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stelaw's review against another edition
3.0
At over 600 pages I suspect Nesser's success means that editors have been kept off him as this really could have been considerably tightened. The opening chapters were hard going containing underage non-consensual sex and strangling. Very grim. Good to have VV back on the scene even if he is a surly and at times unpleasant character. I need a cosy crime after this bleak number.
raven88's review against another edition
5.0
It's always such a treat being immersed back into Hakan Nesser's carefully crafted world of detection and intuition, and with reading the whole series to date I am always left with a feeling after each, that the one just finished is now my favourite/the best of the series. The Strangler's Honeymoon does little to buck this trend, as I will say confidently that this could now be my favourite/the best...
There is something hypnotic about the gentle ease in which Nesser immerses you in one compelling thriller after another, and the refreshing attitude that he brings to the genre that not all detectives need to be either (a) prone to ludicrous bouts of reasoning and actions that are implausible or thrusting them into laughably dangerous situations that stretch our credibility or (b) are overly encumbered with emotional baggage to make them more interesting or dynamic to the reader. Aside from Moreno's natural cautiousness towards affairs of the heart, the central players in Nesser's world are unerringly likeable, empathetic and effortlessly engage the reader in their personal and professional lives, inveigling us completely in their methods of detection and the natural progressions of their investigations. On the subject of character, as much as I enjoyed The Weeping Girl and the more central role played by DI Ewa Moreno, I'm sure I was not alone in slightly pining for the appearance or intervention of her mentor Van Veeteren, now spending his days surrounded by antiquarian books, but still eager to exercise the little grey cells of detection. Van Veeteren is an integral player throughout the novel, as a young priest troubled by a confession, wends his way to our retired detective's door knowing of the man's former reputation, drawing our old favourite into Moreno's and her colleagues investigation into the murder of an emotionally unstable woman and the disappearance of her teenage daughter. Once again we see the steely mental cogs of Van Veeteren's intuitive mind that aid his former colleagues' investigation, but which are so inviting to us as readers as we are almost trying to solve the case at the same speed as our ardent detectives. The whole novel is tinged with the nuances of Van Veeteren's wonderful character and his natural wit and intelligence and supplanted with clever little references to the literary world that aid his methods of deduction, and add additional points of interest to this wholly engaging tale of obsession and murder.
Nesser's pacing of the plot is once again perfect, and the tying of the sunsoaked brutal opening scene to the final images of the novel provide a parentheses around the richly unwinding story of the life and times of a murderer, across split time frames, that unfolds gradually between the changes of location. This ebb and flow between different locations and periods is beautifully handled throughout, and Nesser's depiction of a particularly manipulative and remorseless killer is truly chilling, with a nice play on the old adage, hell hath no fury....
All in all another completely satisfying addition to one of my favourite series, unhindered by the usual cliches of the Scandinavian/European crime genre, that as readable as they are have become almost de rigeur of this genre. A marvellous series indeed.
There is something hypnotic about the gentle ease in which Nesser immerses you in one compelling thriller after another, and the refreshing attitude that he brings to the genre that not all detectives need to be either (a) prone to ludicrous bouts of reasoning and actions that are implausible or thrusting them into laughably dangerous situations that stretch our credibility or (b) are overly encumbered with emotional baggage to make them more interesting or dynamic to the reader. Aside from Moreno's natural cautiousness towards affairs of the heart, the central players in Nesser's world are unerringly likeable, empathetic and effortlessly engage the reader in their personal and professional lives, inveigling us completely in their methods of detection and the natural progressions of their investigations. On the subject of character, as much as I enjoyed The Weeping Girl and the more central role played by DI Ewa Moreno, I'm sure I was not alone in slightly pining for the appearance or intervention of her mentor Van Veeteren, now spending his days surrounded by antiquarian books, but still eager to exercise the little grey cells of detection. Van Veeteren is an integral player throughout the novel, as a young priest troubled by a confession, wends his way to our retired detective's door knowing of the man's former reputation, drawing our old favourite into Moreno's and her colleagues investigation into the murder of an emotionally unstable woman and the disappearance of her teenage daughter. Once again we see the steely mental cogs of Van Veeteren's intuitive mind that aid his former colleagues' investigation, but which are so inviting to us as readers as we are almost trying to solve the case at the same speed as our ardent detectives. The whole novel is tinged with the nuances of Van Veeteren's wonderful character and his natural wit and intelligence and supplanted with clever little references to the literary world that aid his methods of deduction, and add additional points of interest to this wholly engaging tale of obsession and murder.
