arthur_pendrgn's review against another edition
2.0
This book is boring. Perhaps this is due to the fact that I haven't read the previous books when all of the characters are developed. Everyone is flat and indistinguishable. There is a great deal of "telling, not showing."
nonna7's review against another edition
4.0
Having realized that I missed several of these after reading the first one, I am trying to make them up as quickly as I can. In the most recent book, Irene's children have moved out, her mother has died, they have had to put their dog down, and things are changing at work - and not in a good way. This is the book before that. This book explores the ugly world of human trafficking. It's a bit preachy, but very enlightening. When the police find a dead body near an abandoned car, they are not sure at first if the two are related. The book takes Irene to Tenerife to check out what seems to be a relationship between murders there and the human trafficking in Sweden. The body they discover is of a young girl who is small and undernourished and only 13 or 14 years old. It's a horrific story. The ending wasn't a complete surprise. There is a clue in the book after all. I enjoy the straightforward stories that the author tells. Some Scandinavian crime novels - Jo Nesbo comes to mind - can be exceptionally dark. This series features a female detective who is a normal person leading a normal life which is a nice change from a lot of books.
bwalker123's review
5.0
One of the best in the series
Sometimes the language is a bit stilted, but the plots are always strong. Recommend for fans of Nordic procedural novels.
Sometimes the language is a bit stilted, but the plots are always strong. Recommend for fans of Nordic procedural novels.
ettlitetkapitel's review against another edition
4.0
Den här boken är väldigt spännande, och tar upp ett tungt ämne, köp av unga tjejers kroppar.
Den är hemsk och ibland får jag en stor klump i halsen. Genom hela historien får man följa med när bevisen hittas, och de tar lite tid innan jag förstår vem som är mördaren, för det är inte så enkelt som man första kan tro.
Välskriven bok som är spännande för första till sista sidan.
Den är hemsk och ibland får jag en stor klump i halsen. Genom hela historien får man följa med när bevisen hittas, och de tar lite tid innan jag förstår vem som är mördaren, för det är inte så enkelt som man första kan tro.
Välskriven bok som är spännande för första till sista sidan.
mjanemartin's review
2.0
I got stuck at the description of cabbage pudding, but I forged on. This was slow for me. I finished despite the fact I didn't care how it ended or care about the characters.
She gave two interesting statistics however. There are more human slaves now (the majority being sex slaves) than at any other time in history. And, there is more money dealt in human trafficing than the narcotics world. She doesn't site the source of these statements, but if true, it's sobering information.
She gave two interesting statistics however. There are more human slaves now (the majority being sex slaves) than at any other time in history. And, there is more money dealt in human trafficing than the narcotics world. She doesn't site the source of these statements, but if true, it's sobering information.
howjessicareads's review
3.0
A 3.5 really. Good characters, solid writing... the solution to the mystery was just a little obvious. To review for Shelf Awareness.
zarap's review
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
skinnypenguin's review
4.0
A very involved mystery with several things happening at the same time. It starts off with a stolen car that hits a d kills a pedestrian and while searching for the suspects a young girl is found dead nearby. The hit and run victim is a retired policeman who was friends with the head of the investigating unit. Part of the unit is trying to find the drivers and the others are working on the girls death.
Irene Huss is involved in all of it and is dealing with things in her personal life. Her daughters are moving out, her mom is having health problems a d her husband is still dealing with some depression. Two of her coworkers are out sick and there is a lot of work piling up.
The young girl is found to have connections to sex trafficking and the team gets involved tracking some very unsavory characters who also are involved with drugs. They work with a other unit to help arrest these criminals but with no luck. It leads to gangs in Tenerife and Irene goes there to give information to the police there and gets caught up in some gang violence.
A few twists in the end. A bit of a tough subject with the sex trafficking and the way the girls are treated. The author did a good job of handling this subject. Like the interaction between the different members of the police unit. Good job showing each person's strengths and weaknesses.
Enjoyed the book. Have read quite a few in this series and look forward to reading more.
Irene Huss is involved in all of it and is dealing with things in her personal life. Her daughters are moving out, her mom is having health problems a d her husband is still dealing with some depression. Two of her coworkers are out sick and there is a lot of work piling up.
The young girl is found to have connections to sex trafficking and the team gets involved tracking some very unsavory characters who also are involved with drugs. They work with a other unit to help arrest these criminals but with no luck. It leads to gangs in Tenerife and Irene goes there to give information to the police there and gets caught up in some gang violence.
A few twists in the end. A bit of a tough subject with the sex trafficking and the way the girls are treated. The author did a good job of handling this subject. Like the interaction between the different members of the police unit. Good job showing each person's strengths and weaknesses.
Enjoyed the book. Have read quite a few in this series and look forward to reading more.
rosseroo's review
2.0
Years ago, I quite enjoyed the first few books in the series featuring Swedish Detective Inspector Irene Huss. But my appetite for Scandinavian crime petered out, and I stopped seeking out the latest installments. I picked this seventh one up the other day, looking for something relatively short and familiar. And while it did prove to be short and familiar, it's not as good as the other books in the series I've read.
The story kicks off with a hit-and-run that starts with a car theft and ends with the discovery of a dead teenage girl, concealed in a cellar. One of the problems of the book is that there are too many disparate things going on: identifying the man killed by the hit-and-run, identifying the drivers, identifying the murdered girl, tracking down some runaways from a youth detention facility, tracing some or all of this to sex trafficking, etc... It all feels a bit jumbled, especially when Huss ends up making a trip to Tenerife to liaise with an possibly related investigation down there. (I still can't figure out why she had to travel there... other than draw things out and introduce further unnecessary side plots.)
At the same time as all this activity, the story's biggest twist (the identity of the girl's killer) is going to be pretty obvious to most readers simply because there aren't many options presented. I suppose the book's main strength is the detailing of the mechanics of sex trafficking, but as laudable as that exposure is, it's no substitute for characterization, pacing, and plot.
The story kicks off with a hit-and-run that starts with a car theft and ends with the discovery of a dead teenage girl, concealed in a cellar. One of the problems of the book is that there are too many disparate things going on: identifying the man killed by the hit-and-run, identifying the drivers, identifying the murdered girl, tracking down some runaways from a youth detention facility, tracing some or all of this to sex trafficking, etc... It all feels a bit jumbled, especially when Huss ends up making a trip to Tenerife to liaise with an possibly related investigation down there. (I still can't figure out why she had to travel there... other than draw things out and introduce further unnecessary side plots.)
At the same time as all this activity, the story's biggest twist (the identity of the girl's killer) is going to be pretty obvious to most readers simply because there aren't many options presented. I suppose the book's main strength is the detailing of the mechanics of sex trafficking, but as laudable as that exposure is, it's no substitute for characterization, pacing, and plot.
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