The Ice Princess by Camilla Lackberg
Mystery
Patrick Hedstrom Series, #1
2010 HighBridge Audio
Reader: David Thorn
Finished on February 8, 2016
Rating: 4/5 (Very Good)
Winner of the 2008 Le Grand Prix de Littérature Policière, France's most prestigious award for crime fiction.
Publisher's Blurb:
In this electrifying tale of suspense from an international crime-writing sensation, a grisly death exposes the dark heart of a Scandinavian seaside village.
Erica Falck returns to her tiny, remote hometown of Fjallbacka, Sweden, after her parents' deaths only to encounter another tragedy: the suicide of her childhood best friend, Alex. It's Erica herself who finds Alex's body--suspended in a bathtub of frozen water, her wrists slashed. Erica is bewildered: Why would a beautiful woman who had it all take her own life? Teaming up with police detective Patrik Hedstrom, Erica begins to uncover shocking events from Alex's childhood. As one horrifying fact after another comes to light, Erica and Patrik's curiosity gives way to obsession--and their flirtation grows into uncontrollable attraction. But it's not long before one thing becomes very clear: a deadly secret is at stake, and there's someone out there who will do anything--even commit murder-to protect it.
Fans of Scandinavian greats Stieg Larsson and Henning Mankell will devour Camilla Lackberg's penetrating portrait of human nature at its darkest.
I love this series! And, I didn't find this first installment nearly as convoluted as Stieg Larsson's books, which makes it even more appealing to continue reading more by Lackberg. David Thorn is an excellent reader and his accent is wonderful. I found it interesting to listen to the audio and glance at the print edition to see how certain names are pronounced (not at all what I thought they would be!). I had lots of ideas about who might be the murderer, but it wasn't obvious, and at one point, I felt like my jaw literally dropped to the floor!
Final Thoughts:
A winning introduction to a new series. I downloaded the second book before I even finished this one, it was that good.
I am not sure I have ever heard of this author before. Glad you recommend it!
ReplyDeleteYay! Happy to recommend something new to you, Kelly! :)
DeleteI have yet to try a Scandinavian mystery but really need to. This sounds like a great series.
ReplyDeleteKathy, if you are interested in trying a Scandinavian mystery, I'd recommend this series over The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo series. Those are so convoluted. Better to just watch the movies, if you can stomach the violence.
DeleteThis is one I wanted to try. Must see if audio is available at library.Hope you have a great summer Les.
ReplyDeleteDiane, these are really quite good! I've listened to the first two and am eager to return to the series. Just need to finish up with the Harry Potter books first. :)
DeleteHope you have a good summer, too. It's been so hot and humid here, but I'm trying not to complain. I'm really looking forward to our Oregon/Washington get-away later this summer...