[Taking a break]

I'm taking a little break while working on another project, but I'll be back soon! Hope you will, too. Cheers!

Silenced

Silenced
Author: Kristina Ohlsson
Emily Bestler Books/Atria, 2013
342 pages

If you asked me to list some of my current favorite authors of crime thrillers, Kristina Ohlsson of Sweden would definitely be in my top five. I read her book Unwanted last year and found it to be a breath of fresh air. In addition to being an edgy thriller, it shed light on domestic violence and mental illness. (Click here to read my entry on Unwanted.) Her second book Silenced focuses on a different type of social issue: immigration and the plight of refugees. Despite the heaviness of these topics, Ohlsson succeeds in giving us a great story without being judgmental. I like her balanced perspective.

Silenced opens with an assault on a young girl during the Midsummer holiday in Sweden. This changes not only the girl but her entire family. Years later, a clergyman and his wife are found dead in their home. They were both known for their work with refugees. At first, it looks like a murder/suicide, but Alex and his team aren’t convinced. When an undocumented immigrant is found dead soon after, the team begins to wonder if there could be some connection to these incidents. 
 
In a parallel story, a Swedish woman is trapped in Bangkok. We don’t know why she’s there, but it appears that someone out there doesn’t want her to come back home. (As someone who’s done quite a bit of global travel, I have to say that the scenes involving this character were made of stuff that could easily give me nightmares.)

There’s a lot going on in the investigators’ personal lives, too. Alex Recht, the team leader, has a strange feeling that his wife is about to leave him. Pregnant Fredrika Bergman is having difficulty dealing with her need to work a reduced schedule. She’s also struggling with an increasing desire for more time with the baby’s father; they're in a long-term relationship, but he's actually married to someone else. Meanwhile, 'bad boy' Peder continues to offend people left and right, always saying the wrong thing and not quite understanding why people react the way they do. And there’s a new investigator on Alex’s team. Joar is a sort of a golden-boy who’s very serious and professional – the complete opposite of Peder, who sees him as a rival. 

If you enjoy Scandinavian crime thrillers, I think you'll like this series. I'd recommend for you to read Unwanted first in order to understand the dynamics between the police investigator characters. If you do, I hope you'll continue on to Silenced. According to online sources, there are a total of four books in what's called the Fredrika Bergman series. The third book, The Disappeared, is available for pre-order at Amazon UK for release in early August. No sign yet of when it might be available on this side of the pond, though. I'll keep looking because I want to read it.

[Apologies for the weird formatting in this entry. I'll try to correct the HTML later  -- don't have time right now!] 

The Andalucian Friend

The Andalucian Friend
Author: Alexander Söderberg
Crown Publishers, 2013
446 pages

OK, I'll admit it: I was attracted to this book because of its title. It just sounds cool, doesn't it? Especially when you imagine Antonio Banderas saying it. Go on. Imagine that. The book is set in Stockholm, though . . . at least for the most part.

As The Andalucian Friend opens, a Swedish nurse named Sophie has befriended one of her hospital patients, a man named Hector Guzman. We soon learn that Hector is the head of an organized crime family who's in a sort of war with a rival organization based in Germany. One by one, we meet some of the people involved on both sides including Aron (who works for Hector and the Spaniards) and Mikhail (who works for the Germans.) And then there's the mysterious independent Jens, an old friend of Sophie's who sort of gets caught between the two groups.

The plot thickens with the introduction of the police investigators: Lars, who develops a creepy fascination with Sophie; the mysterious Anders; and Gunilla, their leader. These are not your typical civil servants. And that's all I'm gonna say about that.

Are you still with me? Because there are a LOT of characters, and it takes some effort on the part of the reader to keep them all straight. Söderberg does a great job of getting us into their heads. Even when we might not want to go there. The focus is on the characters, not on a specific crime. That makes The Andalucian Friend, well, unique.

The Andalucian Friend didn't end like I was expecting, and it wasn't clear to me if the plan is for this to be a standalone or the first in a series. Know what? I kinda like the not-knowing. I'm keeping my eye on this author, though. You can count on that. :)

Safe House

Safe House
Author: Chris Ewan
Minotaur Books, 2012
448 pages

Safe House has been #1 in the Crime, Thrillers & Mystery category at Amazon UK for quite some time now. It takes place on the Isle of Man. For my geography-challenged friends, that's an island in the Irish sea between Ireland and Great Britain. It was one of the six Celtic nations. It's where Manx cats come from. And it has a very interesting-looking flag. :)

It became very clear to me within just a few pages as to why this book has been at the top of the UK charts: IT'S REALLY GOOD. I was hooked from the get-go when main character Rob wakes up in the hospital after a motorcycle accident. When he asks about the condition of his companion rider, no one seems to know who or what he's talking about. They blame it on his head injury.

But Rob knows he was with someone. Her name was Lena. They hadn't known each other long. In fact, they'd only just met as a result of Rob's work. Now there's no proof that Lena exists, except in Rob's mind.

