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Inspector Huss #9
Who Watcheth
He watches the women from the shadows. He has an understanding with them; as long as they follow his rules, they are safe. But when they sin, he sentences them to death.
A woman is found dead in a cemetery, strangled and covered in plastic. Just a few days before her death, the victim had received a flower, an unintelligible note, and a photograph of herself. Detective Inspector Irene Huss and her colleagues on the Goteborg police force have neither clue nor motive to track in the case, and when similar murders follow, their search for the killer becomes increasingly desperate. Meanwhile, strange things have been going on at home for Irene: first the rose bush in her garden is mangled, then she receives a threatening package with no return address . . .
A woman is found dead in a cemetery, strangled and covered in plastic. Just a few days before her death, the victim had received a flower, an unintelligible note, and a photograph of herself. Detective Inspector Irene Huss and her colleagues on the Goteborg police force have neither clue nor motive to track in the case, and when similar murders follow, their search for the killer becomes increasingly desperate. Meanwhile, strange things have been going on at home for Irene: first the rose bush in her garden is mangled, then she receives a threatening package with no return address . . .
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2010
77 people are currently reading
669 people want to read
About the author
Helene Tursten
53 books945 followersHelene Tursten (born in Gothenburg in 1954) is a Swedish writer of crime fiction. The main character in her stories is Detective Inspector Irene Huss. Before becoming an author, Tursten worked as a nurse and then a dentist, but was forced to leave due to illness. During her illness she worked as a translator of medical articles.
Series:
* Irene Huss
Series:
* Irene Huss
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 108 reviews
September 3, 2016
He can be your guardian or your punisher depending on whether you follow his rules. Of course, that can be a bit challenging since you aren’t aware you’re being stalked.
The 9th instalment in this series can be summed up with a big “eeewww” as we join Irene Huss & her team on the hunt for a serial killer in Goteborg. He has a preferred type & is fond of quoting the Old Testament but that’s just part of his twisted MO.
Meanwhile Irene has a couple of other things on her plate. Weird stuff is happening around her home & it’s starting to get scary. And at work she has to deal with a superintendent who takes every opportunity to belittle her efforts. That may change when the case hits close to home.
Like each book, this can be read as a stand alone. But there are long term relationships between these characters that are continually evolving & add so much to the plot. They have distinct & well developed personalities & part of the enjoyment comes from catching up with their story lines.
It’s a proper police procedural that shows the hard work & frustration that goes into an investigation as they wait for a break. The side plots keep things moving at a steady pace as tension builds for a frightening showdown with a seriously creepy bad guy. Add a funny little dachshund named Egon & really….what more do you need?
The 9th instalment in this series can be summed up with a big “eeewww” as we join Irene Huss & her team on the hunt for a serial killer in Goteborg. He has a preferred type & is fond of quoting the Old Testament but that’s just part of his twisted MO.
Meanwhile Irene has a couple of other things on her plate. Weird stuff is happening around her home & it’s starting to get scary. And at work she has to deal with a superintendent who takes every opportunity to belittle her efforts. That may change when the case hits close to home.
Like each book, this can be read as a stand alone. But there are long term relationships between these characters that are continually evolving & add so much to the plot. They have distinct & well developed personalities & part of the enjoyment comes from catching up with their story lines.
It’s a proper police procedural that shows the hard work & frustration that goes into an investigation as they wait for a break. The side plots keep things moving at a steady pace as tension builds for a frightening showdown with a seriously creepy bad guy. Add a funny little dachshund named Egon & really….what more do you need?
November 23, 2016
This book gave me that creepy, tingly down my spine feeling that I look for in a good Scandinavian mystery. And refreshingly the main character, Detective Irene Huss, has a good relationship with her husband, a chef, and her two adult daughters. It's a nice change of pace from the crusty old loners and sad, vulnerable spinsters populating so many mysteries. It's also nice that she's sensible and does not go off and do scary stuff on her own and set herself up for obviously stupid situations. I appreciate that.
