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3.76 AVERAGE
3.76 AVERAGE
Het duurde even voor ik deze een kans wou geven. Het debuut van deze auteur was niet slecht, maar het verhaal schoot wat alle kanten op en eindigde (naar mijn gevoel) met wat arbitrair vastgeknoopte losse eindjes. Dit verhaal staat steviger op zijn poten en is echt spannend. Graag gelezen.
disappointing. the first book was much better. this one repeated too much of the first book, the characters seemed thinner and forced, the decisions and actions of the characters were very illogical and out of place, and the plot wasn't very surprising either. mediocre would be the best descriptor here.
Totalmente enganchada con esta serie. Me caen muy bien Mía y Munch, por suerte tengo un libro más porque voy a extrañar los. Me han acompañado durante todos estos días de cuarentena a hacer todos mis quehaceres de la casa y me han tenido tan distraida e interesada en sus casos que no he sentido tan largos los días.
Son historias redondas y bien contadas, novela negra muy bien lograda. Definitivamente pasa a mi lista de autores nórdicos favoritos, junto a Johan Theorin, Camilla Lackberg y otros.
Son historias redondas y bien contadas, novela negra muy bien lograda. Definitivamente pasa a mi lista de autores nórdicos favoritos, junto a Johan Theorin, Camilla Lackberg y otros.
There were parts of this that freaked the hell out of me and the surprise of whom the killer was, when you thought you knew that it was someone else, was a nice hat-tip to old school mystery novels.
I was able to grab Samuel Bjork's first book in this series, I'm Traveling Alone, before reading this one and it was a big boost to understanding the different characters, their motivations, their working styles, etc. These aren't your typical American cops and that adds so much to the story. Again, there was another hat-tip to old noir detective novels in that they are all flawed in their own, yet more updated, ways.
Samuel Bjork has quickly gone to the top of my list of favorite Scandinavian authors, a list that seems to grow and grow. There is something grittier about them and more real than your basic US thriller or police procedural. They seem to have tapped into something new about today's society, their killers and protagonists aren't the norms we've come to expect from the traditional blacks and white of their U.S, versions. There are so many gray areas in life and the Scandinavian writers are mining that and finding gold.
Can't wait for his next book.
I was able to grab Samuel Bjork's first book in this series, I'm Traveling Alone, before reading this one and it was a big boost to understanding the different characters, their motivations, their working styles, etc. These aren't your typical American cops and that adds so much to the story. Again, there was another hat-tip to old noir detective novels in that they are all flawed in their own, yet more updated, ways.
Samuel Bjork has quickly gone to the top of my list of favorite Scandinavian authors, a list that seems to grow and grow. There is something grittier about them and more real than your basic US thriller or police procedural. They seem to have tapped into something new about today's society, their killers and protagonists aren't the norms we've come to expect from the traditional blacks and white of their U.S, versions. There are so many gray areas in life and the Scandinavian writers are mining that and finding gold.
Can't wait for his next book.
The Owl Always Hunts At Night is a disturbing read by internationally best selling author Samuel Bjork. Mia is an investigator with a sad and troubled past. Her twin sister died 10 years go and Mia still can not get over the grief and pain of losing her. Struggling with her emotions for years she had been on a temporary leave until the disturbing case of a teenage girl found dead in a pentagram surrounded by owl feathers comes into the office. Holger Munch, lead investigator knows he can't solve this case without Mia. She seems to intuit things about murders that no one else can. Still not 100% she dives into the case but her drinking and taking pills to dull the pain make her not as reliable as she usually is. Then a troubling film comes to light. The film shows the victim before she was killed being held prisoner like an animal in a cage. Made to run on a hamster wheel just to earn her food. Mia knows she must put her demons aside and concentrate on this case before another girl disappears. But does she have it in her to do it?
Dark, creepy, sinister. This book gets 3.5 out of 5 stars
Dark, creepy, sinister. This book gets 3.5 out of 5 stars
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Again, there any many things happening in this Samuel Bjørk novel. The case of the Owl has a long back story, but also is one of coincidences. It was written well and I read it almost at once (there was some sleeping in between).
Even though it was so good, there were two things that annoyed me a bit.
The first thing was that Miriam was again victim to the perpetrator. She and her father haven't been well together for over ten years, that started to change after the first book of Munch and Krügers new department. But he has been a cop doing weird cases most of her life, and now she's run into them twice in a year? Not really believable...
The second thing is, Samuel Bjørk seems to want to be all up to date about technology and throws some random words around about hacking and computer technology. But that's what they are. Random words. It doesn't add up and it doesn't really work well. I don't mind him introducing hackers, but if you don't get the culture or technology, keep it as seen from Munch and Krügers perspectives, don't throw around names just for the sake of the names.
Even though it was so good, there were two things that annoyed me a bit.
