Reviews

The Spider by Lars Kepler

booktrishandmagic's review against another edition

dark 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? Yes

5.0

The Spider was my most anticipated read of the year, and I dropped everything to read it the moment it arrived.  Sorry not sorry, TBR pile.  This one is the 9th in the Joona Linna serial killer series and the books just keep getting better!  The Spider did NOT disappoint.  This book is absolutely gripping.  I couldn’t peel my eyes away from the pages!  Nordic noir has zero boundaries, so nothing is off limits, which I’m totally used to now.  I love how dark and twisted the stories are.  These books are pretty violent, so just be warned.  But they’re amazing and I highly recommend this entire series.  Go check them out! 

tt569's review against another edition

dark emotional sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

baxtervallens's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Possibly the best Lars Kepler book yet. 

piper_berlin's review

challenging dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

leah__reads's review against another edition

dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense fast-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? Yes

4.25

sofielon's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

zagabergman's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

gpapish's review

dark mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.0

redheadbookgirl's review

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.0

I was so excited to read this after absolutely LOVING the eighth book in this series, THE MIRROR MAN, last year, and I loved this one equally. Captivating, sinister and gritty, with complex characters, a twisted and gory plot, a merciless serial killer + a race against the clock pace, this is everything you want in a dark detective thriller.

At just over 600 pages, or sixteen hours on audio, THE SPIDER is a CHUNK of a book, but is so beautifully written, translated + narrated, that it feels much shorter. I was completely engaged throughout the storyline as the tension and suspense kept a swift pace. 

Definitely not for the faint of heart, for there is a lot of detailed body gore + murder, this is a gripping, macabre thriller that I’d highly recommend. I’m completely fascinated how the author (a married couple) divide the writing of their books between them and result in such incredible tension 👏🏽. I’ve really enjoyed both this book + the previous as standalones, but like any detective series, starting from the beginning is likely beneficial to gain an understanding into the character’s backgrounds. 

𝑬𝒇𝒇𝒚 @ 𝒓𝒆𝒅𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒃𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒈𝒊𝒓𝒍 🥀

charlieandolliesdad's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0