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Jan Fabel #2
นิทรานาฏฆาตกรรม
ศพของเด็กหญิงคนหนึ่งถูกทิ้ง... "กระดาษ" ในมือของเธอมีปริศนาทิ้งไว้ เจ้าหน้าที่ ฌาน ฟาเบิล เป็นผู้ติดตามคดีฆาตกรรมครั้งนี้ ฆาตกรต่อเนื่องยังคงลอยนวลเป็นปริศนา เขาจึงต้องทำงานแข่งกับเวลา แล้วสิงที่ไม่มีใครเคยคาดคิดว่าจะเป็นไปได้กลับเกิดขึ้น เมื่อได้พบว่าการฆาตกรรมที่ศพทุกศพจะถูกจัดวางอย่างแปลกประหลาดนี้ มีส่วนเกี่ยวข้องกับนิทานแสนสนุกที่สองพี่น้องตระกูลกริมม์ได้แต่งไว้ แต่ยิ่งสืบลึกใกล้ตัวฆาตกรเข้าไปเท่าไหร่ ความน่ากลัวสุดสยองก็เพิ่มมากขึ้นเท่านั้น
364 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2006
52 people are currently reading
1111 people want to read
About the author
Craig Russell
71 books689 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
Award-winning, best-selling and critically-acclaimed author. His novels have been published in twenty-five languages around the world. The movie rights to the Devil Aspect have been bought by Columbia Pictures. Biblical, his science-fiction novel, has been acquired by Imaginarium Studios/Sonar Entertainment, four Jan Fabel novels have been made into movies (in one of which Craig Russell makes a cameo appearance as a detective) for ARD, the German national broadcaster, and the Lennox series has been optioned for TV development.
Craig Russell:
• won the 2015 Crime Book of the Year (McIlvanney Prize) for 'The Ghosts of Altona', and is currently longlisted for the 2017 McIlvanney Prize for 'The Quiet Death of Thomas Quaid', the latest in the Lennox series;
• was a finalist for the 2013 Ellis Peters Historical Dagger;
• was a finalist for the 2012 Crime Book of the Year (McIlvanney Prize);
• won the 2008 CWA Dagger in the Library for the Fabel series;
• was a finalist for the 2007 CWA Duncan Lawrie Golden Dagger;
• was a finalist for the 2007 SNCF Prix Polar in France;
• is the only non-German to be awarded the highly prestigious Polizeistern by the Polizei
Hamburg.
Official website: http://www.craigrussell.com
Facebook Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/craigrussell...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecraigrussell
Also writes under the pseudonym Christopher Galt
Award-winning, best-selling and critically-acclaimed author. His novels have been published in twenty-five languages around the world. The movie rights to the Devil Aspect have been bought by Columbia Pictures. Biblical, his science-fiction novel, has been acquired by Imaginarium Studios/Sonar Entertainment, four Jan Fabel novels have been made into movies (in one of which Craig Russell makes a cameo appearance as a detective) for ARD, the German national broadcaster, and the Lennox series has been optioned for TV development.
Craig Russell:
• won the 2015 Crime Book of the Year (McIlvanney Prize) for 'The Ghosts of Altona', and is currently longlisted for the 2017 McIlvanney Prize for 'The Quiet Death of Thomas Quaid', the latest in the Lennox series;
• was a finalist for the 2013 Ellis Peters Historical Dagger;
• was a finalist for the 2012 Crime Book of the Year (McIlvanney Prize);
• won the 2008 CWA Dagger in the Library for the Fabel series;
• was a finalist for the 2007 CWA Duncan Lawrie Golden Dagger;
• was a finalist for the 2007 SNCF Prix Polar in France;
• is the only non-German to be awarded the highly prestigious Polizeistern by the Polizei
Hamburg.
Official website: http://www.craigrussell.com
Facebook Fanpage: https://www.facebook.com/craigrussell...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thecraigrussell
Also writes under the pseudonym Christopher Galt
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 210 reviews
January 15, 2022
Wow - what a cracking book and an easy 5 stars. A Brothers Grimm inspired book and Murder that is no Fairy Tale.
“The human being is not only the planet’s top predator, but also the only creature that kills for the sheer pleasure of it, …. or as organised groups to satisfy some abstract concepts of religious, political or social dogma .... Imagine the wonder of it: centuries-old, magical tales passed down through the generations. That is what I will lay out before my public; and they will be in awe.”
The body of a young girl is found on the beach with a note cupped in her hand with a chilling message ‘I am Paula Ehlers, I have been underground, and now it is time for me to return home...’, As the investigation starts with Herr Fable’s crack team of specially trained investigators, it becomes apparent that there are at least two people dead, when the identity of the girl on the beach is confirmed to be another and not the missing girl Paula Ehlers. However, it is only with the death of a man and woman who have the names ‘Hansel’ and ‘Gretel’ written in their palms, that it is evident they are dealing with a dark, evil psychotic killer who is murdering and staging bodies in search of some kind of twisted literary or cultural verity and re-enacting Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
A killer that is as methodical as he is dangerous, organised as he is creative and as elusive as he is obvious but nearly impossible to catch, as he links one fairy tale with another, and the darker sides to our beloved fairy tales of Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, and the Changeling are brought to life and death. But for the killer, and those that embellished the works of Grimms Fairy Tales in this book believed “the good and the evil in the world came into it with the very first man. It evolved with us. That is why we have these ancient folk tales and myths” and whether the killer was following either authentic, original versions of the fairy tales or Weiss’s book, then it added to their ‘suitability’ and staging of each victim and created a lurid theatre of evil and dark fairy tales as the killer created his own version.
This is one of the best thrillers I have ever read and will go into the Best Books of 2022 already. Simply a masterpiece in crime fiction as it draws inspiration from our well-known fairy tales that are interwoven into the plot so brilliantly that you could believe they were written for the sole purpose of this book.
Two of my favourite books, from 2021 (The Devil Aspect and Hyde) were written by Craig Russell and this adds to the fourth book I have read by this author. The characters are so well drawn, the atmosphere, setting and ambiance is captured so perfectly, and Russell’s writing style is superb and one I connect with so well. Addictive, dramatic, eerie, captivating and thrilling.
High praise for a book that ticks all the boxes. A cracking thriller and one of a kind.
“The human being is not only the planet’s top predator, but also the only creature that kills for the sheer pleasure of it, …. or as organised groups to satisfy some abstract concepts of religious, political or social dogma .... Imagine the wonder of it: centuries-old, magical tales passed down through the generations. That is what I will lay out before my public; and they will be in awe.”
The body of a young girl is found on the beach with a note cupped in her hand with a chilling message ‘I am Paula Ehlers, I have been underground, and now it is time for me to return home...’, As the investigation starts with Herr Fable’s crack team of specially trained investigators, it becomes apparent that there are at least two people dead, when the identity of the girl on the beach is confirmed to be another and not the missing girl Paula Ehlers. However, it is only with the death of a man and woman who have the names ‘Hansel’ and ‘Gretel’ written in their palms, that it is evident they are dealing with a dark, evil psychotic killer who is murdering and staging bodies in search of some kind of twisted literary or cultural verity and re-enacting Grimm’s Fairy Tales.
