Ζώνη υψηλής τηλεθέασης

Annika Bengtzon (Published Order) #4

by Liza Marklund, Νίκη Προδρομίδου (Translator)

Δεκατρείς άνθρωποι περνούν τη μικρότερη νύχτα της χρονιάς σε μια απομονωμένη έπαυλη, όπου πραγματοποιούνται τα γυρίσματα μιας τηλεοπτικής σειράς εκπομπών υψηλής τηλεθέασης. Το επόμενο πρωί η πιο λαμπρή σταρ της σουηδικής τηλεόρασης βρίσκεται δολοφονημένη σε ένα βαν εξωτερικών μεταδόσεων.
Ο φόνος κάνει άνω κάτω τον κόσμο της ρεπόρτερ Άνικα Μπένγτζον. Η καλύτερή της φίλη είναι μία από τους υπόπτους.
Η Άνικα αναγκάζεται να καλύψει δημοσιογραφικά την έρευνα της αστυνομίας και ο σύντροφός της, ο Τόμας, την κατηγορεί ότι απογοητεύει την οικογένειά της. Επιπλέον το αφεντικό της, ο Άντερς Σίμαν, την εμπλέκει σε ένα παιχνίδι εξουσίας.
Εντωμεταξύ ο δολοφόνος κυκλοφορεί ελεύθερος – κι ένα τρομερό δράμα πρόκειται να εκτυλιχθεί μπροστά στα μάτια του κοινού.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Swedish Literature, Scandinavian Literature, Sweden

480 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Scandinavia’s undisputed queen of crime fiction, Liza Marklund is the No. 1 international bestselling author of the Annika Bengtzon series.

Liza Marklund was born in 1962 in the small village of Pålmark, close to the Arctic Circle in Sweden. She is an author, journalist, columnist, and goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. She is also co-owner of Piratförlaget, one of Sweden’s most successful publishing houses. Since her debut in 1995, Liza Marklund has written eleven novels and two nonfiction books. Liza co-wrote the international bestseller The Postcard Killers with James Patterson, making her the second Swedish author ever to reach No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list. Her crime novels featuring the gutsy reporter Annika Bengtzon have sold more than 13 million copies in 30 languages to date.

Liza Marklund worked as an investigative news reporter for ten years and as an editor in print and television news for five. Today, she also makes documentaries for television and writes for various newspapers. Her topics are often women and children’s rights. Liza has made documentaries about children with HIV/AIDS in Cambodia and Russia, and a series about domestic violence, Take a Little Beating.

Liza is also a popular columnist since 20 years. Her columns have appeared in various Swedish and international newspapers and magazines, including Financial Times in the UK, Welt am Sonntag in Germany, Dagbladet Information in Denmark, and Ilta-Lehti in Finland. She is a regular columnist in Swedish tabloid Expressen and Norwegian daily Verdens Gang. Today, Liza and her family divide their time between Stockholm in Sweden and Marbella in southern Spain.

