What do you think?
Rate this book
Fjällbacka #2
Predicatorul
După Prinţesa gheţurilor, urmează Predicatorul, a doua parte a seriei de şapte romane scrisă de Camilla Läckberg.
Suntem în Fjällbacka, o mică şi splendidă aşezare de pe coasta de vest a Suediei, locuită în mare parte a anului de oameni liniştiţi, dar ceva mai animată în sezonul de vară.
Un băieţel aventuros porneşte la joacă la prima oră a dimineţ ii. Pleacă să exploreze Prăpastia Craiului. Dar distracţia se încheie brusc atunci când descoperă cadavrul unei tinere femei dezbrăcate, care-l ţintuieşte cu privirea rece.
Poliţia ajunge rapid la faţa locului şi constată că femeia fusese asasinată. Lucrurile se complică şi mai mult atunci când sub trupul victimei sunt găsite scheletele altor două femei care fuseseră date dispărute la începutul anilor ’70. Predicatorul este un excelent roman poliţist care ţese cu talent puntea dintre un trecut încărcat de necunoscute şi un prezent ce oferă neaşteptat de multe răspunsuri. O intrigă plină de surprize îi readuce în scenă pe mult îndrăgiţii protagonişti ai romanului Prinţesa gheţurilor, scriitoarea Erica Berger şi poliţistul Patrik Hedström, care între timp au devenit cuplu. Deşi copleşită de canicula verii, pe care o suportă greu, fiind însărcinată în luna a opta, Erica nu ezită să se implice în iţele complicate ale acestui caz, aducând în sprijinul anchetei conduse de Patrick o importantă documentaţie.
«Seria Fjällbacka» este publicată în peste 30 de ţări şi rivalizează în vânzări cu Trilogia MILLENNIUM a lui Stieg Larsson
«O povestitoare fascinantă care ne ţine mereu cu sufletul la gură.» --Independent
«Fiori de plăcere, dar şi de spaimă.» --Sun
«Läckberg e expertă în a mixa scenele de tihnă domestică şi pe cele de groază... un element-cheie pentru cei dependenţi de senzaţii tari.» -- Guardian
Suntem în Fjällbacka, o mică şi splendidă aşezare de pe coasta de vest a Suediei, locuită în mare parte a anului de oameni liniştiţi, dar ceva mai animată în sezonul de vară.
Un băieţel aventuros porneşte la joacă la prima oră a dimineţ ii. Pleacă să exploreze Prăpastia Craiului. Dar distracţia se încheie brusc atunci când descoperă cadavrul unei tinere femei dezbrăcate, care-l ţintuieşte cu privirea rece.
Poliţia ajunge rapid la faţa locului şi constată că femeia fusese asasinată. Lucrurile se complică şi mai mult atunci când sub trupul victimei sunt găsite scheletele altor două femei care fuseseră date dispărute la începutul anilor ’70. Predicatorul este un excelent roman poliţist care ţese cu talent puntea dintre un trecut încărcat de necunoscute şi un prezent ce oferă neaşteptat de multe răspunsuri. O intrigă plină de surprize îi readuce în scenă pe mult îndrăgiţii protagonişti ai romanului Prinţesa gheţurilor, scriitoarea Erica Berger şi poliţistul Patrik Hedström, care între timp au devenit cuplu. Deşi copleşită de canicula verii, pe care o suportă greu, fiind însărcinată în luna a opta, Erica nu ezită să se implice în iţele complicate ale acestui caz, aducând în sprijinul anchetei conduse de Patrick o importantă documentaţie.
«Seria Fjällbacka» este publicată în peste 30 de ţări şi rivalizează în vânzări cu Trilogia MILLENNIUM a lui Stieg Larsson
«O povestitoare fascinantă care ne ţine mereu cu sufletul la gură.» --Independent
«Fiori de plăcere, dar şi de spaimă.» --Sun
«Läckberg e expertă în a mixa scenele de tihnă domestică şi pe cele de groază... un element-cheie pentru cei dependenţi de senzaţii tari.» -- Guardian
480 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 2004
1163 people are currently reading
13931 people want to read
About the author
Camilla Läckberg
114 books10.1k followersBefore she became one of Sweden’s most popular crime writers, Camilla Läckberg (b. 1974) worked as a marketing director and product manager for several years. Her first two crime novels, Isprinsessan (The Ice Princess) and Predikanten (The Preacher), received rave reviews from the Swedish press and quickly found a large readership. But her big breakthrough came when Stenhuggaren (The Stonecutter) was nominated for The Crime Novel of the Year award in 2005, and also when Olycksfågeln (The Stranger) and Tyskungen (The Hidden Child) were made lead titles in Bonnier’s Book Club.
Camilla’s books have gained even more popularity after being adapted into a TV-series, produced by SVT (Swedish Television).
In April 2017 her tenth book in the Fjällbacka-series, Häxan, was released – claimed to be her best novel so far! In 2019 Camilla received a diamond book for Häxan, since it has sold in over 300 000 copies in Sweden!
And in the spring of 2019 heralds the global launch of The Golden Cage, the first of two dark and suspenseful novels by Camilla Läckberg. After ten internationally bestselling novels and over 26 million copies sold, Läckberg’s next adventure will be a psychological suspense duology.
The Golden Cage was the most sold book in Sweden 2019.
Camilla’s books have gained even more popularity after being adapted into a TV-series, produced by SVT (Swedish Television).
In April 2017 her tenth book in the Fjällbacka-series, Häxan, was released – claimed to be her best novel so far! In 2019 Camilla received a diamond book for Häxan, since it has sold in over 300 000 copies in Sweden!
And in the spring of 2019 heralds the global launch of The Golden Cage, the first of two dark and suspenseful novels by Camilla Läckberg. After ten internationally bestselling novels and over 26 million copies sold, Läckberg’s next adventure will be a psychological suspense duology.
The Golden Cage was the most sold book in Sweden 2019.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,591 reviews
January 28, 2018
A great detective story from the Queen of Nordic noir, translated from Swedish. The author has also been called Sweden’s Agatha Christie. The book is free-standing but it’s #2 in her 10-volume series featuring detective Patrick Hedstrom.
The focus is on a crazy feuding family, descendants of a now-deceased charismatic preacher who passed his “healing ability” on to his two sons. The members of the family range from a wealthy accountant living on a big estate to “trailer trash” – a morbidly obese woman with two 30-ish sons who live at home and live by robbing empty vacation cottages. She spends all her time rearranging photo albums from the days when she was a beauty queen. The blurbs call them a “feuding clan of misfits, religious fanatics and criminals.” OK, that fits.
The immediate mystery is that the body of a young missing woman is found in a gorge in a scenic tourist area dumped off a cliff. Beneath that body are two skeletons of young women missing from twenty-four years ago. The new body has been tortured and killed in the same gruesome manner as the old bodies. A fourth woman has just gone missing.
The plot proceeds with a lot of focus on the personal lives of the detectives as well as on the family members suspected in the recent disappearances just as they were suspected twenty years ago. (It helped me at first to make a genealogy chart to keep track of all the family connections.)
The lead detective has a lot going on at home with his wife pregnant with their first child. The female detective on the team is subject to disrespect by some of the older men. We have a burned-out, lazy, know-it-all detective as well as an alcoholic.
We are spared graphic details of the victims’ sexual abuse and torture but are given short entries of the women’s thoughts almost as if they had kept diaries. We are treated to a tightly-knit, plausible and complex plot. When an exhumation of a grave is ordered for DNA testing, we get three surprises fed to us one at a time as various results come in.
We also get local color of Sweden in and around Fjallbacka, a small coastal tourist resort on Sweden’s western coast. This is the actual town where the author grew up. All in all, a good and enjoyable detective read.
photos of Fjallbacka: top from kevinandamanda.com; bottom from AFAR.com
photo of the author from book jacket and from carinteriordesigns.net
The focus is on a crazy feuding family, descendants of a now-deceased charismatic preacher who passed his “healing ability” on to his two sons. The members of the family range from a wealthy accountant living on a big estate to “trailer trash” – a morbidly obese woman with two 30-ish sons who live at home and live by robbing empty vacation cottages. She spends all her time rearranging photo albums from the days when she was a beauty queen. The blurbs call them a “feuding clan of misfits, religious fanatics and criminals.” OK, that fits.