A killer that is as methodical as he is dangerous, organised as he is creative and as elusive as he is obvious but nearly impossible to catch, as he links one fairy tale with another, and the darker sides to our beloved fairy tales of Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, and the Changeling are brought to life and death. But for the killer, and those that embellished the works of Grimms Fairy Tales in this book believed “the good and the evil in the world came into it with the very first man. It evolved with us. That is why we have these ancient folk tales and myths” and whether the killer was following either authentic, original versions of the fairy tales or Weiss’s book, then it added to their ‘suitability’ and staging of each victim and created a lurid theatre of evil and dark fairy tales as the killer created his own version.
This is one of the best thrillers I have ever read and will go into the Best Books of 2022 already. Simply a masterpiece in crime fiction as it draws inspiration from our well-known fairy tales that are interwoven into the plot so brilliantly that you could believe they were written for the sole purpose of this book.
Two of my favourite books, from 2021 (The Devil Aspect and Hyde) were written by Craig Russell and this adds to the fourth book I have read by this author. The characters are so well drawn, the atmosphere, setting and ambiance is captured so perfectly, and Russell’s writing style is superb and one I connect with so well. Addictive, dramatic, eerie, captivating and thrilling.
High praise for a book that ticks all the boxes. A cracking thriller and one of a kind.
September 21, 2019
We each believe we reinvent the world anew when we are born into it. The sad truth is that we are merely variations on a theme........or at least on a common experience. The good and the evil there is is in the world came into it with the very first man. It evolved with us. That is why we have these ancient folk tales and myths. The Grimm brothers recorded, they didn't create. None of their fairy tales were their invention, but ancient folk tales they gathered as part of their linguistic research. The existence of these tales and the warning implicit in each one to "never wander far from home" an to "beware of strangers" proves that the serial killer is no mere side effect of modern life, he has been with us throughout history. And they must have been inspired by real events. the true origins of these fairytales mus tlie in actual abductions and murders. Just as the truth of Lycanthropy, the myth of the werewolf, lies in the inability of previous generations to recognize, define or understand psychopathy. the fact is everyone accepts that we frequently make fiction out of fact. What I assert is that we also make fact out of fiction
So speaks the bestseller writer of an update on the story of the Grimm brothers to the Detective Jan Fabel of the Hamburg Police when they start finding a string of death people who have been deposed as the main characters of the Grimm fairy-tales. There is a serial killer at work whose victims play part in his imagination which takes place in the world of fairy-tales as compiled by the famous brothers Grimm. The original tales were far darker and gruesome as the more sanitized versions we know these days even if their symbolism is something that most people do not care to know about.
Jan Fabel and his team get pushed into the darker world and versions while they chase the killer. And to be honest it is somewhat of an education to drive along with Jan and his team and try to find a footing in this really absurd series of killings that does not make sense. When they finally catch the killer you know you had all the information together with the detectives.
Another insightful and interesting read by Craig Russel that is both intriguing and interesting, like his first novel with Jan Fabel he finds an interesting hook that does tie in with the national identity of the Germans.
Well worth your time.
So speaks the bestseller writer of an update on the story of the Grimm brothers to the Detective Jan Fabel of the Hamburg Police when they start finding a string of death people who have been deposed as the main characters of the Grimm fairy-tales. There is a serial killer at work whose victims play part in his imagination which takes place in the world of fairy-tales as compiled by the famous brothers Grimm. The original tales were far darker and gruesome as the more sanitized versions we know these days even if their symbolism is something that most people do not care to know about.
Jan Fabel and his team get pushed into the darker world and versions while they chase the killer. And to be honest it is somewhat of an education to drive along with Jan and his team and try to find a footing in this really absurd series of killings that does not make sense. When they finally catch the killer you know you had all the information together with the detectives.
Another insightful and interesting read by Craig Russel that is both intriguing and interesting, like his first novel with Jan Fabel he finds an interesting hook that does tie in with the national identity of the Germans.
Well worth your time.
August 6, 2019
Regreso con Jan Fabel en esta segunda entrega de Craig Russell y tengo que decir que este libro, si es que eso es posible, es mejor que el primero, tiene una historia tan buena, tan fascinante y tan bien llevada a puerto que me ha impresionado.
No es solo que como buena novela negra este libro tiene su muy buen asesino en serie, por supuesto reitero que me gusta el personaje de Fabel tanto como su equipo de trabajo, la manera en que se maneja la investigación e incluso los temas personales de los personajes, que aunque nos lo presentan, para nada es parte importante de la trama ni tampoco le quita protagonismo a la historia principal.
Los asesinatos de este libro están basados en los cuentos de los hermanos Grimm, así que durante todo el libro se habla de El niño cambiado, La bella durmiente, Hansel y Gretel, Rapunzel, pero en el contexto original, me ha hecho recordar cuando leí esos cuentos, después de tener en la mente lo que nos ha contado Disney fue un shock absoluto para mí conocer las historias reales de estos cuentos.
Si alguien no se ha leído los cuentos originales de los hermanos Grimm, les advierto que hay spoilers importantes en este libro, por otro lado, Russell nos pone en relieve algo que a pesar de conocer lo oscuros que son estos cuentos, al menos en mí caso no lo había visto, que dichos cuentos, los originales, son en realidad historias de novela negra de lo más oscuro que hay, la cuestión es que esos cuentos eran cuentos populares en una época donde solo podían representar la maldad, el asesinato, la violación, etc, en cuentos de princesas y príncipes, al final el morbo por lo oscuro del ser humano ha existido desde siempre.
Por otro lado, me ha llamado la atención que aquí se dice que los hermanos Grimm “cambiaron” un poco las historias para hacerlas menos terribles, lo que me ha hecho pensar en sí la edición que tengo es la primera, puesto que cuando yo los leí casi me muero al enterarme que la bella durmiente fue violada por el príncipe mientras dormía, al parecer hay otros cuentos donde, efectivamente, solo es despertada por un beso, no en el que yo tengo, no solo es violada, sino que además tiene hijos estando dormida.
En fin, no era mi intención entrar en materia de los hermanos Grimm, aunque por supuesto que da para mucho comentar, la cuestión es que este libro retoma todos esos cuentos para escribir una novela negra con asesinatos basados en dichos cuentos, nunca sospeche del quién es el asesino, si bien los sospechosos presentados me parecían demasiado obvios, la cuestión es que en independencia de si sorprende o no, este libro es uno de esos que he disfrutado desde la primera página y que me ratifica como incondicional de este autor, voy a seguir leyéndolo porque en definitiva me gusta mucho la forma en que escribe sus historias, su estilo y la manera en que va desarrollando todo a fin de caer en finales que casi se vienen escribiendo solos.
Bueno, pues a seguir con la serie que todavía me faltan cuatro libros para ponerme al día.
No es solo que como buena novela negra este libro tiene su muy buen asesino en serie, por supuesto reitero que me gusta el personaje de Fabel tanto como su equipo de trabajo, la manera en que se maneja la investigación e incluso los temas personales de los personajes, que aunque nos lo presentan, para nada es parte importante de la trama ni tampoco le quita protagonismo a la historia principal.
Los asesinatos de este libro están basados en los cuentos de los hermanos Grimm, así que durante todo el libro se habla de El niño cambiado, La bella durmiente, Hansel y Gretel, Rapunzel, pero en el contexto original, me ha hecho recordar cuando leí esos cuentos, después de tener en la mente lo que nos ha contado Disney fue un shock absoluto para mí conocer las historias reales de estos cuentos.
