Camilla Läckberg Crime Thrillers 4-6: The Stranger, The Hidden Child, The Drowning

Fjällbacka #4-6

by Camilla Läckberg

Discover the Queen of Scandi-crime Camilla Lackberg with these three thrillers – books 4, 5 and 6 in her 12 million copy international bestselling detective series, featuring Patrik Hedström and Erica Falck.

THE STRANGER: A series of tragic road accidents and the murder of a reality TV contestant mark the end to a quiet winter for Detective Patrik Hedström.

THE HIDDEN CHILD: The discovery of a Nazi medal in her late mother’s belongings leads Erica Falck to dig into her family’s past, and drag a dark truth from WW2 into the light…

THE DROWNING: When a local author and his circle of friends receive death threats, his mentor crime writer Erica Falck investigates. But as the victims conceal evidence, what is the secret they would die to protect?

Genres: Mystery, Crime, Nordic Noir

1218 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 18, 2013

About the author

Before 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.

Reviews

[Jillwilson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a review for The Drowning.

Be careful in Sweden. If Camilla Lackberg’s books are anything to go by, the local cops are either slow, lazy or incompetent (or strangely exhausted). This beginning of this book centres around concerns that a local man has been missing for three months. Strangely, the police have barely made an effort to interview his friends. In fact the person who does most of the detective work in the entire novel is the wife of a policeman, the very pregnant Erica, who can’t help herself but interfere as some disturbing elements come to life.

This series of books seems to me to be the bookish equivalent to Midsomer Murders, a series that I can’t stand. It is set in Fjällbacka which is the most stunning looking little town – you can see some great images here if you scroll down: http://www.kevinandamanda.com/whatsne.... I can’t imagine any Fjällbacka residents wanting to kill each other.

One reviewer was even more fed up with the book than I was:
“I was going to try to be polite about the book because, on one level, it’s a perfectly competent cosy mystery. There’s oodles of domesticity, a straightforward whodunnit and the inevitable cliffhanger ending that gives the book something of a soap-opera feel. My problem is, I suppose, that the books are marketed as psychological thrillers or suspense novels and this one at least is nothing of the kind. Partly this is because the day-to-day lives of the series’ continuing characters occupy more time than the actual mystery despite the fact that nothing terribly new is happening to any of them. All the ones who are pregnant have been pregnant before and, honestly, there is a limit to how many discussions about how to fit parenting leave into their lives I am interested in (for the record that limit was probably reached about half-way through the previous book in this series). The endless consumption of buns with or without coffee, the repetition of jibes about Erica eating for two (she is pregnant with twins which I don’t count as a spoiler as it is revealed very early on) and being unable to stand up on her own whenever she sits down grew tiresome.”

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lackberg's Swedish detective series continues with plans in the works for Patrik and Ericka's wedding set alongside a serial murder plot involving corpses who appear to have, quite literally, drunk themselves to death. I absolutely loved the previous title, The Stonecutter. The Stranger feels like an entertaining 'bridge book'. We are caught up on the lives of the main characters and provided some closure to Anna's situation. Without revealing too much to fans of the series, Lackberg appears to be building up to some major news about Ericka's mysterious dead mother, Elsy, in the next book.

In the meantime, The Stranger is a a serviceable mystery read. I would not consider it Lackberg's best offering. However I enjoyed the story and it left me in eager anticipation for the next title in the series.

[Adrienne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Stranger was not on par with The Stonecutter. It wasn't as tightly woven and loose ends remained. Two items stick out-why wasn't Jonna arrested for assault? What about the dog hair? The mystery just wasn't as intriguing when the characters were so vapid. Still, I LOVED The Stonecutter so I'll give the next book a try.

[NoirBlogger · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good books- The Hidden Child is the best- better story. The characters irritate me a tad but I gave it 5 starts because the Hidden Child is very good

[Pranas Pranc]

The Stranger by Camilla Lackberg was a murder mystery with likable characters. The complex story opens bit by bit until the mystery is solved in time for the protagonist's wedding.

[Lino · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning was confusing to me since almost of the characters were introduced at once with different timelines, and supporting characters. It was hard to keep track of who was who and how they were connected with each other.

But, the end connected the story beautifully and made me interested in other works by the author.

[Shady · Rating 5 out of 5]

N4 Crimen en directo: es uno de los que menos me ha gustado pero no deja de ser un vicio. Te atrapa desde el principio y me encanta como es capaz de presentar a los personas tan diferentes que interactúan con tanta soltura… es como la vida misma. Y siempre tiene giros inesperados, historias que a mi jamás se me habrían ocurrido, merece la pena leer a esta mujer

[V · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read The Stranger only, but couldn’t find it on goodreads just itself. This book must be a sequel to another book-there are so many references to events and people I didn’t know. It’s written very simply-whether that’s the translation or not, I don’t know.

[Donia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't realize that this author's books are so gory. I did not read more than a few chapters and gave up. When a book opens with the gore before I even know the characters or plot it is a gigantic turn off.

[brenda young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three in one

Just finished reading the three books 4_6 in this series and I have enjoyed them as much as the first three .