Someone is watching Detective Huss. And someone has been killing women who have been watched. It seems there is a serial killer on the loose in Goteborg and Irene could be next. Mostly the case is solved through good old solid police work, which is also refreshing. I hadn't read the previous books in the series, and you totally don't need to have as I didn't at all feel I was missing anything. Some of the Swedish names can throw the reader for a loop but I have little trouble just pushing through on those. It's a solid police procedural and I'm glad I wasn't reading it at home, alone, at night, like the last Jo Nesbo book I read where I had to put it away and read something else and I could only read it during the day. This one I was reading on a plane during the day and that was perfect. It's a solid Scandinavian mystery, and if you like those in general, you will very much enjoy this one.
Someone is watching Detective Huss. And someone has been killing women who have been watched. It seems there is a serial killer on the loose in Goteborg and Irene could be next. Mostly the case is solved through good old solid police work, which is also refreshing. I hadn't read the previous books in the series, and you totally don't need to have as I didn't at all feel I was missing anything. Some of the Swedish names can throw the reader for a loop but I have little trouble just pushing through on those. It's a solid police procedural and I'm glad I wasn't reading it at home, alone, at night, like the last Jo Nesbo book I read where I had to put it away and read something else and I could only read it during the day. This one I was reading on a plane during the day and that was perfect. It's a solid Scandinavian mystery, and if you like those in general, you will very much enjoy this one.
March 2, 2017
Who Watcheth is a question with more than one answer in this latest installment in Helene Tursten’s excellent police procedural series featuring Inspector Irene Huss of Göteborg, Sweden. Huss is on the trail of a serial killer who wraps his victims up in a package, a forensic countermeasure that the media uses to name the unknown suspect The Package Killer.
As the victims are investigated, it seems that the Package Killer stalks his victims for a time. It also seems that someone is stalking Inspector Huss. I confess that I am not a fan of what I call the “personal jeopardy” storyline. I am happy to have my detectives investigate and capture killers without mussing their hair, to be honest. For me, the puzzle is more compelling than fear they will be hurt. After all, if they die, the series is over, so the tension is never absolute. Of course, when the personal jeopardy spreads to their family, then there is a greater sense of peril. Nonetheless it does not win points with me. That personal jeopardy applied so often in Who Watcheth made the book less compelling for me.
I have a list of plot elements I like and dislike. They are not deal-breakers. Personal jeopardy is one. Another element I dislike is the interior monologue of madness from inside the killer’s head. That Who Watcheth pulled in two of my most disliked elements was a disappointment. For me, the monologue of madness is unnecessary. I prefer to let the detectives discern the motive from victimology and personal history. In Who Watcheth, the key to the motive is a message written on the “gifts” sent to the victims before their death. We don’t need the interior monologue to understand the motive.
One of the most disturbing and heart-breaking stories in the Huss series is The Fire Dance from a few years back. Fallout from that mystery complicates this one. I appreciate that Tursten makes room for one story to impinge on another. In real life, a case may have ramifications long after it is solved, boxed up, and filed away. Bringing back the story from the past is an authentic action, though that story was as bleak as can be.
There is nothing cozy about Scandinavian Noir and Helene Tursten is among the most noir of the noir. Her stories are often grim, disturbing explorations of twisted and broken killers. The tragic histories that broke and twisted them will sometimes break your heart. As grim and unrelenting as they may be, Tursten’s novels intrigue and capture readers with excellent pacing, characterization and imaginative plots.
Who Watcheth is a good mystery. It is fair and presents readers with the clues they need. In fact, readers may catch a hint or two before Inspector Huss and her colleagues. The work place environment is realistic, with friendships, alliances, and conflicts shifting and changing as they are likely to do. I wish there were more solidarity with Huss female supervisor, but stereotypes of successful women invade books my women, too. I like that Huss has a happy home life with solvable, ordinary problems and a dog that is just too cute for words.
