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readalittlebitmore's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bravebarnacle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
rmarcin's review against another edition
5.0
Fast paced thriller set in Sweden about prosecutor Jana Berzelius who has a past that is coming back to her via dreams. When the Asylum Manager is found dead, it sets off a chain reaction that leads to much more sinister events and horrible discoveries.
Tight writing, complex story, well done!
#MarkedForLife #EmelieSchepp
Tight writing, complex story, well done!
#MarkedForLife #EmelieSchepp
fiona_kellaert's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
judithdcollins's review against another edition
4.0
A special thank you to Mira and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Swedish author, Emelie Schepp delivers her US debut, MARKED FOR LIFE, the first in the crime trilogy, (Jana Berzelius #1).
A prosecutor leading a high-profile investigation- for a dark chilling multi-layered twisty plot leading into a human-trafficking operation, and the protagonist’s own intriguing mysterious personal past.
Both subtle and grisly, a delicious Nordic noir. The author delivers complexity and inner turmoil, exemplified by Jana’s character and the bone-chilling Scandinavian setting.
Public prosecutor Jana Berzelius grew up in a household where emotions were kept at a distance. With a retired prosecutor father, who would never congratulate his daughter on a successful court case. Jana was accustomed to his taciturnity.
Even her mother Margaretha, who was warm and loving during her childhood, seemed to prefer to clean the house rather than play games with her. At age thirty she treated her parents with the same unemotional respect with which they had raised her.
Jana is called by her superior to assist on an investigation. A woman had been detailed after she called the police to report finding her husband Hans Juhlén dead. The official in charge of migration asylum issues in Norrkoping. Shot. Murdered. Age fifty-nine. They had been married since age eighteen. The wife says she did not killer her husband, only found him. Forensic experts say the murder took place in the home.
Mia Bolander (rivals) was not thrilled to be working with Jana (the one with no personality, stiff, formal, arrogant diva upperclass girl. Jana was old money, while Mia with her working-class background was mortgaged. Now working on the case Henrick Levin, Mia, and Jana.
From clues of threatening letters, messages, cash, and fingerprints belonging to a child whose body turns up a few days later. The couple did not have children.
His work had made him vulnerable. The decision process for asylum was difficult and he did not like turning seekers away. People were desperate and not everyone qualified. Threats, revenge, blackmail? Had he gotten to close?
During the case, we receive flashbacks from Jana's childhood. Strange dreams she had been experiencing- like nightmares. Was the case bringing back repressed memories? Her scar. Adopted. Four letters. Six numbers. Shipping containers. Innocent children.
A girl, a boy, and a woman. A mission. A boy is found. A scar. Child trafficking. A Mirror. Who is looking for the lost children?
Her own dark past? Carving by a child’s hand. Letters carved in the skin. A stolen childhood, murdered parents.
Refugees, drugs, money, smugglers? First Hans Juhlen, then the boy and last Thomas Rydberg. Mass graves at sea.
To protect her own hidden past, Jana must find the suspect behind these murders, before the police does. She had been told she had fallen down onto a rail track in the underground and hit her head so hard she lost her memory.
Jana Berzelius has not told anyone that she woke up at a hospital without any memories when she was nine years old.
Memories or fantasies? Images and fragments through dreams. She has to know who she really is, while searching for the truth of the boy.
“From a crushed child you can carve out a deadly weapon. A soldier without any feelings, without anything to lose, is the most dangerous there is.”
The Scandinavian crime fiction or Nordic noir, is compelling --from dark secrets and hidden hatreds.
Comprising crime fiction with common characteristics, of cop procedures, an engrossing mystery, suspense and forensics, the author explores the dark, morally complex mood, of Jana. Her identity- delving into her own childhood, making the intensity high and personal. Fascinating, and unique. Staying one step ahead of the police.
Marked For Life is an intriguing beginning to the dark, enigmatic and absorbing Jana Berzelius trilogy. Looking forward to the next!
Also listened to the Audiobook (Harlequin Audio), narrated by Christine Lakin for an engaging performance!
JDCMustReadBooks
Swedish author, Emelie Schepp delivers her US debut, MARKED FOR LIFE, the first in the crime trilogy, (Jana Berzelius #1).
A prosecutor leading a high-profile investigation- for a dark chilling multi-layered twisty plot leading into a human-trafficking operation, and the protagonist’s own intriguing mysterious personal past.
Both subtle and grisly, a delicious Nordic noir. The author delivers complexity and inner turmoil, exemplified by Jana’s character and the bone-chilling Scandinavian setting.
Public prosecutor Jana Berzelius grew up in a household where emotions were kept at a distance. With a retired prosecutor father, who would never congratulate his daughter on a successful court case. Jana was accustomed to his taciturnity.
Even her mother Margaretha, who was warm and loving during her childhood, seemed to prefer to clean the house rather than play games with her. At age thirty she treated her parents with the same unemotional respect with which they had raised her.