The immediate mystery is that the body of a young missing woman is found in a gorge in a scenic tourist area dumped off a cliff. Beneath that body are two skeletons of young women missing from twenty-four years ago. The new body has been tortured and killed in the same gruesome manner as the old bodies. A fourth woman has just gone missing.
The plot proceeds with a lot of focus on the personal lives of the detectives as well as on the family members suspected in the recent disappearances just as they were suspected twenty years ago. (It helped me at first to make a genealogy chart to keep track of all the family connections.)
The lead detective has a lot going on at home with his wife pregnant with their first child. The female detective on the team is subject to disrespect by some of the older men. We have a burned-out, lazy, know-it-all detective as well as an alcoholic.
We are spared graphic details of the victims’ sexual abuse and torture but are given short entries of the women’s thoughts almost as if they had kept diaries. We are treated to a tightly-knit, plausible and complex plot. When an exhumation of a grave is ordered for DNA testing, we get three surprises fed to us one at a time as various results come in.
We also get local color of Sweden in and around Fjallbacka, a small coastal tourist resort on Sweden’s western coast. This is the actual town where the author grew up. All in all, a good and enjoyable detective read.
photos of Fjallbacka: top from kevinandamanda.com; bottom from AFAR.com
photo of the author from book jacket and from carinteriordesigns.net
June 2, 2024
A young woman's corpse is found alongside the corpses of two young women killed two decades ago; the mall town's police are on the case led by Patrik Hedstrom, who has his hands full when another young woman goes missing. A local clan of feuding religious misfits whom one of, was the primary suspect of the original killing before he committed suicide, become the main focus of the case. Can the police find the killer and rescue the missing woman? This was my first Lackberg read, and above everything I was surprised that such a bet-selling read lacked the noir-ish-ness of other bestselling Scandi-writers. The characterisations of the police and Patrik's pregnant wife made up for the lack of noir as did the portrayal of the feuding family. Overall not as good as your average Nordic Noir but good enough for me to want to read another book in this series. A 7 out of 12, Three Star from me.
2024 read
2024 read
April 27, 2016
This is the second book in this series by Swedish author Camilla Läckberg. She seems to be one of those love her or hate her authors as her ratings veer between one and five stars at random! Nevertheless I enjoyed this offering as much as the first book The Ice Princess. Our main characters, Patrik and Erica, are back and this time it is Patrik's turn to take centre stage as Erica sits at home heavily pregnant during a heat wave. I felt for her! The story was excellent although I got a little lost at times regarding who was who and what their relationships were. There were a lot of characters and they were all related! The book also jumped around a lot from one person's perspective to another and occasionally I was forced to read back and work things out. This was a small price to pay though for a really entertaining story and a satisfactory conclusion to the mystery.
August 30, 2022
I really liked this second book in the Patrik & Erica series! Can't wait to read part 3!
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2022...
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2022...
June 29, 2012
The bottom line: the novel's premise is interesting, but I did not enjoy the book because of the sloppy writing (a translation problem?), the unsympathetic characters, and the shame-on-you dirty writers' tricks Lackberg uses to keep readers from seeing or knowing what the characters see and know.
I wrote a much longer version of this review for my blog, but the gist remains the same. While the plot was interesting (I did read all the way through to the end), it wasn't enough to overcome how annoyed I was by the rest of the book.
The writing itself relies heavily on helping verbs, adverbs, and adjectives....so much so that I had to grit my teeth to finish the book. I'm not sure if these words just flow better in Swedish, or if perhaps the translator didn't lavish proper attention on this book. (The same translator also handled Stieg Larsson's books, and I don't remember having this problem with those books.) Whatever the outcome, the writing itself had me wanting to toss the book across the room.
I also had a hard time sympathizing with any of the characters. I expected this to be the case with the suspects, but most of the police officers and supporting characters are equally lacking in self-awareness. Even the main characters are both pretty clueless, if well-intentioned. Any bits of insight delivered came from the narrator, not the characters.
Lackberg also used a few dirty tricks to prolong the suspense. Characters frequently open letters or receive phone calls that change everything--and they tell us that it changes everything--but the reader doesn't get to see the letters or hear the person on the other end of the phone delivering the bombshell. This seems unfair--if the suspense requires elements of the plot to be hidden, keep them hidden from the characters, too. If the characters find out who's to blame, why not let the reader know, too? Unless, of course, it's to be sure he or she turns another 75 pages.
I wrote a much longer version of this review for my blog, but the gist remains the same. While the plot was interesting (I did read all the way through to the end), it wasn't enough to overcome how annoyed I was by the rest of the book.
The writing itself relies heavily on helping verbs, adverbs, and adjectives....so much so that I had to grit my teeth to finish the book. I'm not sure if these words just flow better in Swedish, or if perhaps the translator didn't lavish proper attention on this book. (The same translator also handled Stieg Larsson's books, and I don't remember having this problem with those books.) Whatever the outcome, the writing itself had me wanting to toss the book across the room.
I also had a hard time sympathizing with any of the characters. I expected this to be the case with the suspects, but most of the police officers and supporting characters are equally lacking in self-awareness. Even the main characters are both pretty clueless, if well-intentioned. Any bits of insight delivered came from the narrator, not the characters.
Lackberg also used a few dirty tricks to prolong the suspense. Characters frequently open letters or receive phone calls that change everything--and they tell us that it changes everything--but the reader doesn't get to see the letters or hear the person on the other end of the phone delivering the bombshell. This seems unfair--if the suspense requires elements of the plot to be hidden, keep them hidden from the characters, too. If the characters find out who's to blame, why not let the reader know, too? Unless, of course, it's to be sure he or she turns another 75 pages.
February 24, 2021
طفل يعثر على جثة امرأة داخل كهف ممدة فوق هيكلان عظميان آدميين، يتضح لاحقًا بعد تشريح الهيكلان أنهم فتيات قتلتا قبل 23 عامًا. ولم يُعرف حينها من الجاني!. بالرجوع للماضي تبينت السجلات أن ابن الواعظ فراييم هولت، غابرييل بلغ الشرطة أنه رأى الفتاة المختفية برفقة أخيه جوهان في السيارة، بعد أن تستجوب الشرطة الأخ تفرج عنه لعدم وجود دليل يدينه. بعد فترة زمنية وجيزة يُقدم جوهان على الانتحار. فتلاحق وصمة العار أبناءه بسبب انتحاره.
لاحقًا تم الإبلاغ عن اختفاء فتاة أخرى. فكانت الشرطة في سباق مع الزمن لمعرفة الجاني لإنقاذ الفتاة المفقودة من القاتل السادي الذي لا يقتل الضحية إلا بعد كسر اليدين والساقين وأصابع اليدين لمدة أسبوع قبل مقتلها خنقا. الجريمة حيّرت الشرطة فالفتاة التي تمّ العثور عليها مقتولة داخل الكهف قُتلت بنفس الطريقة التي قُتلت بها الضحيتان قبل 23 عامًا. المشتبه به انتحر، فمن القاتل؟ وأين كانت الجثتان القديمتان مختفيتان طوال السنين؟ تنحصر الشواهد والأدلة الشرعية حول عائلة واحدة، عائلة فراييم هولت، ومنها تبدأ أسرار العائلة بالظهور للعلن.
تناقش الرواية وضع الأسرار العائلية الكذب وانعدام الضمير، الخيانة الزوجية والبرود العاطفي ومدى تفاقم الوضع بين العائلة الواحدة لحد الانقسام والقطيعة بينهم البين. الخداع الذي يمارسه تجّار الدين والوعظ على الآخرين. من أجل المال والعظمة والطموح للبروز في المجتمع ولو على حساب مشاعر الأبناء والأسرة.
رواية أدبية بوليسية تسلط الضوء على مدى تأثير الخداع والكذب على نفسية الأطفال. فكل مجرم لا بد وأن يكون قد مرّ بطفولة مضطربة شكّلت شخصيته وأثّرت على نفسيته وذهنه.
اقتباسات من الرواية
“كان تدبير أمر الوجع الملموس أسهل من الرعب في انتظار المجهول”.
“الموتى لا يَقتلون”.
“المال والذوق الرفيع لا يلتقيان بالضرورة”.
“ليس هناك ما هو افضع من الوحدة بين الأزواج”.