Si alguien no se ha leído los cuentos originales de los hermanos Grimm, les advierto que hay spoilers importantes en este libro, por otro lado, Russell nos pone en relieve algo que a pesar de conocer lo oscuros que son estos cuentos, al menos en mí caso no lo había visto, que dichos cuentos, los originales, son en realidad historias de novela negra de lo más oscuro que hay, la cuestión es que esos cuentos eran cuentos populares en una época donde solo podían representar la maldad, el asesinato, la violación, etc, en cuentos de princesas y príncipes, al final el morbo por lo oscuro del ser humano ha existido desde siempre.
Por otro lado, me ha llamado la atención que aquí se dice que los hermanos Grimm “cambiaron” un poco las historias para hacerlas menos terribles, lo que me ha hecho pensar en sí la edición que tengo es la primera, puesto que cuando yo los leí casi me muero al enterarme que la bella durmiente fue violada por el príncipe mientras dormía, al parecer hay otros cuentos donde, efectivamente, solo es despertada por un beso, no en el que yo tengo, no solo es violada, sino que además tiene hijos estando dormida.
En fin, no era mi intención entrar en materia de los hermanos Grimm, aunque por supuesto que da para mucho comentar, la cuestión es que este libro retoma todos esos cuentos para escribir una novela negra con asesinatos basados en dichos cuentos, nunca sospeche del quién es el asesino, si bien los sospechosos presentados me parecían demasiado obvios, la cuestión es que en independencia de si sorprende o no, este libro es uno de esos que he disfrutado desde la primera página y que me ratifica como incondicional de este autor, voy a seguir leyéndolo porque en definitiva me gusta mucho la forma en que escribe sus historias, su estilo y la manera en que va desarrollando todo a fin de caer en finales que casi se vienen escribiendo solos.
Bueno, pues a seguir con la serie que todavía me faltan cuatro libros para ponerme al día.
March 2, 2022
Mejor que el anterior, ya es algo. Mucho menos lío con los nombres policiales, es de agradecer y el caso, pese a centrarse en las historias de los hermanos Grimm, del que conozco las versiones deslavazadas, es entretenido, a veces baja un poco, pero se lleva bien. No está lastrado por el caso anterior, lo cual es genial y miedo me daba. Fabel es un buen personaje, centrado y de momento, sin taras.
Entretenimiento sin más. Un pasarratos.
Entretenimiento sin más. Un pasarratos.
July 26, 2022
Libro entretenido pero que no me ha llenado como el anterior "muerte en Hamburgo". Bien desarrollada la historia pero sin mucho mas. De todas formas seguiré con la serie. 7/10
June 15, 2017
Отначало започва много мудно и даже мислех да се отказвам... и добре че не го направих. Финалът е истинска красота :) А паралелите с творчеството на братя Грим са уникални... и слава на Ктхулу, поне са преведени добре, не са на диалект и не са издадени от ОНЕЗИ :)
November 27, 2018
3.5 steluțe. Chiar dacă între mine și Fratele Grimm nu s-a produs o scânteie, romanul este unul bun și cred că are ce îi trebuie pentru a fi un thriller de calitate. Dacă vă aventurați rar să citiți un thriller, s-ar putea ca impactul să fie mai mare asupra voastră, dar eu am citit multe din genul acesta în ultimele luni și încep să mă satur de crime. Are un comisar ușor de plăcut și foarte competent, vreo 3 personaje secundare pe care le poți recunoaște cu ușurință pentru că au un contur destul de evident, suspans, câteva descrieri macabre, multe victime și un criminal care îți dă fiori. Iar după ce închizi cartea, îți rămâne un miros de carne arsă de la femeia care a fost băgată în cuptor când încă era vie. Recenzia aici: https://sandradeaconu.blogspot.com/20....
,,În loc de spiriduși, de spirite rele și lupi înfometați pândind în colțurile întunecate ale pădurilor, noi avem canibali, psihopați și răpitori, care pândesc în locurile întunecate ale orașelor. Este în firea noastră să înfățișăm răul ca pe ceva extraordinar sau diferit: cărți și filme despre extratereștri, rechini, vampiri, stafii, vrăjitoare. Adevărul este că există o fiară mai periculoasă și mai sângeroasă decât oricare alta de până acum. Noi. Omul. [...] Adevărul este că nu suntem decât variațiuni pe aceeași temă... sau, cel puțin, pe aceeași experiență. Binele și răul au venit în lume odată cu primul om. Și au evoluat odată cu noi. ''
,,În loc de spiriduși, de spirite rele și lupi înfometați pândind în colțurile întunecate ale pădurilor, noi avem canibali, psihopați și răpitori, care pândesc în locurile întunecate ale orașelor. Este în firea noastră să înfățișăm răul ca pe ceva extraordinar sau diferit: cărți și filme despre extratereștri, rechini, vampiri, stafii, vrăjitoare. Adevărul este că există o fiară mai periculoasă și mai sângeroasă decât oricare alta de până acum. Noi. Omul. [...] Adevărul este că nu suntem decât variațiuni pe aceeași temă... sau, cel puțin, pe aceeași experiență. Binele și răul au venit în lume odată cu primul om. Și au evoluat odată cu noi. ''
October 28, 2024
BUEN THRILLER POLICIAL
Que si bien forma parte de una saga, este libro se puede leer de manera independiente, yo por ejemplo, no leí el primero. En algunos momentos hacen referencia a acontecimientos del libro anterior, pero explican brevemente el contexto y con eso sentí que fue suficiente.
El aspecto más destacable de la novela es la conexión que hace el actor con los cuentos de hadas de los hermanos Grimm, resaltando su lado más siniestro y usándolo para jugar con la trama.
Voy con lista pros&cons:
Lo que más me gustó:
💀 La lectura desde una perspectiva más bien tétrica, de los cuentos de hadas más tradicionales como Caperucita Roja, Hansel y Gretel, entre otros.
💀La intriga se mantiene constante durante todo el libro.
💀 En ocasiones tuve que dejar de leerlo de noche y esperar hasta la mañana porque me daba miedo jaja.
💀La extensión de la novela me pareció adecuada, sin “relleno”.
💀 Si bien, es una novela negra y se espera cierta crudeza, solo hubo una escena particularmente explícita (al menos, para mí).
Lo que menos me gustó:
☠️ Hay varias entidades policiales y cargos que no están traducidos, son nombres larguísimos en alemán que rompen el ritmo de lectura. Recordarlos se volvió un reto.
☠️ El plot… nada impresionante, tenía expectativas por la intriga que se estaba generando, pero no cumplió las expectativas y por eso mi puntuación.
Por último, esta lectura fue una propuesta de mi club de lectura para el mes de octubre y me pareció una gran idea para el mes de Halloween.
Que si bien forma parte de una saga, este libro se puede leer de manera independiente, yo por ejemplo, no leí el primero. En algunos momentos hacen referencia a acontecimientos del libro anterior, pero explican brevemente el contexto y con eso sentí que fue suficiente.
El aspecto más destacable de la novela es la conexión que hace el actor con los cuentos de hadas de los hermanos Grimm, resaltando su lado más siniestro y usándolo para jugar con la trama.
Voy con lista pros&cons:
Lo que más me gustó:
💀 La lectura desde una perspectiva más bien tétrica, de los cuentos de hadas más tradicionales como Caperucita Roja, Hansel y Gretel, entre otros.
💀La intriga se mantiene constante durante todo el libro.
💀 En ocasiones tuve que dejar de leerlo de noche y esperar hasta la mañana porque me daba miedo jaja.
💀La extensión de la novela me pareció adecuada, sin “relleno”.
💀 Si bien, es una novela negra y se espera cierta crudeza, solo hubo una escena particularmente explícita (al menos, para mí).