Jana is called by her superior to assist on an investigation. A woman had been detailed after she called the police to report finding her husband Hans Juhlén dead. The official in charge of migration asylum issues in Norrkoping. Shot. Murdered. Age fifty-nine. They had been married since age eighteen. The wife says she did not killer her husband, only found him. Forensic experts say the murder took place in the home.
Mia Bolander (rivals) was not thrilled to be working with Jana (the one with no personality, stiff, formal, arrogant diva upperclass girl. Jana was old money, while Mia with her working-class background was mortgaged. Now working on the case Henrick Levin, Mia, and Jana.
From clues of threatening letters, messages, cash, and fingerprints belonging to a child whose body turns up a few days later. The couple did not have children.
His work had made him vulnerable. The decision process for asylum was difficult and he did not like turning seekers away. People were desperate and not everyone qualified. Threats, revenge, blackmail? Had he gotten to close?
During the case, we receive flashbacks from Jana's childhood. Strange dreams she had been experiencing- like nightmares. Was the case bringing back repressed memories? Her scar. Adopted. Four letters. Six numbers. Shipping containers. Innocent children.
A girl, a boy, and a woman. A mission. A boy is found. A scar. Child trafficking. A Mirror. Who is looking for the lost children?
Her own dark past? Carving by a child’s hand. Letters carved in the skin. A stolen childhood, murdered parents.
Refugees, drugs, money, smugglers? First Hans Juhlen, then the boy and last Thomas Rydberg. Mass graves at sea.
To protect her own hidden past, Jana must find the suspect behind these murders, before the police does. She had been told she had fallen down onto a rail track in the underground and hit her head so hard she lost her memory.
Jana Berzelius has not told anyone that she woke up at a hospital without any memories when she was nine years old.
Memories or fantasies? Images and fragments through dreams. She has to know who she really is, while searching for the truth of the boy.
“From a crushed child you can carve out a deadly weapon. A soldier without any feelings, without anything to lose, is the most dangerous there is.”
The Scandinavian crime fiction or Nordic noir, is compelling --from dark secrets and hidden hatreds.
Comprising crime fiction with common characteristics, of cop procedures, an engrossing mystery, suspense and forensics, the author explores the dark, morally complex mood, of Jana. Her identity- delving into her own childhood, making the intensity high and personal. Fascinating, and unique. Staying one step ahead of the police.
Marked For Life is an intriguing beginning to the dark, enigmatic and absorbing Jana Berzelius trilogy. Looking forward to the next!
Also listened to the Audiobook (Harlequin Audio), narrated by Christine Lakin for an engaging performance!
JDCMustReadBooks
piggelin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Spännande koncept, men lite orealistiskt att det kunde försigå så mycket utan att andra parter märkte något.
kristinesw's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
cammmiam's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 out of 5 stars.
Started out a bit slow for me, but once it got going I was really into it. I look forward to learning more about Jana and if there are any more secrets to the past she must discover. (I could deal without Mia though...)
Also, I'm curious: every time I read a Swedish crime drama it is brutal and deals with human trafficking. Is this a serious problem there??
Started out a bit slow for me, but once it got going I was really into it. I look forward to learning more about Jana and if there are any more secrets to the past she must discover. (I could deal without Mia though...)
Also, I'm curious: every time I read a Swedish crime drama it is brutal and deals with human trafficking. Is this a serious problem there??
hannipanni66's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first book in the long series about prosecutor Jana Berzelius. It's fast paced and dives into the plot immediately. During the course of the book, you get to know the characters very well and I got the feeling as if I've met the characters myself. Besides Jana, you have crime commissioner Henrik Levin and detective Maria (Mia) Bolander and the team at the police station, which are all very important characters in the book.
I fell in love with Jana's personality almost instantly. I haven't read a lot of books where the female main character is well reserved, but not in a mean or bad way. It was really refreshing to see. I also liked how every person you met in this book really got their own personality, even if you only had one or two dialogues with them. The only character I could not stand was Mia, and I think most people who've read the book will agree with me.
The way Emelie Schepp is describing the surroundings is extremely good and paints the picture very clearly of where we are and how it looks. It almost feels as if I live there and know exactly what she's talking about. There are unique details during the whole book and I almost feel sorry for the people who read this in a translated copy, because I feel like so much important things might disappear in the translating process.
The plot of the book hooked me promptly, and I found myself turning the pages, not knowing the time or what goes on around me. It was just me and the characters in the book, solving the problems together. When the last dots were finally corrected, I just sat there for a while processing the book and how it was laid forward so perfectly. This is definitely one of my favorite books and I couldn't recommend it enough.
I fell in love with Jana's personality almost instantly. I haven't read a lot of books where the female main character is well reserved, but not in a mean or bad way. It was really refreshing to see. I also liked how every person you met in this book really got their own personality, even if you only had one or two dialogues with them. The only character I could not stand was Mia, and I think most people who've read the book will agree with me.
