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Lime's Photograph
Book by Leif Davidsen
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1998
10 people are currently reading
178 people want to read
About the author
Leif Davidsen
71 books66 followersEducated as a journalist, in 1977 he started working in Spain as a freelance journalist for Danmarks Radio. In 1980 he began covering Soviet news with frequent news reports to Danmarks Radio from Russia. From 1984 to 1988 he was stationed in Moscow. As a journalist he has travelled extensively around the world. When Davidsen returned to Denmark he became chief editor of Danmarks Radio's foreign news desk. From 1996 he edited a TV series called “Danish Dream” about Denmark today. In 1991 he won the Danish booksellers award De Gyldne Laurbær (The Golden Laurel) for his book Den sidste spion.[1] In 1999, he became a full-time writer.
Leif Davidsen (f. 1950) er uddannet journalist og fra 1984-1988 DR´s korrespondent i Moskva. Har rejst over det meste af verden som udenrigskorrespondent. Han debuterede som forfatter i 1984 og har udgivet en rejsebog, to novellesamlinger og elleve romaner, der er oversat til femten sprog. Leif Davidsen er en af Danmarks mest populære og læste forfattere.
Leif Davidsen (f. 1950) er uddannet journalist og fra 1984-1988 DR´s korrespondent i Moskva. Har rejst over det meste af verden som udenrigskorrespondent. Han debuterede som forfatter i 1984 og har udgivet en rejsebog, to novellesamlinger og elleve romaner, der er oversat til femten sprog. Leif Davidsen er en af Danmarks mest populære og læste forfattere.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 38 reviews
February 26, 2008
Though certainly a solid and decently 'thrilling' read, Lime's Photograph wasn't the mind-blowing reading experience I had thought it would be. Any over-inflation wasn’t by any means unprecedented: Davidsen is a relatively well-known author outside of Denmark (the 'political thriller' being--along with police procedurals and crime novels--another fairly safe bet for literary exportation) and won the Glass Key for this novel when it first came out. However, while Lime's Photograph certainly gives us some fine espionage intrigue (plot points end up involving Basque separatists, ex-IRA members, and finally, staunch KGB commies), the grief-tinged nostalgia of noir, and jet-sets us through sexy locales (even Russia in the dead of winter is glamorous when there are spies and saboteurs involved), there are a fair number of missteps here.
Davidsen’s prose is reasonably fluid, but he tends to repeat lines and details between chapters—apparently just to be sure that we absorbed his tepid observations (“What do we really know about each other at the end of the day?”) or perhaps are just keeping up with the plot points. This was likely the result of a narrative that began to write itself without much foresight (or will to revise). Too many shadowy layers of The Past Returned to Haunt You, make each of Lime’s individual memories and revelations feel a little limp. Worse is the fact that we’re fed clues so early in the book that they have to be played as red herrings until the dramatic denouement proves them to be exactly what we figured they were in the first place. Which is, at the end of the day, unquestionably anti-climactic.
But I suppose my primary quibble with Lime's Photograph is its recycling of that time-tested, western/neo-action movie motif that many audiences tend to accept without much of a pause—The Martyred Girlfriend Syndrome. In cases of MGS, the general scenario plays out as such: after years of gallivanting, adventuring, or just general ass-kicking, the male protagonist settles down with a good woman to lead a quiet, honorable life of lawn mowing and family breakfasts. This newly reformed Man’s Man finds solace and consolation in the idyllic life that he’s finally ready to lead and is putting his sordid past behind him, when he discovers that he still has debts that he must pay. Or rather, that his wife must pay. And after she’s been disposed of in some graphic, completely unjustified manner (Here, Davidsen throws in Lime’s young daughter, just for good measure) the hero can go about resuming his gallivanting, and adventuring, and ass-kicking, but this time with the added benefit of fighting for Justice and Honor and Righteous Vengeance. And in most cases, there’s a girl—not quite as sweet and pure as the first Madonna, but still rather pristine—lined up in the wings to seduce away his sadness and fill the womanly void after he’s returned all battered and bloody from his Man-Mission. Neat, right?