I thought this was one of the weaker books in her series. I did not think the killer’s monologue was necessary and found it distracting. Huss relied on that far too much and I would argue that it was unnecessary in the first place. There was a bit too much personal jeopardy as well, what with Huss, a female colleague and Huss again in jeopardy. The victimology seems a bit weak, as well, as though the only trigger needed was being seen by the killer. Some interaction triggering the targeting and stalking would have seemed more real, though I know at times it can be just that random. I also think it might have been a stronger book if there were more viable suspects. However, as a procedural, the winnowing of suspects was effective and realistic.
However, a weaker Helene Tursten mystery is still better than average. Even when not at her best, Helene Torsten writes a strong police procedural with pacing so fast and engrossing that you think you have just started and you’re halfway through the book. Her characters are people you will care about, even if you have not read the entire series. If you have, then you really want to know how they are doing and see them change over time. I have a soft spot for Helene Tursten’s series in particular because my grandparents emigrated from Varmland, leaving from Göteberg. Some of the books in the series take us out of the city into rural Varmland and there are place names I recognize. I like to imagine what they might have been like for my grandparents and great aunts and uncles. Tursten writes beautifully about the landscape and makes it come alive and I love that about her books.
Who Watcheth will be released on December 6th. I received an advance e-galley from Soho Press through Edelweiss.
★★★
http://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpres...
As the victims are investigated, it seems that the Package Killer stalks his victims for a time. It also seems that someone is stalking Inspector Huss. I confess that I am not a fan of what I call the “personal jeopardy” storyline. I am happy to have my detectives investigate and capture killers without mussing their hair, to be honest. For me, the puzzle is more compelling than fear they will be hurt. After all, if they die, the series is over, so the tension is never absolute. Of course, when the personal jeopardy spreads to their family, then there is a greater sense of peril. Nonetheless it does not win points with me. That personal jeopardy applied so often in Who Watcheth made the book less compelling for me.
I have a list of plot elements I like and dislike. They are not deal-breakers. Personal jeopardy is one. Another element I dislike is the interior monologue of madness from inside the killer’s head. That Who Watcheth pulled in two of my most disliked elements was a disappointment. For me, the monologue of madness is unnecessary. I prefer to let the detectives discern the motive from victimology and personal history. In Who Watcheth, the key to the motive is a message written on the “gifts” sent to the victims before their death. We don’t need the interior monologue to understand the motive.
One of the most disturbing and heart-breaking stories in the Huss series is The Fire Dance from a few years back. Fallout from that mystery complicates this one. I appreciate that Tursten makes room for one story to impinge on another. In real life, a case may have ramifications long after it is solved, boxed up, and filed away. Bringing back the story from the past is an authentic action, though that story was as bleak as can be.
There is nothing cozy about Scandinavian Noir and Helene Tursten is among the most noir of the noir. Her stories are often grim, disturbing explorations of twisted and broken killers. The tragic histories that broke and twisted them will sometimes break your heart. As grim and unrelenting as they may be, Tursten’s novels intrigue and capture readers with excellent pacing, characterization and imaginative plots.
Who Watcheth is a good mystery. It is fair and presents readers with the clues they need. In fact, readers may catch a hint or two before Inspector Huss and her colleagues. The work place environment is realistic, with friendships, alliances, and conflicts shifting and changing as they are likely to do. I wish there were more solidarity with Huss female supervisor, but stereotypes of successful women invade books my women, too. I like that Huss has a happy home life with solvable, ordinary problems and a dog that is just too cute for words.
I thought this was one of the weaker books in her series. I did not think the killer’s monologue was necessary and found it distracting. Huss relied on that far too much and I would argue that it was unnecessary in the first place. There was a bit too much personal jeopardy as well, what with Huss, a female colleague and Huss again in jeopardy. The victimology seems a bit weak, as well, as though the only trigger needed was being seen by the killer. Some interaction triggering the targeting and stalking would have seemed more real, though I know at times it can be just that random. I also think it might have been a stronger book if there were more viable suspects. However, as a procedural, the winnowing of suspects was effective and realistic.
