jmatkinson1's review against another edition
5.0
It's the start of winter in Stockholm and what seems like a routine suicide. A young American man has fallen to his death from a high window and for the local police there is nothing more to add. However in his shoe is a message for Superintendent Lars Martin Johansson, described as the only honest policeman in Sweden, and as Johansson looks into the death he realises that it is not as straightforward as it seems. Johansson's investigations take him from the USA to the heart of Swedish politics and corruption at every level of Government and law enforcement.
I picked up this book following a press review and it is a revelation. Intricately plotted with a cast of characters who are both believable and frightening, the story is engrossing. The conspiracy theories are not so farfetched as to be unrealistic and this goes beyond the usual scandal-noir murder investigation.
I picked up this book following a press review and it is a revelation. Intricately plotted with a cast of characters who are both believable and frightening, the story is engrossing. The conspiracy theories are not so farfetched as to be unrealistic and this goes beyond the usual scandal-noir murder investigation.
jmatkinson1's review against another edition
5.0
It's the start of winter in Stockholm and what seems like a routine suicide. A young American man has fallen to his death from a high window and for the local police there is nothing more to add. However in his shoe is a message for Superintendent Lars Martin Johansson, described as the only honest policeman in Sweden, and as Johansson looks into the death he realises that it is not as straightforward as it seems. Johansson's investigations take him from the USA to the heart of Swedish politics and corruption at every level of Government and law enforcement.
I picked up this book following a press review and it is a revelation. Intricately plotted with a cast of characters who are both believable and frightening, the story is engrossing. The conspiracy theories are not so farfetched as to be unrealistic and this goes beyond the usual scandal-noir murder investigation.
I picked up this book following a press review and it is a revelation. Intricately plotted with a cast of characters who are both believable and frightening, the story is engrossing. The conspiracy theories are not so farfetched as to be unrealistic and this goes beyond the usual scandal-noir murder investigation.
catladylover94's review
1.0
rather dull book, it started out dull, was only interesting when johnson was on, and the rest was boring, will not probably every rad anything else by him
turnherintoliterature's review against another edition
1.0
This book was a hideous beast. I had heard good things about it from various websites, and as the tagline mentions 'Swedish classic' and I love Scandinavian novels, I was excited to finally find a copy in my local bookstore.
Where do I begin? The punctuation and grammar were off throughout about two-thirds of the novel, the names were confusingly similar, there were two different streams of story that only intertwined in the climax (based on a historical event) at about seven-eighths through...
And perhaps unforgivably, for a feminist such as me, EVERY SINGLE FEMALE was portrayed as either some sort of waif-like dreamer who's waiting for Prince Charming, or a total slut who will jump into bed with anyone.
There is only one redeeming feature, and that is Lars Martin Johansson, a dogged cop who doesn't treat women like objects, works hard, loves his kids, and is honest to a fault.
I can't recommend this book to anyone. It's time reading that I will never get back, and I can't believe the second is a best-seller too.
Where do I begin? The punctuation and grammar were off throughout about two-thirds of the novel, the names were confusingly similar, there were two different streams of story that only intertwined in the climax (based on a historical event) at about seven-eighths through...
And perhaps unforgivably, for a feminist such as me, EVERY SINGLE FEMALE was portrayed as either some sort of waif-like dreamer who's waiting for Prince Charming, or a total slut who will jump into bed with anyone.
There is only one redeeming feature, and that is Lars Martin Johansson, a dogged cop who doesn't treat women like objects, works hard, loves his kids, and is honest to a fault.
I can't recommend this book to anyone. It's time reading that I will never get back, and I can't believe the second is a best-seller too.
rouver's review
3.0
This book is likely a 4 star book, but my preference for it was a 2, so I split the difference with a 3. It's a translation from Swedish, and I think that part of the problem could be a large difference in cultures. A lot of time, characters weren't given a name, but were simply referred to by their job title. This book was supposedly the inspiration for the tv show "Backstrom," which is why I picked it up. I have NO idea how they at all connected this book to the show, other than there is a *side character* by the name of Backstrom who is a total asshole. That's it. As far as I could tell, he wasn't even that competent. This book is probably great, but it wasn't to my tastes.
katherineannpotter's review
1.0
I skipped from about halfway through to the end. Dull and difficult to understand what time period we are in given the changes are only a month or so apart. I wanted to like it but cannot recommend.
veethorn's review against another edition
3.0
He writes like he speaks, the good professor. But it's a good novel and an all-too-convincing take on our most famous murder.
booklovervictoriaperz's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
kellym_16829's review against another edition
challenging
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Book one of the slow but compelling Swedish crime trilogy