Davidsen’s prose is reasonably fluid, but he tends to repeat lines and details between chapters—apparently just to be sure that we absorbed his tepid observations (“What do we really know about each other at the end of the day?”) or perhaps are just keeping up with the plot points. This was likely the result of a narrative that began to write itself without much foresight (or will to revise). Too many shadowy layers of The Past Returned to Haunt You, make each of Lime’s individual memories and revelations feel a little limp. Worse is the fact that we’re fed clues so early in the book that they have to be played as red herrings until the dramatic denouement proves them to be exactly what we figured they were in the first place. Which is, at the end of the day, unquestionably anti-climactic.
But I suppose my primary quibble with Lime's Photograph is its recycling of that time-tested, western/neo-action movie motif that many audiences tend to accept without much of a pause—The Martyred Girlfriend Syndrome. In cases of MGS, the general scenario plays out as such: after years of gallivanting, adventuring, or just general ass-kicking, the male protagonist settles down with a good woman to lead a quiet, honorable life of lawn mowing and family breakfasts. This newly reformed Man’s Man finds solace and consolation in the idyllic life that he’s finally ready to lead and is putting his sordid past behind him, when he discovers that he still has debts that he must pay. Or rather, that his wife must pay. And after she’s been disposed of in some graphic, completely unjustified manner (Here, Davidsen throws in Lime’s young daughter, just for good measure) the hero can go about resuming his gallivanting, and adventuring, and ass-kicking, but this time with the added benefit of fighting for Justice and Honor and Righteous Vengeance. And in most cases, there’s a girl—not quite as sweet and pure as the first Madonna, but still rather pristine—lined up in the wings to seduce away his sadness and fill the womanly void after he’s returned all battered and bloody from his Man-Mission. Neat, right?
April 1, 2012
Leif Davidsen might not be as popular of a name as Henning Mankell or Stieg Larsson but in his native country of Denmark he is definitely one of the top crime writers: Educated as a journalist, in 1977 he started working in Spain as a freelance journalist for Danmarks Radio. In 1980 he began covering Soviet news with frequent news reports to Danmarks Radio from Russia. From 1984 to 1988 he was stationed in Moscow. When Davidsen returned to Denmark he became chief editor of Danmarks Radio's foreign news desk and in 1999, he became a full time writer. Lime's Photograph is one of his best sellers which has also been translated into English.
A Brief Summary:
Peter Lime is trained to hunt down his prey and catch them on film. But now he is the one being hunted. Whose prey has he become? And what is it that he has that these people will kill to get? Lime is a Danish paparazzo, living in Madrid. For more than 20 years he has stalked and captured the rich and famous on film, making vast sums of money from exposing their secrets – the more salacious the image, the bigger the fee.
But lately he's been thinking of giving it up. His wife and child have changed his life, and now he dreams of doing a job that his daughter can be proud of. Then he goes on a routine assignment, snapping a Spanish minister out sailing with his mistress, and suddenly his world is turned upside down. When a fire destroys his home, but not all of his photographs, Lime sets out to discover a motive and finds himself drawn into the complex and terrifying web of international terrorism.
Our Take:
Like many other authors from Scandinavia, Davidsen's novels have a strong character development focus. Peter Lime, as the name of the book implies, is the main character, a lonely photographer who has settled down in Madrid. Though he makes a living as a paparazzo, his view of life is philosophical. He has a weakness for alcohol and his good looks are becoming a thing of history as he is aging. It seems that he wants to keep his soul young and escapes from the fate that time dictates to any individual: He holds on to his thinning hair by his ponytail, wears tough-guy styles and practices Karate.
The dialogues in the book are filled with nice philosophical remarks; take this one as an example: " If you live by the media, you die by the media. Either abruptly, or that slow, painful death…When you're no longer a story, just a memory."
In a nutshell we can summarize this novel as:
A book with a compelling plot, an enigmatic lead character and elegant language.