However, a weaker Helene Tursten mystery is still better than average. Even when not at her best, Helene Torsten writes a strong police procedural with pacing so fast and engrossing that you think you have just started and you’re halfway through the book. Her characters are people you will care about, even if you have not read the entire series. If you have, then you really want to know how they are doing and see them change over time. I have a soft spot for Helene Tursten’s series in particular because my grandparents emigrated from Varmland, leaving from Göteberg. Some of the books in the series take us out of the city into rural Varmland and there are place names I recognize. I like to imagine what they might have been like for my grandparents and great aunts and uncles. Tursten writes beautifully about the landscape and makes it come alive and I love that about her books.
Who Watcheth will be released on December 6th. I received an advance e-galley from Soho Press through Edelweiss.
★★★
http://tonstantweaderreviews.wordpres...
December 21, 2016
Who Watcheth. Inspector Irene Huss. #9. December 2016. iBook. √ 4/5.
Irene and her husband are talking downsizing as Sammie is dead and the twins are now independent. There are a series of murders and things start happening close to home for Irene. It's always a good read and I enjoyed this number nine. Even the new dog.
So far haven't been able to find the tv series in anything but German but sure enjoy the books.
Irene and her husband are talking downsizing as Sammie is dead and the twins are now independent. There are a series of murders and things start happening close to home for Irene. It's always a good read and I enjoyed this number nine. Even the new dog.
So far haven't been able to find the tv series in anything but German but sure enjoy the books.
October 13, 2023
The whole story felt like a cliché with the author not bothering to even think if it would be probable for the killer with that IQ to do what he actually does. I get annoyed when authors take readers for granted.
February 8, 2022
After my last book where I felt like I never wanted to read again I was so scarred I needed something easy. That came in the form of an oddly written Swedish mystery, cool.
September 7, 2018
Not the very best from Helene Tursten, but still excellent, with a very creepy murderer.
October 4, 2016
Helene Tursten has written the ninth book in her Irene Huss series. Irene is Detective Inspector on a Swedish police force. She was once the female jiu Jitsu champion in her nation. She is tall, strong, and not one to be reckoned with. Married to Krister, a wonderful cook, the two of them have twin daughters that have left home to be on their own. All is going well for Irene until she realizes that someone is messing with her garden. Things have been moved and vandalized and she is at a loss to think of who would want to do this to her.
On the police front, a serial killer is on the loose. He sneaks behind his female victims, strangles them with a blue cord, and then wraps them in plastic and tape. He is given the sobriquet of 'The Package Killer'. Prior to killing each woman, he sends them a white chrysanthemum and leaves a photo of them in a compromising position with a male. He also leaves puzzling messages for the victims - letters and numbers. The only clue that the detectives have is that he has a stench about him, is around 40 years old, and is strong. They have a suspect in their sights but not enough to go on in order to make an arrest.
While I thought this was a good book, it did not come up to several previous ones in this series. I knew who the killer was early on and the book tended to drag a bit in the middle. I enjoy the characterizations and appreciate the appearance of the same people in each book. It's like getting together with old friends. Each detective has their own personality and distinct relationships with one another. If you are a new-comer to this series, I recommend you start with one of the earlier books so you can familiarize yourself with the returning characters.
On the police front, a serial killer is on the loose. He sneaks behind his female victims, strangles them with a blue cord, and then wraps them in plastic and tape. He is given the sobriquet of 'The Package Killer'. Prior to killing each woman, he sends them a white chrysanthemum and leaves a photo of them in a compromising position with a male. He also leaves puzzling messages for the victims - letters and numbers. The only clue that the detectives have is that he has a stench about him, is around 40 years old, and is strong. They have a suspect in their sights but not enough to go on in order to make an arrest.
