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3.78 AVERAGE
3.78 AVERAGE
Camilla Lackberg keeps surprising me with just how bad she's capable of being. With each new book in this series I'm positive she's reached the limit but she just keeps raising the bar!
This is really one long plot contrivance after another populated with the biggest cast of stereotypes I think I've ever seen in a police procedural/cozy mystery. For the record I didn't think it was possible to write a good story in those two genres at the same time and it turns out I was right but that hasn't stopped Lackberg from trying.
For those who've been spared from reading this deeply disappointing series let me bring you up to speed as painlessly as possible. The action takes place in Fjallbacka, a Swedish resort town, where Patrick, a detective on the local police force, lives with his wife Ericka who's a nonfiction writer. Well she was a nonfiction writer now she's primarily around to be in the various stages of pregnancy. This time she's having twins. Our heroes are surrounded by the biggest group of idiots this side of an IKEA. I categorically refuse to remember all their names.
Playing for Patrick's team is the lazy police officer, the lesbian police officer, the new guy who gets all the crappy chores, and the insanely stupid captain who never does anything right! Ericka has to make due with her sister, the battered wife, and her daughter, the terrible toddler who throws tantrums.
This time around everyone is trying to solve the case of the missing man. The missing man has been missing for three months. Remember that. It's important. The missing man's poor wife keeps showing up at the police station asking why the police are doing nothing to find him. Its really annoying the police the way she keeps expecting them to do their job. They talk about how annoying she is.
Finally Patrick goes over to the missing man's house. To search it. Which he hasn't done yet. After three months.
Seriously. That's what we're dealing with here.
So Patrick is "looking" for the missing man and meanwhile Ericka is "helping" the moody author launch his book. The moody author has written the most amazing book ever and everyone loves this book so much. But the moody author is moody and doesn't care. The moody author's wife is very upset that he's so moody. They fight about how moody he is a lot while their children try to kill each other in the background. There is never a scene in which the children are not trying to murder each other.
Then we have high school has been and number two. High school has been is a high school has been who hates his wife and has lots of affairs. His wife loves wine in a box and her daughters. But mostly wine in a box. She really, really loves wine in a box. They fight a lot. We never see their daughters. He has affairs. She drinks wine in a box.
Number two is an okay schlub who's wife is dying. It is very, very sad that his wife is dying. He's a schlub but he's okay.
The police have a lot of meetings and the captain says "I'm an idiot! Why haven't you solved this yet! I'm so stupid!" and the police role their eyes because their captain is so dumb! They "investigate" the high school has been, the moody author, and the schlub.
Then there are italicized chapters where a little boy is neglected by his horrible family. Who could this little boy be!?
The high school has been, the schlub, and the moody author are all getting threatening letters. Who's threatening them!? In a surprise reveal it turns out the high school has been, the schlub and the missing man were all friends in high school! Who would have known!? Maybe they did something really bad in high school that someone is now threatening them about!!?!?!?!?!?!?
Then everyone starts dying/getting horribly hurt and in the amazing finale we learn it was all because of a plot contrivance V.C. Andrews would be ashamed of.
I'm seriously finished with these books. Lackberg does literally no research on methodology, psychology or forensics and still insists on trying to write some kind of gritty, brutal, mentally scarring story and she fills it with equally poorly drawn characters who are there entirely to fill the kind of prescribed societal roles that were gross stereotypes in the 80's much less now. I am convinced that something is getting lost in the translation, the dialogue suffers most of all but improving that isn't going to help these pedestrian plots that are straight out of a Nancy Drew reboot reject pile.
Adios Fjallbacka!
This is really one long plot contrivance after another populated with the biggest cast of stereotypes I think I've ever seen in a police procedural/cozy mystery. For the record I didn't think it was possible to write a good story in those two genres at the same time and it turns out I was right but that hasn't stopped Lackberg from trying.
For those who've been spared from reading this deeply disappointing series let me bring you up to speed as painlessly as possible. The action takes place in Fjallbacka, a Swedish resort town, where Patrick, a detective on the local police force, lives with his wife Ericka who's a nonfiction writer. Well she was a nonfiction writer now she's primarily around to be in the various stages of pregnancy. This time she's having twins. Our heroes are surrounded by the biggest group of idiots this side of an IKEA. I categorically refuse to remember all their names.
Playing for Patrick's team is the lazy police officer, the lesbian police officer, the new guy who gets all the crappy chores, and the insanely stupid captain who never does anything right! Ericka has to make due with her sister, the battered wife, and her daughter, the terrible toddler who throws tantrums.
