bgg616's review against another edition
4.0
This was a book that kept me engaged and guessing to the end. I like the main character Irene Huss, the police detective who is the mother of 18-year-old twin girls, and married to a chef. As it is Swedish, it is dark, and it is impossible to share too many details without spoiling the read.
amerdale's review against another edition
2.0
Content Note: child abuse, child pornography (not clear vom the blurb at least not in my [German] edition), Satanism (in a way)
+ female detective without any kind of addiction (except coffee) and a healthy family life (I just hated the f*cking dog so much), just a workaholic but I guess that kinda comes with the job
- average crime plot
- female characters are described in sexist and objectifying ways
- latent homophobia and racism
- so many random things happen that have nothing to do with the plot
- this is not how Satanism works
+ female detective without any kind of addiction (except coffee) and a healthy family life (I just hated the f*cking dog so much), just a workaholic but I guess that kinda comes with the job
- average crime plot
- female characters are described in sexist and objectifying ways
- latent homophobia and racism
- so many random things happen that have nothing to do with the plot
- this is not how Satanism works
crowyhead's review against another edition
2.0
This was a disappointment. I don't know if it's in part the fault of the translation, but the whole book just seemed SO dead -- there was so little tension and excitement, even when the main character was kidnapped! There were also a lot of unrelated incidents (like the kidnapping) that I think were meant as red herrings but were instead just confusing -- I expected to get to the end and find out that some or all of them were related to the main story, but they just weren't, and moreover were barely mentioned again! Which is kind of bizarre. I read another Irene Huss mystery several years ago and remember quite liking it, but this one was really a dud. Too bad, too; I liked the idea of a female detective with a relatively stable family life who really likes to eat.
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
2.0
Not as good as the first book. It felt like there were too many info dumps. Still, it's nice to see a detective who isn't tortured and has a good home life.
honeycomb_system's review
Animal sacrifice and arson were too triggering. Noped on out of there.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Animal cruelty, and Fire/Fire injury
Satanic focus5wamp_creature's review against another edition
3.0
There's the reality that the rest of each character's world keeps spinning outside the central whodunnit and then there's way too much detail: down to the specific items and preparations of an Easter meal for the family or a new boyfriend's musical career. Or a pointlessly added attempted mugging. I suppose without the added goo this book would be only 110 pages.
canadianbookworm's review
3.0
This Swedish mystery took me a while to warm up to. At first the story seemed unemotional, but it gradually came to sections where the characters seemed to gain depth and warmth. The main detective here is female, Irene Huss, and she is a member of the Goteborg police force. The police procedure is glossed over somewhat, so you don't get a detailed sense of how the force operates, but there is some discussion of regular meetings and shifts. Irene seems to have a comfortable yet formal relationship with her boss, and good relations with several of her colleagues, some of whom she respects more than others. The humour between the characters gradually takes shape, as does Irene's family. Her observations are described very factually, and yet with some intuition showing as well. I will try another one by this author to see if the sense I had by the end of the book remains with me.
As to the content of the mystery, it centers around a particular family with the father a minister, the mother with a history of depression, and the son seemingly interested in mission work, as well as teaching. With the son and parents murdered early in the book, the relationships they had with the sister in England becomes very important, and she stays a bit of an enigma as both the British police and Irene find it difficult to make headway with her.
As to the content of the mystery, it centers around a particular family with the father a minister, the mother with a history of depression, and the son seemingly interested in mission work, as well as teaching. With the son and parents murdered early in the book, the relationships they had with the sister in England becomes very important, and she stays a bit of an enigma as both the British police and Irene find it difficult to make headway with her.
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