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3.32 AVERAGE
3.32 AVERAGE
I found that I just didn’t care about the characters and that is a huge turn off for me in the book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Sexual content
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Excellent Nordic mystery. I thought that it being set in an unnamed country would drive me crazy-not so. I'm going to read the rest in the series...
Finally got to listen to the 1st Van Veeteren book and good old VV is just as big a jerk here as in later novels. It's an effective device, though- kind of an identity for the inspector. In this story, a murder quickly becomes two when the man convicted for his wife's murder is killed. And then things get quite tangled. VV sorts it out handily, however.
I think I read the second or third in this series first, and this wasn't nearly as good. Van Veeteren was intelligent and insightful in the one I read - in this one he comes across as more cartoonishly grumpy. It was still well plotted and interestingly offbeat - I will probably read the others in the series.
It's been a while since I've stayed up past my bedtime to finish a book and this was worth it. I've definitely got a weakness for Swedish crime series.
Mind's Eye is a crime novel that follows chief Inspector Veeteren as he investigates the murder of a woman, who was drowned in her own bathtub. As the investigation works through its course, more murders are uncovered. You find out about some dark family secrets that may make your skin crawl.
This book was recommended to me by Goodreads, based on my read in 2020 shelf. I had borrowed the audiobook from my library using the Libby app on my phone. The narrator did really well, but for whatever reason, the story just didn't draw me in. I wasn't hanging off of every word that the narrator was saying. I think if I had read it physically I might have enjoyed it more.
This book was recommended to me by Goodreads, based on my read in 2020 shelf. I had borrowed the audiobook from my library using the Libby app on my phone. The narrator did really well, but for whatever reason, the story just didn't draw me in. I wasn't hanging off of every word that the narrator was saying. I think if I had read it physically I might have enjoyed it more.
(Originally posted @ CSI:Librarian.)
There was so much that this book did well and over all I enjoyed listening to it, but I do sort of feel like the plot/case was a bit underwhelming. I liked the complexity that was added to everything due to Mitter being so drunk that he apparently developed severe memory loss. Or perhaps it was a result of trauma, hard to say.
Anyway, the notion of following Janek Mitter around from the time he wakes up to discover his wife to the time he himself is killed was fascinating in one respect. However, because he was always going to die, it ultimately didn't matter much in the grand scheme of things and any conclusions he reached on his own were not shared with the reader. To be fair, Nesser's writing and Vance's superb voice acting made it impossible for me to be too upset that Mitter didn't matter much in the scheme of things since I came to care about him a great deal. However, I do strongly object to be being purposefully left in the dark. And Mitter wasn't the last character to leave me hanging.
I think it would be fair to say that Mind's Eye was very character-driven, reflective, atmospheric and introspective. Van Veeteren, who was without a doubt the driving force behind the book, proved also be the very best part of it. Runner-ups include his entire team, particularly Munster. I could have done without the awkward moments though such as Van Veeteren feeling sorry for the killer and the inspector engaging in meta, comparing their case and life itself to novels and movies instead of explaining anything he'd managed to figure out.
The absolute worst part for me though was that the most obvious lead was completely ignored until the very end where, I suspect, the reveal was intended to come as a shock. Now I am no mystery buff by any means, but the mystery here was so painfully easy to unravel that I came close to having fits as I waited for them to figure it out. I get that knowing who the murderer was doesn't necessarily mean understanding his motivations, but at the same time, it just sort of bothered me that none of the competent detectives thought to look further into this one guy when there were no other potential suspects. Still, I imagine things would have been much worse if I hadn't loved Van Veeteren. He is a character that is completely and utterly worth knowing. I loved his brooding, grumpy, begrudging, sardonic point of view, and this won't be my last audio book about him.
In conclusion, I would say the writing, the reading, and the characters were terrific, but the plot was pretty much the stuff of short stories. However, this was not bad for a first book in a series and definitely provided a very, very satisfying introduction to a fascinating character. If you enjoy Simon Vance's voice work, you will love this. If you enjoy mysteries where the case is of little consequence compared to characterization and moody insights, you should definitely give Mind's Eye a shot. I for one will be rapidly moving on to Borkmann's Point, the next book in the Inspector Van Veeteren series.
There was so much that this book did well and over all I enjoyed listening to it, but I do sort of feel like the plot/case was a bit underwhelming. I liked the complexity that was added to everything due to Mitter being so drunk that he apparently developed severe memory loss. Or perhaps it was a result of trauma, hard to say.
Anyway, the notion of following Janek Mitter around from the time he wakes up to discover his wife to the time he himself is killed was fascinating in one respect. However, because he was always going to die, it ultimately didn't matter much in the grand scheme of things and any conclusions he reached on his own were not shared with the reader. To be fair, Nesser's writing and Vance's superb voice acting made it impossible for me to be too upset that Mitter didn't matter much in the scheme of things since I came to care about him a great deal. However, I do strongly object to be being purposefully left in the dark. And Mitter wasn't the last character to leave me hanging.
I think it would be fair to say that Mind's Eye was very character-driven, reflective, atmospheric and introspective. Van Veeteren, who was without a doubt the driving force behind the book, proved also be the very best part of it. Runner-ups include his entire team, particularly Munster. I could have done without the awkward moments though such as Van Veeteren feeling sorry for the killer and the inspector engaging in meta, comparing their case and life itself to novels and movies instead of explaining anything he'd managed to figure out.
The absolute worst part for me though was that the most obvious lead was completely ignored until the very end where, I suspect, the reveal was intended to come as a shock. Now I am no mystery buff by any means, but the mystery here was so painfully easy to unravel that I came close to having fits as I waited for them to figure it out. I get that knowing who the murderer was doesn't necessarily mean understanding his motivations, but at the same time, it just sort of bothered me that none of the competent detectives thought to look further into this one guy when there were no other potential suspects. Still, I imagine things would have been much worse if I hadn't loved Van Veeteren. He is a character that is completely and utterly worth knowing. I loved his brooding, grumpy, begrudging, sardonic point of view, and this won't be my last audio book about him.
In conclusion, I would say the writing, the reading, and the characters were terrific, but the plot was pretty much the stuff of short stories. However, this was not bad for a first book in a series and definitely provided a very, very satisfying introduction to a fascinating character. If you enjoy Simon Vance's voice work, you will love this. If you enjoy mysteries where the case is of little consequence compared to characterization and moody insights, you should definitely give Mind's Eye a shot. I for one will be rapidly moving on to Borkmann's Point, the next book in the Inspector Van Veeteren series.