While I thought this was a good book, it did not come up to several previous ones in this series. I knew who the killer was early on and the book tended to drag a bit in the middle. I enjoy the characterizations and appreciate the appearance of the same people in each book. It's like getting together with old friends. Each detective has their own personality and distinct relationships with one another. If you are a new-comer to this series, I recommend you start with one of the earlier books so you can familiarize yourself with the returning characters.
January 13, 2011
Ich mag Helene Tursten und ihre Kriminalkommissarin Irene Huss sehr gerne, aber diesem Buch kann ich nur drei Sterne geben.Der Plot ist okay und recht spannend, das Ende allerdings ausgesprochen abrupt und in gewisser Weise ziemlich lieb-und lustlos daher geschrieben.Es könnte sich fast der Verdacht aufdrängen, dass der Autorin der Abgabetermin im Nacken sass und sie ein schnelles Ende sozusagen aus dem Ärmel schütteln musste.Meiner Meinung nach sehr unbefriedigend.
Dann fand ich persönlich es auch nicht so geglückt, dass sie, wie schon im vorigen Band "Das Brandhaus"einen zweiten Handlungsstrang in ihren Roman eingeflochten hat, der absolut nichts mit dem Plot zu tun hat und letzten Endes ins Leere läuft.Für mich macht das wenig Sinn.
Ansonsten kommt Irene Huss patent und sympathisch wie eh und je daher.
Mein Fazit, kein großer Wurf, aber im Grossen und Ganzen flüssiges und leicht verdauliches Lesefutter.
Dann fand ich persönlich es auch nicht so geglückt, dass sie, wie schon im vorigen Band "Das Brandhaus"einen zweiten Handlungsstrang in ihren Roman eingeflochten hat, der absolut nichts mit dem Plot zu tun hat und letzten Endes ins Leere läuft.Für mich macht das wenig Sinn.
Ansonsten kommt Irene Huss patent und sympathisch wie eh und je daher.
Mein Fazit, kein großer Wurf, aber im Grossen und Ganzen flüssiges und leicht verdauliches Lesefutter.
May 11, 2019
My wife rejected this series after the first book; I understand her feelings, can even see what she didn't like, but got engrossed anyway in the characters' investigations, interactions, and private lives. This one has a suspect of the "Did he? or Didn't he? How could he? It's gotta be him!" variety, not settled until requestioning not-exactly-witnesses turns up the final clues. Throw in a chase scene at the very end, and you have a satisfying story.
August 16, 2016
Helene Tursten is one of my favorite Nordic Noir authors. This novel finds Irene Huss pursuing a serial murderer known as the Package Killer. Excellent writing and characterization with plenty of surprises make this book a good choice for mystery aficionados.
March 8, 2018
Actually 4.5 but didn't deserve rounding down.
October 20, 2017
Narrative is focused & tight (unlike Golden Calf, which was all over the place). The dachshund made it even better.
September 24, 2024
In a kind of shift, Tursten gives us the perp at the get go. The trouble is, evidence. If I had one complaint it would have been how long it took them to hunt for the place where the killer wrapped his victims. Then again, if it had been earlier in the investigation, there would have been no story to speak of!
This was a rather creepy plot with a very, very creepy suspect. Learning about his past only made the whole tale all the more mired in the muck that became his life. As a stalker, he had a plan. He didn't employ sophisticated methods for staking out his victims, and he had a repetitious modus operandi. It was still difficult to get a handle on him.
The office politics are complicated by the fact that her long-time partner has become the second in command to their unit's new leader, and that situation in itself became unethical as hell. When the unit leader becomes one of the suspect's victims, Irene uncovers evidence of an affair that goes even higher up the commanding food chain. Clearly her boss is screwing her way to the top, and leaving a mess in her wake.
At the same time, Irene, herself, has become the victim of a stalker, and while it seems to be the same suspect, it turns out to be a character from a previous book with a heartbreaking plot. Ultimately, she discovers the perp was, in fact, stalking her, too.