Although the story doesn't happen in Scandinavia, we recommend this book to all fans of Scandinavian crime novels.
Our Rating: 3.5
There is more at http://www.mysterytribune.com or @mysterytribune
A Brief Summary:
Peter Lime is trained to hunt down his prey and catch them on film. But now he is the one being hunted. Whose prey has he become? And what is it that he has that these people will kill to get? Lime is a Danish paparazzo, living in Madrid. For more than 20 years he has stalked and captured the rich and famous on film, making vast sums of money from exposing their secrets – the more salacious the image, the bigger the fee.
But lately he's been thinking of giving it up. His wife and child have changed his life, and now he dreams of doing a job that his daughter can be proud of. Then he goes on a routine assignment, snapping a Spanish minister out sailing with his mistress, and suddenly his world is turned upside down. When a fire destroys his home, but not all of his photographs, Lime sets out to discover a motive and finds himself drawn into the complex and terrifying web of international terrorism.
Our Take:
Like many other authors from Scandinavia, Davidsen's novels have a strong character development focus. Peter Lime, as the name of the book implies, is the main character, a lonely photographer who has settled down in Madrid. Though he makes a living as a paparazzo, his view of life is philosophical. He has a weakness for alcohol and his good looks are becoming a thing of history as he is aging. It seems that he wants to keep his soul young and escapes from the fate that time dictates to any individual: He holds on to his thinning hair by his ponytail, wears tough-guy styles and practices Karate.
The dialogues in the book are filled with nice philosophical remarks; take this one as an example: " If you live by the media, you die by the media. Either abruptly, or that slow, painful death…When you're no longer a story, just a memory."
In a nutshell we can summarize this novel as:
A book with a compelling plot, an enigmatic lead character and elegant language.
Although the story doesn't happen in Scandinavia, we recommend this book to all fans of Scandinavian crime novels.
Our Rating: 3.5
There is more at http://www.mysterytribune.com or @mysterytribune
January 23, 2024
De vrouw op de foto - Leif Davidsen
Vertaald door Edith Koenders
Wat een verrassing was De vrouw op de foto. De schrijfstijl is soepel en houdt je vast. Het was af en toe moeilijk om het boek weg te leggen. De karakters zijn redelijk uitgewerkt, veel wordt duidelijk naarmate het verhaal vordert maar toch blijft er een onvolledig beeld hangen.
Het is in 1999 bekroond als beste Scandinavische thrillers maar hier plaats ik toch wel een vraagteken. Op de momenten dat de spanning opkomt wordt deze direct weer onderdrukt door o.a. historische feiten over Spanje net na het Franco regime of de val van de Berlijnse muur. Maar thriller of niet, ik ben blij dat ik het toch aandurfde om deze voor mij onbekende auteur op te pakken, ik heb ervan genoten.
Vertaald door Edith Koenders
Wat een verrassing was De vrouw op de foto. De schrijfstijl is soepel en houdt je vast. Het was af en toe moeilijk om het boek weg te leggen. De karakters zijn redelijk uitgewerkt, veel wordt duidelijk naarmate het verhaal vordert maar toch blijft er een onvolledig beeld hangen.
Het is in 1999 bekroond als beste Scandinavische thrillers maar hier plaats ik toch wel een vraagteken. Op de momenten dat de spanning opkomt wordt deze direct weer onderdrukt door o.a. historische feiten over Spanje net na het Franco regime of de val van de Berlijnse muur. Maar thriller of niet, ik ben blij dat ik het toch aandurfde om deze voor mij onbekende auteur op te pakken, ik heb ervan genoten.
January 14, 2019
I'd not read any of Leif Davidsen's books before, but he had been recommended. This may not have been the best place to start. While he writes well, he over-writes. There is far too much material thrown in to justify very little in terms of any insight. It drifts. And worst sin of all, it is totally predictable. There are no surprises. Everything is foreshadowed and when the most dramatic moments arrive, the shock is that they were expected. Setting the scene, creating a feeling of environment - Madrid, Cophenhagen, Moscow - is excellent. Peter Lime's character is well delineated, his wife and daughter and all other characters, thinly described tools to justify a rather thin plot.
