I Will Find the Key

by Alex Ahndoril

Paperback

About the author

The pseudonym Alex Ahndoril is a new collaboration between Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril, the authors behind Lars Kepler.

Reviews

[Tim James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a translation to English from the original Swedish, a fact I could never quite forget. It is an extremely complex plot and moves quite slowly. It is quite enjoyable, but not the best.

[Liam · Rating 1 out of 5]

Firstly: this is a lazy and simplified rip off of Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The core premise is pretty much the same, with changes to character relationships, setting and I suppose it’s all happening right now, rather than a cold case. So: spoiler review below for both of these books, I guess

A rich dynastic family has a murder-mystery to solve, so an older male in the family hires non-cops to try to solve it, with (SPOILERS) the solution to the mystery being entirely enclosed within the family tree with some incest tossed in for fun. I’m horribly simplifying GWTDT but faithfully describing the plot of this book. So, yeah, pretty boring.

The main character was infuriating and cringeworthy, using baffling methods to get her ex back. Not a bad concept for a lead, and not all leads have to be perfect heroes, but oh boy it made her unlikable. There were a few good tense moments but otherwise this was too bland and slow. It read like your favourite crime tv show ripped off Zodiac. I want a counter for when a character simply replied: Ok.

Not to mention the blocking! The big reveal at the end is presented to the family sitting in chairs in a straight line. What the fuck? Boring!

[Kerrie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julia Stark, Swedish private investigator, apparently has a history of investigative success, but also has a case of PTSD resulting from a nasty accident.

Per Gunter (PG) Mott comes to see her with a photo on his phone which be believes might indicate he has murdered someone during an alcoholic fugue, and that the photo is proof. He is the head of a very successful Swedish timber family. Julia and her ex-husband begin investigating Per Gunter and his very dysfunctional family.

It is hard to see what some areas of Julia's investigation of the family has to do with the problem she is trying to solve, but we get used to the fact that in this story not everything is shared with the reader.

Eventually the mystery is resolved but it is an odd story.

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this slow and complicated to begin with, and contemplated giving up, but set it aside for a while. When I resumed I found it quite gripping, if still a little overly complex. It’s another one that would work better, perhaps, as a movie or tv series. Seeing the players would certainly help keep them differentiated in my mind. About 3.7 for me.

[Georgie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Julia Stark is a private investigator tasked to solve a case like no other. Enlisting the help of her policeman ex-husband, Julia heads to her clients luxurious estate, where she uncovers all their deep, dark family secrets. This is an intriguing Swedish murder mystery.

[Monty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was so excited to start this by Alex Ahndoril, a pseudonym for my fave serial killar author, Lars Kepler (also a pseudonym 😆).

I am so disappointed... true to form, I ditched this halfway, though. Life is short. Gutted.

Not for me

[Tara Jovanov · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like crime books. The end was unexpected, but the plot is slow, stupidly detailed and kind of boring. Too complex family members and characters, such a complex story for absolutely nothing. Not the biggest fan. It was a nice book for a beach, but i’ll forget it in 2 days.

[Cathy Graham · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF. If an audio book doesn’t keep your interest on a car journey, you know it’s failed. What an irritating lead character

[Courtney Freer · Rating 3 out of 5]

An easy book to read and written in a nice style. The ending got a little elaborate but it kept you guessing and revealed more and more until the end