This time around everyone is trying to solve the case of the missing man. The missing man has been missing for three months. Remember that. It's important. The missing man's poor wife keeps showing up at the police station asking why the police are doing nothing to find him. Its really annoying the police the way she keeps expecting them to do their job. They talk about how annoying she is.
Finally Patrick goes over to the missing man's house. To search it. Which he hasn't done yet. After three months.
Seriously. That's what we're dealing with here.
So Patrick is "looking" for the missing man and meanwhile Ericka is "helping" the moody author launch his book. The moody author has written the most amazing book ever and everyone loves this book so much. But the moody author is moody and doesn't care. The moody author's wife is very upset that he's so moody. They fight about how moody he is a lot while their children try to kill each other in the background. There is never a scene in which the children are not trying to murder each other.
Then we have high school has been and number two. High school has been is a high school has been who hates his wife and has lots of affairs. His wife loves wine in a box and her daughters. But mostly wine in a box. She really, really loves wine in a box. They fight a lot. We never see their daughters. He has affairs. She drinks wine in a box.
Number two is an okay schlub who's wife is dying. It is very, very sad that his wife is dying. He's a schlub but he's okay.
The police have a lot of meetings and the captain says "I'm an idiot! Why haven't you solved this yet! I'm so stupid!" and the police role their eyes because their captain is so dumb! They "investigate" the high school has been, the moody author, and the schlub.
Then there are italicized chapters where a little boy is neglected by his horrible family. Who could this little boy be!?
The high school has been, the schlub, and the moody author are all getting threatening letters. Who's threatening them!? In a surprise reveal it turns out the high school has been, the schlub and the missing man were all friends in high school! Who would have known!? Maybe they did something really bad in high school that someone is now threatening them about!!?!?!?!?!?!?
Then everyone starts dying/getting horribly hurt and in the amazing finale we learn it was all because of a plot contrivance V.C. Andrews would be ashamed of.
I'm seriously finished with these books. Lackberg does literally no research on methodology, psychology or forensics and still insists on trying to write some kind of gritty, brutal, mentally scarring story and she fills it with equally poorly drawn characters who are there entirely to fill the kind of prescribed societal roles that were gross stereotypes in the 80's much less now. I am convinced that something is getting lost in the translation, the dialogue suffers most of all but improving that isn't going to help these pedestrian plots that are straight out of a Nancy Drew reboot reject pile.
Adios Fjallbacka!
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
Jeez, I'm glad I'm finally done with this.
I've really enjoyed all the other Camilla Läckberg books before but this one bored me and it seems to be never-ending.
The storyline wasn't that bad (it wasn't brilliant but I've seen worse) but it was dragging on and on and on...
Two annoying things:
- Erica was in the background most of the time and when she was written about, she was always being nosy and putting her nose where it didn't belong.
- What happened to Martin? In all the previous books, he was Patrick's right-hand man and now, he seems to have been totally replaced by Paula. This is so weird and feels totally unnatural.
I'd like to know what happens with Patrick's health, with the twins and with Anna's baby but I'll check reviews before deciding whether I'll read the next one or not.
I've really enjoyed all the other Camilla Läckberg books before but this one bored me and it seems to be never-ending.
The storyline wasn't that bad (it wasn't brilliant but I've seen worse) but it was dragging on and on and on...
Two annoying things:
- Erica was in the background most of the time and when she was written about, she was always being nosy and putting her nose where it didn't belong.
- What happened to Martin? In all the previous books, he was Patrick's right-hand man and now, he seems to have been totally replaced by Paula. This is so weird and feels totally unnatural.
I'd like to know what happens with Patrick's health, with the twins and with Anna's baby but I'll check reviews before deciding whether I'll read the next one or not.
Excellent mystery both on its own and as a continuation of the Fjällbacka series! Patrik is racing to find how four childhood friends are connected before another of them can be hurt.
It took me some time to get into the plot of this book.
3* The Ice Princess (Patrik Hedström, #1)
4* The Preacher (Patrik Hedström, #2)
3* O cortador de pedras (Patrik Hedström, #3)
4* The Drowning (Patrik Hedström, #6)
TR The Hidden Child (Patrik Hedström, #5)
TR Fyrvaktaren (Patrik Hedström, #7)
3* The Ice Princess (Patrik Hedström, #1)
4* The Preacher (Patrik Hedström, #2)
3* O cortador de pedras (Patrik Hedström, #3)
4* The Drowning (Patrik Hedström, #6)
TR The Hidden Child (Patrik Hedström, #5)
TR Fyrvaktaren (Patrik Hedström, #7)