July 14, 2023
Man oh man, what a ride this was. With a main plot that is almost disguised by subplots it is what it claims to be; a thriller. Peter Lime is a photographer stalking the errant high profilers. But suddenly there is THAT photograph, and then it all starts. Like a dodgem car the story careens all over the place moving first in this direction then suddenly in that direction. But the story is always there if you look hard enough as nothing is as obvious as it seems. You want a good thriller? this is it!
October 17, 2017
Peter Lime is a successful paparazzo living in Madrid.At the beginning of the book we see him photographing a secret tryst of a politician and his film star lover...this causes him problems but then this story seems to disappear and an old photo appears and we're off with terrorists and the old DDR...
This is an fairly ok read that drifts like so many of the genre into implausibility and absurdity...
This is an fairly ok read that drifts like so many of the genre into implausibility and absurdity...
February 25, 2020
Five out of ten.
A Danish photographer, living in Spain, snaps a government member in a private clinch with a girlfriend and knows that'll be worth a million dollars. Next thing you know he is arrested and his wife and child are dead - all just for a photo? An decent thriller that requires little thinking. Covering a massive range of subjects (from the KGB to the IRA) it's interesting even if a little slow at times.
March 4, 2018
Peter Lime ist dänischer Paparazzo, der sein Glück in Madrid gemacht hat. Dort hat er auch eine Familie gegründet und ist an einer gut laufenden Firma beteiligt. Als eines Tages ein Foto aus seiner Vergangenheit auftaucht, scheint plötzlich alles schief zu gehen.
Eine spannende Geschichte um Lug und Betrug beginnt.
Wirklich spannend, aber trotzdem eher ein durchschnittliches Buch.
Eine spannende Geschichte um Lug und Betrug beginnt.
Wirklich spannend, aber trotzdem eher ein durchschnittliches Buch.
September 25, 2018
Leif Davidsen is a splendid author, which combines Ken Follett with Graham Greene. You learn to love his persons, males as females, and yet he is more kind to them (usually) than Greene. This book is extremely wellwritten and goes from Spain to Russia and back. Wonderful!
September 30, 2018
Indrømmet: Jeg er nok ikke målgruppen for denne bog. Jeg læste faktisk kun denne bog, fordi jeg på en ferie var løbet tør for bøger, og fandt denne på byttehylden på et hostel. Jeg burde måske slet ikke anmelde bogen, da jeg som sagt føler mig fremmedgjort over for såvel genren som fortællingen.
January 30, 2021
Davidsen har en klar og selvsikker skrivestil, hvor han tager sig god tid til at sige tingene. En god historie, men tror umiddelbart tempoet er for langsomt til at jeg vil læse andet af ham lige foreløbigt.
Want to read
January 1, 2019Synopsis: Peter Lime, a Danish paparazzo living in Madrid, is on a routine assignment but suddenly he becomes the hunted.
February 4, 2019
Krimi med et ok drive og plot - som gør den rimeligt spændende og interessant. Bliver dog lidt irriteret over Leif Davidsens skrivestil - uden helt at kunne sige hvad det er ... hmmm.
April 7, 2019
Ben costruito. Anche se si riesce facilmente ad indovinare il finale, ci sta. Scritto nel '98, la storia dei personaggi e gli avvenimenti degli anni '80-'90 sono ben riprodotti.
December 10, 2019
I had a hard time getting through the first 50 pages but suddenly the action I'd been promised appeared! Great book - but with a lot of 'extra' words..
Read
January 12, 2020Check gentedegimnasio.com.es
March 3, 2021
Ágæt spennusaga.
Hafði gaman að flakkinu milli landa í henni.
Hafði gaman að flakkinu milli landa í henni.
October 3, 2022
I was really enjoying this book. Very intense.
March 12, 2024
In the beginning it’s a bit boring but it gets very exciting later on!