Reviews

[Tessa Nadir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Autoarea Liza Marklund a publicat 8 romane in seria 'Annika Bengtzon' din care face parte si prezenta carte.
Atunci cand zici 'prime-time' te gandesti automat la o emisiune TV aflata in direct, la ore de maxima audienta, iar romanul de fata ne introduce in "bucataria" unei asemenea productii, in spatele camerelor de filmare. De asemenea ni se prezinta si lumea jurnalistilor, a reporterilor si avem accesul in redactia unui ziar local.
In ceea ce priveste actiunea o avem in prim plan pe Annika, o jurnalista cu experienta de investigatie criminalistica si mama a doi copii mici care se lupta sa impace aceste doua lumi astfel incat sa nu o ia razna cu totul. Atunci cand prezentatoarea TV Michelle Carlsson este impuscata mortal, chiar pe platoul de filmare, ea este trimisa de ziarul unde lucreaza la fata locului pentru a afla cat mai multe informatii.
Cei 12 care au facut parte din echipa de filmare a emisiunii a carei gazda a fost victima sunt considerati suspectii principali. Fiecare dintre ei are un motiv personal sau profesional deoarece prezentatoarea era o persoana controversata.
In ceea ce ma priveste, la un moment dat, m-a obosit toata alergatura jurnalistilor si faptul ca acestia se sapa unii pe altii, sunt invidiosi si se ocupa cu tot felul masinatiuni, relevandu-ne o lume destul de sordida a redactiei. Trebuie sa recunosc ca mi-a cam consumat rabdarea si entuziasmul pentru ca doream sa evadez din lumea tulbure in care traim in prezent si am dat de o realitate si mai zbuciumata. Si n-am pomenit nimic de vremea mohorata si depresiva a romanului, in care ploua constant, strazile sunt pline de baltoace, e frig mereu, chiar si cand ar trebui sa fie cald si in general iti vine sa iti pui streangul. :)
Personajele sunt neplacute. Trebuie sa recunosc ca nu m-a atras nimeni, toti fiind fazi si trasi in acelasi tipar, neavand nici virtuti dar nici pacate neamaiauzite, fapt ce te face sa te intrebi de ce s-ar scrie o carte despre ei. Sunt nepoliticosi, parca rupti din topor, nimeni nu e amabil, nimeni nu vorbeste frumos, toata lumea este cu capsa pusa, din cale afara de iritata si agresiva. Nu sunt memorabili, nu ramai cu ei in gand dupa terminarea romanului, ba mai mult, cartea te face sa te feresti de soiul asta de oameni dezagreabili, dorindu-ti putina liniste sau macar normalitate. Este o adevarata binecuvantare cand inchizi in sfarsit cartea si cu asta si gurile lor. :)
In incheiere atasez cateva citate pe care le-am pescuit cu abilitate din acest amalgam tulbure de probleme cu iz nordic:
"Faima e un fel de rana a sufletului - chiar daca se vindeca, iti raman cicatrici. Orice om care cunoaste catusi de putin faima se molipseste de ea ca de raie - nu-i mai da pace."
"... cand nu esti iubit, ai face orice sa fii admirat; cand nu esti admirat, ai pretentia sa fii respectat; cand nu esti respectat, vrei sa fii temut."
"Daca nu pot sa am ce ai tu, n-o sa mai ai nici tu. Sa iei viata cuiva e manifestarea extrema a puterii."
"Ma refer la recunoastere, a zis ea. E o nevoie primara a omului. Fara aprecierea si recunoasterea care ni se cuvin, suntem zdrobiti. E o conditie fundamentala a vietii."

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is no doubt: Mrs. Marklund has some nice epic skills. But, at the same time, she pushes her luck too far:
- this novel, like most of her works is a little ( a little more, in fact...) too long
- I'm not much interested in vulgar details, such depressing landscapes, unpleasant odors and another additional little facts, all of them annoying
- I've always seen a list of characters at the beginning of the book like a minimal sign of decency, especially when we are dealing with more than a dozen persons, all of them just as important...

[Χρύσα Βασιλείου · Rating 2 out of 5]

Το τρίτο βιβλίο της σειράς με την Άνικα Μπένγτζον είναι και το τελευταίο που έχω στα χέρια μου. Δεν λυπάμαι που δεν θα διαβάσω τη συνέχεια, δεν με ενδιαφέρει να διαβάσω τη συνέχεια! Κι αυτό το λέω εγώ, που έχω δηλώσει άπειρες φορές πως δεν μου αρέσει να αφήνω γενικότερα βιβλία στη μέση και ειδικότερα σειρές βιβλίων στη μέση και προσπαθώ να μην το κάνω ποτέ (λόξα μου, Ι know!).
Το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο "μπάζει" από παντού. Η ίδια η ιστορία είναι αδύναμη, οι ήρωες στην πιο αντιπαθητική και αναποφάσιστη φάση τους και η όποια ίντριγκα επιχειρεί να δημιουργήσει η συγγραφέας, χωλαίνει σαν αερικό που εξαϋλώνεται με το πρώτο φως του ήλιου (μα, τι λογοτεχνικό! 😂 )

