ljwrites85's review against another edition
5.0
So I haven’t actually read any of the previous books in this series, even though I think I own one or two (naughty I know) but for me it worked perfectly well as standalone.
Joona Lima is no longer a policeman, and a shadow of his former self but he can’t resist when Detective Margot Silverman asks him to help with a case.
A video of a young woman, unaware she is being watched, is sent anonymously to the Swedish National Crime Unit. They are written off as nothing, until the woman in the video is found dead, brutally murdered in her own home.
The case gets personal when evidence points to Joona’s friend, Erik Maria Bark. Will he catch the killer before the police catch up with Erik?
Wow, I don’t know where to start with this book, it’s gripping, gory and utterly addictive!
Stalker is over five hundred pages, but it didn’t feel like it was that long with short chapters and a rapid pace had me flying through those pages.
Fair warning, do not read this book at night, especially if you’re a bit of a scaredy cat like me! After reading the scene where a woman is being stalked in her own home by an unknown person, I ended up going round my house checking all the doors and windows were locked.
Joona is really going through it in this book. His health is worsening, he’s still suffering from an old injury and is convinced he’s done with being in the policeman. But he can’t resist a case and you see as the book goes along, he’s the kind of person who seems to need police work, as it lights a fire under him.
My heart was in my mouth for most of the ending and I was very surprised by who the killer was, which for me is a rarity.
The book is quite gritty with a lot of twisted and unnerving characters. There’s also sex, drug and extreme violence, so if you’re a fan of more light hearted crime fiction, it may not be for you.
My only issue was I don’t know if this is because it’s translated or it’s just the way the authors write but it took me a little getting used to the blunt style of writing.
I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys gritty and violent serial killer thrillers.
Joona Lima is no longer a policeman, and a shadow of his former self but he can’t resist when Detective Margot Silverman asks him to help with a case.
A video of a young woman, unaware she is being watched, is sent anonymously to the Swedish National Crime Unit. They are written off as nothing, until the woman in the video is found dead, brutally murdered in her own home.
The case gets personal when evidence points to Joona’s friend, Erik Maria Bark. Will he catch the killer before the police catch up with Erik?
Wow, I don’t know where to start with this book, it’s gripping, gory and utterly addictive!
Stalker is over five hundred pages, but it didn’t feel like it was that long with short chapters and a rapid pace had me flying through those pages.
Fair warning, do not read this book at night, especially if you’re a bit of a scaredy cat like me! After reading the scene where a woman is being stalked in her own home by an unknown person, I ended up going round my house checking all the doors and windows were locked.
Joona is really going through it in this book. His health is worsening, he’s still suffering from an old injury and is convinced he’s done with being in the policeman. But he can’t resist a case and you see as the book goes along, he’s the kind of person who seems to need police work, as it lights a fire under him.
My heart was in my mouth for most of the ending and I was very surprised by who the killer was, which for me is a rarity.
The book is quite gritty with a lot of twisted and unnerving characters. There’s also sex, drug and extreme violence, so if you’re a fan of more light hearted crime fiction, it may not be for you.
My only issue was I don’t know if this is because it’s translated or it’s just the way the authors write but it took me a little getting used to the blunt style of writing.
I’d recommend this to anyone who enjoys gritty and violent serial killer thrillers.
peritract's review against another edition
2.0
A video is sent to the National Crime Investigation Department in Stockholm. It shows a normal woman in her own home, doing nothing very exciting. By the time the police identify her, she’s dead. More victims are found, and it becomes clear that the killer is not going to stop. Each video sent to the police means another butchered woman.
Margot Silverman is tasked with catching the killer. Heavily pregnant, she’s determined to solve the case before going on leave. Erik Maria Bark is a hypnotist who thinks the crimes may be linked to a case he worked on years ago. And everyone thought Joona Linna was dead.
As you can possible tell from that synopsis, this is not a standalone novel. Instead, it’s the fifth book in a series that focuses mainly on Joona Linna, who is apparently the Swedish answer to the Punisher. He’s an exceptional investigator who knows all the martial arts and who has no problem going outside the law. He fights crime.
It’s not a novel that works particularly well on its own. I have not read previous books in the series, and I found Stalker a little confusing at first. There are lots of characters and plot elements that call back to earlier novels, and it’s a lot to take in at once. Read the earlier books first.
The book has a weird viewpoint and voice. It’s in third person present tense, which is an unusual choice, and the book keeps on swapping whose shoulder the reader is hovering behind. Joona Linna seems to be the main character of the series, but he’s not really the main character of the book – Erik gets more time, and is a more sympathetic character.