April 11, 2013
De vrouw op de foto is het eerste boek van Leif Davidsen, dat in het Nederlands is vertaald en in 2000 is uitgebracht. Sindsdien zijn nog vier boeken van hem in het Nederlands uitgebracht.
Peter Lime is een paparazzo, een succesvol fotograaf voor de sensatiepers. Hij heeft al veel foto ’s gemaakt van beroemde mensen en leden van het koningshuis, zoals Lady Di. Deze foto ’s kon hij heel goed verkopen. Samen met twee vrienden, Oscar en Gloria, een juriste, heeft hij een bedrijf. Inmiddels zijn ze rijk geworden met alle ‘hits’. Lime is Deens, maar woont al jaren in Madrid, waar hij getrouwd is en een dochtertje heeft. Aan de Costa Brava maakt hij een compromitterende foto van een minister. Dan gebeuren er allemaal dingen in zijn leven, die hij niet voorzien had. Hij wordt achtervolgd door zijn collega, die nu een foto van hem willen maken. Nu is Lime geen jager meer, maar een prooi. Hij belandt in de gevangenis en terwijl hij daar zit komen zijn vrouw en dochtertje om bij een brand van hun appartement. Hij denkt, dat het aan die foto van de minister ligt, maar dan schiet hem een andere foto te binnen, die een geheim agente van Denemarken, Clara Hoffmann, hem pas geleden heeft laten zien. Die had hij jaren geleden gemaakt in een commune waar hij toen zat.
Na zijn vrijlating gaat naar hun zomerhuis in San Sebastian, waar hij wordt overvallen en ook bijna het leven laat. Gelukkig zijn er een paar mensen, die hem helpen. Hij gaat zelf op onderzoek uit en ontdekt politieke intriges met de ETA, de IRA en de Stasi.In Denemarken aangekomen, helpt Clara hem met oude dossiers. Lime gaat ook naar Berlijn om daar zijn dossier van de Stasi te lezen. Daar komt hij achter het motief van de aanslag op zijn gezin. De sporen leiden tot Lime's radicale verleden en de rol, die iemand in zijn directe omgeving speelt. In Moskou komt het tot een gewelddadige ontknoping.
Leif Davidsen (Denemarken, 1950) is een Deens schrijver en studeerde in de Verenigde Staten. In de jaren tachtig en negentig werkte hij als journalist en correspondent in Moskou voor de Deense radio en tv. De vrouw op de foto werd uitgeroepen tot de beste Scandinavische thriller van 1999.
De vrouw op de foto is een spannende politieke thriller. Leif Davidsen heeft de geschiedenis er mooi doorheen geschreven. Hij maakt ook mooie beschrijvingen van het Spaanse land. Het boek voert de lezer naar Spanje in de roerige periode na de dood van Franco, de val van de Muur, de praktijken van Stasi, KGB, IRA en ETA, en het nieuwe Rusland van de jaren negentig.
Op een gegeven moment gaat Lime met Clara Hoffmann naar een café, waar ooit Hemingway nog geschreven heeft tijdens de Spaanse burgeroorlog. Het was zijn stamcafé. Zie Cervecería Alemana aan de Plaza Ana http://madrid.salir.com/cerveceria_al... Het blijkt, dat Leif Davidsen ook een boek over Hemingway heeft geschreven, vandaar. Ikzelf heb de verhalen van Michael Palin gevolgd over Hemingway, dus dat vond ik wel een interessant detail.
De vrouw op de foto vind ik een spannende politieke thriller, die je ook inzicht geeft in een aantal aspecten van de geschiedenis van Spanje. Volgens Wikipedia zijn zijn thrillers fictie, maar liggen vaak dicht tegen de politieke werkelijkheid aan: voor mij vijf sterren waard. Ik ga vast meer van deze schrijver lezen. Zijn schrijfstijl bevalt mij wel.
