The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! đ
envd22's review
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
booksnacks's review against another edition
dark
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
achoward's review against another edition
3.0
John Adderley, FBI agent and all around suave dude, helps take down a major Nigerian drug trafficking group, and then heads into witness protection after being shot. His mother, who lives in Sweden, sends him a packet containing information related to the arrest of his brother, also in Sweden, for the murder of a young girl. It's a cold case, now, and his mother insists that his brother is innocent. Instead of sitting around, waiting for the case against the Nigerians to wind its way through the legal system - and petty much blackmailing his boss - Adderley heads to Sweden to look into the case of Emile, the subject of the cold case.
Generally speaking, I really do enjoy Nordic noir. This was....ok. The idea of it was good: guy born in Sweden is taken by his father to the US, joins the FBI, goes undercover to bust up a drug ring, then goes to Sweden, undercover again under another name, to help with a cold case. It's rather unusual, but I can go with it.
The book switches between 2009 and 2019, telling the backstory of Emile's murder, and Adderley's progression from undercover FBI agent to undercover cold case investigator in Sweden. The first half is chocked with quite a lot of first date information: who Adderley is, who the people around him are, and the situations both in the US and Sweden. I expect this from the first book in a new series, so I won't ding it for that.
I will, however, ding it for taking up the entire first half of the book. We don't need to know every single little detail - the descriptions of everything take forever to get through, and the book doesn't really pick up the pace until about the 60% mark (on a Fire tablet).
In addition, Adderley is supposedly scare of a Nigerian hi team coming after him and the other FBI agent who was embedded in the same cell. But he dresses in (impeccable) suits and drives an American muscle car all over the place while at the same time ensuring that people remember him due to the way he acts an how perilously close he comes to revealing that he has been in contact with his family,which is a no-no, per his new Swedish handlers.
More bodies pile up, and I will give give credit to the authors for having a number of suspects, all with motives that could cast suspicion on them to be the culprit. The real culprit, though, is eventually caught, and Adderley and his Swedish handler do an absurdly ridiculous thing with him and the dead girl's father.
Overall, it's a good enough read that I'll put it down with three stars.
Thanks to Abrams and NetGalley for the reading copy.
Generally speaking, I really do enjoy Nordic noir. This was....ok. The idea of it was good: guy born in Sweden is taken by his father to the US, joins the FBI, goes undercover to bust up a drug ring, then goes to Sweden, undercover again under another name, to help with a cold case. It's rather unusual, but I can go with it.
The book switches between 2009 and 2019, telling the backstory of Emile's murder, and Adderley's progression from undercover FBI agent to undercover cold case investigator in Sweden. The first half is chocked with quite a lot of first date information: who Adderley is, who the people around him are, and the situations both in the US and Sweden. I expect this from the first book in a new series, so I won't ding it for that.
I will, however, ding it for taking up the entire first half of the book. We don't need to know every single little detail - the descriptions of everything take forever to get through, and the book doesn't really pick up the pace until about the 60% mark (on a Fire tablet).
In addition, Adderley is supposedly scare of a Nigerian hi team coming after him and the other FBI agent who was embedded in the same cell. But he dresses in (impeccable) suits and drives an American muscle car all over the place while at the same time ensuring that people remember him due to the way he acts an how perilously close he comes to revealing that he has been in contact with his family,which is a no-no, per his new Swedish handlers.
More bodies pile up, and I will give give credit to the authors for having a number of suspects, all with motives that could cast suspicion on them to be the culprit. The real culprit, though, is eventually caught, and Adderley and his Swedish handler do an absurdly ridiculous thing with him and the dead girl's father.
Overall, it's a good enough read that I'll put it down with three stars.
Thanks to Abrams and NetGalley for the reading copy.
linneaandspybat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
johnnyb1954's review against another edition
3.0
This is a good police procedural. Agent Adderly, however is careless in protecting himself and he misses some obvious clues. There is a cliff hanger ending but I doubt I will read the next book.
stefan_lennemyr's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Some interesting turns and quite laid back, easy story that keeps you coming back.
markhoh's review against another edition
5.0
âLike I said, I donât know anything about your baggage. But I know one thing: you are in charge of deciding how to deal with it. Whatâs done is done and thereâs nothing you can do to change that. You can only do it differently next time. And you have the power. Itâs there. You just havenât found it yet.â P 339
Lifelong friends, Peter Mohlin and Peter Nyström are a bit of a dynamic duo as co-authors of their debut novel, The Bucket List. This is the first is the Agent John Adderley series and honestly is an excellent new addition to the Scandi Noir collection.
