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book_concierge's review against another edition
4.0
Digital audio performed by Simon Vance
Erica’s mother has died, and when going through her mother’s possessions, she’s shocked to discover a Nazi medal. She goes to the home of a retired history professor to get information about the artifact, but he’s less than helpful and rather evasive. Two days later he’s dead. And Erica’s husband, Patrik, gets involved in the investigation.
This is the fifth book in the series featuring crime writer Erica Falck and Detective Patrik Hedström, in the village of Fjällbacka, Sweden. However, it’s the first one I’ve read; I’ll have to go back to the beginning, though to truly understand the relationships between recurring characters.
Läckberg uses a dual time line to tell this story. There are the events of 1945, when one young couple’s plans are shattered by prejudice and violence. And there is the current-day mystery of an artifact that threatens to reveal long-held secrets. There is also personal drama – a new baby, tensions at work, an ex-wife coming back. It’s a dark story, but Läckberg gives us a few moments of humor to break the tension.
I really liked the relationships between the characters. Delving into Erica’s past in this way certainly gives a different perspective on her current self, as well as illuminate the ways in which she relates to her husband, friends and colleagues. And I loved the interplay between the detectives on the team. I look forward to reading more of the series.
Simon Vance is excellent, as usual, when performing this audio. His voice simply draws the listener into the story. There are many characters to handle, and he is more than up for the task, even doing a good job of the women’s voices.
Erica’s mother has died, and when going through her mother’s possessions, she’s shocked to discover a Nazi medal. She goes to the home of a retired history professor to get information about the artifact, but he’s less than helpful and rather evasive. Two days later he’s dead. And Erica’s husband, Patrik, gets involved in the investigation.
This is the fifth book in the series featuring crime writer Erica Falck and Detective Patrik Hedström, in the village of Fjällbacka, Sweden. However, it’s the first one I’ve read; I’ll have to go back to the beginning, though to truly understand the relationships between recurring characters.
Läckberg uses a dual time line to tell this story. There are the events of 1945, when one young couple’s plans are shattered by prejudice and violence. And there is the current-day mystery of an artifact that threatens to reveal long-held secrets. There is also personal drama – a new baby, tensions at work, an ex-wife coming back. It’s a dark story, but Läckberg gives us a few moments of humor to break the tension.
I really liked the relationships between the characters. Delving into Erica’s past in this way certainly gives a different perspective on her current self, as well as illuminate the ways in which she relates to her husband, friends and colleagues. And I loved the interplay between the detectives on the team. I look forward to reading more of the series.
Simon Vance is excellent, as usual, when performing this audio. His voice simply draws the listener into the story. There are many characters to handle, and he is more than up for the task, even doing a good job of the women’s voices.
luciearan's review against another edition
3.0
Hodnocení: 3,5/5 ☆
Pro mě, tento díl, vyzněl rozhodně lépe, než díl předchozí. I tak by ale, na 4 hvězdy, dosáhl sotva drápkem a to musím přimhouřit obě oči. I přes to, že se mi první 3 díly této série poměrně líbily a bavily mě, mám pocit, že poslední dva za nimi neskutečně pokulhávají.
Příběh Eričiny matky a její pátrání po něm, byl zajímavý. Vzhledem k tomu, že se příběh zabýval i soukromými životními situacemi ostatních vyšetřovatelů, jejich i její rodiny, přišel mi lehce upozaděný a místy docela zdlouhavý a nezáživný. Dám šanci asi ještě jednomu dílu a uvidím, kam bude celá série směřovat dál a jestli ji budu vůbec dočítat.
Pro mě, tento díl, vyzněl rozhodně lépe, než díl předchozí. I tak by ale, na 4 hvězdy, dosáhl sotva drápkem a to musím přimhouřit obě oči. I přes to, že se mi první 3 díly této série poměrně líbily a bavily mě, mám pocit, že poslední dva za nimi neskutečně pokulhávají.