“كيف يمكن تبرير أشدّ الأفعال شرًا بحجة أننا حصلنا على إذن من الرَّب؟ لكن ربما ليس هناك داعٍ للاستغراب. على مرّ القرون، تم قتل الناس بالملايين باسم الرّب. هذه القدرة كان فيها شيء جذاب يُسْكِر الإنسان ويُضِلٌّه”.
كاميلا لاكبيرغ.
لاحقًا تم الإبلاغ عن اختفاء فتاة أخرى. فكانت الشرطة في سباق مع الزمن لمعرفة الجاني لإنقاذ الفتاة المفقودة من القاتل السادي الذي لا يقتل الضحية إلا بعد كسر اليدين والساقين وأصابع اليدين لمدة أسبوع قبل مقتلها خنقا. الجريمة حيّرت الشرطة فالفتاة التي تمّ العثور عليها مقتولة داخل الكهف قُتلت بنفس الطريقة التي قُتلت بها الضحيتان قبل 23 عامًا. المشتبه به انتحر، فمن القاتل؟ وأين كانت الجثتان القديمتان مختفيتان طوال السنين؟ تنحصر الشواهد والأدلة الشرعية حول عائلة واحدة، عائلة فراييم هولت، ومنها تبدأ أسرار العائلة بالظهور للعلن.
تناقش الرواية وضع الأسرار العائلية الكذب وانعدام الضمير، الخيانة الزوجية والبرود العاطفي ومدى تفاقم الوضع بين العائلة الواحدة لحد الانقسام والقطيعة بينهم البين. الخداع الذي يمارسه تجّار الدين والوعظ على الآخرين. من أجل المال والعظمة والطموح للبروز في المجتمع ولو على حساب مشاعر الأبناء والأسرة.
رواية أدبية بوليسية تسلط الضوء على مدى تأثير الخداع والكذب على نفسية الأطفال. فكل مجرم لا بد وأن يكون قد مرّ بطفولة مضطربة شكّلت شخصيته وأثّرت على نفسيته وذهنه.
اقتباسات من الرواية
“كان تدبير أمر الوجع الملموس أسهل من الرعب في انتظار المجهول”.
“الموتى لا يَقتلون”.
“المال والذوق الرفيع لا يلتقيان بالضرورة”.
“ليس هناك ما هو افضع من الوحدة بين الأزواج”.
“كيف يمكن تبرير أشدّ الأفعال شرًا بحجة أننا حصلنا على إذن من الرَّب؟ لكن ربما ليس هناك داعٍ للاستغراب. على مرّ القرون، تم قتل الناس بالملايين باسم الرّب. هذه القدرة كان فيها شيء جذاب يُسْكِر الإنسان ويُضِلٌّه”.
كاميلا لاكبيرغ.
November 7, 2017
Άμα εξαιρέσω το άσχετο και κακό εξώφυλλο -ναι, πείτε με επιφανειακό άτομο αλλά δίνω σημασία στα εξώφυλλα- το οποίο δείχνει ένα παιδάκι, φτυστό η Βjork σύμφωνα με έναν φίλο μου, (μα που κολλάει αυτό το παιδάκι;) το περιεχόμενο το βρήκα πολύ πολύ καλό. Ωραίοι ήρωες, υπέροχη ατμόσφαιρα με αρκετό μυστήριο και κάποιες ευχάριστες πινελιές με χιούμορ, απο τους κεντρικούς ήρωες. Σαφώς καλύτερο απο την Παγωμένη Πριγκίπισσα και κατώτερο απο την Μάγισσα (θα μου πείτε που πήγα τώρα εφόσον την Μάγισσα την έγραψε 10 χρόνια μετά;).
June 1, 2018
I so want to be able to give half star ratings. I would give The Preacher a 4.5, for I enjoyed it very much. I reserve 5 stars for my most favorite, fabulous, couldn't put it down books. This one was close but not quite five. :)
October 26, 2015
This is the first book I read from this author and gave me the best impressions!!!
I will definately read more books of Mrs Lackberg!!
I will definately read more books of Mrs Lackberg!!
October 25, 2024
Pues a mí esta historia sí que me gustó, aunque el que las cosas se resuelvan por fanatismos o locuras suele exasperarme, ya que me parece un recurso facilón para salir del atolladero (la locura en ficción, es una especie de todo vale o carta comodín que a menudo se usa porque encaja en cualquier parte y, al menos en cierta ficción, explica cualquier situación). Lo mismo sucede con el fanatismo: si tienes un enredo argumental del que no sabes cómo salir, ponle un loco o un fanático y ¡voilà!. Resuelto. El asunto no necesita ser lógico, porque lo hizo un loco. Así no hay callejón sin salida por muy malamente que el autor lo enredara todo.
Pero bueno, aquí más bien se trata de un convencimiento erróneo y a la larga fatal, lo del fanatismo y la locura que sacan al final, lo explica peor que el convencimiento erróneo que ya estaba sobre la mesa y en realidad no eran necesarios.
A mí esos detalles del día a día que tanto veo que cargan por ahí, son los que más me gustan y casi pesa más en mi placer ese costumbrismo que el caso, y dentro del caso, las rencillas familiares y odios viejos escociendo a unos y otros y que están muy bien retratados, me interesaron más que los asesinatos. Sé que a algunos, que se parara en esos detalles se les hizo pesado pero a mí fue lo que más me gustó. Lo he disfrutado, la verdad. Ese detallismo es lo que hace que esta autora me guste (al menos en sus inicios) y sus personajes me parecen muy bien retratados y dan ganas de seguir conociéndolos. GL Bis (Negro Bis: Fjällbacka)
Pero bueno, aquí más bien se trata de un convencimiento erróneo y a la larga fatal, lo del fanatismo y la locura que sacan al final, lo explica peor que el convencimiento erróneo que ya estaba sobre la mesa y en realidad no eran necesarios.
A mí esos detalles del día a día que tanto veo que cargan por ahí, son los que más me gustan y casi pesa más en mi placer ese costumbrismo que el caso, y dentro del caso, las rencillas familiares y odios viejos escociendo a unos y otros y que están muy bien retratados, me interesaron más que los asesinatos. Sé que a algunos, que se parara en esos detalles se les hizo pesado pero a mí fue lo que más me gustó. Lo he disfrutado, la verdad. Ese detallismo es lo que hace que esta autora me guste (al menos en sus inicios) y sus personajes me parecen muy bien retratados y dan ganas de seguir conociéndolos. GL Bis (Negro Bis: Fjällbacka)
February 28, 2020
Μου αρέσουν οι ιστορίες της Lackberg. Εντοπίζω αρκετά αδύναμα σημεία στη γραφή της και έχει συγκεκριμένα μοτίβα που χρησιμοποιεί και στα τρία βιβλία της που έχω διαβάσει (μένει να δούμε και τα υπόλοιπα), το οποίο δίνει έναν τόνο επανάληψης στις υποθέσεις, αλλά σε γενικές γραμμές τα βιβλία της είναι αρκετά προσεγμένα. Ο "Ιεροκήρυκας" είναι και αυτός μια ωραία ιστορία που κρατάει τον αναγνώστη, χωρίς να είναι κάτι εξαιρετικό.
Με τόσους καφέδες πάντως που πίνουν στη Φιελμπακα, δεν είναι να απορεί κανείς με το rate των δολοφονιών στο ψαροχώρι.
Με τόσους καφέδες πάντως που πίνουν στη Φιελμπακα, δεν είναι να απορεί κανείς με το rate των δολοφονιών στο ψαροχώρι.
March 30, 2019
This is the second book in this series and I enjoyed it just as much as the first.
The story centres on Patrik more this time as Ericka is in the last stages of her pregnancy.
The mystery revolves around a dead body which causes police to revisit the disappearance of two girls some twenty years earlier. As the investigation proceeds it appears that a particular family are about to have a lot of skeletons emerge that they would rather keep hidden.
A well told story, I am looking forward to the third book.
The story centres on Patrik more this time as Ericka is in the last stages of her pregnancy.
The mystery revolves around a dead body which causes police to revisit the disappearance of two girls some twenty years earlier. As the investigation proceeds it appears that a particular family are about to have a lot of skeletons emerge that they would rather keep hidden.
A well told story, I am looking forward to the third book.