Το έγκλημα που καλείται να καλύψει αυτή τη φορά ο σουηδικός Τύπος αφορά τον φόνο μιας τηλεπαρουσιάστριας. Το στόρι θυμίζει έντονα μυστήριο "κλειστού δωματίου", αφού οι ύποπτοι είναι συγκεκριμένοι και είναι όσοι βρίσκονταν σε ένα κάστρο την τελευταία ημέρα των γυρισμάτων της εκπομπής. Θεωρητικά, όλοι μπορούν να είναι ένοχοι, μιας και αποδεικνύεται για μια ακόμη φορά πως ο τηλεοπτικός κόσμος δεν είναι και τόσο αγγελικά πλασμένος και πως η ίντριγκα, ο φθόνος και οι δολοπλοκίες πίσω από τις κάμερες δίνουν και παίρνουν. Υπό άλλες συνθήκες, όλο αυτό θα μπορούσε ίσως να γίνει μια ιστορία που κρατάει το ενδιαφέρον του αναγνώστη, όμως στη συγκεκριμένη περίπτωση ούτε καν! Το όποιο ενδιαφέρον έχει χαθεί πολύ πριν φτάσουμε στην αποκάλυψη του δολοφόνου. Το δε κίνητρο του φόνου αποδεικνύεται επίσης πολύ αδύναμο και "λίγο", οπότε φτάνει κανείς να αναρωτιέται: "Γι' αυτόν τον λόγο έγιναν όλα αυτά;" και "Γιατί τα διάβασα όλα αυτά;!"

Την Άνικα Μπένγτζον ποτέ δεν κατάφερα να τη συμπαθήσω. Ειδικά εδώ, στο τρίτο βιβλίο, ήθελα να τη μπουφλίσω συνεχώς! Γενικά δεν μου αρέσει (εντός και εκτός λογοτεχνίας) η δουλειά του δημοσιογράφου - εκείνου του είδους που χώνει τη μύτη του ακόμα και στις δυσκολότερες στιγμές σου, προκειμένου να βγάλει είδηση για το αυριανό πρωτοσέλιδο. Κατανοώ ποια είναι η δουλειά της Άνικα, αλλά ποτέ δεν κατάφερα να τη συμπαθήσω ως προς αυτό. Ούτε και τον ίδιο τον χαρακτήρα της. Ναι, είναι προβληματική και απρόβλεπτη, όμως έχω συναντήσει κι άλλους τέτοιους ήρωες και τους έχω αγαπήσει. Ετούτη εδώ μάλλον κακομαθημένη και εγωίστρια θα τη χαρακτήριζα. Ψοφάει να ανακατεύεται πάντα στις ζωές των άλλων, αλλά δεν δέχεται μύγα στο σπαθί της για τη δική της. Τα θέλει όλα όπως τα θέλει, όποτε τα θέλει. Ειδικά σε ό,τι αφορά τη σχέση της με τον Τόμας, περίμενα πως σ' αυτό το βιβλίο θα είχε ηρεμήσει κάπως, μιας και βρήκε έναν άνθρωπο να την αγαπά και δεν είναι πια μόνη μιας κι έχει σύντροφο και παιδιά κτλ., αλλά αυτή δεν ικανοποιείται με τίποτα! Δηλώνοντας πως είμαι απόλυτα υπέρ της ισότητας των δύο φύλων, εδώ είμαι ξεκάθαρα με το μέρος του Τόμας. Για τη γενικότερη συμπεριφορά της Άνικα κι όχι μόνο για ό,τι αφορά τη δουλειά της.

Συνοψίζοντας, για να μη σας κουράζω κι άλλο, το βιβλίο αυτό είναι ένα από εκείνα που προσωπικά παρακαλούσα να τελειώσει. Από τα πιο αδιάφορα που έχω διαβάσει ποτέ και οπωσδήποτε ένα από τα χειρότερα, τα χειρότερα όμως από το είδος της σκανδιναβικής λογοτεχνίας, την οποία λατρεύω και συνήθως δεν με απογοητεύει ποτέ. Ε, εδώ υπήρξε η εξαίρεση στον κανόνα. Liza Marklund, να 'σαι καλά και να γράφεις (και να πλουτίζεις απ' αυτό), αλλά ελπίζω εμείς οι δυο να μην ξαναβρεθούμε σ' αυτή τη λογοτεχνική ζωή.

[Emma · Rating 2 out of 5]

Με αυτό το βιβλίο βρισκόμουν σε μία συνεχόμενη φάση: " Έλα Μανουέλα κορίτσι μου, μπορείς να το διαβάσεις" και σχεδόν ψυχαναγκαστικά, το ολοκλήρωσα για να καταλήξω αν ήταν,όντως,τόσο βαρετό και το τέλος( τελικά ήταν).
Η πρωταγωνίστρια συμπαθητική, αλλά το μεγαλύτερο ενδιαφέρον το συγκεντρώνουν οι διάφορες πλεκτάνες-δολοπλοκίες και η κατάληξή τους.

[Dana Cristiana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I love this collection of crime detective books from this publishing house, but let me tell you something about this book: Such a disappointment!

