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caro_readsalot's review against another edition
2.0
Heb 159 pagina's gelezen en het kon me nog totaal niet pakken of boeien.... Ik heb het neergelegd... Heel jammer dan ga ik er niet nog meer tijd in steken.
ladyejayne's review against another edition
Really great read, very well-done mystery.
justjoel's review against another edition
4.0
Echoes from the Dead is a translated fiction work from Swedish author Johan Theorin. Originally published in 2007, the Swedish Academy of Crime gave it the Best First Mystery Novel award. It is first in a series called The Öland Quartet.
Julia Davidsson is existing rather than living. Since her 5-year-old son disappeared 20 years ago, Julia has become estranged from her family and entered into a loving relationship with alcohol, Her stupor and self-inflicted exile are interrupted when she receives a call from her father, Gerlof. He is calling to tell her of a strange package he has received in the mail: a package that contained a young boy’s single sandal.
Julia, who is on a mental health break from her job as a nurse, reluctantly returns home and joins forces with her father to try to find out once and for all what happened to Jens 20 years ago.
I found this to be an interesting novel. It was fast-paced, tension-filled, and not predictable. Not only did it deal with the mystery surrounding Jens’ disappearance, but it was also about forgiveness, dealing with depression-induced alcoholism, and trying to find some measure of acceptance following a tragic loss.
There were a couple of leaps of logic/intuition by Gerlof that I thought were perhaps a little too convenient, but the plot felt pretty tight overall. Julia’s arc of character growth was impressive: you could feel the ache of losing her only child, then share the sense of relief as she began lowering her walls.
The translation to English was smooth. If you’re interested in Nordic fiction but find Stieg Larsson too wordy and slow-paced, give this one a try.
My understanding is that other books in the series take place on the same island as this one, but follow different characters in each. I am interested in continuing the series at some point.
4 out of 5 stars.
Julia Davidsson is existing rather than living. Since her 5-year-old son disappeared 20 years ago, Julia has become estranged from her family and entered into a loving relationship with alcohol, Her stupor and self-inflicted exile are interrupted when she receives a call from her father, Gerlof. He is calling to tell her of a strange package he has received in the mail: a package that contained a young boy’s single sandal.
Julia, who is on a mental health break from her job as a nurse, reluctantly returns home and joins forces with her father to try to find out once and for all what happened to Jens 20 years ago.
I found this to be an interesting novel. It was fast-paced, tension-filled, and not predictable. Not only did it deal with the mystery surrounding Jens’ disappearance, but it was also about forgiveness, dealing with depression-induced alcoholism, and trying to find some measure of acceptance following a tragic loss.
There were a couple of leaps of logic/intuition by Gerlof that I thought were perhaps a little too convenient, but the plot felt pretty tight overall. Julia’s arc of character growth was impressive: you could feel the ache of losing her only child, then share the sense of relief as she began lowering her walls.
The translation to English was smooth. If you’re interested in Nordic fiction but find Stieg Larsson too wordy and slow-paced, give this one a try.
My understanding is that other books in the series take place on the same island as this one, but follow different characters in each. I am interested in continuing the series at some point.
4 out of 5 stars.
aika1801's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
therhinelady's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
emily_brekker's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
tense
3.0
3.0/5
After reading the first few pages of the book, I was already wondering what I had got myself into. A child's POV of the day it disappeared - scary and frightening. An early murder suspect, who was responsible for his little brother's drowning - psychopathic behaviour. Fortunately, the book became a little bit less scary later on, which is connected to the slow pace of this thriller. Nevertheless, I still wanted to know what happened to little Jens and hoped that his mother would find closure. The mystery itself was told in past and present tense, switching from numerous point of views. I had already a suspicion regarding one character, but could not solve the whole mystery on my own.
SPOILER:
The ending did not satisfy me because of the tragic death of Jens that should not even have happened. Moreover, I can hardly imagine how his mother must feel...
After reading the first few pages of the book, I was already wondering what I had got myself into. A child's POV of the day it disappeared - scary and frightening. An early murder suspect, who was responsible for his little brother's drowning - psychopathic behaviour. Fortunately, the book became a little bit less scary later on, which is connected to the slow pace of this thriller. Nevertheless, I still wanted to know what happened to little Jens and hoped that his mother would find closure. The mystery itself was told in past and present tense, switching from numerous point of views. I had already a suspicion regarding one character, but could not solve the whole mystery on my own.
SPOILER:
The ending did not satisfy me because of the tragic death of Jens that should not even have happened. Moreover, I can hardly imagine how his mother must feel...
pelargonia's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
marco5599's review against another edition
3.0
Solid mystery about a child that went missing some twenty years ago. Today's #1 suspect has a strong alibi though; he was already dead when little Jens disappeared. The past is full of deep and dark secrets, as mom (Julia) and her dad (Gerlof) are soon to find out. Enough to keep the attention, but the woeful, monotonous atmosphere had something of a numbing effect on me. Julia too; a tiresome character. Gerlof has more fire than her. And he's 79 years old. And rheumatic.
findyourgoldenhour's review against another edition
1.0
I never would've picked this one on my own, but our book club picked it after reading an article about other Scandinavian mystery writers besides you-know-who. I actually didn't even finish it; all of the mystery was out in the open at the beginning and the rest of the book was filling in the blanks, and I realized that I just didn't care! I'm sure there was some twist at the end but it wasn't worth reading the rest to get to.