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A review by canada_matt
The Lake by Lotte Hammer, Soren Hammer
4.0
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Lotte and Søren Hammer, and Bloomsbury USA for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
The Hammer siblings return with another novel in their highly successful Konrad Simonsen series, recently translated in English. With the dark undertones of a well-crafted Scandinavian thriller, the story pushes the reader to the limits, while also leaving them demanding more! As the story opens, three individuals are travelling through the forested areas of Denmark, as if on a mission. Dense trees and shadowy lanes lead to a secluded cabin, where something sinister is about to happen. A young African woman is led to the cabin and a crime committed. However, something goes wrong and she dies. Her body is tied to a large stone and left to sink in the middle of the lake, where nature takes its course. It is only when parts of her are found months later than the authorities arrive, eventually creating national headlines for bumbling the case. Konrad Simonsen and his Homicide Team are called in from Copenhagen to take over, while media outlets continue to feast off some of the bad press that has sullied the case to this point. Slow and methodical, Simonsen begins to explore what may have happened and tries to put a face to the victim, which is harder than it seems. From there, it is trying to locate a missing person report or some way of tying this woman to a social network. No leads leave Simonsen and the rest of the team scrambling. However, there are some concrete solutions that come out of the cabin and its surrounding area, which takes the Homicide team into the dark world of rape and eventually the seedy domain of sex trafficking. Meanwhile, the perpetrators hide away in plain sight, protecting the vast empire that keeps the world of sex trafficking in business. Someone reaches out and begins a blackmail scheme, as though they are fully aware of the horrible things that are going on and wish to bring about their own form of revenge. While Simonsen gets closer to an answer, questions arise as to how this could all be tied together and how deep the trafficking goes. Is it just the depraved that come to the well and seek this form of gratification or are there others, more 'mainstream' faces that dabble, as long as the price is fair? There is no justice for the victim and no family that mourn her, but Simonsen will stop at nothing until the culprits are caught and face the ultimate price. The only question is, does he have the determination to keep going? A powerful thriller that pulls the reader into a dark corner and explores sex trafficking at its most deplorable, but with so much social commentary that the reader will not be able to help but join the conversation. Perfect for those who want a deeper and more complex story in a game of cat and mouse.
I have long been a fan of the Hammers and their delightfully dark thriller series. As I have said numerous times, reading Scandinavian thrillers takes the story to an entirely new level, with complex storylines and thoroughly intriguing ideas that are handled with aplomb and a depth with which I do not find in North American novels. Add to that, the translation that is required to bring me an English language version. If things remain at such a high calibre outside of the story's original language, I can only imagine how powerful they are in the original Danish. The Hammer siblings also push the story further by using their well-honed collection of characters, each with their own backstory. Konrad Simonsen continues to lead the group, though has to struggle with some of his own past issues and the restructuring that his team has undergone, both due to his own issues and a case that went horribly wrong and left one member on the brink of disaster. Simonsen uses all he has to take the story in ways that the reader cannot help but follow, though they are fully aware of the flaws that the character possesses. As with many of their novels, there is a strong social commentary threaded into the story, which adds a dimension that cannot be missed. Be it the sex trafficking industry, the covert use of au pairs from another part of the world, or even the fact that some of the upper crust in Denmark are using this service without batting an eye. The Hammer siblings also pull in the discussion of shifting the blame on 'paid sex' away from the prostitute and solely onto the john, which seems to be happening in some of the surrounding countries. It leaves the reader with much to contemplate and perhaps shed the past concerns over the issue before delving into open-air discussions with others. These are strong issues and should be addressed, which are also handled in a serious and forthright manner by the authors. There is no better way to entertain and educate than to place a story on such precarious places and the Hammer siblings do it so well.
