Filled with Hitchcock-ian twists, Läckberg’s latest mesmerizes.
After publishing his debut novel to critical acclaim, Christian Thydell seems terribly anxious. Could his novel hold the clues to a mystery?
Bestselling Swedish crime novelist Läckberg (The Hidden Child, 2014, etc.) returns with another puzzle for Detective Patrik Hedström and his wife, writer Erica Falck, to solve. Now pregnant with twins, Erica has been mentoring Christian, and she’s alarmed when he faints before an important publicity event. At first Christian claims he’s tired and anxious about his childhood friend Magnus Kjellner, who disappeared three months ago. But under pressure from his wife, Christian confesses to Erica that he’s been receiving vaguely threatening notes ever since he began working on The Mermaid. Unfortunately, that’s all he reveals, and his unwillingness to help in his investigation piques Erica’s sleuthing instincts. She begins looking into things, first discreetly pocketing one of the notes to take to Patrik. Although he sees no obvious connection between Magnus’ disappearance and Christian’s letters, Patrik senses that there's more to the story. It seems Magnus’ other childhood friends Erik Lind and Kenneth Bengtsson have troubles, too. While Erik plots how to leave both his wife and his mistress without undue financial expense, Kenneth mournfully awaits his beloved wife’s imminent death from cancer. Although he, too, has been receiving ominous notes, Kenneth strangely keeps quiet. Läckberg excels at ratcheting up the tension by weaving this complex, fascinating, very dark mystery through the everyday lives of the unsuspecting residents of Fjällbacka, any of whom might be involved. And between each chapter tracing the investigation, Läckberg inserts the tale of a mysterious, adopted boy, who might have grown up to be another victim or the killer.
Filled with Hitchcock-ian twists, Läckberg’s latest mesmerizes.Pub Date: Sept. 15, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-60598-856-6
Page Count: 480
Publisher: Pegasus Crime
Review Posted Online: June 30, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2015
This one has it all: sexual predation, financial skulduggery, reluctant heroism, even the power of social media.
A compelling, complex thriller as modern as tomorrow.
Mina (The Long Drop, 2017, etc.) leaves historical Glasgow and sets this crackling tale in the very moment. Sophie Bukaran is living as Anna McDonald; she's hidden herself in Glasgow, in marriage to a lawyer, in being mother to two girls. Then one November morning, between episodes of a true-crime podcast called Death and the Dana, her life "explode[s]." Her best friend, Estelle, is at the door, and Anna's husband reveals that he and Estelle are lovers and they're leaving with the girls. Anna considers suicide, but the podcast distracts her. Leon Parker and his family have died aboard the Dana, and the ship's cook has been convicted. The podcast asserts that the cook could not be guilty and the deaths were the result of a murder-suicide committed by Parker. But Anna knew Leon Parker and feels he could not be the culprit, so she decides to try to learn more about his fate. When Estelle's anorexic and feckless husband, Fin, a minor rock-and-roll celebrity, appears at her door, he is caught up in her decision, and they eventually create a companion podcast that details their explorations. But in the process Anna and Fin are photographed and the pictures posted online, so Anna's quest becomes entwined with threats to Sophie Bukaran's life. Years earlier Sophie was raped by members of a beloved football team, and her accusations threatened the team's reputation and value. When the only corroborator of her testimony was silenced, Sophie was discredited in the usual manner: Her morals were questionable, she was possibly drunk, she was seeking money. Dismissed and subjected to public vilification, Sophie disappeared. But a new witness has come forward and could confirm Sophie's accusations, and her reappearance again threatens a financial empire. As Fin's podcast becomes wildly popular and he and Anna begin to unravel the mystery of Leon Parker's death, the assassins seeking Sophie close in.
This one has it all: sexual predation, financial skulduggery, reluctant heroism, even the power of social media.Pub Date: June 25, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-316-52850-4
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Mulholland Books/Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2019
Determined to shield her family from violence, a woman becomes a fierce freelance crime fighter in this mostly satisfying...
In the aftermath of a horrific crime, a woman makes herself over into a powerful protector—or perhaps an avenger.
Pinter (The Castle, 2019, etc.) already has the Henry Parker thriller series under his belt. In this book he introduces another potential series character, Rachel Marin. The story opens with a warm domestic scene of a young woman making dinner for her husband and two kids when a shattering (but undescribed) discovery intervenes. Jump ahead seven years, and single mom Rachel is living in another town several states away. When a mugger jumps her as she’s walking home from work, she leaves him bleeding in the street and hurries home to her bookish son, Eric, and sweet little daughter, Megan. Keeping them safe is her mission in life. But when she sees a news report about a body found on the ice beneath a nearby bridge, she’s riveted. The cops assigned to the case, detectives John Serrano and Leslie Tally, are shocked to discover the body is that of the town’s disgraced former mayor, Constance Wright. They’re even more shocked when Rachel, whom they don’t know, sends Serrano a message that the death was no suicide: “Constance Wright was murdered. And I can prove it.” When Serrano and Tally go to question Wright’s sketchy ex-husband, Rachel shows up at the same time, and they don’t know whether to order her away or be grateful for her help. Pinter builds a complex plot on the dual mysteries of Constance’s murder and Rachel’s transformation from suburban mom to crack investigator and lethal streetfighter. But the story has so many subplots and timelines that it can feel overstuffed, and some crucial questions asked early on are answered so late the reader might be surprised to be reminded of them. Pinter creates engaging characters, though, and keeps the suspense taut.
Determined to shield her family from violence, a woman becomes a fierce freelance crime fighter in this mostly satisfying thriller.Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-5420-0590-6
Page Count: 368
Publisher: Thomas & Mercer
Review Posted Online: Oct. 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2019
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