Michelle Carlsson, a popular TV celebrity dies! There are 12 people in that team that was filming at the Yxtaholm castle, and almost everyone had a motive to kill her.

Annika Bengtzon is our protagonist. She is a great character and detective, but the other characters weren't that extraordinary. Also, there were parts that didn't interest me, and those were the scenes where Annika's husband went to his parents with their kids. It didn't help the story evolve in any way and beside that her husband is such an idiot! Or maybe is just me.

I guessed who was the murderer before the big reveal which, let me tell you, was sooo imature and stupid!

The book itself was okay and pleasant at times, but overall it was slow-paced in a negative way.

I still want to read books by Liza Marklund, especially the ones in this series and I will, but she is not a priority just now.

[Zita Markūnaitė · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skaitydama šią knygą supratau, kas man vis kliūna Anikos Bengzton serijoje. Ji pati :) Na, nemėgstu tokių žmonių, kurie, viena vertus, yra stiprūs, bando visur eiti kaip tankai, aklai užsispyrę, bet kažkokiose kritinėse situacijose ištęžta. Taip visai nelogiškai, nenuosekliai. Realiame gyvenime taip nebūna. Nebent kažkurią savo pusę - silpnąją ar stipriąją - žmogus tiesiog nenatūraliai užsideda kaip kaukę. Ir tikrai tokio jos lepšiškumo neįmanoma paaiškinti skaudžiais praeities įvykiais.
Nors knygos siužetas man patiko.
Ir ypač didžiuojuosi, kad po ilgo laiko vėl skaičiau anglų kalba :)

[Barbara Elsborg · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed. I lost interest several times and had to force myself to keep going. The part I had most interest in was the personal family aspect with Annika and Thomas. The whodunnit element just didn't grab me. I really liked Studio 69 but this one didn't do it for me.

[Rhianydd · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book, for me, was a great disappointment. I stopped reading at page 67 in despair.

I was hoping for some of the 'edge-of-your-seat suspense' promised on the front page and was confronted with mistakes and a rather boring tedious plot.

Having said that, although I don't like it, other people might find it great.

[Stefanos V · Rating 3 out of 5]

Δεν ήταν ακριβώς αυτό που περίμενα να διαβάσω αλλά μου άρεσε αρκετά. Το παράξενο ήταν πως με τράβηξαν οι περίεργες δολοπλοκίες και οι πλεκτάνες (που δεν απέχουν από την πραγματικότητα) της μιας εκ των τριών παράλληλων και αλληλοσυνδεόμενων ιστοριών παρά η κεντρική υπόθεση του βιβλίου.

[Erika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Helt okej bok, inte jättespännande. Utgiven 2002 och vissa saker har inte åldrats väl i denna bok.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's Midsummer and Annika Bengtzon, newspaper reporter and mother, is preparing for family celebrations at her partner's parents Island Holiday home. When she gets a call to say that Michelle Carlsson, a big name TV presenter has been murdered, and Annika has been assigned to follow the story, Thomas is furious at her for leaving him to get the children to his parents alone. Annika's just returned to work after maternity leave and her relationship with Thomas is increasingly fraught with tension and anger.

Annika is instantly torn between the fascination of a major murder investigation and the call of her family. On the one hand - a murder in a remote, isolated location during the filming of a prime-time TV series; a limited number of suspects, one of whom is her own best friend; and the victim Michelle - a controversial person, and long-time target of Annika's own paper. On the other hand, her own very young children; an increasingly difficult relationship with the disgruntled and demanding Thomas; and her parents-in-law who just do not approve of Annika and maintain an ongoing close friendship with Thomas' first wife.

The central mystery in PRIME TIME is a twist on the classic closed room scenario. There are only twelve suspects and there are all sorts of complicated personal and professional factors affecting all of the suspects and their relationships with the victim. There is a police investigation, and a police investigator, Q, who plays a very small role in the book. The investigation of the crime in this book is done by Annika as she sets out to find the story and ensure her best friend is not incriminated. There is also all of the machinations and manoeuvring of media organisations; even Annika's own paper seems to be embroiled in scandals and management power struggles.