Set in central southern Sweden in the town of Karlstad, The Bucket List follows the story of a ten year old cold case, reopened and piquing the interest of Adderley for a variety of personal reasons. The case sees Adderley return to his home town in an attempt to clear his brotherâs name as a suspect in the suspected murder of teenager Emilie Bjurwall. Complicated by being in witness protection along with the blur of lines between police work and family, John aka Frederik Adamsson finds himself embroiled in controversy at just about every turn.
While the novel and characters are slightly linear and a bit one dimensional for my liking I still thoroughly enjoyed the read. Mohlin and Nyström are talented storytellers and have crafted a great story that honestly kept me glued to the pages at every opportunity. The cliffhanger at the finish of the book makes me super keen to read the next one when I can. 4.5 stars ... rounded to 5.
Lifelong friends, Peter Mohlin and Peter Nyström are a bit of a dynamic duo as co-authors of their debut novel, The Bucket List. This is the first is the Agent John Adderley series and honestly is an excellent new addition to the Scandi Noir collection.
Set in central southern Sweden in the town of Karlstad, The Bucket List follows the story of a ten year old cold case, reopened and piquing the interest of Adderley for a variety of personal reasons. The case sees Adderley return to his home town in an attempt to clear his brotherâs name as a suspect in the suspected murder of teenager Emilie Bjurwall. Complicated by being in witness protection along with the blur of lines between police work and family, John aka Frederik Adamsson finds himself embroiled in controversy at just about every turn.
While the novel and characters are slightly linear and a bit one dimensional for my liking I still thoroughly enjoyed the read. Mohlin and Nyström are talented storytellers and have crafted a great story that honestly kept me glued to the pages at every opportunity. The cliffhanger at the finish of the book makes me super keen to read the next one when I can. 4.5 stars ... rounded to 5.
herthrillingreads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
natashaniezgoda's review against another edition
4.0
VERY JANE HARPER SLOW BURN VIBES!
3.5 âïž rounded up. The cliffhanger was well played, though I saw that coming a 100 pages away
3.5 âïž rounded up. The cliffhanger was well played, though I saw that coming a 100 pages away
ksbooknook's review against another edition
Thank you to Netgalley and Overlook Press for a chance to read THE BUCKET LIST in advance!
Agent John Adderly sets out to solve a cold case in Sweden (where he hasn't been since he was twelve) while trying to evade a drug cartel. Emelie has been missing, presumed dead since 2009. Now it's 2019. With the suspect list growing and a price on his own head, Adderly has to keep one step ahead of his own pursuers while solving a high profile case with a missing body.
I've never read anything in the Nordic Noir subgenre, but since I love a good crime novel I wanted to give it a shot (and it definitely wonât be my last!). This book felt a lot like a Bourne book. It was fast paced (I think the short chapters helped with this), included a partial dual timeline, our hero has to overcome a mental challenge, and there are a ton of secrets. I read it in three short sittings and found myself very satisfied with the ending. I am excited to see this is the beginning of a series of John Adderly novels and will be keeping an eye out for the next one! Iâd recommend it specifically to people who enjoy a good crime adventure story!
Agent John Adderly sets out to solve a cold case in Sweden (where he hasn't been since he was twelve) while trying to evade a drug cartel. Emelie has been missing, presumed dead since 2009. Now it's 2019. With the suspect list growing and a price on his own head, Adderly has to keep one step ahead of his own pursuers while solving a high profile case with a missing body.
I've never read anything in the Nordic Noir subgenre, but since I love a good crime novel I wanted to give it a shot (and it definitely wonât be my last!). This book felt a lot like a Bourne book. It was fast paced (I think the short chapters helped with this), included a partial dual timeline, our hero has to overcome a mental challenge, and there are a ton of secrets. I read it in three short sittings and found myself very satisfied with the ending. I am excited to see this is the beginning of a series of John Adderly novels and will be keeping an eye out for the next one! Iâd recommend it specifically to people who enjoy a good crime adventure story!