Kudos, Mr. and Madam Hammer for another sensational story. I know we English folk are still a few novels behind your Simonsen series, but I am eager to get my hands on more, as you push things to the limit and force me (and other readers) to confront some of the seedier aspects of life.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
The Hammer siblings return with another novel in their highly successful Konrad Simonsen series, recently translated in English. With the dark undertones of a well-crafted Scandinavian thriller, the story pushes the reader to the limits, while also leaving them demanding more! As the story opens, three individuals are travelling through the forested areas of Denmark, as if on a mission. Dense trees and shadowy lanes lead to a secluded cabin, where something sinister is about to happen. A young African woman is led to the cabin and a crime committed. However, something goes wrong and she dies. Her body is tied to a large stone and left to sink in the middle of the lake, where nature takes its course. It is only when parts of her are found months later than the authorities arrive, eventually creating national headlines for bumbling the case. Konrad Simonsen and his Homicide Team are called in from Copenhagen to take over, while media outlets continue to feast off some of the bad press that has sullied the case to this point. Slow and methodical, Simonsen begins to explore what may have happened and tries to put a face to the victim, which is harder than it seems. From there, it is trying to locate a missing person report or some way of tying this woman to a social network. No leads leave Simonsen and the rest of the team scrambling. However, there are some concrete solutions that come out of the cabin and its surrounding area, which takes the Homicide team into the dark world of rape and eventually the seedy domain of sex trafficking. Meanwhile, the perpetrators hide away in plain sight, protecting the vast empire that keeps the world of sex trafficking in business. Someone reaches out and begins a blackmail scheme, as though they are fully aware of the horrible things that are going on and wish to bring about their own form of revenge. While Simonsen gets closer to an answer, questions arise as to how this could all be tied together and how deep the trafficking goes. Is it just the depraved that come to the well and seek this form of gratification or are there others, more 'mainstream' faces that dabble, as long as the price is fair? There is no justice for the victim and no family that mourn her, but Simonsen will stop at nothing until the culprits are caught and face the ultimate price. The only question is, does he have the determination to keep going? A powerful thriller that pulls the reader into a dark corner and explores sex trafficking at its most deplorable, but with so much social commentary that the reader will not be able to help but join the conversation. Perfect for those who want a deeper and more complex story in a game of cat and mouse.
I have long been a fan of the Hammers and their delightfully dark thriller series. As I have said numerous times, reading Scandinavian thrillers takes the story to an entirely new level, with complex storylines and thoroughly intriguing ideas that are handled with aplomb and a depth with which I do not find in North American novels. Add to that, the translation that is required to bring me an English language version. If things remain at such a high calibre outside of the story's original language, I can only imagine how powerful they are in the original Danish. The Hammer siblings also push the story further by using their well-honed collection of characters, each with their own backstory. Konrad Simonsen continues to lead the group, though has to struggle with some of his own past issues and the restructuring that his team has undergone, both due to his own issues and a case that went horribly wrong and left one member on the brink of disaster. Simonsen uses all he has to take the story in ways that the reader cannot help but follow, though they are fully aware of the flaws that the character possesses. As with many of their novels, there is a strong social commentary threaded into the story, which adds a dimension that cannot be missed. Be it the sex trafficking industry, the covert use of au pairs from another part of the world, or even the fact that some of the upper crust in Denmark are using this service without batting an eye. The Hammer siblings also pull in the discussion of shifting the blame on 'paid sex' away from the prostitute and solely onto the john, which seems to be happening in some of the surrounding countries. It leaves the reader with much to contemplate and perhaps shed the past concerns over the issue before delving into open-air discussions with others. These are strong issues and should be addressed, which are also handled in a serious and forthright manner by the authors. There is no better way to entertain and educate than to place a story on such precarious places and the Hammer siblings do it so well.
Kudos, Mr. and Madam Hammer for another sensational story. I know we English folk are still a few novels behind your Simonsen series, but I am eager to get my hands on more, as you push things to the limit and force me (and other readers) to confront some of the seedier aspects of life.
Like/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/