My Very Own Book Mayhem

4 stars

Lars Kepler team, you have my loyalty.



Even though this book wasn't as creepy as "The Hypnotist", it still managed to get me hooked in the exact same way.

Kepler writes in an enticing manner that stimulates the reader's intelligence. Instead of explaining everything plain and simple, the writer is enigmatic, forcing the reader to come up with his own deduction of the situation. For instance, Kepler doesn't explicitly state the nature of Joona's relationship with Disa, nor does he offer any information regarding his wife and daughter. Are they dead? Did he leave them? The reader is left with nothing but a couple of recollections from Linna, which I think contributes to the appeal of the book series.

I must say, these Swedish novels are destroying my desire to ever set foot in Sweden. Must be that grey and cold environment that brings out the sociopath in them... I'm joking, of course.

Short summary:

Joona Linna, along with Saga Bauer (blond, fairy-like, but badass inspector from the Secret Services) are faced with corruption within the Swedish Government Branch of Defense and Weapons.

Trigger: the murder of peace activist Penelope Fernandez's sister and her sworn enemy, Carl Palmcrona, who manages the export of Swedish weapons. The perpetrator seems to be a hired gunman. Later we find that his goal is to retrieve a rather important photograph. The question is, which of the people who were photographed is behind the murders? And why would a seeemingly innocent photograph be of so much importance to someone? Oh, it does get creepier from here, especially when you get to the "Nightmare" part *chills*

Enjoy, bookies!