, and the plot far more sinister than similar american fare. Stieg Larsson fans who give Läckberg’s novel a chance to seduce them will be rewarded.
Heart-stopping—a masterclass in Scandinavian crime writing.
As with all Scandinavian murder mysteries, it’s darker, bleaker, and the plot far more sinister than similar american fare. Stieg Larsson fans who give Läckberg’s novel a chance to seduce them will be rewarded.
[Läckberg’s] convoluted plots, deftly drawn characters and super sense of suspense make her a formidable fashioner of fine crime fiction, impeccably evoked here by narrator Simon Vance.”
—BookPage
“A gripping story that springs to life under the voice of Vance and in an audio drama that just won’t quit.”
—California Bookwatch
Simon Vance’s smooth, leisurely reading fits well with Läckberg’s prose, and capably draws the listener into the story.”
—Publishers Weekly
Narrator Simon Vance is a master of his craft. Even his pauses build a sense of character or place. . . . Vance’s abilities enhance author Camilla Läckberg’s own considerable authorial gifts.”
—AudioFile
First, it looks like a single-car accident killed the drunk driver—but the driver did not drink. Then, a participant in a reality TV show is murdered. Soon, Detective Patrik Hedstrom and his colleagues find themselves in pursuit of a killer. Narrator Simon Vance is a master of his craft. Even his pauses build a sense of character or place. His voice captures the essential moods and emotions of the story’s many characters—the longing of the lovestruck, incompetent police chief; Patrik’s exhaustion as the case drags on; the sadness or aggression of the various reality show participants. This book, part of a series, emphasizes character. Vance’s abilities enhance author Camilla Läckberg’s own considerable authorial gifts. G.S.D. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