December 5, 2013
The Preacher starts with a six-year-old boy finds the body of a woman. Underneath it there are two skeletons, presumingly belonging to two young women who disappeared twenty years before. Evil has returned to Fjällbacka (maybe it has never left) and Detective Patrik Hedström leads the investigation to find out who the perpetrator is. Everything seems to point out to the Hults, family of religious fanatics and criminals, with an ongoing feud. Then, another girl goes missing, and Patrik finds it imperative that whoever is responsible for all these crimes is found and brought to justice. Especially because his girlfriend, Erica, is pregnant with their baby.
I must say I liked this book better than The Ice Princess. Mostly because I felt that The Preacher was more focused on the aspects concerning the crimes. There were some bits with Erica, of course, and they could be annoying. Especially since she had a great difficulty in saying 'no' to unexpected and unwanted guests. Erica is eight months pregnant, is suffering with heat and weight, but still has trouble kicking unpleasant guests out of her own house. Or keeping from inviting them in. But despite this "doormaty" aspect of Erica's personality, she wasn't as annoying as in The Ice Princess. Anna, Erica's young sister, also features, and we get to know that she still hasn't learned how to choose a good man for her and her kids. And from the last we read about Anna, I can only predicted things will become worse.
So, basically this book isn't as eye-rolling as the previous one, and we can focus more on what is important: the big mystery concerning a dead girl and two female skeletons. And, trust me, more secrets from a really weird and disturbed family are about to resurface.
I also liked more the fact that there was religious fanatism envolved, because it seemed to increase the darkness already left by the fact that some girls had been murdered. In fact, this book reminded me of 'Criminal Minds', a series which has left me disturbed quite often, but which I really love and will keep on watching. The fact that envolved a feuding family, with secrets and a heavy connection to a religious group, made everything even more interesting.
And I would be very keen to give The Preacher 4 stars straightway, without much thought, if it weren't for the things that annoyed me most while reading.
The hangcliffers within chapters continue, and this is most annoying. I mean, if Patrik is talking with someone over the phone and that someone tells him something really important, we, as readers, do want to know what is being told. We don't want to know that Patrik never imagined it, nor do we want to wait until that phone conversation comes up some pages further into the story. Once or twice is fine; doing this all the time before moving to the next action concerning other characters feels like abuse. And it is a test to our reading and concentration abilities. Because after the cliffhanger, the reading goes on, there is something happening with someone else and we cannot be thinking about what was about to happen before that damned cliffhanger. Only to understand that yet another cliffhanger may be coming in our direction. Each chapter is full of these, so it seems that the story is a made of a lot of loose ends and we can only we hope they all tie up neatly in the end. A bit frustrating, this.
I also wish we didn't have so many bits with Erica. All those guests showed up and Erica being such a doormat didn't add up anything to the developmant of the plot and should have been left out. We already now she's pregnant. We already know the action takes places in summertime and Erica is sweating constantly and tires easily. We really don't need a reinforcement of those details in the form of unwanted guests. Unless Camilla Lackberg wanted us to know that Erica, for all her willfulness, is incapable of saying 'no' when the situation demands it? Also, the descriptions of Erica and Patrick seemed just like a filler. I can't really say I'm interested in them.
Then there was some predictability in the story. I was able to say who was the murderer () and I found some connections pretty obvious (). Even though there was some attempts of dirt-throwing into the readers' eyes, some stuff was kind of obvious.
Anna's problems was also something that disappointed me. I was expecting her to have moved on for good, that the realization that her husband was a beast had taught her something. But no, here is Anna once more being a doormat, a spineless being who can't find it in her to (re)act when she sees danger ahead. She's depicted as a woman who can only attract (or is attracted to) hideous men who don't respect her, or her children. Is it really necessary to have such a weak character? I cannot help but wonder for how many books this will go on with Anna.
Mellberg, the once-disgusting and bad-tempered boss, is behaving oddly in the beginning of the book and everyone is suspicious of his good-humour. Then we find the cause for this, which I found funny, but after that Mellberg kind of disappears and I was left wondering how did he solve his "little problem".
I also didn't like the end that much. Even though it allows the reader to understand some events of the past, at the same time it felt weird and I can't say it was the perfect ending.
With all of this said, I'm giving 3.5 stars (rounded up to four). It is a good story, but there are too many little things I desliked. I'm hoping the next book, The Stonecutter, which I'm going to read next, will be even better.
I must say I liked this book better than The Ice Princess. Mostly because I felt that The Preacher was more focused on the aspects concerning the crimes. There were some bits with Erica, of course, and they could be annoying. Especially since she had a great difficulty in saying 'no' to unexpected and unwanted guests. Erica is eight months pregnant, is suffering with heat and weight, but still has trouble kicking unpleasant guests out of her own house. Or keeping from inviting them in. But despite this "doormaty" aspect of Erica's personality, she wasn't as annoying as in The Ice Princess. Anna, Erica's young sister, also features, and we get to know that she still hasn't learned how to choose a good man for her and her kids. And from the last we read about Anna, I can only predicted things will become worse.
So, basically this book isn't as eye-rolling as the previous one, and we can focus more on what is important: the big mystery concerning a dead girl and two female skeletons. And, trust me, more secrets from a really weird and disturbed family are about to resurface.
I also liked more the fact that there was religious fanatism envolved, because it seemed to increase the darkness already left by the fact that some girls had been murdered. In fact, this book reminded me of 'Criminal Minds', a series which has left me disturbed quite often, but which I really love and will keep on watching. The fact that envolved a feuding family, with secrets and a heavy connection to a religious group, made everything even more interesting.
And I would be very keen to give The Preacher 4 stars straightway, without much thought, if it weren't for the things that annoyed me most while reading.
The hangcliffers within chapters continue, and this is most annoying. I mean, if Patrik is talking with someone over the phone and that someone tells him something really important, we, as readers, do want to know what is being told. We don't want to know that Patrik never imagined it, nor do we want to wait until that phone conversation comes up some pages further into the story. Once or twice is fine; doing this all the time before moving to the next action concerning other characters feels like abuse. And it is a test to our reading and concentration abilities. Because after the cliffhanger, the reading goes on, there is something happening with someone else and we cannot be thinking about what was about to happen before that damned cliffhanger. Only to understand that yet another cliffhanger may be coming in our direction. Each chapter is full of these, so it seems that the story is a made of a lot of loose ends and we can only we hope they all tie up neatly in the end. A bit frustrating, this.
I also wish we didn't have so many bits with Erica. All those guests showed up and Erica being such a doormat didn't add up anything to the developmant of the plot and should have been left out. We already now she's pregnant. We already know the action takes places in summertime and Erica is sweating constantly and tires easily. We really don't need a reinforcement of those details in the form of unwanted guests. Unless Camilla Lackberg wanted us to know that Erica, for all her willfulness, is incapable of saying 'no' when the situation demands it? Also, the descriptions of Erica and Patrick seemed just like a filler. I can't really say I'm interested in them.
Then there was some predictability in the story. I was able to say who was the murderer () and I found some connections pretty obvious (). Even though there was some attempts of dirt-throwing into the readers' eyes, some stuff was kind of obvious.
Anna's problems was also something that disappointed me. I was expecting her to have moved on for good, that the realization that her husband was a beast had taught her something. But no, here is Anna once more being a doormat, a spineless being who can't find it in her to (re)act when she sees danger ahead. She's depicted as a woman who can only attract (or is attracted to) hideous men who don't respect her, or her children. Is it really necessary to have such a weak character? I cannot help but wonder for how many books this will go on with Anna.
Mellberg, the once-disgusting and bad-tempered boss, is behaving oddly in the beginning of the book and everyone is suspicious of his good-humour. Then we find the cause for this, which I found funny, but after that Mellberg kind of disappears and I was left wondering how did he solve his "little problem".
I also didn't like the end that much. Even though it allows the reader to understand some events of the past, at the same time it felt weird and I can't say it was the perfect ending.
With all of this said, I'm giving 3.5 stars (rounded up to four). It is a good story, but there are too many little things I desliked. I'm hoping the next book, The Stonecutter, which I'm going to read next, will be even better.