PRIME TIME is the 4th book in a series which concentrates on Annika's own life, her career and her personal relationships. There's absolutely nothing easy about Annika. In the earlier books she's a very angry, prickly and difficult woman, always complaining, always rubbing up against everyone around her. In PRIME TIME the chip on Annika's shoulder has decreased in size a little, but there are definitely times when you'd like to take both Annika and Thomas by the hand and bang their heads together. Towards the end of PRIME TIME they are both starting to see what the real problems are and they start sorting out their personal relationship and their own careers.

As Annika searches out the story behind Michelle and ultimately her murder, there are some of the 12 suspects who become very real, whilst others remain very shadowy and under-drawn. Despite the quick dissipation of the closed room scenario, as the suspects leave the scene of the murder and return to their own environments, there is a final "drawing room" denouncement.

There's some real skill in the writing here, Annika's not a character that's easy to warm to, but you really feel inclined to stay with her to the end.

[Mike Cuthbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marklund scores big with this multi-layered mystery. It covers a murder to a prominent TV star, the tabloid news business, radio and TV innards and a troubled marriage, all with aplomb and passion. Annika Bengston, perhaps Marklund’s alter-ego, is called to cover a murder of a leading TV interviewer, Michelle Carlsson at an exclusive castle in Sweden. Among the suspects is Anne Snapphane, Annika’s best friend. But the suspects are many: there were thirteen at the series’ finale, including a horny rock star who does not become a suspect only because, after having rough sex with Michelle, he left the party. The murder investigation rolls on but in the meantime, Annika’s partner, Thomas, undergoes spasms of doubt about their future even as she wants to get married at last after two children. (Couples operate differently in Sweden!) Along the way, Annika finds herself confronting issues of celebrity, popularity, ratings, ethics and the nature of the very industry she’s in: news. Michelle illustrates the downside of celebrity and others crave it to a dangerous degree. It seems as if everybody at the shoot had a good reason to kill Carlsson. Annika has doubts about her marriage as well, finding herself oddly attracted to a couple of nice guys who are on the crew, especially Gunnar, the tech director. Does she yield in her time of trouble? One of the hooks Marklund uses to keep us involved, but they are subtle hooks. Marklund remains near the top of my Noir list, behind only Jo Nesbø for sheer enjoyment per page though she is not even close to as violent as Jo. I am eager to find more copies of her works in English and I assure you that you’ll be hooked by her as well with one reading.

[Ciska · Rating 3 out of 5]

Midsummernight is coming. In a hotel 13 people are just wrapping up a television production. Somewhere that night the big star of the production gets murdered. A news reporter is pulled out of her midsummernight holiday to go to the hotel and get the news covered. Due to the fact that most people in the hotel are connected to the media the newsreporter, Annika, knows most of them and one of the suspects is her best friend. [return]At the same time Annika's boss is in a powerstruggle with his boss and she helps him out finding some incriminating information on the big boss.[return][return]The story is missing space. I had to read back at some points to find out who the persona was mentioned in the part that I was reading. Some parts are written very well the arrival at the murderscene is written with a lot of detail and tickles the imagination but other parts are very short and there I loose interest.[return][return]I am not sure if it is my copy but the book does not have enough space. I do not read a book in one go and I like to put it down when I finish an paragraph or a chapter. The chapters where long and there where hardly paragraphs. This gave me the feeling I had to put the book down being in the middle of a subject.[return]The character settings where decent. [return]Overal it was not a bad read, but I am not sure if I would choose another book by the same author

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second of hers I have read. I enjoyed the crime story from the perspective of an investigative newspaper journalist. In this one, a star of the local network was found dead in a locked production truck. I like the personal side of this main character. She is the mother of two small children. I learned in this book, she had an affair with a married man and he left his wife for her and their family now. But his mother is not so understanding.
This story opens on a holiday weekend, when the family are planning on joining the in-laws on an island. But being on call as the papers crime reporter, means she leaves her family to pursue the story.
An underlying story in this book is the nastiness of the media - print or television. All of the people on the island at the time had a reason to kill the local star. In fact, I felt like I was on the Orient Express. But it was a satisfying read.
I am a little confused with the order of these books, but I will persevere and read others in this series.

[Reena · Rating 4 out of 5]

At last Schyman reached the sea, shimmering and eternal.

Last line from Prime Time by Liza Marklund. I love finding (and reading) books missing from a series and with Prime Time, I did just that. It bridged the gap between four other books in the Annika Bengzton I’ve read (Exposed and Paradise before, The Bomber and The Red Wolf after.) This felt like a Poirot piece, where the murder suspects are all known to have been at a certain place, at a certain time and a mystery needs to be solved. The office politics and Bengzton’s personal problems paralleling the simple plot provided plenty of depth to this instalment in the series. Particularly like how the story goes back to the Bengzton’s attack from Exposed and how she’s dealing with it now, in addition to becoming a mother after Paradise.