Nesser's pacing of the plot is once again perfect, and the tying of the sunsoaked brutal opening scene to the final images of the novel provide a parentheses around the richly unwinding story of the life and times of a murderer, across split time frames, that unfolds gradually between the changes of location. This ebb and flow between different locations and periods is beautifully handled throughout, and Nesser's depiction of a particularly manipulative and remorseless killer is truly chilling, with a nice play on the old adage, hell hath no fury....
All in all another completely satisfying addition to one of my favourite series, unhindered by the usual cliches of the Scandinavian/European crime genre, that as readable as they are have become almost de rigeur of this genre. A marvellous series indeed.
thomas_edmund's review against another edition
1.0
Its been a while since I've read a book that is so completely "what just happened here?" Stranger's Honeymoon is book 9 of Van Veeteren mysteries but I don't think reading the prior 8 would have made things any better.
Published in 2001, but only translated into english 2013 The Stranger's Honeymoon does start with some promise. [This seems to happen alot, has everyone started purposely fooling the reading public by sucking them in with good intros?] A young lady starts to suspect he mother's lover is 99% more crazy than first thought, and the mother ends up dead, Veeteren starts to investigate.
Then what? The rest of the book was unrememberable discussions between police officials, an indecipherable connection to the StoneMasons was made (Girl With Dragon Tattoo this was not) until finally Veeteren engages in what has to be the stupidest approach to a potential serial killer ever - ringing him on the phone and confronting him about discrepancies in his academic thesis.
A theme of Olives permeates the book, wasn't sure if this was a Veeteren thing or I just missed the symbolism in the cruddy writing.
I suspect in the end what I'm missing is that Nesser has simply been making money of a famous literary character (rather than quality writing), and due to the success of "Nordic Noir" in English speaking countries the publisher has tried to translate that success, bringing new meaning to the phrase 'lost in translation'
Published in 2001, but only translated into english 2013 The Stranger's Honeymoon does start with some promise. [This seems to happen alot, has everyone started purposely fooling the reading public by sucking them in with good intros?] A young lady starts to suspect he mother's lover is 99% more crazy than first thought, and the mother ends up dead, Veeteren starts to investigate.
Then what? The rest of the book was unrememberable discussions between police officials, an indecipherable connection to the StoneMasons was made (Girl With Dragon Tattoo this was not) until finally Veeteren engages in what has to be the stupidest approach to a potential serial killer ever - ringing him on the phone and confronting him about discrepancies in his academic thesis.
A theme of Olives permeates the book, wasn't sure if this was a Veeteren thing or I just missed the symbolism in the cruddy writing.
I suspect in the end what I'm missing is that Nesser has simply been making money of a famous literary character (rather than quality writing), and due to the success of "Nordic Noir" in English speaking countries the publisher has tried to translate that success, bringing new meaning to the phrase 'lost in translation'
christinebeswick's review against another edition
4.0
Quite dark, but very good. My favourite in the series is still "Hour of the Wolf", but this 9th book comes pretty close
coenobi's review against another edition
One of the best. Dark plot, interesting characters, and development. The killer is truly insane. The way the book handles bisexuality is a bit ... Yikes. But the book is, what, around 20 years old? It was a different time.
elysia_knight's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
riekahei's review against another edition
dark
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
tantealex's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75