November 12, 2023
Despite its proclivities towards slightly excessive domesticity for almost every character we meet, there’s a good crime set up here. Who can really complain about well rounded characters? Just after the middle I was thinking I might have found my favourite Scandinavian crime writer. But then it slowed down and the plot beats felt laboured, making it limp towards the conclusion. I might read another in this series but I’m in no great rush. 3.5/5
November 5, 2017
حبكة هايلة و أسلوب عظيم, و تنظيم و تنسيق و اخراج الكتاب زي الزفت.
الحقيقة مافرقش حاجة عن الكتب المضروبة رغم انه سعره فوق الـ ٢٠٠ جنية.
الحقيقة مافرقش حاجة عن الكتب المضروبة رغم انه سعره فوق الـ ٢٠٠ جنية.
August 5, 2017
Erica and Patrik are expecting their first child when a body is found on top of two skeletons that could be the bones after two women that disappeared twenty years ago. Could it be that the same killer is starting again?
I love cold cases and this book was just as the first book thrilling to listening to. Besides the present story do we also get flashbacks back to when the first two women were taken. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered, like who is behind the new killing? Is it the same person that killed and hid the first two women? But, the main suspect is dead so it can't be him. So was it someone else back then?
The Preacher is a great book. The family Hult is heavily involved in this book. And the Preacher is the nickname of the man that came to Fjällbacka after a woman bequeaths her house to him. It is said that his sons could perform miracles when they were young. But, nowadays all the living relatives seem to be feuding. But, it was also, Johannes Hult, one of the preachers sons that was accused of kidnapping one of the women twenty years ago...
Just as the Ice Princess is this book great, and I love besides the crime to get to know the characters more, and follow them through their lives.
I love cold cases and this book was just as the first book thrilling to listening to. Besides the present story do we also get flashbacks back to when the first two women were taken. There are a lot of questions that need to be answered, like who is behind the new killing? Is it the same person that killed and hid the first two women? But, the main suspect is dead so it can't be him. So was it someone else back then?
The Preacher is a great book. The family Hult is heavily involved in this book. And the Preacher is the nickname of the man that came to Fjällbacka after a woman bequeaths her house to him. It is said that his sons could perform miracles when they were young. But, nowadays all the living relatives seem to be feuding. But, it was also, Johannes Hult, one of the preachers sons that was accused of kidnapping one of the women twenty years ago...
Just as the Ice Princess is this book great, and I love besides the crime to get to know the characters more, and follow them through their lives.
June 26, 2021
Achei muito mais interessante este segundo volume, apesar de não me ter agradado por completo. A investigação do crime é muito mais bem desenvolvido que no livro anterior. A historia envolvendo os dois irmãos Gabriel e Johannes, o dom de "cura" e as desavenças familiares. Apenas queria que tivessem desenvolvido um pouco mais as vitimas, principalmente Tanja por ter sido filha de uma das primeiras vitimas.
Aborreceu-me um pouco as intervenções de Erica, a companheira do inspector Patrik, que no anterior livro tinha sido uma personagem bastante fundamental na investigação neste livro apenas sabe queixar-se do calor, do desconforto da gravidez e das visitas inesperadas. Podia ter sido aprofundado a relação entre ela e irmã Anne. A sua personagem traz-nos uma temática muito actual nos dias de hoje, e penso estar a ser um pouco desvalorizada. Espero que nos próximos volumes Anne apareça mais na narrativa.
Em geral, " Gritos do passado" é uma boa sequência mas que não nos oferece nada novo no universo da literatura policial.
Aborreceu-me um pouco as intervenções de Erica, a companheira do inspector Patrik, que no anterior livro tinha sido uma personagem bastante fundamental na investigação neste livro apenas sabe queixar-se do calor, do desconforto da gravidez e das visitas inesperadas. Podia ter sido aprofundado a relação entre ela e irmã Anne. A sua personagem traz-nos uma temática muito actual nos dias de hoje, e penso estar a ser um pouco desvalorizada. Espero que nos próximos volumes Anne apareça mais na narrativa.
Em geral, " Gritos do passado" é uma boa sequência mas que não nos oferece nada novo no universo da literatura policial.
December 21, 2011
This is a solid Scandinavian crime novel,which weaves together scenes of domesticity and scenes of horror, in a social democratic context that manages to have its fair share of religious fanatics. I would have rated it higher, but I felt that the use of the "omniscient" narrator sometimes got in the way of the story. I prefer to have everything necessary to the final understanding of the plot emerge from the story, rather than have the omniscient narrator come up with a lot of extra, missing material right at the end of the book. This was the first of Camilla Lackberg's novels I have had the pleasure to read. I will certainly read more of them.
May 27, 2019
Depois da má estreia com A Princesa do Gelo (só me lembro da mulher morta na banheira) resolvi dar uma nova oportunidade a Camilla Läckberg, mas ainda não foi desta que me conquistou.
Gritos do Passado é superior à Princesa.
Mais uma vez a acção passa-se em Fjällbacka*, e logo nas primeiras páginas uma criança encontra um cadáver, de uma rapariga, num local chamado Fenda do Rei. A polícia além da rapariga morta encontra mais dois esqueletos, e assim começa a investigação.
As personagens são muitas, talvez mais do que na realidade a história precisava, e grande parte delas está ali só para encher chouriços!
Erica, grávida de oito meses, passa toda a história a reclamar do calor, das visitas que recebe em casa, e a parte mais interessante que seria a questão da violência doméstica sofrida por Anna, sua irmã, nem sequer foi explorada - é uma personagem totalmente dispensável.
Os colegas de profissão de Patrick e que o “ajudam” na investigação do caso são personagens estereotipadas, planas, sem estrutura, sem qualquer interesse, e sem qualquer relevância na história.
Os diversos núcleos da família Hult teriam muitos assuntos para serem desenvolvidos, principalmente as questões religiosas, só que não…
Não há personagens carismáticas.
No entanto, a leitura foi agradável. Camilla Läckberg consegue, com as artimanhas do costume, prender-nos à história e fazer-nos sempre querer saber mais e mais.
Gostei de no início de cada capítulo ouvirmos as vítimas de 1979, humanizou-as.
Fiquei curiosa sobre o que acontecerá a Anna.
Uma daquelas leituras boas para quando o cérebro está em standby.
Se vou ler o próximo? 🤔 Hummm, dei 1 ⭐️ ao primeiro, 2 ⭐️ ao segundo, quem sabe se o próximo leva 3 ⭐️ ; talvez, quem sabe!
*Fjällbacka
Fjällbacka é uma vila, a norte de Gotemburgo, onde as antigas actividades piscatórias são já quase só uma lembrança. O mar calmo diante do pequeno e sossegado lugarejo turístico é pontuado por muitas ilhas pedregosas, algumas das quais são agora habitadas apenas durante os meses de Verão.
Gritos do Passado é superior à Princesa.
Mais uma vez a acção passa-se em Fjällbacka*, e logo nas primeiras páginas uma criança encontra um cadáver, de uma rapariga, num local chamado Fenda do Rei. A polícia além da rapariga morta encontra mais dois esqueletos, e assim começa a investigação.
As personagens são muitas, talvez mais do que na realidade a história precisava, e grande parte delas está ali só para encher chouriços!
Erica, grávida de oito meses, passa toda a história a reclamar do calor, das visitas que recebe em casa, e a parte mais interessante que seria a questão da violência doméstica sofrida por Anna, sua irmã, nem sequer foi explorada - é uma personagem totalmente dispensável.
Os colegas de profissão de Patrick e que o “ajudam” na investigação do caso são personagens estereotipadas, planas, sem estrutura, sem qualquer interesse, e sem qualquer relevância na história.
Os diversos núcleos da família Hult teriam muitos assuntos para serem desenvolvidos, principalmente as questões religiosas, só que não…
Não há personagens carismáticas.
No entanto, a leitura foi agradável. Camilla Läckberg consegue, com as artimanhas do costume, prender-nos à história e fazer-nos sempre querer saber mais e mais.
Gostei de no início de cada capítulo ouvirmos as vítimas de 1979, humanizou-as.
Fiquei curiosa sobre o que acontecerá a Anna.
Uma daquelas leituras boas para quando o cérebro está em standby.
Se vou ler o próximo? 🤔 Hummm, dei 1 ⭐️ ao primeiro, 2 ⭐️ ao segundo, quem sabe se o próximo leva 3 ⭐️ ; talvez, quem sabe!