Peter Lime is een paparazzo, een succesvol fotograaf voor de sensatiepers. Hij heeft al veel foto ’s gemaakt van beroemde mensen en leden van het koningshuis, zoals Lady Di. Deze foto ’s kon hij heel goed verkopen. Samen met twee vrienden, Oscar en Gloria, een juriste, heeft hij een bedrijf. Inmiddels zijn ze rijk geworden met alle ‘hits’. Lime is Deens, maar woont al jaren in Madrid, waar hij getrouwd is en een dochtertje heeft. Aan de Costa Brava maakt hij een compromitterende foto van een minister. Dan gebeuren er allemaal dingen in zijn leven, die hij niet voorzien had. Hij wordt achtervolgd door zijn collega, die nu een foto van hem willen maken. Nu is Lime geen jager meer, maar een prooi. Hij belandt in de gevangenis en terwijl hij daar zit komen zijn vrouw en dochtertje om bij een brand van hun appartement. Hij denkt, dat het aan die foto van de minister ligt, maar dan schiet hem een andere foto te binnen, die een geheim agente van Denemarken, Clara Hoffmann, hem pas geleden heeft laten zien. Die had hij jaren geleden gemaakt in een commune waar hij toen zat.
Na zijn vrijlating gaat naar hun zomerhuis in San Sebastian, waar hij wordt overvallen en ook bijna het leven laat. Gelukkig zijn er een paar mensen, die hem helpen. Hij gaat zelf op onderzoek uit en ontdekt politieke intriges met de ETA, de IRA en de Stasi.In Denemarken aangekomen, helpt Clara hem met oude dossiers. Lime gaat ook naar Berlijn om daar zijn dossier van de Stasi te lezen. Daar komt hij achter het motief van de aanslag op zijn gezin. De sporen leiden tot Lime's radicale verleden en de rol, die iemand in zijn directe omgeving speelt. In Moskou komt het tot een gewelddadige ontknoping.
Leif Davidsen (Denemarken, 1950) is een Deens schrijver en studeerde in de Verenigde Staten. In de jaren tachtig en negentig werkte hij als journalist en correspondent in Moskou voor de Deense radio en tv. De vrouw op de foto werd uitgeroepen tot de beste Scandinavische thriller van 1999.
De vrouw op de foto is een spannende politieke thriller. Leif Davidsen heeft de geschiedenis er mooi doorheen geschreven. Hij maakt ook mooie beschrijvingen van het Spaanse land. Het boek voert de lezer naar Spanje in de roerige periode na de dood van Franco, de val van de Muur, de praktijken van Stasi, KGB, IRA en ETA, en het nieuwe Rusland van de jaren negentig.
Op een gegeven moment gaat Lime met Clara Hoffmann naar een café, waar ooit Hemingway nog geschreven heeft tijdens de Spaanse burgeroorlog. Het was zijn stamcafé. Zie Cervecería Alemana aan de Plaza Ana http://madrid.salir.com/cerveceria_al... Het blijkt, dat Leif Davidsen ook een boek over Hemingway heeft geschreven, vandaar. Ikzelf heb de verhalen van Michael Palin gevolgd over Hemingway, dus dat vond ik wel een interessant detail.
De vrouw op de foto vind ik een spannende politieke thriller, die je ook inzicht geeft in een aantal aspecten van de geschiedenis van Spanje. Volgens Wikipedia zijn zijn thrillers fictie, maar liggen vaak dicht tegen de politieke werkelijkheid aan: voor mij vijf sterren waard. Ik ga vast meer van deze schrijver lezen. Zijn schrijfstijl bevalt mij wel.
February 2, 2017
Le pitch ? Un photographe et paparazzo danois, Peter Lime, résidant à Madrid, marié à une Espagnole et père d'une petite fille, voit sa vie basculer du jour au lendemain à cause d'une photo. Une vieille photo où figure une ancienne terroriste antisystème recherchée par les services secrets danois. Et les événements s'enchaînent. Une garde-vue - mise-sous-pression pour avoir pris des photos compromettantes d'un ministre de droite, la mort de sa femme et sa fille dans l'explosion de leur appartement, attentat attribué à l'ETA. Et Lime de se lancer sur la piste des assassins...