The narration is slow and somewhat remote. The author has a very dry, matter-of-fact tone, no matter what the topic, and has a tendency to throw in large amounts of background detail rather haphazardly. It’s not a book that will get your pulse racing – the prose is clinical and even the climactic moments are interrupted for musings on Swedish geography.
Stalker is a crime novel, but it’s not a thriller or a mystery particularly. The sense of urgency that you want for a thriller is missing, and there’s little sense of an investigation; the eventual reveal of the stalker doesn’t seem like it’s the logical yet still surprising result of a set of clues. You couldn’t have worked it out from the evidence available, and so the resolution feels a little as though it comes out of nowhere.
The book is long, and a lot happens in it. At first the focus is on the murders, but then lots of interpersonal stuff happens, and people get wrongly accused and the central idea gets a little lost. In places, the plot drags, and some scenes could have been omitted without harming the narrative.
I don’t know how realistic the book is overall. The whole thing seems to suggest an attempt at realism, but if even a small percentage of what the book treats as perfectly normal is actually true, then Sweden is the ideal setting for future Mad Max films. Everyone is on drugs, and large areas of the country seem to be lawless wastelands where people shoot first and ask questions later. I had always pictured Sweden as a rather pleasant place, but apparently I could not have been more wrong. The book is all grit, all the time, with everything being violent and sordid.
Stalker didn’t really grab me. It was long and slow and more complicated than compelling. Perhaps if I had read the earlier books, I would have enjoyed it more. If you like gloomy Swedish things, you might enjoy this, but it wasn’t something I particularly cared for.
Margot Silverman is tasked with catching the killer. Heavily pregnant, she’s determined to solve the case before going on leave. Erik Maria Bark is a hypnotist who thinks the crimes may be linked to a case he worked on years ago. And everyone thought Joona Linna was dead.
As you can possible tell from that synopsis, this is not a standalone novel. Instead, it’s the fifth book in a series that focuses mainly on Joona Linna, who is apparently the Swedish answer to the Punisher. He’s an exceptional investigator who knows all the martial arts and who has no problem going outside the law. He fights crime.
It’s not a novel that works particularly well on its own. I have not read previous books in the series, and I found Stalker a little confusing at first. There are lots of characters and plot elements that call back to earlier novels, and it’s a lot to take in at once. Read the earlier books first.
The book has a weird viewpoint and voice. It’s in third person present tense, which is an unusual choice, and the book keeps on swapping whose shoulder the reader is hovering behind. Joona Linna seems to be the main character of the series, but he’s not really the main character of the book – Erik gets more time, and is a more sympathetic character.
The narration is slow and somewhat remote. The author has a very dry, matter-of-fact tone, no matter what the topic, and has a tendency to throw in large amounts of background detail rather haphazardly. It’s not a book that will get your pulse racing – the prose is clinical and even the climactic moments are interrupted for musings on Swedish geography.
Stalker is a crime novel, but it’s not a thriller or a mystery particularly. The sense of urgency that you want for a thriller is missing, and there’s little sense of an investigation; the eventual reveal of the stalker doesn’t seem like it’s the logical yet still surprising result of a set of clues. You couldn’t have worked it out from the evidence available, and so the resolution feels a little as though it comes out of nowhere.
The book is long, and a lot happens in it. At first the focus is on the murders, but then lots of interpersonal stuff happens, and people get wrongly accused and the central idea gets a little lost. In places, the plot drags, and some scenes could have been omitted without harming the narrative.
I don’t know how realistic the book is overall. The whole thing seems to suggest an attempt at realism, but if even a small percentage of what the book treats as perfectly normal is actually true, then Sweden is the ideal setting for future Mad Max films. Everyone is on drugs, and large areas of the country seem to be lawless wastelands where people shoot first and ask questions later. I had always pictured Sweden as a rather pleasant place, but apparently I could not have been more wrong. The book is all grit, all the time, with everything being violent and sordid.
Stalker didn’t really grab me. It was long and slow and more complicated than compelling. Perhaps if I had read the earlier books, I would have enjoyed it more. If you like gloomy Swedish things, you might enjoy this, but it wasn’t something I particularly cared for.
thirre92's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
basicbsguide's review against another edition
5.0
I think I loved this even more than The Sandman. So good!
r_iz_22's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.25
bookish_satty's review against another edition
5.0
Just awesome! Loved it just as much as sandman but I wanted more involvement of Joona from the very first. Hope will get my wish fulfilled in the next installment.
stephanylectora12's review against another edition
4.0
No me hubiera imaginado que aquella persona era el culpable de los asesinatos. Podría haber sido evidente para algunos de los que hayan leido el libro pero para mi no. Y ese final que me dejo con mucha rabia y un mal sabor de boca, ahora tengo que esperar a que los escritores se dignen a seguir con la serie. *llora y se hace bolita* :(.