[Penny Kinsella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book.

[tricia wakeford · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great book

Never anticipated that outcome. Nail biting to the end. Another great book with Patrick and Erika. Ready for next book.

[Debby Craggs]

Like the Nordic murder mystery drama, Read The stranger will finsh the other 2!

[The Endless Unread · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF

[Birgitt Krumboeck · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though the plot seemed a bit convoluted at times, it was an interesting read, featuring myriad twists and turns.

[Reno J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camilla does have a way of keeping the reader interested and guessing!! I do enjoy the development of Patrick and Erica and the whole crew at the police station.

[Laurie Damon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished The Stranger. Enjoyed it but it was a little convoluted. Looking forward to the next one in the series.

[Patricia Eichenlaub · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing!

[Kerri Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Stranger: fabulous mystery well thought out with lots of side stories to keep you turning the page. Can't wait to read the next one!

The Hidden Child: a murder mystery that's much closer to home. Ericas personal story intersects with a murder and the story that ensues is just brilliant. There are the usual amount if secrets revealed but many of them are about Ericas mother. The two stories intertwine beautifully and the personal backstory just keeps getting better.

The Drowning: a mixture of greatly plotted back stories and a murderer on the loose again makes thrilling reading. This time it's a group of four friends that have a secret that threatens to catch up with them. A well rounded plot and satisfactory ending is assured!

[Leslee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The author puts forth that the man was dead in the house for 3 months, but As she tells the tale, several days after the corpse is removed from the premises, the home is again occupied by the mans brother, visitors and police investigators come and go without hazmat suits or even so much as a face mask or dab of vapo-rub. Does she not realize in these circumstances you would need to practically gut the house before it would be fit to enter, let alone LIVE in? I know for a fact what that house and everything in it would have smelled like, and the author seems totally oblivious to that ....the teenage boys who found the body would not have thought it was even a little "cool" ... Totally ruins the writers credibility.

[Toby · Rating 2 out of 5]

Just finished The Stranger and will probably put Camilla Lackberg on my "don't bother" list. I find her dialogue painful and characters poorly and/or inconsistently developed. It is possible that the translatuib has something to do with it, but her "voice" is colorless and not engaging. Her plot development consists of fractured, character-driven scenarios which end in sometimes silly "surprises" ...only to be revealed in a later snippet.

Following this book, I turned to one of my all-time favorite authors, Denise Mina. Her delicious vocabulary always grabs me in the first paragraph. Mina can communicate more in an ironic linguistic twist than paragraphs of exposition.

[Agnes Muscoreil · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Stranger is a well written mystery that kept me turning pages well into the night. I like the returning characters detective Patrik and soon to be wife Erika. The story begins with what appears to be a drunk driving accident that ends the life of a local woman, but that's just the tip of the iceberg! Reality TV, a murder and a link to other deaths has our detective spinning in circles trying to put together all of the facts. Camilla has another winning story here.

[Bronwyn Hegarty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have finished the Stranger. I found the author's style unusual at first but once i got used to having several different stories weaved together in each chapter it was actually really interesting. Especially as the story unfolded. Really enjoyed it and looking forward to the Hidden Child. Patrik and Erica are the stars no doubt about that but the other characters were well developed, and I even got to like Mellberg, the police chief, in the end. Some nice and not so nice surprises.

[Cliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of The Drowning only. This is the first Camilla Lackberg I have read. Set in Sweden near the border with Norway, it's the story of a mysterious murder which seems associated with strange assaults etc on a tight knit group of friends living in a small village. The police are baffled - as will be the reader until the closing pages. Thoroughly enjoyed this book. Will look for more by the author. I particularly want to know whether the cliff hanger at the end is resolved.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was about a daughter trying to find out more about her dead mother's life and who she was before she became the cold and distant woman she and her sister grew up with. After finding a Nazi medal in a chest in the attic, the daughter tries to track down information on the medal through a local historian. When the historian turns up dead the plot thickens and twists and turns.
Great police/mystery read.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just finished listening to The Stranger, and I really think it should be listed as a stand-alone book. I was pulled in from the very beginning and found it difficult to break away. I have become attached to Patrik Hedstrom and Erika. Ms. Lackberg has a way of building depth into her characters and makes you want to know more about them. Highly recommended.

[alice Tileston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only have The Stranger. Have read the others though. After her first book I read I have gotten almost all from 1 of my local libraries.
love her books. The plots keep you off balance. I think I have it figured out, then it changes. anyone who enjoys crime fiction should definitely read these books!

[Traecy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Stranger is book #4 in this series. I read #3 The Stonecutter and thought it was great...this one I listened to and found to be pretty good. Not sure if listening made a difference, but it wasn't as intriguing to me as the previous one. Maybe I need to go back for the first 2 titles.

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Camilla Lackberg's books are great for readers of mystery who want a likeable sleuth, great surrounding characters, and plot twists. Translations are very good and each book leaves the reader looking forward to the next one!

[Andrea Lee]

I only read The Stranger. I enjoyed it a lot, and like how her ending is a wrap up of loose ends about the personal worlds of her protagonists (primary and others).