The way Emelie Schepp is describing the surroundings is extremely good and paints the picture very clearly of where we are and how it looks. It almost feels as if I live there and know exactly what she's talking about. There are unique details during the whole book and I almost feel sorry for the people who read this in a translated copy, because I feel like so much important things might disappear in the translating process.
The plot of the book hooked me promptly, and I found myself turning the pages, not knowing the time or what goes on around me. It was just me and the characters in the book, solving the problems together. When the last dots were finally corrected, I just sat there for a while processing the book and how it was laid forward so perfectly. This is definitely one of my favorite books and I couldn't recommend it enough.
majkaem's review against another edition
5.0
4,5/5
Veľmi skvelo prepracované krimi. Už dlhšie som nečítala naozaj dobre severské krimi. Nemala som šťastnú ruku pri výbere. Ale teraz som nadšená. Nečítala som zatiaľ knihu, kde nie je hlavná postava vyšetrovateľ/policajt, ale prokurátorka zo súdu. Jana sa mi od začiatku páčila. Silná, samostatná a úspešná žena. Ale žena s tajomstvom. Keď sa začne vyšetrovať už druhá vražda, ktorá mala spojenie s prvou vraždou, Jana si všimne podobnosť sama so sebou a začnú sa jej vracať spomienky na minulosť, o ktorých ani netušila, že má. A neboli to práve najpríjemnejšie spomienky. Keďže ide s časti aj o jej minulosť, zoberie veci do vlastných rúk a začne pátrať na vlastnú päsť. A tam sa vám budú diať veci. Niektoré veci mi síce nedávali logický význam(napríklad niekoho zabili a nejako extra to ani nevyšetrovali a nechali to tak, hoc mali už 2 mŕtvych) ale nebolo ich zas až tak veľa, aby mi to extra prekážalo. Aj ostatné postavy boli vcelku zaujímavé. Teším sa hlavne na to, ako bude pokračovať „milý“ vzťah medzi Janou a Miou. Myslím, že by sa najradšej ani nevideli, nie to ešte spolupracovali. V knihe sa nenachádza len hlavná linka vyšetrovania, ale taktiež život neznámej osoby. Mala som tip, kto to bude, ktorí sa mi podarilo uhádnuť na prvý krát. U mňa naozaj nezvyčajné :D Autorka vie skvelo opísať situácie, pri ktorých nebudete len tak sedieť. Napätia v knihe bolo dostatok, čo ma nútilo čítať ďalej. Čo oceňujem, je, že hoc je to autorka severských krimi, zbytočne dopodrobna neopisovala krajinu, kde sapríbeh odohrávala (veď už krajinu poznáme z iných krimi :D) Jej štýl sa mi páčil a hltala som každé jedno slovo. Myslím, že budem v sérií s Janou pokračovať.
Veľmi skvelo prepracované krimi. Už dlhšie som nečítala naozaj dobre severské krimi. Nemala som šťastnú ruku pri výbere. Ale teraz som nadšená. Nečítala som zatiaľ knihu, kde nie je hlavná postava vyšetrovateľ/policajt, ale prokurátorka zo súdu. Jana sa mi od začiatku páčila. Silná, samostatná a úspešná žena. Ale žena s tajomstvom. Keď sa začne vyšetrovať už druhá vražda, ktorá mala spojenie s prvou vraždou, Jana si všimne podobnosť sama so sebou a začnú sa jej vracať spomienky na minulosť, o ktorých ani netušila, že má. A neboli to práve najpríjemnejšie spomienky. Keďže ide s časti aj o jej minulosť, zoberie veci do vlastných rúk a začne pátrať na vlastnú päsť. A tam sa vám budú diať veci. Niektoré veci mi síce nedávali logický význam(napríklad niekoho zabili a nejako extra to ani nevyšetrovali a nechali to tak, hoc mali už 2 mŕtvych) ale nebolo ich zas až tak veľa, aby mi to extra prekážalo. Aj ostatné postavy boli vcelku zaujímavé. Teším sa hlavne na to, ako bude pokračovať „milý“ vzťah medzi Janou a Miou. Myslím, že by sa najradšej ani nevideli, nie to ešte spolupracovali. V knihe sa nenachádza len hlavná linka vyšetrovania, ale taktiež život neznámej osoby. Mala som tip, kto to bude, ktorí sa mi podarilo uhádnuť na prvý krát. U mňa naozaj nezvyčajné :D Autorka vie skvelo opísať situácie, pri ktorých nebudete len tak sedieť. Napätia v knihe bolo dostatok, čo ma nútilo čítať ďalej. Čo oceňujem, je, že hoc je to autorka severských krimi, zbytočne dopodrobna neopisovala krajinu, kde sapríbeh odohrávala (veď už krajinu poznáme z iných krimi :D) Jej štýl sa mi páčil a hltala som každé jedno slovo. Myslím, že budem v sérií s Janou pokračovať.