Lo que menos me gustó:
☠️ Hay varias entidades policiales y cargos que no están traducidos, son nombres larguísimos en alemán que rompen el ritmo de lectura. Recordarlos se volvió un reto.
☠️ El plot… nada impresionante, tenía expectativas por la intriga que se estaba generando, pero no cumplió las expectativas y por eso mi puntuación.
Por último, esta lectura fue una propuesta de mi club de lectura para el mes de octubre y me pareció una gran idea para el mes de Halloween.
February 25, 2010
A crime novel set in Hamburg. Normally, that's two very good reasons for me to not even turn the first page but, hell, I was bored. So I started reading away anyways, not expecting to be remotely interested or touched even peripherally, and the next thing I knew was that it was 6 a.m. and I found myself quite unable to put the damn book down.
It has been noted before that the author throws around a fair amount of german vocabulary and, yes, it bothered me as well. And it didn't make any difference that I am german and actually understand and am familiar with all these words and phrases - on the contrary: in the beginning, the picture in my head was that of an episode of Großstadtrevier with all the actors suddenly speaking english; and with that horrible, embarassing, german old-people-accent, no less!
But the more I read, the more i came to first grasp and then enjoy the way Russell toys with both the german and english language here.
It really is a beautifully written novel and, considering the author is Scottish, it has a very 'german' feel to it. Russell shows the very lifelike portraits of ordinary, everyday typical northern german folk without resorting to cheap stereotypes even once, making the characters highly believable and the whole construct of the story sort of, well, homely.
I loved the book, but sadly I don't see how people with no interest in fairytales, crime novels, the joy of linguistics or even a marginal grasp of all things german could possibly relate to it.
If, however, any or all of the above apply to you, you should give this one a try. And if the german names, places and titles bother you, consider: i grew up reading (or watching, or listening to) media translated from english to german with all those exceptions. You really do get used to it (and might even end up learning a word or two)!
It has been noted before that the author throws around a fair amount of german vocabulary and, yes, it bothered me as well. And it didn't make any difference that I am german and actually understand and am familiar with all these words and phrases - on the contrary: in the beginning, the picture in my head was that of an episode of Großstadtrevier with all the actors suddenly speaking english; and with that horrible, embarassing, german old-people-accent, no less!
But the more I read, the more i came to first grasp and then enjoy the way Russell toys with both the german and english language here.
It really is a beautifully written novel and, considering the author is Scottish, it has a very 'german' feel to it. Russell shows the very lifelike portraits of ordinary, everyday typical northern german folk without resorting to cheap stereotypes even once, making the characters highly believable and the whole construct of the story sort of, well, homely.
I loved the book, but sadly I don't see how people with no interest in fairytales, crime novels, the joy of linguistics or even a marginal grasp of all things german could possibly relate to it.
If, however, any or all of the above apply to you, you should give this one a try. And if the german names, places and titles bother you, consider: i grew up reading (or watching, or listening to) media translated from english to german with all those exceptions. You really do get used to it (and might even end up learning a word or two)!
August 21, 2019
Шедьовър
July 15, 2025
Second in the series which was a decent & enjoyable opener with Jan Fabel as a Criminal Inspector with the Hamburg Police.
Great read, storytelling, characters, dialogue, connections between people, sentiment, realism… it’s all there.
Looking forward to the rest of the series, 4.5 stars rounded to a four
Great read, storytelling, characters, dialogue, connections between people, sentiment, realism… it’s all there.
Looking forward to the rest of the series, 4.5 stars rounded to a four
June 25, 2008
It's funny how the setting of a book can drastically change your impressions of it. This book, for example, takes place in Germany. More specifically, Hamburg.
Now, because I'm lazy I haven't done much research into this book, so I have no idea if the author is German, or if this book is a translation of another German book, or if he's American and just decided to set this book in Germany for whatever reason. Anything's possible.
However, being set in Germany, as I read I would run across passages like the following:
"Fabel looked around the conference table and was very aware of Werner's and Anna's absence. Only Maria and himself remained of the core team and he had seconded two Kommissars, Petra Maas and Hans Rodger, from Kriminalhauptkommissarin Ute Walraf's sexual-crime Sonder
Kommission, which was based on the same floor of the Prasidium."
Now, it's not difficult to figure out what those German words mean. Nor is it all that important to the story. But it gets annoying. This is a typical murder-thriller story with the cops trying to find a killer; so you'd expect a lot of words like "forensic", "precinct", "Lieutenant"...things like that. But here they're all in German. And I don't speak German. Again, it's not that important to the story...but when you've picked up a book to be an easy read with very little thought required...trying to puzzle out 30-letter German words is annoying. And I'm not sure of the purpose...is it to make the book more authentic? Like I said before, maybe this book was translated from German and that's why. But I really don't get it. Just use the English version of the words, since the rest of the book is in English.
That's not really my biggest beef with this book, though. In fact, that was a very minor problem. The biggest issue I had with this book is that it was a lame ending. That's not to say I wanted some huge car chase at the end with a myriad of explosions and gunfights. Intellectual thrillers have endings that can be just as intense as those Hollywood-type endings. This was neither. There are a few murders, the cops try and figure them out, there are a few more murders, a cop comes up with the link pointing to the culprit, they go and arrest him at work, he comes along quietly, when they question him it's clear that he's crazy, they get their man. The end. It was just so disappointing. And the whole final scene where they go to the murderer's old house looking for his mother...? Ugh. Just lame.
Now, because I'm lazy I haven't done much research into this book, so I have no idea if the author is German, or if this book is a translation of another German book, or if he's American and just decided to set this book in Germany for whatever reason. Anything's possible.
However, being set in Germany, as I read I would run across passages like the following:
"Fabel looked around the conference table and was very aware of Werner's and Anna's absence. Only Maria and himself remained of the core team and he had seconded two Kommissars, Petra Maas and Hans Rodger, from Kriminalhauptkommissarin Ute Walraf's sexual-crime Sonder
Kommission, which was based on the same floor of the Prasidium."
Now, it's not difficult to figure out what those German words mean. Nor is it all that important to the story. But it gets annoying. This is a typical murder-thriller story with the cops trying to find a killer; so you'd expect a lot of words like "forensic", "precinct", "Lieutenant"...things like that. But here they're all in German. And I don't speak German. Again, it's not that important to the story...but when you've picked up a book to be an easy read with very little thought required...trying to puzzle out 30-letter German words is annoying. And I'm not sure of the purpose...is it to make the book more authentic? Like I said before, maybe this book was translated from German and that's why. But I really don't get it. Just use the English version of the words, since the rest of the book is in English.
That's not really my biggest beef with this book, though. In fact, that was a very minor problem. The biggest issue I had with this book is that it was a lame ending. That's not to say I wanted some huge car chase at the end with a myriad of explosions and gunfights. Intellectual thrillers have endings that can be just as intense as those Hollywood-type endings. This was neither. There are a few murders, the cops try and figure them out, there are a few more murders, a cop comes up with the link pointing to the culprit, they go and arrest him at work, he comes along quietly, when they question him it's clear that he's crazy, they get their man. The end. It was just so disappointing. And the whole final scene where they go to the murderer's old house looking for his mother...? Ugh. Just lame.