The first thing was that Miriam was again victim to the perpetrator. She and her father haven't been well together for over ten years, that started to change after the first book of Munch and Krügers new department. But he has been a cop doing weird cases most of her life, and now she's run into them twice in a year? Not really believable...
The second thing is, Samuel Bjørk seems to want to be all up to date about technology and throws some random words around about hacking and computer technology. But that's what they are. Random words. It doesn't add up and it doesn't really work well. I don't mind him introducing hackers, but if you don't get the culture or technology, keep it as seen from Munch and Krügers perspectives, don't throw around names just for the sake of the names.
3.5 stars - Firstly, the formalities – if you haven’t read book 1 in the series, can you read this one without feeling lost? A resounding yes, you get a substantial amount of information about the characters, while it doesn’t spoil the previous case, the opening of this book really brings you up-to-date with the lives of the characters. As the cases in each book are separate, this book can be enjoyed as a standalone, however, I highly recommend you read book 1 first because it’s awesome!
The plot in this book is not as complex and does not have the same level of subplots as book 1, it is however, equally unsolvable. While I enjoyed this element as it made this book a real mystery, it was so unsolvable, it was almost in the background. The case itself was definitely odd, but when reading a series, I can’t help but compare the book to the one before and here I found this case just didn’t hold my interest like the case in the previous book – I think it was because there wasn’t enough subplots to piece together or wonder how/if they will come together at the end, that combined with the case seeming so unsolvable, no real clues, it ending up taking a back seat…
A back seat to what you ask? To the characters, in particular Mia Krüger, what I really like about this series, and the main reason I would recommend this book is for the brilliant cast of characters, Bjork has made his characters feel so real, their backstories are interesting, you really feel like you get to know each and every one of them. Just like in book 1, Mia is my favourite character, and I would continue to read each and every book she features in. Contemplating suicide but numbing the pain with drink and drugs; she’s still battling her demons, and as much as I want her to overcome this battle, the dark place she’s in, her thoughts, feelings and actions make for great reading. As mentioned in the blurb “the usually brilliant Mia is struggling,” so here we don’t get to see her brilliant case solving skills in full effect (read book 1 for that) but nonetheless, she’s one of my favourite fictional characters, both vulnerable and strong at the same time and I wish her well.
I could write pages and pages if I spoke about each character in depth, as they are all extremely well developed, so much so, you never get confused or forget a character because you feel you know Mia, Holger Munch and the rest of the police team so well. It doesn’t matter that there are lots of characters in this book. This book is all about drawing you into the mind of the detectives.
The Owl Always Hunts at Night has that dark, moody atmosphere Noir is so well known for, a wonderful translation from the Norwegian by Charlotte Barslund; it’s always a pleasure to return to Norway.
*I received a copy of this book for review purposes*
The plot in this book is not as complex and does not have the same level of subplots as book 1, it is however, equally unsolvable. While I enjoyed this element as it made this book a real mystery, it was so unsolvable, it was almost in the background. The case itself was definitely odd, but when reading a series, I can’t help but compare the book to the one before and here I found this case just didn’t hold my interest like the case in the previous book – I think it was because there wasn’t enough subplots to piece together or wonder how/if they will come together at the end, that combined with the case seeming so unsolvable, no real clues, it ending up taking a back seat…
A back seat to what you ask? To the characters, in particular Mia Krüger, what I really like about this series, and the main reason I would recommend this book is for the brilliant cast of characters, Bjork has made his characters feel so real, their backstories are interesting, you really feel like you get to know each and every one of them. Just like in book 1, Mia is my favourite character, and I would continue to read each and every book she features in. Contemplating suicide but numbing the pain with drink and drugs; she’s still battling her demons, and as much as I want her to overcome this battle, the dark place she’s in, her thoughts, feelings and actions make for great reading. As mentioned in the blurb “the usually brilliant Mia is struggling,” so here we don’t get to see her brilliant case solving skills in full effect (read book 1 for that) but nonetheless, she’s one of my favourite fictional characters, both vulnerable and strong at the same time and I wish her well.
I could write pages and pages if I spoke about each character in depth, as they are all extremely well developed, so much so, you never get confused or forget a character because you feel you know Mia, Holger Munch and the rest of the police team so well. It doesn’t matter that there are lots of characters in this book. This book is all about drawing you into the mind of the detectives.
The Owl Always Hunts at Night has that dark, moody atmosphere Noir is so well known for, a wonderful translation from the Norwegian by Charlotte Barslund; it’s always a pleasure to return to Norway.
*I received a copy of this book for review purposes*
second instalment featuring Munch and Kruger. I absolutely loved Bjork's first book, and while I thoroughly enjoyed reading this, it didn't have the impact of the first. Maybe due to meeting the characters in the first, but in the second we already know them. The story itself was dark and disturbing, with both lead characters being forced to face fears and coping mechanisms. The team they work with struggle with the case and apparent disruption in leadership and focus. Riveting read with a hint of something right at the end of the book!