Mon avis ? J'ai adoré l'ambiance du roman. On voit que l'auteur connaît bien l'Espagne et les Espagnols. J'y ai retrouvé l'Espagne que j'aime. J'ai beaucoup apprécié les descriptions sur Madrid, d'autant que j'ai vécu pas très loin de la plaza Santa Ana où Peter Lime vit.
J'ai aussi beaucoup aimé tous les détails sur le métier de paparazzo, les contradictions de ce métier et l'hypocrisie qui l'entoure.
La plongée dans un passé pas si lointain de l'Europe... L'Espagne de Franco, l'URSS, les groupes anarchistes et les comunas des années 70. L'auteur nous balade d'un pays à l'autre et maîtrise chacun des aspects qu'il aborde dans son roman.
Côté thriller, ce n'est pas l'un de ceux où l'on se ronge les ongles toutes les cinq minutes sous l'emprise de l'angoisse. Même si ces moments n'en sont pas pour autant absents. Je dirais que c'est ici plus psychologique. Un plongeon dans le passé du personnage principal à la recherche d'éléments pouvant éclaircir les événements présents.
Mon avis ? J'ai adoré l'ambiance du roman. On voit que l'auteur connaît bien l'Espagne et les Espagnols. J'y ai retrouvé l'Espagne que j'aime. J'ai beaucoup apprécié les descriptions sur Madrid, d'autant que j'ai vécu pas très loin de la plaza Santa Ana où Peter Lime vit.
J'ai aussi beaucoup aimé tous les détails sur le métier de paparazzo, les contradictions de ce métier et l'hypocrisie qui l'entoure.
La plongée dans un passé pas si lointain de l'Europe... L'Espagne de Franco, l'URSS, les groupes anarchistes et les comunas des années 70. L'auteur nous balade d'un pays à l'autre et maîtrise chacun des aspects qu'il aborde dans son roman.
Côté thriller, ce n'est pas l'un de ceux où l'on se ronge les ongles toutes les cinq minutes sous l'emprise de l'angoisse. Même si ces moments n'en sont pas pour autant absents. Je dirais que c'est ici plus psychologique. Un plongeon dans le passé du personnage principal à la recherche d'éléments pouvant éclaircir les événements présents.
November 23, 2007
It took me quite a while to read the book, which I think is very interesting. The story tells about Peter Lime, a freelance photographer who earns his money from taking snap shots of famous people. And what a life-risking job it is.
After taking a politician's scandalous picture, Lime finds his home burned down with his family in it. Devastated, he travels through Europe, goes beyond political affairs, secrets, and anarchy to find out the killers of his wife and kid. His two old-time friends Oscar and Gloria help him, along with a rather-mysterious, beautiful intelligence agent. Over Spain, Denmark, Germany, and Moscow, Lime reveals that his latest photograph is way more crucial than he thinks it is.
The plot is a bit boring, but I get to learn about political movements in parts of Europe. As you get closer to the end, the story becomes more intriguing and I think the ending part is great. Definitely a page-turner. I think this book could make a good movie.
After taking a politician's scandalous picture, Lime finds his home burned down with his family in it. Devastated, he travels through Europe, goes beyond political affairs, secrets, and anarchy to find out the killers of his wife and kid. His two old-time friends Oscar and Gloria help him, along with a rather-mysterious, beautiful intelligence agent. Over Spain, Denmark, Germany, and Moscow, Lime reveals that his latest photograph is way more crucial than he thinks it is.
The plot is a bit boring, but I get to learn about political movements in parts of Europe. As you get closer to the end, the story becomes more intriguing and I think the ending part is great. Definitely a page-turner. I think this book could make a good movie.
April 30, 2015
I'm trying to read all the Glass Key Award winners, and this book is another off the list. It was much more complicated than the other Scandinavian crime novels I've read, with lots of travel around Europe, espionage and counter-espionage, and countless potential murderers (all with their own political and ideological motives). It was a lot to keep track of.