May 9, 2013
A ideia-base está bem orquestrada. Não percebi quem era o assassino... até ter feito o que faço muitas vezes: fui ler a última página do livro, que tem apenas 6 linhas. E ali, bem visível, o nome do assassino e o desfecho da história. Escritores, a sério... há muita gente que, como eu, tem a mania de ler a última página antes de tempo. Não ponham lá os nomes dos assassinos. Tira a piada toda à coisa... Foi o que me aconteceu. Depois de ficar a saber quem era o culpado, li o resto do livro apenas com o intuito de perceber até onde a coisa ia.
Breve nota sobre a tradução: mantiveram-se os nomes dos cargos policiais e das instituições que, no original, estão em alemão (já que a acção decorre na Alemanha). É extremamente confuso, são vocábulos enormes que custa ler. Atrasa a leitura e ficamos na mesma, porque não se percebe o que significa (quer dizer, tiram-se umas pelas outras, mas nada mais do que isso).
Nota ainda mais breve sobre a revisão de texto: inexistente. O livro está cheio de gralhas, de erros ortográficos e de sintaxe. Cansa de tão mau que é. O preço que se paga pelos livros exige que a revisão dos textos seja cuidada e feita como deve ser. Nós, leitores, merecemos essa consideração.
Breve nota sobre a tradução: mantiveram-se os nomes dos cargos policiais e das instituições que, no original, estão em alemão (já que a acção decorre na Alemanha). É extremamente confuso, são vocábulos enormes que custa ler. Atrasa a leitura e ficamos na mesma, porque não se percebe o que significa (quer dizer, tiram-se umas pelas outras, mas nada mais do que isso).
Nota ainda mais breve sobre a revisão de texto: inexistente. O livro está cheio de gralhas, de erros ortográficos e de sintaxe. Cansa de tão mau que é. O preço que se paga pelos livros exige que a revisão dos textos seja cuidada e feita como deve ser. Nós, leitores, merecemos essa consideração.
January 21, 2019
Absolutamente sobrecogedor y de no poder dejar de leer.... Muy recomendable, igual que el primero.
October 25, 2022
I stuck with the book because it is the choice for a special book club meeting, otherwise I'd never have finished it. Definitely the most irritating book I have ever read, full of unnecessary and uninteresting detail. I am also not sure what the author was trying to achieve with the use of so many (easily translatable) German words but they made the book even more painful to read, even more so when misspelt (KriPo should be Kripo etc.) Colleagues referring each other by their titles🙄
I live in Hamburg, speak German and enjoy reading thrillers. On paper it should have been a good match.
I live in Hamburg, speak German and enjoy reading thrillers. On paper it should have been a good match.
July 31, 2012
I found this to be an unusual approach to a serial killer story. For one thing, it is set in Germany, and all the aspects of the story - names, places, culture, investigative style - are unrepentently German. I don't say that as a criticism. In fact the logic-based, methodical way of investigating that the team hunting this killer employ is actually quite refreshing in comparison to the car-chase, fist-fight, over-the-top approach that American murder stories tend to employ. This was a very cerebral, intelligent plot.
That's not to say that the story isn't exciting, because it is. The way the author has built the story and thought out the progression actually creates quite a solid amount of suspense and the build-up to the ending, although not terribly surprising still gives you that increase in heart rate that a good thriller should! We meet the killer on page 5 [albeit anonymously] and at that same time we are introduced to the creator of this killer - [It isn't a spoiler to note that here we have yet another example of what is the usual creator of serial killers. Enough said].
If you are from Germany or German in descent, I think that this book offers an additional point of interest for you. The author is clearly very interested in Germany's history, culture and people and he has included a great deal of detail in those areas in creating the characters and the surrounding story of the book.
Another thing that is slightly atypical in this book is that although it is about a serial killer there is very little gore presented. The killer kills in a variety of ways, but the murders are detailed in a fairly matter-of-fact way without the sensationalism that can give one nightmares in other similar books. That is not to suggest that this story isn't disturbing - it definitely is. But again, I would say that thoughtful writing and intelligence are the main ways the author tells his story, rather than relying on grisly or explicitly gory detail. It is your MIND this story will disturb as opposed to your stomach.
There's also the aspect of Grimm's Fairy Tales, which plays a substantial part in the plot. Here as well, the author has clearly done a vast amount of research and there is plenty of historical detail about the Grimm Brothers and their stories worked into the murder investigations.
One word of warning - the author does quite a bit of "set up" stuff at the beginning. The real meat of the story starts to take place around about page 80, but the information that comes before does factor into the rest of the book so it is worth sticking with the story until at least the page 100 mark before you give up on the book. What comes after is worth it.
In short, this is a cleverly conceived, well-written and intelligent murder story. If you like this type of book, you should find something of interest in Brother Grimm.
That's not to say that the story isn't exciting, because it is. The way the author has built the story and thought out the progression actually creates quite a solid amount of suspense and the build-up to the ending, although not terribly surprising still gives you that increase in heart rate that a good thriller should! We meet the killer on page 5 [albeit anonymously] and at that same time we are introduced to the creator of this killer - [It isn't a spoiler to note that here we have yet another example of what is the usual creator of serial killers. Enough said].
If you are from Germany or German in descent, I think that this book offers an additional point of interest for you. The author is clearly very interested in Germany's history, culture and people and he has included a great deal of detail in those areas in creating the characters and the surrounding story of the book.
Another thing that is slightly atypical in this book is that although it is about a serial killer there is very little gore presented. The killer kills in a variety of ways, but the murders are detailed in a fairly matter-of-fact way without the sensationalism that can give one nightmares in other similar books. That is not to suggest that this story isn't disturbing - it definitely is. But again, I would say that thoughtful writing and intelligence are the main ways the author tells his story, rather than relying on grisly or explicitly gory detail. It is your MIND this story will disturb as opposed to your stomach.
There's also the aspect of Grimm's Fairy Tales, which plays a substantial part in the plot. Here as well, the author has clearly done a vast amount of research and there is plenty of historical detail about the Grimm Brothers and their stories worked into the murder investigations.
One word of warning - the author does quite a bit of "set up" stuff at the beginning. The real meat of the story starts to take place around about page 80, but the information that comes before does factor into the rest of the book so it is worth sticking with the story until at least the page 100 mark before you give up on the book. What comes after is worth it.
In short, this is a cleverly conceived, well-written and intelligent murder story. If you like this type of book, you should find something of interest in Brother Grimm.
September 16, 2019
Ugh. This book had so much going for it, it really did. The storyline was great, it was just written so badly it was difficult to read!
The major failing of this book was the constant referring to things in German, I don't speak German, so i'd just skim over the words. Or I'd read them, and try to think of a word that was similar to it.
Needless to say this made the story confusing!
Another thing that peeved me was the reference to the main character in the novel by his full police title in german everytime he appeared.
I wonder if this book was written for NANOWRIMO?
The major failing of this book was the constant referring to things in German, I don't speak German, so i'd just skim over the words. Or I'd read them, and try to think of a word that was similar to it.
Needless to say this made the story confusing!
Another thing that peeved me was the reference to the main character in the novel by his full police title in german everytime he appeared.
I wonder if this book was written for NANOWRIMO?
May 15, 2020
«Το παραμύθι του θανάτου» ήταν το δεύτερο βιβλίο που διάβασα για το #crimaython2020. Το δεύτερο στην σειρά αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα λοιπόν, δεν το είχα καθόλου ακουστά. Μάλιστα, δεν θα ήξερα την ύπαρξή του αν δεν το είχα βρει στο ράφι του μπαμπά. Βλέποντάς το, αποφάσισα να το διαβάσω αμέσως καθώς δεν είχα άλλα αστυνομικά βιβλία να διαβάσω.