*Fjällbacka
Fjällbacka é uma vila, a norte de Gotemburgo, onde as antigas actividades piscatórias são já quase só uma lembrança. O mar calmo diante do pequeno e sossegado lugarejo turístico é pontuado por muitas ilhas pedregosas, algumas das quais são agora habitadas apenas durante os meses de Verão.
April 20, 2018
AMAZING! It had me guessing till the very last chapter.... I love Lackberg!! I love the plot the twists and turns in the story... I love Erica and Patric... Best psychological thriller I've read so far..Mystery lovers, what are you waiting for??
July 19, 2020
Καλούτσικο....παρατραβηγμένο...
October 5, 2020
Ya empezaba a sentir la añoranza de la muerte. Eso la asustaba más que ninguna otra cosa. La muerte empezaba a coquetear con ella, a susurrarle, a prometerle que ahuyentaría el dolor y la angustia.
February 7, 2019
Mình đã kết tác giả Camilla Lackberg từ khi đọc tiểu thuyết trinh thám “Công Chúa Băng” của bà (là tập đầu tiên trong series xoay quanh cặp đôi nhà điều tra Erica Falck và Patrik Hedstrom). Cuốn “Công Chúa Băng” mình đọc thấy cuốn hút thiệt luôn, tình huống dẫn tới cuộc điều tra, các ngóc ngách trong đời sống cá nhân và đời tập thể ở vùng Fjällbacka của Thụy Điển được miêu tả rất lôi cuốn, sự thật phơi bày thì vừa lạnh gáy vừa đau lòng, cái kết hợp lý, nên là khi thấy Nhã Nam xuất bản tập tiếp theo trong series này, mình phải lật đật mua ngay về đọc. Tuy nhiên, trải nghiệm của mình với “Kẻ Tẩy Não” lại không được như mong đợi…
Bối cảnh vụ án trong cuốn này phải nói là khá hấp dẫn: xác chết của một thiếu nữ không mảnh vải che thân, cơ thể có nhiều vết thương do bị hành hạ liên tục trong nhiều ngày được phát hiện ở Khe Vua, bên dưới xác chết, người ta đào được 2 bộ xương của 2 thiếu nữ khác cũng bị sát hại theo cùng cách thức, nhưng thời gian là vào 20 năm trước. Nghe là ly kỳ rồi ha, vì có thể có 2 trường hợp: có 1 kẻ thủ ác chịu trách nhiệm cho các vụ án trong quá khứ và ở hiện tại, hay là 1 kẻ là hung thủ trong quá khứ, 1 kẻ khác ở hiện tại tiếp tục gây án theo cách thức tương tự… Tuy nhiên, diễn tiến các giai đoạn điều tra các vụ án này được miêu tả khá là chậm chạp và máy móc, và chả hiểu sao mà mình có cảm giác không có mấy bất ngờ ở cuốn này.
Có thể do khi đọc tiểu thuyết trinh thám vùng bán đảo Scandinavia, các nước Bắc Âu (Scandinavian crime fiction) thì mình hy vọng bối cảnh sẽ có cái gì đó lạnh lẽo, rùng rợn, kiểu giống “Công Chúa Băng”, mùa đông tháng giá đồ đó, mà câu chuyện trong “Kẻ Tẩy Não” lại diễn ra vào mùa hè, nên mất đi một phần nét lôi cuốn vốn có của tiểu thuyết trinh thám Bắc Âu… Nhưng mà thiệt sự là mình không thích mấy cái nhịp điệu kể chuyện chầm chậm, từ từ đó của tác giả ở cuốn này. Chưa hết, mình có cảm giác công cuộc điều tra của Patrik – đáng lẽ phải là nội dung chính của tác phẩm – lại bị lu mờ trước những chi tiết có phần hài hước về đời sống riêng của bà bầu Erica, bầu bí tới tháng thứ 8 mà vẫn phải một thân một mình đối mặt với mấy người thân không tốt đẹp gì cho cam, vô cùng bất lịch sự.
Mình vốn rất thích đọc thêm về các chi tiết thuộc đời sống riêng của nhân vật là thám tử điều tra trong các cuốn tiểu thuyết trinh thám, vì theo mình, các chi tiết này có thể soi rọi thêm ánh sáng vào những góc khuất trong tâm trí của nhân vật chính, làm tăng thêm độ hấp dẫn và đóng góp sự đa dạng vào cốt truyện. Nhưng trong mọi trường hợp, công cuộc điều tra phải luôn là đối tượng chính của một cuốn tiểu thuyết trinh thám, chứ không phải mấy câu chuyện đời tư lặt vặt này… Hồi mình đọc tiểu thuyết trinh thám của một tác giả Scandinavian khác là Samuel Bjork, mình thấy bác này cũng đưa các chi tiết về đời tư, tính cách, suy nghĩ, cảm nhận của nhân vật điều tra viên vào tác phẩm, nhưng nó hoàn toàn không gây loãng mạch truyện chút nào; ngược lại, nó mang thêm độ thấu cảm và u ám cho câu chuyện vốn đã khá ghê rợn. Chứ còn cuốn này thì mình thấy tác giả giống như cố tình cho độc giả “hít drama” của các nhân vật để chuẩn bị cho đoạn sau bùng nổ hơn hay sao á… Mà mấy cái drama này đọc một lần thì thấy cũng hài hài, chứ đọc hoài thiệt mắc mệt… Thêm câu chuyện tình duyên luôn chả đâu vào đâu của Anna, em gái của Erica nữa…
Tinh hoa/phần hay nhất của cuốn này nằm ở những trang cuối và gần cuối, khi việc điều tra tiến đến giai đoạn sau cùng là tìm ra chân tướng thủ phạm. Trước phần hạ màn này thì tác giả có cố gắng cài cắm một chút red herring, để Patrik và đồng sự cùng độc giả nghĩ rằng sẽ có thể có một cú twist, hoặc một điều gì đó chưa ai nghĩ ra hay dự tính trước sẽ xuất hiện. Nhưng cuối cùng thì chân tướng hung thủ không nằm ngoài dự đoán và cảm nhận của mình, nên thành ra mình không thấy thực sự muốn lật bàn hay té ghế gì lắm :D Chỉ ấn tượng nhất là cái độ điên loạn của tên hung thủ (hay là các tên hung thủ ta? ^^ bạn đọc sẽ rõ :)))), và những tội ác ghê tởm nào mà con người có thể thực hiện nhân danh tôn giáo.
Nói chung mình đánh giá cuốn này ở tầm khá, không phải hay (thua xa “Công Chúa Băng”) nhưng cũng không phải là dở. Đọc để giải trí trong mấy ngày Tết thì chắc ổn. Mình đánh giá tầm 3/5 hoặc 6.5/10, đó là nhờ đoạn phá án thì nhịp truyện bắt đầu dồn dập lên, mình đọc một lèo tới hết luôn đó ^^ Chứ mấy đoạn trước mình nhơi nhơi vì thực sự không thấy có nhiều điều hấp dẫn, đọc từ hồi trước Tết mà giờ hết Tết tới nơi rồi mới xong :D Mà trùng hợp là gã hung thủ (hay là các gã hung thủ nhỉ? :D Again, bạn đọc sẽ rõ ^^) của cuốn này trùng tên với gã hung thủ của một cuốn trinh thám Bắc Âu khác mà mình đọc hồi cuối năm ngoái (mà mình không nói là cuốn nào đâu, nói ra là spoil hết rồi :D).
Bối cảnh vụ án trong cuốn này phải nói là khá hấp dẫn: xác chết của một thiếu nữ không mảnh vải che thân, cơ thể có nhiều vết thương do bị hành hạ liên tục trong nhiều ngày được phát hiện ở Khe Vua, bên dưới xác chết, người ta đào được 2 bộ xương của 2 thiếu nữ khác cũng bị sát hại theo cùng cách thức, nhưng thời gian là vào 20 năm trước. Nghe là ly kỳ rồi ha, vì có thể có 2 trường hợp: có 1 kẻ thủ ác chịu trách nhiệm cho các vụ án trong quá khứ và ở hiện tại, hay là 1 kẻ là hung thủ trong quá khứ, 1 kẻ khác ở hiện tại tiếp tục gây án theo cách thức tương tự… Tuy nhiên, diễn tiến các giai đoạn điều tra các vụ án này được miêu tả khá là chậm chạp và máy móc, và chả hiểu sao mà mình có cảm giác không có mấy bất ngờ ở cuốn này.