Příběh Eričiny matky a její pátrání po něm, byl zajímavý. Vzhledem k tomu, že se příběh zabýval i soukromými životními situacemi ostatních vyšetřovatelů, jejich i její rodiny, přišel mi lehce upozaděný a místy docela zdlouhavý a nezáživný. Dám šanci asi ještě jednomu dílu a uvidím, kam bude celá série směřovat dál a jestli ji budu vůbec dočítat.
rainbow_bookish_owl's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
pachypedia's review against another edition
5.0
Aunque la trama me parece una de las mejores de la serie, me parece que el ritmo tan lento que lleva la historia hace que desluzca un poco. Me ha parecido muy buena la forma de contar paralelamente las dos líneas temporales, siguiendo el esquema habitual de la autora, que suele dedicar las primeras páginas de cada capítulo al asesino.
bookslifeandeverythingnice's review
4.0
I received this book for free through Goodreads Giveaways. As always, an honest review.
The Hidden Child by Camilla Lackberg is a longer book, but so worth the read. A mysterious murder is the jumping off point for the rest of the book. It bounces between present day and the end of World War 2, taking place mostly in Sweden. The Hidden Child is not just a murder mystery, in fact that is just one small aspect of the story. The novel explores story lines about new parenthood, paternity leave, marriage, feminism, different types of relationships, work environments, romance, and the events of WW2. I loved the dynamics of the different relationships. It wasn’t something that I expected to be so well done in a mystery, so I was very pleasantly surprised by this aspect. The mystery of Erik’s suspicious death does drive the story, so the investigation is the central focus. There are historical ties to his death, so the reader get glimpses of some of the characters back during WW2. The wonderful characters are well developed and true to life. I really liked the author’s writing style. All aspects of the novel are meaningful and filled with quality, not just moments to fill the pages. The Hidden Child is so good; I kept turning the pages to find out what happens and thoroughly enjoyed the journey. There’s a reason this author is a best seller in Sweden; the story telling is excellent and people recognize that. I will definitely be reading more of Camilla Lackberg’s books in the future.
The Hidden Child by Camilla Lackberg is a longer book, but so worth the read. A mysterious murder is the jumping off point for the rest of the book. It bounces between present day and the end of World War 2, taking place mostly in Sweden. The Hidden Child is not just a murder mystery, in fact that is just one small aspect of the story. The novel explores story lines about new parenthood, paternity leave, marriage, feminism, different types of relationships, work environments, romance, and the events of WW2. I loved the dynamics of the different relationships. It wasn’t something that I expected to be so well done in a mystery, so I was very pleasantly surprised by this aspect. The mystery of Erik’s suspicious death does drive the story, so the investigation is the central focus. There are historical ties to his death, so the reader get glimpses of some of the characters back during WW2. The wonderful characters are well developed and true to life. I really liked the author’s writing style. All aspects of the novel are meaningful and filled with quality, not just moments to fill the pages. The Hidden Child is so good; I kept turning the pages to find out what happens and thoroughly enjoyed the journey. There’s a reason this author is a best seller in Sweden; the story telling is excellent and people recognize that. I will definitely be reading more of Camilla Lackberg’s books in the future.
katkaty's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
juliebcooper's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a fan of Camilla Lackberg's crime stories and so far, I think The Hidden Child is the best of this series. Tore through this one and couldn't put it down! Already have the next one on hold at the library.......
julieeew's review against another edition
3.0
This book was just OK for me. I received it as a Goodreads giveaway and I didn't realize it was one in a series. It did read fine as a standalone book. The author did a good job introducing the characters, but there were a lot of characters and it was hard to keep them straight. The book held my attention and the main story was interesting. It is a mystery about a couple of current murders that tied into a story that went back to WWII. There were problems with the book. I found it annoying that the police were slow and inept. There were entire chapters devoted to the minutiae of peripheral characters lives. Maybe if I'd read the entire series I would understand the devotion to these characters, however, at over 500 pages I feel that this book could have been edited to under 400 pages and the main story would have been stronger.
julesanne's review against another edition
4.0
Camilla Lackberg's Hidden Child is the 5th book of this series of mysteries. I have enjoyed all of her books in this series and have enjoyed the character development of all the major and minor characters. While reading this book, I felt like I was catching up with old friends, learning what was going on each others lives. It is a enjoyable book. I would recommend reading these books in order of the series.