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lyntwhit's review against another edition
4.0
Good book! Finished in 2 days! I liked the protagonist, Irene.
melissa_who_reads's review against another edition
5.0
Very well plotted -- enjoyed this one even more than the first Irene Huss novel. A lot of suspense and creepiness in this story about a private hospital (in "national health" Sweden) where the power goes out one night and the result is two deaths (a patient and a nurse) and a ghost sighting. Irene and her colleagues dig through the past to figure out what is going on in the now, as a series of events occur that are seemingly unrelated ... but ominous. I did not guess the perpetrator until nearly the end, just before the reveal.
Irene takes a beating again (twice), and once again daughter Jenny is led down a dangerous path and needs to be rescued, but the results were rewarding.
Now: to read the third in the series right away, or read something else as a break? It's a hard choice.
Irene takes a beating again (twice), and once again daughter Jenny is led down a dangerous path and needs to be rescued, but the results were rewarding.
Now: to read the third in the series right away, or read something else as a break? It's a hard choice.
kittey2ng's review against another edition
Dnf. Liked it at first but just got monotonous. Gave up Galway. Characters weren’t interesting and felt like it dragged on.
jleo's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
anemone42's review against another edition
3.0
This book wasn't bad, but it wasn't anything special. There was a lot of sexism at play in the police department; those parts were well-written and interesting. The mystery was compelling at first, but it took ridiculously long for them to settle on a suspect. There was an obvious suspect all but jumping up and down shouting, "I'm the killer!!"
I've read two books in the series now, and I have to say that Irene Huss does not seem very interested in her marriage, judging by the way she evaluates every other man who crosses her path. If she were single, it would be one thing, but as it is, it makes me like her less.
This book was (in my opinion) translated better than "The Torso"; it wasn't nearly as stilted. However, the story in "The Torso" was more compelling. I'd like this translator on that book, and then you'd have a fabulous read.
I've read two books in the series now, and I have to say that Irene Huss does not seem very interested in her marriage, judging by the way she evaluates every other man who crosses her path. If she were single, it would be one thing, but as it is, it makes me like her less.
This book was (in my opinion) translated better than "The Torso"; it wasn't nearly as stilted. However, the story in "The Torso" was more compelling. I'd like this translator on that book, and then you'd have a fabulous read.
tessisreading2's review against another edition
4.0
Particularly interesting for its realistic, and realistically dispiriting, look at sexual harassment.
sandin954's review against another edition
3.0
The second book written in the series (though the fourth published in the US) was a very readable police procedural set in Sweden. I really liked the main character who successfully navigated her police work and her home life and found the plot, which revolved around deaths at an older private hospital, quite compelling.
saltycorpse's review against another edition
2.0
I probably would have given this at least three stars if it weren't for the tacky, overplayed, groan-worthy ending. everything leading up to that point was well-written and interesting, though.
jhbandcats's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Disappointing. I had a lot of difficulty suspending disbelief. Part of my problem may be the difference between the Swedish and US medical systems, or perhaps different terminology.
It seems impossible that even a small hospital would have only one on-call doctor and two nurses - and no security guard - to take care of patients overnight. Maybe a Swedish ICU is more inpatient surgery followup, not a ward of desperately ill patients. Even so, the descriptions of the hospital and its staffing beggared belief.
Part of the plot is that someone sees a ghost and thinks that’s the murderer. So much is made of this ghost! Why would police possibly believe in the ghost in the first place, and then devote so much energy to discussing it? The police keep saying they clearly don’t believe in the ghost, but their behavior belies their words.
We still have the issue of outright sexism and misogyny. At one point one of the detectives calls a coworker a bitch behind her back, and the Detective Superintendent silently agrees.
I’m willing to try the first few chapters of the next in the series but if I find it all annoying, I’m not spending any more time on it.
Edited to add: Nope. Nope. Nope. No more of this foolishness. Less than halfway into the first chapter of The Torso, the third book, I was assaulted by all those features that drive me bonkers about this series. So I quit.
It seems impossible that even a small hospital would have only one on-call doctor and two nurses - and no security guard - to take care of patients overnight. Maybe a Swedish ICU is more inpatient surgery followup, not a ward of desperately ill patients. Even so, the descriptions of the hospital and its staffing beggared belief.
Part of the plot is that someone sees a ghost and thinks that’s the murderer. So much is made of this ghost! Why would police possibly believe in the ghost in the first place, and then devote so much energy to discussing it? The police keep saying they clearly don’t believe in the ghost, but their behavior belies their words.
We still have the issue of outright sexism and misogyny. At one point one of the detectives calls a coworker a bitch behind her back, and the Detective Superintendent silently agrees.
I’m willing to try the first few chapters of the next in the series but if I find it all annoying, I’m not spending any more time on it.
Edited to add: Nope. Nope. Nope. No more of this foolishness. Less than halfway into the first chapter of The Torso, the third book, I was assaulted by all those features that drive me bonkers about this series. So I quit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Infidelity, Violence, Medical content, Misogyny, Murder, Infertility, and Sexism
taradactyl24's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book so much! The story is Scandinavian Noir, my favorite, and this author has added a touch of Scooby-Dooishness (if I may) to a dark and eerie mystery. I can tell you that murders are happening and a ghost may or not be the prime suspect in these killings. Great story, very engrossing and interesting, and I really like the main character Inspector Irene Huss as well. Loved it.