Có thể do khi đọc tiểu thuyết trinh thám vùng bán đảo Scandinavia, các nước Bắc Âu (Scandinavian crime fiction) thì mình hy vọng bối cảnh sẽ có cái gì đó lạnh lẽo, rùng rợn, kiểu giống “Công Chúa Băng”, mùa đông tháng giá đồ đó, mà câu chuyện trong “Kẻ Tẩy Não” lại diễn ra vào mùa hè, nên mất đi một phần nét lôi cuốn vốn có của tiểu thuyết trinh thám Bắc Âu… Nhưng mà thiệt sự là mình không thích mấy cái nhịp điệu kể chuyện chầm chậm, từ từ đó của tác giả ở cuốn này. Chưa hết, mình có cảm giác công cuộc điều tra của Patrik – đáng lẽ phải là nội dung chính của tác phẩm – lại bị lu mờ trước những chi tiết có phần hài hước về đời sống riêng của bà bầu Erica, bầu bí tới tháng thứ 8 mà vẫn phải một thân một mình đối mặt với mấy người thân không tốt đẹp gì cho cam, vô cùng bất lịch sự.
Mình vốn rất thích đọc thêm về các chi tiết thuộc đời sống riêng của nhân vật là thám tử điều tra trong các cuốn tiểu thuyết trinh thám, vì theo mình, các chi tiết này có thể soi rọi thêm ánh sáng vào những góc khuất trong tâm trí của nhân vật chính, làm tăng thêm độ hấp dẫn và đóng góp sự đa dạng vào cốt truyện. Nhưng trong mọi trường hợp, công cuộc điều tra phải luôn là đối tượng chính của một cuốn tiểu thuyết trinh thám, chứ không phải mấy câu chuyện đời tư lặt vặt này… Hồi mình đọc tiểu thuyết trinh thám của một tác giả Scandinavian khác là Samuel Bjork, mình thấy bác này cũng đưa các chi tiết về đời tư, tính cách, suy nghĩ, cảm nhận của nhân vật điều tra viên vào tác phẩm, nhưng nó hoàn toàn không gây loãng mạch truyện chút nào; ngược lại, nó mang thêm độ thấu cảm và u ám cho câu chuyện vốn đã khá ghê rợn. Chứ còn cuốn này thì mình thấy tác giả giống như cố tình cho độc giả “hít drama” của các nhân vật để chuẩn bị cho đoạn sau bùng nổ hơn hay sao á… Mà mấy cái drama này đọc một lần thì thấy cũng hài hài, chứ đọc hoài thiệt mắc mệt… Thêm câu chuyện tình duyên luôn chả đâu vào đâu của Anna, em gái của Erica nữa…
Tinh hoa/phần hay nhất của cuốn này nằm ở những trang cuối và gần cuối, khi việc điều tra tiến đến giai đoạn sau cùng là tìm ra chân tướng thủ phạm. Trước phần hạ màn này thì tác giả có cố gắng cài cắm một chút red herring, để Patrik và đồng sự cùng độc giả nghĩ rằng sẽ có thể có một cú twist, hoặc một điều gì đó chưa ai nghĩ ra hay dự tính trước sẽ xuất hiện. Nhưng cuối cùng thì chân tướng hung thủ không nằm ngoài dự đoán và cảm nhận của mình, nên thành ra mình không thấy thực sự muốn lật bàn hay té ghế gì lắm :D Chỉ ấn tượng nhất là cái độ điên loạn của tên hung thủ (hay là các tên hung thủ ta? ^^ bạn đọc sẽ rõ :)))), và những tội ác ghê tởm nào mà con người có thể thực hiện nhân danh tôn giáo.
Nói chung mình đánh giá cuốn này ở tầm khá, không phải hay (thua xa “Công Chúa Băng”) nhưng cũng không phải là dở. Đọc để giải trí trong mấy ngày Tết thì chắc ổn. Mình đánh giá tầm 3/5 hoặc 6.5/10, đó là nhờ đoạn phá án thì nhịp truyện bắt đầu dồn dập lên, mình đọc một lèo tới hết luôn đó ^^ Chứ mấy đoạn trước mình nhơi nhơi vì thực sự không thấy có nhiều điều hấp dẫn, đọc từ hồi trước Tết mà giờ hết Tết tới nơi rồi mới xong :D Mà trùng hợp là gã hung thủ (hay là các gã hung thủ nhỉ? :D Again, bạn đọc sẽ rõ ^^) của cuốn này trùng tên với gã hung thủ của một cuốn trinh thám Bắc Âu khác mà mình đọc hồi cuối năm ngoái (mà mình không nói là cuốn nào đâu, nói ra là spoil hết rồi :D).
October 22, 2015
Το δεύτερο βιβλίο της σειράς που διαβάζω (το πρώτο δεν ήταν το πρώτο) και η εντύπωση είναι άκρως θετική. Η αφήγηση είναι καταπληκτική, ανεβάζοντας την αγωνία σε κάποιες σελίδες, ενώ σε άλλες κωμικά περιστατικά που συνέβαιναν έκαναν την κατάσταση πιο χαλαρή, περιστατικά που θα μπορούσαν να λείπουν κιόλας σύμφωνα με διάφορες κριτικές, αλλά εμένα δεν με χάλασαν (το αντίθετο μάλιστα!)
Δεν βάζω 5 αστεράκια, παρόλο που απόλαυσα την περιπέτεια, μόνο και μόνο γιατί μάντεψα το δολοφόνο και το λόγο που είχε κάνει το συγκεκριμένο έγκλημα!!! Για άλλη μια φορά μάλιστα διαβάζω βιβλίο όπου η εκκλησία και οι τρελαμένοι οπαδοί της γίνονται λίγο "ψυχοπαθείς" με τα πιστεύω τους (τι ωραία που είμαστε τελικά εμείς!!). Επίσης, οι σχέσεις ανάμεσα στα μέλη μιας οικογένειας μπορούν να γίνουν πραγματικά παρανοϊκές,
Ένα άλλο ζήτημα είναι ότι στα βιβλία που έχω διαβάσει η Ερίκα παίζει συμπληρωματικό ρόλο και ουσιαστικά δεν είναι παρά μόνο η σύντροφος του Πάτρικ, δείχνοντας περισσότερα στοιχεία για τον ίδιο. Στο παρόν βιβλίο είναι έγκυος, περιμένει από ώρα σε ώρα να γεννήσει και έχει να τα βάλει με σπαστικούς συγγενείς και φίλους που της φορτώνονται!!!
Δεν βάζω 5 αστεράκια, παρόλο που απόλαυσα την περιπέτεια, μόνο και μόνο γιατί μάντεψα το δολοφόνο και το λόγο που είχε κάνει το συγκεκριμένο έγκλημα!!! Για άλλη μια φορά μάλιστα διαβάζω βιβλίο όπου η εκκλησία και οι τρελαμένοι οπαδοί της γίνονται λίγο "ψυχοπαθείς" με τα πιστεύω τους (τι ωραία που είμαστε τελικά εμείς!!). Επίσης, οι σχέσεις ανάμεσα στα μέλη μιας οικογένειας μπορούν να γίνουν πραγματικά παρανοϊκές,
Ένα άλλο ζήτημα είναι ότι στα βιβλία που έχω διαβάσει η Ερίκα παίζει συμπληρωματικό ρόλο και ουσιαστικά δεν είναι παρά μόνο η σύντροφος του Πάτρικ, δείχνοντας περισσότερα στοιχεία για τον ίδιο. Στο παρόν βιβλίο είναι έγκυος, περιμένει από ώρα σε ώρα να γεννήσει και έχει να τα βάλει με σπαστικούς συγγενείς και φίλους που της φορτώνονται!!!
July 10, 2019
Ελαφρώς προβλέψιμο αλλά ευχάριστο ανάγνωσμα. (Σου κάνει σποιλερ από τον τίτλο ακόμη) Θα συνεχίσω διαβάζοντας και άλλα της σειράς με τη Φιελμπακα
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2016
This is a crazy good creepy dark Swedish crime series.. "The Preacher" is the second in the series and for me, it was even better in some ways than the first (which I loved - "The Ice Princess"). In this novel, the focus is mostly on Patrik, the police detective, rather than his partner, Erica, the writer. Much more focus on Erica in her first novel.