Η ιστορία του Craig Russell, σε αντίθεση με τα περισσότερα αστυνομικά μυθιστορήματα που «γυρίζονται» στο Λος Άντζελες ή σε κάποια περιοχή της Αμερικής (από αυτά που έχω διαβάσει εννοώ), «γυρίστηκε» σε μια ευρωπαϊκή χώρα: την Γερμανία και ειδικότερα στο Αμβούργο. Ο Γιαν Φάμπελ είναι επιθεωρητής του τμήματος Ανθρωποκτονιών του Αμβούργου και αποτελεί τον βασικό πρωταγωνιστή. Υπάρχουν κι άλλα μέλη στην ομάδα του όπως η Άννα Βολφ, η Μαρία Κλέε κι ο Βέρνερ Μάγιερ. Παρόλο που «Το Παραμύθι του Θανάτου» είναι το δεύτερο βιβλίο του συγγραφέα με τον επιθεωρητή Φάμπελ, στις αρχές του βιβλίου υπήρχε κάποια αναφορά στα πρόσωπά τους έτσι ώστε ο αναγνώστης που δεν έχει διαβάσει το πρώτο βιβλίο να καταλάβει τι ρόλο έχουν στην ιστορία.
Η πλοκή ξεκινά όταν σε μια παραλία της πόλης ανακαλύπτουν ένα πτώμα μιας νεαρής κοπέλας που έχει σφιχτά κρατημένο στα χέρια της ένα σημείωμα που λέει: «Ήμουν κάτω από την γη και τώρα ήρθε η ώρα να γυρίσω σπίτι». Ο Φάμπελ κι η ομάδα του δυσκολεύονται να ερευνήσουν τον θάνατο της κοπέλας γιατί τα ίδια τα στοιχεία τους περιγελούν (δεν θα πω άλλες λεπτομέρειες γιατί θα είναι σπόιλερ). Φυσικά, όπ��ς θα ήταν λογικό σε μια τέτοια ιστορία, οι φόνοι συνεχίζονται. Μάλιστα, συνεχίζονται με όλο και γρηγορότερη συχνότητα.
Στην πορεία, καταλαβαίνουν οτι ο δολοφόνος διαπράττει κάθε μακάβριο φόνο με σκοπό να αναπαραστήσει ένα παραμύθι από την συλλογή των φριχτων εκδοχών τους που συγκέντρωσαν οι αδελφοί Γκριμ πριν από 200 χρόνια.
Λοιπόν, ας πω το ένα και μοναδικό θετικό του βιβλίου. Μου άρεσε το θέμα του κατά-συρροή-δολοφόνου-ψυχωσικού-με-μύθους. Οι θεωρίες του δολοφόνου που εκφράζονται στο τέλος με έκαναν να γελάσω με την τραγικότητά τους. Θεώρησα την θεματολογία πρωτότυπη αν και είμαι σίγουρη πως έχουν υπάρξει κι άλλοι συγγραφείς που έχουν γράψει ένα παρόμοιο έργο.
Από την άλλη πλευρά, κατά την άποψή μου, υπήρχαν αρκετά αρνητικά στο συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο. Την πρώτη θέση καταλαμβάνουν τα κεφάλαια που είναι από την οπτική του δολοφόνου. Ναι, δεν δίνουν κάποιο τεράστιο σπόιλερ για την ταυτότητα του αλλά και μόνο από την ύπαρξή τους καταλαβαίνεις πως ο δολοφόνος είναι άνδρας. Δηλαδή, οκκ. Θα μπορούσε να είναι και γυναίκα ο δολοφόνος 😂😭 Κάτι ακόμα που με ενόχλησε λιγάκι είναι το γεγονός πως υπήρχαν κεφάλαια που δεν είχαν καμία χρήση στην επεξήγηση της πλοκής, κοινώς άχρηστα κεφάλαια. Τι με νοιάζει εμένα το ραντεβού της υπαστυνόμου με τον καινούργιο της ομάδας; 😭 Επιπρόσθετα, δεν μου άρεσε που η ταυτότητα του δολοφόνου αποκαλύφθηκε σταδιακά. Δυστυχώς, δεν είδα αυτό το ΜΠΑΜ που μου αρέσει να βλέπω σε βιβλία αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας.
Επιπλέον, έχοντας διαβάσει το βιβλίο, έχω να πω οτι δεν κατάλαβα καθόλου την ψυχολογία των χαρακτήρων. Δεν είχαν σκιαγραφηθεί τόσο καλά... Παρόλο που κατάλαβα τον ρόλο τους στην ιστορία, δεν δέθηκα με κανέναν τους κι ούτε κατάλαβα την προσωπικότητά τους. Ο συγγραφέας μου έδωσε να καταλάβω τον προβληματισμό που υπήρχε από μέρους όλων σχετικά με το θέμα των δολοφονιών αλλά μέχρι εκεί.
Η γλώσσα του κειμένου ήταν περιγραφική αλλά θεωρώ πως το περισσότερο κομμάτι ήταν φλυαρία. Ο συγγραφέας μπορούσε να γράψει παραγράφους μιας σελίδας σχετικά με τις σκέψεις του πρωταγωνιστή και να περιγράψει ένα κεντρικό κτήριο. Όταν όμως καλούνταν να περιγράψει τα πτώματα και τις φρικαλεότητες, κατά την ταπεινή μου άποψη, οι περιγραφές ήταν ελλιπείς...
Γενικά, για άλλους μπορεί και να είναικαλό βιβλίο αλλά εγώ προσωπικά δεν μπορώ να πω οτι έμεινα πολύ ευχαριστημένη.
Η ιστορία του Craig Russell, σε αντίθεση με τα περισσότερα αστυνομικά μυθιστορήματα που «γυρίζονται» στο Λος Άντζελες ή σε κάποια περιοχή της Αμερικής (από αυτά που έχω διαβάσει εννοώ), «γυρίστηκε» σε μια ευρωπαϊκή χώρα: την Γερμανία και ειδικότερα στο Αμβούργο. Ο Γιαν Φάμπελ είναι επιθεωρητής του τμήματος Ανθρωποκτονιών του Αμβούργου και αποτελεί τον βασικό πρωταγωνιστή. Υπάρχουν κι άλλα μέλη στην ομάδα του όπως η Άννα Βολφ, η Μαρία Κλέε κι ο Βέρνερ Μάγιερ. Παρόλο που «Το Παραμύθι του Θανάτου» είναι το δεύτερο βιβλίο του συγγραφέα με τον επιθεωρητή Φάμπελ, στις αρχές του βιβλίου υπήρχε κάποια αναφορά στα πρόσωπά τους έτσι ώστε ο αναγνώστης που δεν έχει διαβάσει το πρώτο βιβλίο να καταλάβει τι ρόλο έχουν στην ιστορία.
Η πλοκή ξεκινά όταν σε μια παραλία της πόλης ανακαλύπτουν ένα πτώμα μιας νεαρής κοπέλας που έχει σφιχτά κρατημένο στα χέρια της ένα σημείωμα που λέει: «Ήμουν κάτω από την γη και τώρα ήρθε η ώρα να γυρίσω σπίτι». Ο Φάμπελ κι η ομάδα του δυσκολεύονται να ερευνήσουν τον θάνατο της κοπέλας γιατί τα ίδια τα στοιχεία τους περιγελούν (δεν θα πω άλλες λεπτομέρειες γιατί θα είναι σπόιλερ). Φυσικά, όπ��ς θα ήταν λογικό σε μια τέτοια ιστορία, οι φόνοι συνεχίζονται. Μάλιστα, συνεχίζονται με όλο και γρηγορότερη συχνότητα.
