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melbotics's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.0
Overall a solid book, but I was a bit disappointed by how early I figured out what was going on. The finale was pretty exciting, but also MC sleeping with the suspect twice? I suppose she was right about having poor taste, but I also feel like she should have been properly suspicious earlier.
ingo_lembcke's review against another edition
3.0
OK, but felt too long (althought it is not long), too much description of places and people. The blurb made this sound more interesting than it was.
Bought this with the 3d book in the series for a normal price, which was not worth it, reading this once will be enough. The 3d book price was reduced, and will read it someday.
Solid 3 stars, but not really recommended, not enough suspense.
Bought this with the 3d book in the series for a normal price, which was not worth it, reading this once will be enough. The 3d book price was reduced, and will read it someday.
Solid 3 stars, but not really recommended, not enough suspense.
bookph1le's review against another edition
2.0
This book got really bogged down in mundane details, and the villain was a completely stock character. Embla is okay as a protagonist, but she suffered from some severe stupidity. I won't be picking up any other books in the series.
janetthetrigger's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
christincontradiction's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
4.0
Notified this morning that I won a FirstReads copy! :)
Received my copy today (26 Dec) and am looking forward to diving in!
This review is based on the FirstReads copy that I won (thank you, Soho Crime!). While I've had this author on my radar for some time, this is the first book I've read by her. Scandinavian mysteries are right up my alley, especially when they feature a strong female lead. This is the first book in a new series featuring Gothenberg, Sweden-based, 28-year old Detective Inspector Embla Nyström, who made an early appearance in the Detective Inspector Huss series (and I've added the first one in that series to my TBR list!). I found this to be a fast-paced read and an excellent introduction to the character and author. It made me want to continue with the series to see how this intriguing character evolves over time. It also made me eager to check out the author's earlier works.
In the introductory offering to this series, Nyström is on vacation from her high-pressure job. Most of the novel takes place in rural Dalsland, where she and her uncle are on a hunting trip with a small group of friends. This annual event has been a tradition for several years and is normally limited to a few close friends and family. However, a new face has joined the group this year and Nyström is intrigued by this mysterious, attractive stranger. The vacation takes a turn when two members of the hunting party go missing and one is found dead. Was it an accident? Did the missing man kill his close friend? Or, is something even more sinister at play? While Nyström tries to let her colleagues lead the investigation, she cannot help but be drawn in and finds herself on the hunt for a killer.
In many ways, this felt like a classic locked room mystery to me, which I really loved. The action takes place in a remote location with a small group of potential suspects. As Nyström is pulled into the investigation, it takes many dangerous twists and turns before the killer's identity is revealed. A mystery from the past has direct bearing on the present events, and I felt that the author did an excellent job of letting both storylines unfold at a pace that kept me turning the pages and kept me guessing. I felt that the translation was extremely well-done and made for an enjoyable read.
I used this novel for several reading challenges I'm working on this year. For the 2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge, I used it for "a book set in Scandinavia." For the 2019 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge, I used it for "a translated book written by and/or translated by a woman." For the 2019 Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge, I used it for "a book in translation." Thanks again to FirstReads and Soho Crime for an excellent start to my 2019 reading list!
Received my copy today (26 Dec) and am looking forward to diving in!
This review is based on the FirstReads copy that I won (thank you, Soho Crime!). While I've had this author on my radar for some time, this is the first book I've read by her. Scandinavian mysteries are right up my alley, especially when they feature a strong female lead. This is the first book in a new series featuring Gothenberg, Sweden-based, 28-year old Detective Inspector Embla Nyström, who made an early appearance in the Detective Inspector Huss series (and I've added the first one in that series to my TBR list!). I found this to be a fast-paced read and an excellent introduction to the character and author. It made me want to continue with the series to see how this intriguing character evolves over time. It also made me eager to check out the author's earlier works.
In the introductory offering to this series, Nyström is on vacation from her high-pressure job. Most of the novel takes place in rural Dalsland, where she and her uncle are on a hunting trip with a small group of friends. This annual event has been a tradition for several years and is normally limited to a few close friends and family. However, a new face has joined the group this year and Nyström is intrigued by this mysterious, attractive stranger. The vacation takes a turn when two members of the hunting party go missing and one is found dead. Was it an accident? Did the missing man kill his close friend? Or, is something even more sinister at play? While Nyström tries to let her colleagues lead the investigation, she cannot help but be drawn in and finds herself on the hunt for a killer.
In many ways, this felt like a classic locked room mystery to me, which I really loved. The action takes place in a remote location with a small group of potential suspects. As Nyström is pulled into the investigation, it takes many dangerous twists and turns before the killer's identity is revealed. A mystery from the past has direct bearing on the present events, and I felt that the author did an excellent job of letting both storylines unfold at a pace that kept me turning the pages and kept me guessing. I felt that the translation was extremely well-done and made for an enjoyable read.
I used this novel for several reading challenges I'm working on this year. For the 2019 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge, I used it for "a book set in Scandinavia." For the 2019 BookRiot Read Harder Challenge, I used it for "a translated book written by and/or translated by a woman." For the 2019 Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge, I used it for "a book in translation." Thanks again to FirstReads and Soho Crime for an excellent start to my 2019 reading list!
trish_smith's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book, but I was seriously underwhelmed. I think authors are supposed to “show, not tell,” and this book could really benefit from less telling and more showing. It wasn’t hard to figure out who did what, and the plot points that were somewhat mysterious were revealed in two discrete chapters that felt like awkward information dumps that just got crammed into the book.
bkdrgn303's review against another edition
3.0
Solid first in a series mystery. The translation is a bit clunky at times and there is A LOT about hunting, but overall, it's good. I'll look for the others in the series.
tobyyy's review against another edition
3.0
The characters seemed a bit cold and hard to relate to in this book, but I’m not sure how much of that is the writing style & translation.
Not a bad story but the middle part of the book did drag on awhile longer than I felt like it should’ve, even though this is a fairly short book (278 pages).
Not a bad story but the middle part of the book did drag on awhile longer than I felt like it should’ve, even though this is a fairly short book (278 pages).