[Tony Nielsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is typical Liza Marklund, and by that I mean typically good. This is the only Annika Bengstrom novel in the series that I hadn't read so was looking forward to it. And I wasn't disappointed. Marklund has made the Annika character compulsive reading. A fantastic reporter but fraught with emotional baggage in her personal life. Getting to share both roles makes it all the more real. In spite of a tricky plot Annika has the chance to give her career and her relationship a big pay-day, so to speak, but does it eventuate ?? That's for you to now find out.

[Ana-Maria Bujor · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will give it three stars because I liked three quarters of the book. The crime story was interesting enough, the characters and their motivations kept me going, the main character was flawed enough to seem real. Not a bad read. However the ending was too sudden and seemed to have gathered all the cliches in the genre - justice is being made in front of everyone, the main character gets all the attention on her, personal life is perfect etc. And the Cain and Abel story? Made me roll my eyes. But anyway, the first part was good enough to roll my eyes.

[Elina Mäkitalo · Rating 3 out of 5]

En tiedä mikä näissä kirjoissa mättää vaikka onkin ihan hyvää kirjoittamista ja eteenpäin menevää, tarinatkin ovat ihan mielenkiintoisia mutta jotenkin tuntuu että ovat lässähtäneitä, ei ole sellaista huippukohtaa jossa kaikki asiat selkiäisi ja/tai jännitys nousisi ylimmilleen. Tasapaksua. Jonkin verran mielestäni myös turhaa tietoa joka ei kirjan tarinan kannalta olennaista tietoa. Kohtalainen ja paikoitellen hyvä mutta toivon mukaan taso ei laske koska haluaisin kuitenkin lukea koko Annika- sarjan mutta jos taso laskee niin en näe mieltä siinä.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good Liza Marklund story with the Annika Bengtzon character. I love that we get a follow up to her personal search for happiness. Also, in this story we get an insight into insider trading and the machinations of the media industry, both print and tv media. For this, Liza utilized her husband's skills as CEO of a TV network to do research.

[Gabriela · Rating 3 out of 5]

After "The Bomber" I cannot say that I read through the same nervous angst of Annika, but overall the book it's good, easy to follow and it dwells not only in the aftermath of a crime and its investigation, but also Annika's family life and personal pursuit. And on the plus side: I jaw-dropping finale!

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one in the series that I hadn't read -- had to order it on inter library loan. I enjoyed it though it was strange to have plot developments regarding the continuing characters that precede things That I know happen later on. That's one reason I usually like to go back to the beginning of a series rather than jump around.

[Linda Carroll-Bradd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good suspense constructed like a "locked door mystery" that just kept getting more engaging as the author dug deeper to show how so many of the characters could have been the murderer. I also love learning about the aspects of life in Sweden that differ from mine in America.

[Gustambro · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always Marklund's way of writing is entertaining and easy to read. Interesting to read the story on the perspective of a news reporter and nice to follow the life of the character through the books. Recommend reading them in order

[Naomi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had way too much of an Americanized romance mystery to it. My least favorite in the series so far. It almost had a Camilla Läckberg feel to it. Ms. Lackberg is my least favorite NN author.

[Marty · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like others, I had to force myself to finish this. It wasn't that it was bad, I just didn't find it much of a mystery. It covers a few days in the life of Annika Bengtzon, in which she does her job and struggles with her family relationships. I simply didn't find the story compelling.

[Jasmiina F · Rating 2 out of 5]

My least favorite book from this series. The two stars came from Annika's character development which was well written, but the mystery just left me cold and didn't keep me interested at all. This is rare for Marklund, usually I enjoy her novels a lot.

[Yaa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unfortunately this wasn't for me. I thought the writing got particularly bad towards the end, almost as if the ending was rushed. I wasn't particularly fond of a majority of the characters and I felt that they lacked some depth.

[Marga Vr]

One should read Liza's books in Swedish to get the true feel of the story

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liza delivers yet another good book featuring Annika B. This time about how people behave/misbehave because they are famous, or when they have become famous.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

I kept thinking this must get better, the previous two were good but I just wasn't getting in to it right to the end.