Στην πορεία, καταλαβαίνουν οτι ο δολοφόνος διαπράττει κάθε μακάβριο φόνο με σκοπό να αναπαραστήσει ένα παραμύθι από την συλλογή των φριχτων εκδοχών τους που συγκέντρωσαν οι αδελφοί Γκριμ πριν από 200 χρόνια.
Λοιπόν, ας πω το ένα και μοναδικό θετικό του βιβλίου. Μου άρεσε το θέμα του κατά-συρροή-δολοφόνου-ψυχωσικού-με-μύθους. Οι θεωρίες του δολοφόνου που εκφράζονται στο τέλος με έκαναν να γελάσω με την τραγικότητά τους. Θεώρησα την θεματολογία πρωτότυπη αν και είμαι σίγουρη πως έχουν υπάρξει κι άλλοι συγγραφείς που έχουν γράψει ένα παρόμοιο έργο.
Από την άλλη πλευρά, κατά την άποψή μου, υπήρχαν αρκετά αρνητικά στο συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο. Την πρώτη θέση καταλαμβάνουν τα κεφάλαια που είναι από την οπτική του δολοφόνου. Ναι, δεν δίνουν κάποιο τεράστιο σπόιλερ για την ταυτότητα του αλλά και μόνο από την ύπαρξή τους καταλαβαίνεις πως ο δολοφόνος είναι άνδρας. Δηλαδή, οκκ. Θα μπορούσε να είναι και γυναίκα ο δολοφόνος 😂😭 Κάτι ακόμα που με ενόχλησε λιγάκι είναι το γεγονός πως υπήρχαν κεφάλαια που δεν είχαν καμία χρήση στην επεξήγηση της πλοκής, κοινώς άχρηστα κεφάλαια. Τι με νοιάζει εμένα το ραντεβού της υπαστυνόμου με τον καινούργιο της ομάδας; 😭 Επιπρόσθετα, δεν μου άρεσε που η ταυτότητα του δολοφόνου αποκαλύφθηκε σταδιακά. Δυστυχώς, δεν είδα αυτό το ΜΠΑΜ που μου αρέσει να βλέπω σε βιβλία αστυνομικής λογοτεχνίας.
Επιπλέον, έχοντας διαβάσει το βιβλίο, έχω να πω οτι δεν κατάλαβα καθόλου την ψυχολογία των χαρακτήρων. Δεν είχαν σκιαγραφηθεί τόσο καλά... Παρόλο που κατάλαβα τον ρόλο τους στην ιστορία, δεν δέθηκα με κανέναν τους κι ούτε κατάλαβα την προσωπικότητά τους. Ο συγγραφέας μου έδωσε να καταλάβω τον προβληματισμό που υπήρχε από μέρους όλων σχετικά με το θέμα των δολοφονιών αλλά μέχρι εκεί.
Η γλώσσα του κειμένου ήταν περιγραφική αλλά θεωρώ πως το περισσότερο κομμάτι ήταν φλυαρία. Ο συγγραφέας μπορούσε να γράψει παραγράφους μιας σελίδας σχετικά με τις σκέψεις του πρωταγωνιστή και να περιγράψει ένα κεντρικό κτήριο. Όταν όμως καλούνταν να περιγράψει τα πτώματα και τις φρικαλεότητες, κατά την ταπεινή μου άποψη, οι περιγραφές ήταν ελλιπείς...
Γενικά, για άλλους μπορεί και να είναικαλό βιβλίο αλλά εγώ προσωπικά δεν μπορώ να πω οτι έμεινα πολύ ευχαριστημένη.
April 24, 2017
This, especially when compared to the other Craig Russell novel(s) I have read, was a disappointment. I very much enjoyed the author's Lennox series, set in Scotland, but won't be reading any more of this series set in Germany.
It wasn't massively problematic in as far as reading enjoyment was concerned, but it just felt 'too much' in several areas, which grated with me a little. The setting made for a slightly colder and more distanced feel to the tale - almost Nordic crime in style - which prevented me completely understanding the characters. The requirement/choice to use a lot of German-language terms (esp. in defining the ranks of police officers) was a little jarring in places, despite my reasonable basic German myself. Worst of all, however, was a convoluted plot based around folk tales and fairy stories which just lost my interest halfway through. So few murderers in real life spend that much time and effort playing complicated artistic games with the police chasing them, and I hence found it all a bit ridiculous as well as a bit of a slog. The clues came in a rather linear and contrived manner, and the ending was somewhat 'Scooby-Doo' in it's explanation too.
So yes, though readable and entertaining, in my opinion a weaker effort by an author who I feel does better writing in the genre of Scottish noir.
It wasn't massively problematic in as far as reading enjoyment was concerned, but it just felt 'too much' in several areas, which grated with me a little. The setting made for a slightly colder and more distanced feel to the tale - almost Nordic crime in style - which prevented me completely understanding the characters. The requirement/choice to use a lot of German-language terms (esp. in defining the ranks of police officers) was a little jarring in places, despite my reasonable basic German myself. Worst of all, however, was a convoluted plot based around folk tales and fairy stories which just lost my interest halfway through. So few murderers in real life spend that much time and effort playing complicated artistic games with the police chasing them, and I hence found it all a bit ridiculous as well as a bit of a slog. The clues came in a rather linear and contrived manner, and the ending was somewhat 'Scooby-Doo' in it's explanation too.
So yes, though readable and entertaining, in my opinion a weaker effort by an author who I feel does better writing in the genre of Scottish noir.
July 22, 2014
Δε θα ξαναδιαβάσω παραμύθια. Ποτέ!!!! Με αυτό το βιβλίο δίνεται μια άλλη, τρομακτική διάσταση στα ασφαλή καταφύγια που μας δημιουργούσαν οι ψευδαισθήσεις των παραμυθιών όταν ήμαστε παιδιά. Είναι το δεύτερο βιβλίο της σειράς με ήρωα τον αστυνομικό Φάμπελ (το επίθετό του ταιριάζει πολύ στην υπόθεση, Φάμπελ=μύθος) με αρκετές αναφορές στο πρώτο, τον Αιμάτινο αετό.
Εδώ έχουμε έναν κατά συρροή δολοφόνο που αναπαριστά τα θύματά του όπως στα παραμύθια: Νεραϊδόπαιδο, Ραπουνζέλ, Κοκκινοσκουφίτσα, Χάνσελ και Γκρέτελ. Και ο Φάμπελ να αναρωτιέται ποιος ο συνεκτικός δεσμός μεταξύ των θυμάτων και άρα ο δολοφόνος. Κατά την εξέλιξη της υπόθεσης οι υποψίες πέφτουν σε δύο άτομα τόσο ξεκάθαρα και τόσο φυσικά αλλά δεν είναι κανείς τους ο ένοχος.