Once she gets a thought about something from the man's past, she does a little more investigation - the unit leader being in the hospital with a badly damaged esophagus from a failed strangling makes her former partner authorize pulling out all the stops in running down all the threads that can be pulled to ensnare the suspect. Irene gets the results she was looking for, and heads off to the summer cottage to meet up with her husband, Chef Kristen. It is time to close it up for the season, and in the drive toward the Norwegian border, she realizes she is being followed. Her cell is, predictably dead but the area has poor reception, anyway. Now she must rely on her intimate knowledge of where her cottage is and how to lure the suspect away from her beloved husband and their home.
Irene Huss is a smart cookie. She is an intuitive seeker of justice with a streak of empathy for even the worst perpetrators. Tursten paints characters with deeply disturbing defects - much as James Lee Burke does - and like Dave Robicheaux, Irene uses what she gleans about the suspect to take things to their logical conclusion. Often she puts herself in danger, but you know she is so clever that she can flip the switch on a perp in a heartbeat.
I know I am nearing the end of the series, so far, which saddens me. I want to see how Irene's life goes and how things ultimately shake out in the Violent Crimes Unit. And I don't want it to end, yet!
This was a rather creepy plot with a very, very creepy suspect. Learning about his past only made the whole tale all the more mired in the muck that became his life. As a stalker, he had a plan. He didn't employ sophisticated methods for staking out his victims, and he had a repetitious modus operandi. It was still difficult to get a handle on him.
The office politics are complicated by the fact that her long-time partner has become the second in command to their unit's new leader, and that situation in itself became unethical as hell. When the unit leader becomes one of the suspect's victims, Irene uncovers evidence of an affair that goes even higher up the commanding food chain. Clearly her boss is screwing her way to the top, and leaving a mess in her wake.
At the same time, Irene, herself, has become the victim of a stalker, and while it seems to be the same suspect, it turns out to be a character from a previous book with a heartbreaking plot. Ultimately, she discovers the perp was, in fact, stalking her, too.
Once she gets a thought about something from the man's past, she does a little more investigation - the unit leader being in the hospital with a badly damaged esophagus from a failed strangling makes her former partner authorize pulling out all the stops in running down all the threads that can be pulled to ensnare the suspect. Irene gets the results she was looking for, and heads off to the summer cottage to meet up with her husband, Chef Kristen. It is time to close it up for the season, and in the drive toward the Norwegian border, she realizes she is being followed. Her cell is, predictably dead but the area has poor reception, anyway. Now she must rely on her intimate knowledge of where her cottage is and how to lure the suspect away from her beloved husband and their home.
Irene Huss is a smart cookie. She is an intuitive seeker of justice with a streak of empathy for even the worst perpetrators. Tursten paints characters with deeply disturbing defects - much as James Lee Burke does - and like Dave Robicheaux, Irene uses what she gleans about the suspect to take things to their logical conclusion. Often she puts herself in danger, but you know she is so clever that she can flip the switch on a perp in a heartbeat.
I know I am nearing the end of the series, so far, which saddens me. I want to see how Irene's life goes and how things ultimately shake out in the Violent Crimes Unit. And I don't want it to end, yet!
December 26, 2017
Tursten’s heroine, Irene Huss, is a bit of an Amazon with her martial arts skills and six-foot frame. She and her chef-husband, Krister, get along just fine, unlike many Nordic Noir couples, and she looks forward to coming home to his recipes. In this edition of Huss’s adventures, however, she gets in trouble as she becomes one of the targets of the Package Killer—a murderer who throttles his victims, then wraps them up in contractors’ plastic and deposit them in some meaningful place. He targets women of a certain age and always precedes his attacks with a photo of his victim and general harassment. The chase is on early and a suspect is located but, oddly enough, he doesn’t smell bad enough to be the killer! The result is a murder-thriller with side remarks by the killer that inform us as to his motivation, which is pseudo-religious in nature. There is a side-story written by a disturbed woman named Angelika in the form of a blog. She blames Huss for all her problems and it is possible that she could be suspect as an accessory, though hardly likely. Meanwhile, Irene has to put up with the snide, often obscene and seldom funny remarks of Jonny, one of her detectives. Jonny can be counted on to say something stupid at each meeting of the investigative team and is a side-issue, though an irritating one, for the indefatigable detective Huss. As usual, a good, solid, well written and frequently amusing exercise by Tursten.
