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hotpotatohothot's review
4.0
The Black Path:
At first, I found all of the Esther narrative strings to be disconnected from the rest of the book. At the end though, it finally is revealed what she's been preparing for all along...and the ending is the best - for its muffled (all happening in the dark) violence and strangeness, I think. The book doesn't really "resolve" - perhaps meant for another book to continue where this one left off - though I happen to like the shape of the narrative itself. I guess for mystery readers who want resolution, they're left still craving the same thing. I particularly liked the characterization of Rebekah, especially how the third person narrator shifts in voice when it comes to how it distances itself from her psyche. She can come across as a woman (though wounded, altered) or she can come across as a really frail child. I'm into the dark, cold landscape.
At first, I found all of the Esther narrative strings to be disconnected from the rest of the book. At the end though, it finally is revealed what she's been preparing for all along...and the ending is the best - for its muffled (all happening in the dark) violence and strangeness, I think. The book doesn't really "resolve" - perhaps meant for another book to continue where this one left off - though I happen to like the shape of the narrative itself. I guess for mystery readers who want resolution, they're left still craving the same thing. I particularly liked the characterization of Rebekah, especially how the third person narrator shifts in voice when it comes to how it distances itself from her psyche. She can come across as a woman (though wounded, altered) or she can come across as a really frail child. I'm into the dark, cold landscape.
raven88's review
3.0
The latest instalment in Asa Larsson's 'Rebecka Martinsson' series and to my mind, her best to date. Rebecka has seemingly made a full recovery from the horrific attack of the previous book and after her release from the psychiatric unit, finds herself embroiled in another murder investigation with the wonderful female detective Anna-Maria Mella. This is where Larsson excels in her characterisation that portrays Rebecka as an outwardly strong but essentially damaged woman and Anna-Maria, who witnesses so much horror in her day job, as an incredibly grounded and centred character, and who acts as a perfect foil to Rebecka's polar opposite characteristics. The interplay and deep-seated respect and affection between them is even more prevalent in this plot as they work together to uncover some insidious goings on within an extremely influential yet corrupt mining corporation that leads to greed and murder. I think this book is the closest in context that I've read to say 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' or 'The Killing' where the more socio-political plot is given centre stage and I did find the detail regarding the corruption of big business in Third World countries extremely interesting. Obviously this was running parallel with the murder investigation and the strange trinity of the murdered woman, her brother and his friend- the figures at the forefront of the mining corporation- and their interaction and relationships with each other which was equally compelling. An accomplished and highly readable thriller from Larsson who just gets better with every book...
read247_instyle_inca's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful mystery writer! Along the lines of Ruth Rendell. Can't wait for the next one!
flying_monkey's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
charleshb's review against another edition
4.0
It was good but for the weird "seeing the future" power attributed to some of the characters. I wasn't expecting that. I was expecting not a fantasy but a reality based mystery. I wonder if the subsequent books will have this supernatural aspect?
katequeenofsprouts's review against another edition
4.0
A little mysticism, character development for the several main characters, and another good mystery. I am continuing to like this series a great deal.
danyspike's review against another edition
3.0
Qué difícil ponerle nota a este libro! Me cuesta porque el inicio me enganchó inmediatamente y el final me encantó, pero todo lo que pasaba entremedio fue enredado, aburrido, y muchas veces pensaba "por qué me están contando esto?". Hay un montón de datos e historias que si bien sirven para entender personajes, de verdad creo que podrían haber sido resumidas, o lisa y llanamente, obviadas.
Estuve a punto de dejar de leer varias veces, pero al final me alegro de no haberlo hecho porque el final realmente me gustó y casi hace que todo lo demás se olvide. Los personajes son bastante interesantes, aunque llama la atención que casi todos tienen mil trancas, o son infelices, o sus vidas son vacías... Supongo que por algo se llama novela negra el género, no puede ser gratuito tampoco :)
En resumen, 3 estrellas (si pudiera, serían 3,5) y a pesar de todo creo q volvería a leer algo de Åsa Larsson, así que ya veremos qué más se trae esta mujer.
Estuve a punto de dejar de leer varias veces, pero al final me alegro de no haberlo hecho porque el final realmente me gustó y casi hace que todo lo demás se olvide. Los personajes son bastante interesantes, aunque llama la atención que casi todos tienen mil trancas, o son infelices, o sus vidas son vacías... Supongo que por algo se llama novela negra el género, no puede ser gratuito tampoco :)
En resumen, 3 estrellas (si pudiera, serían 3,5) y a pesar de todo creo q volvería a leer algo de Åsa Larsson, así que ya veremos qué más se trae esta mujer.
lil's review against another edition
2.0
The last several chapters were a hot mess. It came out of nowhere.
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