I don't want to say more, because the plot quickly adds another mystery and more intriguing layers and characters. To say more about it would give too much away. Let's just say this book is quite the ride. Sure, it's over 400 pages long, but those pages fly by quickly.

I'm not sure if this is going to be the first in a series, or if it's a standalone. If it is to be a series, then I can't wait to read the others. Bottom line: If you're a fan of the crime thriller genre, I'm pretty sure you'll love Safe House as much as I did.

The Home

The Home
Author: Scott Nicholson
Haunted Computer Books, 2012
333 pages

Somewhere up in the mountains of North Carolina lives an author who's living the dream. Even though we live in the same state, it took a random browse on Amazon UK for me to discover Scott Nicholson. Turns out he's written numerous books. I decided to start with The Home.

It's set in a world in the not too distant future where religion has taken over the state and secret organizations do nasty things behind closed doors. The protagonist is Freeman Mills, the pre-teen son of an abusive, mad scientist who's in jail for murdering the boy's mother a few years back. Freeman's now an experienced ward of the state, having been in and out of several unsuccessful foster situations. He's gifted with the occasional ability to "triptrap" or read the thoughts of others, and he has a wicked sense of humor.

As the book opens, Freeman's being transferred to a group home in the Blue Ridge mountains called Wendover. There, he'll meet the creepy director of the facility, a man who thinks his brand of religion is the solution to every problem. Other characters include a researcher who thinks he's smarter than everyone else; a therapist with big faith and a big heart; the resident bully; and a girl who just may give Freeman a run for his money.

Then things start to get weird. No spoilers from me. Let's just say that The Home is probably best categorized as a paranormal thriller. It was an easy read, and the Kindle version is in Amazon's Top 40 bargain books as of this writing. (I bought it several months ago for $2.99.)

I'm ready to get back to an international crime thriller now. The question is: where will I go next?  So many books. So little time.

The Geography of Bliss

The Geography of Bliss
Author: Eric Weiner
Twelve, 2009
368 pages

I'm a geography geek. I've been one for as long as I remember. If you want to get my attention, show me a map, or start talking about your travels. I'm also interested in happiness (and the pursuit of it), so when I learned this book is subtitled One Grump's Search For The Happiest Places in the World, well, you could say it had me from the title.

Eric Weiner is an NPR correspondent who's lived in many interesting global locations and done a great deal of travel. For this project, he visited several countries and talked to lots of people to find out who's happy, who's not, and why. First up: the Netherlands, home of an academic researcher who studies happiness. The Netherlands is also known for its freedom and tolerance. Is that what makes people happy?

Other "happy" countries highlighted in The Geography of Bliss include Iceland, where people have a sort of freedom to fail (is that what makes them happy?) and Bhutan, which actually has a Gross Happiness Index (is happiness required?) Weiner also visited the world's wealthiest country (Qatar) to find out if money makes people happy (does it?) For contrast, he visits the world's unhappiest country (Moldova). These are just a few of the countries visited and questions asked.

Along the way, Weiner has all sorts of adventures: Caffeine withdrawal at an ashram followed by a death-defying motorbike ride in India. The purchase of a ridiculously expensive pen in Qatar. Interesting accommodations in Moldova. Pub time in Great Britain. He also meets all sorts of interesting people  . . . and reveals a very personal addiction (I won't say what it is, but Eric, if you're reading this, you're not alone, my friend).

So what makes people happy? You didn't think I was going to tell you the answer in this entry, did you?! Get the book. That is, if you enjoy reading about travel, psychology, and other cultures. Or if you're a geography geek. Like me.

My Soul To Take

My Soul To Take 
Author: Yrsa Sigurdardóttir
William Morrow, 2009
352 pages

My Soul To Take is the second book in an enthralling series featuring Reykjavik-based attorney Thora Guðmundsdóttir. I accidentally read this series out of order, starting with the fourth book The Day is Dark -- but I read the first, Last Rituals, earlier this year.

This time around, Thora's at a New Age spa on the west coast of Iceland -- not of her own volition, but at the request of a Jonas, the spa's owner. Jonas wants to sue the former owners of the property for their failure to disclose that the property includes . . . a ghost. And the ghost is having a negative impact on the business.

Just as Thora's getting settled (and having a nice massage in the spa), the body of a dead woman is found on the shore. Turns out the woman is the architect Jonas hired to design a second building -- and she wasn't exactly popular with the staff or in the community. When police find evidence that implicates Jonas as a murder suspect, Thora shifts to investigator mode, enlisting Matthew (her German 'boyfriend') to help out. There's no lack of other suspects, including an old politician with a secret past; a jealous wife; and a local farmer.

But wait. Soon there's another murder, and suddenly nothing is quite as it seems. Is this place really haunted? Or cursed, perhaps? Thora must look back to the past to find out what's going on the present . . . to hopefully prevent any more murders in the future.

This series is one of my current favorites. Yrsa's descriptions of the otherworldly landscape, combined with her amazing ability to weave history and culture into a crime thriller, have put Iceland at the top of my 'Places I Must Visit' list. And I hope to do just that very soon! :)