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128 reviews for:
The Dark Heart: A True Story of Greed, Murder, and an Unlikely Investigator
Joakim Palmkvist
3.2 AVERAGE
128 reviews for:
The Dark Heart: A True Story of Greed, Murder, and an Unlikely Investigator
Joakim Palmkvist
3.2 AVERAGE
A true crime story from Sweden. It was an interesting case, and it was interesting to see the differences in the justice systems in the US and Sweden.
An interesting, relatively-easy-to-read story. I found the details of Swedish law and police investigation the primary interest, but it was saved from being dry and report-like by the author's and/or translator's style, adding some quirky narrative elements. And not too long. I liked it.
This was one of Amazon's World Book Day giveaways from 2019.
Not a fan, although I got a little more into the story in the final few chapters. I didn't realize this would be a nonfiction book, but it becomes obvious in Chapter 2. I found much of the description to be dry and unnecessary.
Funny how I just finished The Tigress of Forli and wrote "I guess half a millennium is too long ago for much more than a recounting of a timeline" about it. I felt pretty much the same way about this book, except the events took place only 6-7 years ago!
I guess Sweden has come to be known for their mystery and thriller novels, and if this book had been novelized a little more, I would have found it more enjoyable. I found many of the parts involving Therese to be the most interesting, but found the extensive background of her past a little out of place.
Not a fan, although I got a little more into the story in the final few chapters. I didn't realize this would be a nonfiction book, but it becomes obvious in Chapter 2. I found much of the description to be dry and unnecessary.
Funny how I just finished The Tigress of Forli and wrote "I guess half a millennium is too long ago for much more than a recounting of a timeline" about it. I felt pretty much the same way about this book, except the events took place only 6-7 years ago!
I guess Sweden has come to be known for their mystery and thriller novels, and if this book had been novelized a little more, I would have found it more enjoyable. I found many of the parts involving Therese to be the most interesting, but found the extensive background of her past a little out of place.
In Sweden, there is a highly effective organization called Missing People Sweden. The chief operating officer Therese Tang took on a bit more than she probably should have done in investigating missing Goran Lundblad. As much as I'd like to think I'd do everything I could to help, I had a long series of "nope, nope, nope, nope, nope" when all she did was revealed. Astonishing and scary.
I just didn't find this case interesting at all. Given the title (based on the region's nickname), I was expecting the type of true crime with a strong sense of setting (like [b:Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil|386187|Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil|John Berendt|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1427166915s/386187.jpg|300461]) but Palmkvist instead tried too hard to create suspense out of a couple of dysfunctional idiots in love, which just made "dark heart" laughably melodramatic. Also, Agnes Broomé's translation was clunky. This awkward line on the very first page immediately stuck out to me: "Instead of getting mentally prepared for the most important conversation of her life, the one that might finally bring everything to a close, Therese starts running around the unfamiliar house . . ." I know these are all real people, but Therese came across as the "plucky heroine who makes dumb, outlandish decisions" that I cannot STAND in fiction.
Very interesting true crime story out of Sweden involving the murder of a wealthy farmer, Goran Lundblad, by his daughter and her boyfriend, and the courage of a missing persons group founder to risk her life to get the truth. It's a tale of greed, plans to acquire a fortune that really wasn't available, cover-ups, stymied police, and more.
The translation was pretty good, so it was not hard to follow. This case took years to solve, and the crucial moments with Therese Tang and Martin Tornblad were tense.
The translation was pretty good, so it was not hard to follow. This case took years to solve, and the crucial moments with Therese Tang and Martin Tornblad were tense.
dark
slow-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Honestly just not caring about this true crime too much. Formatted in a way that just completely bores me