Παράληλλα με τις δολοφονίες ένας συγγραφέας ξαναγράφει το παραμύθι των Γκριμ, δίνοντας τις πραγματικές τους διαστάσεις: τα παραμύθια αρχικά ήταν αντιπροσωπευτικά του φόβου και των προκαταλήψεων των ανθρώπων, γι' αυτό ήταν γεμάτα βιασμούς, βία και αίμα. Σιγά σιγά όμως και ειδικά μετά την πρώτη έκδοση, έγιναν ανάρπαστα και απλοποιήθηκαν χάριν των παιδιών για να καταλήξουν στα γλυκανάλατα κινούμενα σχέδια του Ντίσνεϋ. Έτσι έχουμε και κοινωνιολογική ανάλυση των παραμυθιών χωρίς αυτό να σε κουράζει ή να ανυπομονείς για τη συνέχεια. Και ο συνεκτικός δεσμός είναι κάτι τόσο απλό και οφθαλμοφανές που δεν πάει ο νους κανενός. Και ο δολοφόνος μαθαίνουμε ότι ήταν αιχμάλωτος μιας κακιάς μητριάς που τον ανάγκαζε να απομνημονεεύει ολόκληρα, φράση προς φράση, όλα τα παραμύθια των αδελφών Γκριμ κι αν ξέχναγε μια τόση δα λεξούλα έτρωγε πολύ ξύλο. Έτσι όταν μεγάλωσε στράφηκε στις δολοφονίες, με κορωνίδα των επιτευγμάτων του το ψήσιμο στον φούρνο της κακιάς μητριάς όλων των παραμυθιών, της δικής του.
Συγκλονιστικό, ανατριχιαστικό και ανατρεπτικότατο. Θα ξενυχτήσετε για να το τελειώσετε!
Στα ελληνικά από τις εκδόσεις Bell το 2007 (Το παραμύθι του θανάτου).
Εδώ έχουμε έναν κατά συρροή δολοφόνο που αναπαριστά τα θύματά του όπως στα παραμύθια: Νεραϊδόπαιδο, Ραπουνζέλ, Κοκκινοσκουφίτσα, Χάνσελ και Γκρέτελ. Και ο Φάμπελ να αναρωτιέται ποιος ο συνεκτικός δεσμός μεταξύ των θυμάτων και άρα ο δολοφόνος. Κατά την εξέλιξη της υπόθεσης οι υποψίες πέφτουν σε δύο άτομα τόσο ξεκάθαρα και τόσο φυσικά αλλά δεν είναι κανείς τους ο ένοχος.
Παράληλλα με τις δολοφονίες ένας συγγραφέας ξαναγράφει το παραμύθι των Γκριμ, δίνοντας τις πραγματικές τους διαστάσεις: τα παραμύθια αρχικά ήταν αντιπροσωπευτικά του φόβου και των προκαταλήψεων των ανθρώπων, γι' αυτό ήταν γεμάτα βιασμούς, βία και αίμα. Σιγά σιγά όμως και ειδικά μετά την πρώτη έκδοση, έγιναν ανάρπαστα και απλοποιήθηκαν χάριν των παιδιών για να καταλήξουν στα γλυκανάλατα κινούμενα σχέδια του Ντίσνεϋ. Έτσι έχουμε και κοινωνιολογική ανάλυση των παραμυθιών χωρίς αυτό να σε κουράζει ή να ανυπομονείς για τη συνέχεια. Και ο συνεκτικός δεσμός είναι κάτι τόσο απλό και οφθαλμοφανές που δεν πάει ο νους κανενός. Και ο δολοφόνος μαθαίνουμε ότι ήταν αιχμάλωτος μιας κακιάς μητριάς που τον ανάγκαζε να απομνημονεεύει ολόκληρα, φράση προς φράση, όλα τα παραμύθια των αδελφών Γκριμ κι αν ξέχναγε μια τόση δα λεξούλα έτρωγε πολύ ξύλο. Έτσι όταν μεγάλωσε στράφηκε στις δολοφονίες, με κορωνίδα των επιτευγμάτων του το ψήσιμο στον φούρνο της κακιάς μητριάς όλων των παραμυθιών, της δικής του.
Συγκλονιστικό, ανατριχιαστικό και ανατρεπτικότατο. Θα ξενυχτήσετε για να το τελειώσετε!
Στα ελληνικά από τις εκδόσεις Bell το 2007 (Το παραμύθι του θανάτου).
April 25, 2011
Mein Gott! I'll never look at Disney princesses and their fairy godmothers the same way again
March 10, 2023
Stories you know so well can still have mystery. It had a very even pace throughout the book and it didn’t have a big climax I was expecting but a microphone drop instead.
March 21, 2019
A few years ago, I had really enjoyed Russell's first Jan Fabel detective novel, Bloog Eagle, and I was hoping the second novel would not disappoint. To my delight, this one is even better than the first!
It has the same super-local feel of Hamburg Russell created in the first novel, delightful to someone who knows Hamburg even a little (as I do, thanks to my friend Molly), weaving local and regional history and giving the scenes a very concrete feel.
The plot this time is superb, and masterfully crafted for suspense and surprise, without being cheesy. It has an intellectual premise, a firm mooring in actual philosophical ideas about Germanistics and ideas of Volk, and a good set of alternative suspects and side plots.
I enjoyed it thoroughly, and look forward to the next Jan Fabel book, which I shall probably read only in a few years, to keep with tradition.
It has the same super-local feel of Hamburg Russell created in the first novel, delightful to someone who knows Hamburg even a little (as I do, thanks to my friend Molly), weaving local and regional history and giving the scenes a very concrete feel.
The plot this time is superb, and masterfully crafted for suspense and surprise, without being cheesy. It has an intellectual premise, a firm mooring in actual philosophical ideas about Germanistics and ideas of Volk, and a good set of alternative suspects and side plots.
I enjoyed it thoroughly, and look forward to the next Jan Fabel book, which I shall probably read only in a few years, to keep with tradition.
September 8, 2024
Me siento mal al darle 3 ⭐, pero es que sentí que me revolvió un montón.
Es interesante la propuesta que hizo de una especie de venganza y obsesión basándose en los cuentos de los hermanos Grimm, pero el libro se me hizo eterno.
Supongo que la ubicación no ayuda, pues al estar en Alemania los nombres, apellidos, calles y ubicaciones solo lograron confundirme más.
Tan es así, que en ningún momento ví como iban a ser el descubrimiento del villano, el final si era de imaginarse teniendo en cuenta el contexto del cuento principal favorito del malo.
Es interesante la propuesta que hizo de una especie de venganza y obsesión basándose en los cuentos de los hermanos Grimm, pero el libro se me hizo eterno.
Supongo que la ubicación no ayuda, pues al estar en Alemania los nombres, apellidos, calles y ubicaciones solo lograron confundirme más.
Tan es así, que en ningún momento ví como iban a ser el descubrimiento del villano, el final si era de imaginarse teniendo en cuenta el contexto del cuento principal favorito del malo.
February 13, 2025
I really enjoyed this book, enough twists and turns to keep you interested. The ending wrapped up anything with no loose ends. I wish there was a legend of some sort to explain the German job titles, but otherwise I loved it. Apparently it’s a second book in a series? But it read as a standalone with no issues.
October 3, 2017
Es un libro que me gusto mucho, ya que se me hizo súper interesante la forma en la que se recrean los asesinatos. Y esa sensación de ser yo quien buscaba al culpable no paraba (eso me entusiasmaba más a seguir leyendo)
Si te gustan los cuentos de hadas y el crimen este es un buen libro para ti.
Si te gustan los cuentos de hadas y el crimen este es un buen libro para ti.
April 9, 2019
A fast paced thriller with twists and turns at every corner. Absolutely fascinating.
August 6, 2022
Mord og eventyr… det kan næsten ikke blive bedre!
November 29, 2025
sonu daha iyi olabilirdi
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