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livietess's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
georgw's review against another edition
relaxing
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
It started out quite promising, a story with 2 protagonists that have different motivations and know different things about the same murder and background history that can both clash and cooperate depending on what they share with each other. But quite quickly the more interesting protagonist is out of commission, perhaps because too many problems would otherwise be resolved if they could just talk together. This is very unsatisfying, it feels forced and the rest of the story is a pretty basic mystery with obvious twists and solutions. Seriously, do we still need mystery novels in 2020 that think a woman being a murderer is a twist? Not to mention that she was never actually dead is another tired trope. It could have done so much more with the basic story structure, the protagonist could mistake their own memory with the story they’ve been told their whole life to misguide the reader and make it more unique, the motivations behind the old mystery could be fleshed out to be more realistic and gut wrenching.
catwithahat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
shavanners's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
aurie1000's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
thats_who_i_am's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
okevamae's review against another edition
4.0
When Sven Hagström is found dead in his shower, his estranged son Olof – who found the body – is the prime suspect. Olof is infamous in his small hometown – at age 14, he confessed to raping and killing a teenage girl, and he was sent away to a youth home, never spoken of by his family again. Police detective Eira Sjödin was a child at the time and remembers the case well – as the stuff of her childhood nightmares. Now she’s tasked with investigating Sven’s murder, while dealing with a public who is unhappy that the infamous Olof is back in the community and has not been arrested for the murder.
The mystery at the center of the book is not just what happened to Sven – it's about what happened to Lina, the girl Olof admitted to killing all those years ago. The plot has a lot of twists and turns to it that keep you guessing. I feel like it plays a little fast and loose with the abilities of forensic science (DNA? After that long being exposed to the elements?) but pretty much all books and TV shows do that anyway.
The writing style is a bit dry, but that could be down to the translator rather than the author. I sometimes found my mind wandering or realized that I had missed some key detail because it hadn’t been delivered in a way that stuck in my mind. The plot makes up for the style, though, and makes it a pretty compelling read.
I received an ARC of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
CW: rape, child abuse, police coercion, fatphobia
The mystery at the center of the book is not just what happened to Sven – it's about what happened to Lina, the girl Olof admitted to killing all those years ago. The plot has a lot of twists and turns to it that keep you guessing. I feel like it plays a little fast and loose with the abilities of forensic science (DNA? After that long being exposed to the elements?) but pretty much all books and TV shows do that anyway.
The writing style is a bit dry, but that could be down to the translator rather than the author. I sometimes found my mind wandering or realized that I had missed some key detail because it hadn’t been delivered in a way that stuck in my mind. The plot makes up for the style, though, and makes it a pretty compelling read.
I received an ARC of this ebook from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
CW: rape, child abuse, police coercion, fatphobia
evadeb's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
Found this really hard to get into. The first 50+% especially. I ticked up near the end and I got into it but overall I wasn’t blown away at all. A let down.
didactylos's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Intricately plotted and well sustained. Very assured narrative. The amount of swearing in it grated on me a bit and some of the audio narration was a little robotic, though other parts were very skilled. Will certainly be reading others by the author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Rape, and Sexual violence