Most of the action takes place with Patrik's leading an investigation into crimes of tortured and murdered young girls - two cold cases from 20+ years ago that are linked to a current homicide and a missing girl they are trying desperately to find. This is all mixed up with the weird Hult family...any more and I'd give too much away. I can totally understand why Camilla Lackberg is the most successful author in Sweden today.
Highly recommend her work if you like literate, weird, creepy police detective novels with good characters and sometimes darkly humorous writing. I'm going to start the third one, even though I have a pile of great books I want to read. I'm totally hooked on this series!
Most of the action takes place with Patrik's leading an investigation into crimes of tortured and murdered young girls - two cold cases from 20+ years ago that are linked to a current homicide and a missing girl they are trying desperately to find. This is all mixed up with the weird Hult family...any more and I'd give too much away. I can totally understand why Camilla Lackberg is the most successful author in Sweden today.
Highly recommend her work if you like literate, weird, creepy police detective novels with good characters and sometimes darkly humorous writing. I'm going to start the third one, even though I have a pile of great books I want to read. I'm totally hooked on this series!
January 21, 2020
Polisiye seriler içinde en ılımlı karakter Patrick Hedström olabilir. Onun bu kadar iyi huylu olması beni çok şaşırtıyor. Bir Harry Hole değil tabi. Sadece işine bakıyor ve elinden gelenin en iyisini yapıyor. Erika’ya aşık ve onun için her şeyi yapabilir. Tatlı.
Şehrinde yeni bir ceset bulunduğunda Patrick doğum izni için evdedir. Erika ile doğacak bebekleri için hazırlık yapmaktadırlar. Bu cesedin altında bulunan iki eski cesede ait kemikler olayı karıştırır. İşe geri dönmek zorunda kalan Patrick soruşturmanın başına geçer ve koşturma başlar.
Kitabın sonunda olanlar ve sonuç kısmı çok şaşırtıcı değil. Bir şekilde tahmin edebileceğiniz bir son. Sadece sebepler çok kafama yatmadı. Lackberg cidden iyi polisiye yazıyor. Beğeneceksiniz.
Şehrinde yeni bir ceset bulunduğunda Patrick doğum izni için evdedir. Erika ile doğacak bebekleri için hazırlık yapmaktadırlar. Bu cesedin altında bulunan iki eski cesede ait kemikler olayı karıştırır. İşe geri dönmek zorunda kalan Patrick soruşturmanın başına geçer ve koşturma başlar.
Kitabın sonunda olanlar ve sonuç kısmı çok şaşırtıcı değil. Bir şekilde tahmin edebileceğiniz bir son. Sadece sebepler çok kafama yatmadı. Lackberg cidden iyi polisiye yazıyor. Beğeneceksiniz.
June 13, 2016
After years of anticipation (on my part, at least) Camilla Lackberg's first novel, The Ice Princess was finally published in the U.S. a month ago. (It's been in English translation in the UK and Canada since 2008.) I'm happy to say that the book really delivers--it reminded me a lot of Karin Fossum's Don't Look Back with its portrayal of a claustrophobic small town rife with secret scandals and tensions. In The Ice Princess, Lackberg did a great job of imbuing each character--even minor ones--with an interesting back story and relevance in the story's greater context. And she also set up an enjoyable relationship between main character Erica Falck and her new lover, Detective Patrik Hedstrom.
Given all of this, I was eager to get my hands on the second installment in this series, The Preacher. This novel is also forthcoming in the US, but I figured it would be awhile and so bit the bullet and ordered a copy from the UK. Unfortunately, I have to admit, that I was more than a little disappointed by this novel. Not really in terms of Lackberg's writing--she's still very good at balancing a murder investigation with a domestic subplot (here, Erica's pregnant with Patrik's baby, she's still having trouble with her sister, etc.) However, this doesn't pay off as much because of some rather notable shortcomings, which are as follows:
That about does it for the major problems. I like Lackberg's characters, though, and I honestly like the way she handles their development, back story, etc. quite a lot. And I definitely would read another of her novels (there's one more in English translation, and she's gotten a big book deal to release all her books in the US)--but I might not be in such a rush to order the next installment this time.
Given all of this, I was eager to get my hands on the second installment in this series, The Preacher. This novel is also forthcoming in the US, but I figured it would be awhile and so bit the bullet and ordered a copy from the UK. Unfortunately, I have to admit, that I was more than a little disappointed by this novel. Not really in terms of Lackberg's writing--she's still very good at balancing a murder investigation with a domestic subplot (here, Erica's pregnant with Patrik's baby, she's still having trouble with her sister, etc.) However, this doesn't pay off as much because of some rather notable shortcomings, which are as follows:
1. The murder plot here is much, much more grim. Now don't get me wrong--a faked suicide in the previous book is pretty grim (as were the background scenarios that lead to said murder), but this book takes it to another level. Several murders, preceded by bone breaking and other forms of slow-death torture, enacted on teenagers, over many years. Not nice stuff. It's a lot to take honestly, and if I'm going to read about those sorts of acts, they better be in the service of a pretty well developed, large-scale plot. And, also, you better have a pretty credible uber-sadist in the story, because well, there's got to be a pretty good explanation for why you decided that kind of pain needed to be inflicted on your characters.
2. This brings me to problem 2. The rationale for these murders--if not the exact murderer himself--is obvious within the first 100 pages. I'm not exaggerating. It became so overwhelmingly apparent how Lackberg was going to explain the "reason" for the above-mentioned violence/torture that I actually skipped ahead in the book to confirm that I was right. And I was. This is horribly disappointing for reasons I'm sure I don't have to explain.
3. The murderer is--and don't worry, I'm not spoiling here--presented as part of a large feuding family almost immediately. So the possibilities of who the actual killer are extremely limited from the get go. This makes the whole investigation, which is actually, admirably complicated, rather anticlimactic. Not that into this family's backstory, either.
4. Erica is actually not very present in this story at all. Which is a shame because she's likable and interesting and, because she's not on the police force, gives a murder plot a less procedural point of view. Patrik is definitely front and center here. And I like his character, too, but really--not as much. Given the fact that Erica has started writing True Crime novels, it seems to me that she could have been more involved here. And Lackberg even draws attention to the fact that she's twiddling her thumbs while she waits to have her baby. It's like she knows that there's not enough Erica in the story, but started writing it that way and can't go back. Instead, she uses the scenes with Erica to provide the comic relief--lots of horrible house guests descend on she and Patrik because it's summer and everyone loves coming to their small town over the summer. But those scenes aren't--with one macaroni-suffused exception--really all that good. So sad.
5. The novel's format is a little too reminiscent of The Ice Princess, which makes Lackberg's approach to plot development/reveal seem a little too mechanical. The investigation scenes are intercut with italicized passages in the voice of one of the victims, which is exactly what she did in her first book. In The Ice Princess this worked out rather cleverly--you actually thought the italicized passages might be narrated by the killer, until it becomes obvious that the speaker is dead as well. In The Preacher adding these passages is probably supposed to make the reader sympathize more with the victims, which is totally unnecessary, given what we're told they had to go through before they died. Of course we empathize with them. Now you're just rubbing our faces in the tragedy of it all, which we don't really need. It's overbearing.
That about does it for the major problems. I like Lackberg's characters, though, and I honestly like the way she handles their development, back story, etc. quite a lot. And I definitely would read another of her novels (there's one more in English translation, and she's gotten a big book deal to release all her books in the US)--but I might not be in such a rush to order the next installment this time.
April 17, 2019
Desta vez a Camilla Läckberg não logrou surpreender-me... totalmente...
Ia à metade do livro e já tinha desvendado os autores dos crimes...
Só que não!😂
Foi uma leitura agradável, não tão viciante quanto " A princesa de gelo" mas, ainda assim, muito boa.
Recomendo!
Ia à metade do livro e já tinha desvendado os autores dos crimes...
Só que não!😂
Foi uma leitura agradável, não tão viciante quanto " A princesa de gelo" mas, ainda assim, muito boa.
Recomendo!
January 29, 2020
Un misterio agresivamente promedio. Porque mediocre es una palabra muy fea (y en realidad no lo describe)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,591 reviews