The first third of the book moves rather slowly. When Lime finally figures out that , the action picks up a lot and I actually got into it, despite not having much background knowledge of Basque terrorists/Franco/the Soviet Union/apparently any European history between now and the Second World War.
The first third of the book moves rather slowly. When Lime finally figures out that , the action picks up a lot and I actually got into it, despite not having much background knowledge of Basque terrorists/Franco/the Soviet Union/apparently any European history between now and the Second World War.
November 8, 2013
Det er lang tid siden jeg sidst har læst Limes billede, så jeg kunne ikke helt huske plottet. Som altid med Leif Davidsen er det ikke kun en krimi, men også en fortælling de politiske omvæltninger i verden - denne gang murens fald og Spaniens spæde demokrati og hvad de gør ved mennesker der danner baggrunden for fortællingen om Peter Lime.
Bogen er spændende, ikke pageturning for selve opklaringen er ligesom trådt i baggrunden i forhold til de mange andre ting der foregår, men vi får en højspændt slutning hvor alle trådene samles på typisk Davidsen måde.
Ikke helt på siden af hans bøger der foregår i Rusland, som jeg personligt syntes er hans bedste, men absolut en læsbar (og genlæsbar) bog.
Bogen er spændende, ikke pageturning for selve opklaringen er ligesom trådt i baggrunden i forhold til de mange andre ting der foregår, men vi får en højspændt slutning hvor alle trådene samles på typisk Davidsen måde.
Ikke helt på siden af hans bøger der foregår i Rusland, som jeg personligt syntes er hans bedste, men absolut en læsbar (og genlæsbar) bog.
January 26, 2016
Readable
Peter Lime makes a very good living taking photographs of celebrities in embarrassing situations and selling the photographs to media outlets. One politician does not take this very well and applies pressure. Lime reasonably agrees to turn over the photos. Then serious adverse events begin to derail Lime's life. Surely, the aggrieved politician has no real motive. Who then? And why? Lime wants answers and revenge. The writing is good and there are thrills and violence, but the solution to the major secret is obvious early on. The book is not helped by Lime who is a thoroughly unappealing character: a self-centered whiner with a penchant for violence. This novel falls into the not to be despised category of beach read.
Peter Lime makes a very good living taking photographs of celebrities in embarrassing situations and selling the photographs to media outlets. One politician does not take this very well and applies pressure. Lime reasonably agrees to turn over the photos. Then serious adverse events begin to derail Lime's life. Surely, the aggrieved politician has no real motive. Who then? And why? Lime wants answers and revenge. The writing is good and there are thrills and violence, but the solution to the major secret is obvious early on. The book is not helped by Lime who is a thoroughly unappealing character: a self-centered whiner with a penchant for violence. This novel falls into the not to be despised category of beach read.
September 17, 2016
It starts off "There is no way of knowing when everything could shatter and your life be turned upside down". I certainly know this to be true of my life right now. After his opening remarks, our lives have nothing in common, but I do enjoy my thrillers. This is my first Davidson book and I found him somewhat repetitive in explaining scenarios. He also contradicts himself betimes, as, when looking from on high, he states that the villages are deserted, except for the smoke from the cottages - so, they're not deserted then? My favourite part of the book was his explanation of the politics - in Spain, in Germany, in Russia. I hope he's accurate because I probably won't tackle these topics in history books.
March 3, 2013
Could easily be on the Spanish shelf too. Danish photographer, living in Madrid for many years. Formerly on the political left, as are his two closest friends and business-partners, now unaffiliated. But the past (of course) comes back to haunt and hurt his wife and young daughter. As usual with Davidsen, there is an intriguing and wonderful combination of thriller (who done it?) and poltical history and insight. Much as I enjoy the thriller/mystery aspect, I also equally am interested in the socio-politcal (ETA, Basque separatists, E German spymasters) and historical aspects.
September 28, 2014
This felt a little paint by numbers with a lot of effort put into whacking the reader over the head to make sure you get the point. Yes, his wife was his salvation and he loved her very much...I wonder what will happen next...
June 20, 2007
Photographer loses his family and seeks revenge which rakes up his past.
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