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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
I've read several of Holt's Hanne Wilhelmson books, so I thought I'd give this one a try. Vik and Stubø are both very interesting characters with even more interesting back stories merely hinted at... Despite the fact that this was the first book in the series and they were just meeting for the first time, it felt like Holt assumed you knew a lot more about them than she'd already told you. If that makes sense. The subject matter is grim, but thankfully not overly graphic. Both investigations are fairly engaging, but I think they rely a little too heavy on coincidence for me to be truly sold on this book. Still, I could see Adam and Johanne's characters going in interesting directions, so I wouldn't be opposed to reading another book in the series.
Spoiler
What are the odds that Johanne would be looking into something on her own about a man who turns out to be the long absent grandfather of the man that Adam is investigating in the case he just happened to consult with Johanne about? Too much!
I've become addicted to Scandinavian thrillers and What Is Mine is a great addition to this shelf. I was relieved to learn it's the first book in a series, because there's much about the characters I'd like to see explored further. I'm also eager to see how the relationship between Joanna, the reluctant profiler, and Adam, the brooding detective, develops as they become more and more intwined in each other lives, both personally and professionally.
The characters are much more satisfying than the resolutions of the child abductions and a prior miscarriage of justice. The dual investigations depend almost entirely on hunches and coincidences, so the ending feels contrived and easy.
I've noticed that the dialog in most Scandinavian thrillers is stilted and awkward. I suspect it's a problem of translating the original languages into English. While the translations work well in prose, dialog seems to be trickier. I've decided not to complain about awkward dialog anymore, because I wouldn't enjoy an Americanization of it either. It's simply part of the "otherness" that makes the genre so popular.
All in all, I think I'll like this series more than Holt's Hanne Wilhelmsen one. Wilhelmsen's tough and bitter persona wore on me after a while. Joanna and Adam are softer and more well rounded. I'm eager to read the next book in this series.
The characters are much more satisfying than the resolutions of the child abductions and a prior miscarriage of justice. The dual investigations depend almost entirely on hunches and coincidences, so the ending feels contrived and easy.
I've noticed that the dialog in most Scandinavian thrillers is stilted and awkward. I suspect it's a problem of translating the original languages into English. While the translations work well in prose, dialog seems to be trickier. I've decided not to complain about awkward dialog anymore, because I wouldn't enjoy an Americanization of it either. It's simply part of the "otherness" that makes the genre so popular.
All in all, I think I'll like this series more than Holt's Hanne Wilhelmsen one. Wilhelmsen's tough and bitter persona wore on me after a while. Joanna and Adam are softer and more well rounded. I'm eager to read the next book in this series.
Fine. But neither characters nor story grabbed me enough to go into the next. Maybe it was the translation?
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really hate a DNF but this is definitely one I just can't make myself keep reading. I gave it a good 100 pages and it's just so hard to read. The names are hard for me so I have been renaming all the characters just to try to get the book to flow better. That didn't work though and it's just dragging along. I'm not too fond of some of the happenings in the book either so I just plain ol give up it's time to move onto something I will enjoy more.
dark
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:
No
Great story but I got a bit confused initially. But once the book continued everything I was confused about became clearer.
It was such an intriguing read. I think I developed a new obsession for these types of books: a crime novel that follows multiple perspectives and you see how everything in the end is brought together and makes a lot of sense. Although at times it felt a little bit slow, the author never stopped surprising with her writing and the characters' narratives. I'll give this book 4.25 stars.
"Astor was an honourable man. The fairest man I have ever met. But he still let an innocent man go to prison. That said something. It taught me that..."
She took a deep breath, nearly gasped.
"We will do anything for what is ours. That’s the way we are made, we humans. We protect what is ours."
She took a deep breath, nearly gasped.
"We will do anything for what is ours. That’s the way we are made, we humans. We protect what is ours."
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Kidnapping
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Cancer, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Car accident
It was such an intriguing read. I think I developed a new obsession for these types of books: a crime novel that follows multiple perspectives and you see how everything in the end is brought together and makes a lot of sense. Although at times it felt a little bit slow, the author never stopped surprising with her writing and the characters' narratives. I'll give this book 4.25 stars.