June 2, 2023
I really enjoy reading Helene Tursten’s DI Irene Huss police procedural series. Who Watcheth, the 9th in series book is no exception. The reader can read this as a stand alone along with other Irene Huss books that I have read.
Irene and her chef husband are now empty nesters, a considerable life style change for the Huss family. Suddenly, the home that the couple live seems to be too large. Can they move somewhere to a flat that is smaller and closer to their work? These weighing decisions are interrupted by Irene’s police work.
Helene Tursten writes amazingly accurate and enjoyable police procedurals. For example, one cannot face arrest until all details are covered. Her research and plot progression seem to be painstakingly accurate. Her character descriptions are also built nicely.
Someone is stalking Irene and she eventually discovers clues that confirm this fact at least to her. Weird things are happening around her home that are not adding up. However, this must take a back burner as Gothenburg has a serial killer loose.
A woman is found in a cemetery wrapped in plastic. A few days before her death someone had put a picture with a flower and writing that can’t be deciphered. Soon, a victim is found under similar circumstances. DI Huss and her team hit the ground running. The case becomes very frustrating, but the team work hard under stress to try and catch this creep before he kills again. It is not like the team can afford to wait for the next similar victim turns up and they can gather more clues. Or, maybe the creep will make a mistake.
Who Watcheth is a very good book, especially if one reads police procedurals. Nevertheless, I believe that just about anybody who reads crime thrillers will enjoy the book. If one has not read any Helene Tursten DI Irene Huss books yet, it is high time that they did. This book rates at about a 4.2-4.5 star rating IMHO, so I will rate it a 4-star rating.
I would like to thank Edelweiss and the publisher for and advanced copy.
Irene and her chef husband are now empty nesters, a considerable life style change for the Huss family. Suddenly, the home that the couple live seems to be too large. Can they move somewhere to a flat that is smaller and closer to their work? These weighing decisions are interrupted by Irene’s police work.
Helene Tursten writes amazingly accurate and enjoyable police procedurals. For example, one cannot face arrest until all details are covered. Her research and plot progression seem to be painstakingly accurate. Her character descriptions are also built nicely.
Someone is stalking Irene and she eventually discovers clues that confirm this fact at least to her. Weird things are happening around her home that are not adding up. However, this must take a back burner as Gothenburg has a serial killer loose.
A woman is found in a cemetery wrapped in plastic. A few days before her death someone had put a picture with a flower and writing that can’t be deciphered. Soon, a victim is found under similar circumstances. DI Huss and her team hit the ground running. The case becomes very frustrating, but the team work hard under stress to try and catch this creep before he kills again. It is not like the team can afford to wait for the next similar victim turns up and they can gather more clues. Or, maybe the creep will make a mistake.
Who Watcheth is a very good book, especially if one reads police procedurals. Nevertheless, I believe that just about anybody who reads crime thrillers will enjoy the book. If one has not read any Helene Tursten DI Irene Huss books yet, it is high time that they did. This book rates at about a 4.2-4.5 star rating IMHO, so I will rate it a 4-star rating.
I would like to thank Edelweiss and the publisher for and advanced copy.
May 20, 2022
I so enjoy Ms. Tursten's work. As with any writer of a series some are not as good as others. This is not one of those not quite so good. I am stingy with that 5th star but this book earned it.
This is shown as the 9th in the Inspector Huss series and somehow I bypassed the 8th, The Treacherous Net. From this book there were several things I missed by bypassing The Treacherous Net and that will be in my next book order.
There are 6 more (counting Treacherous Net) with the last being released in 2018. I fear that that means the series ends, as they all do eventually. (Well. with people taking over from authors who have passed away in the more current times that may not be true.
I like Irene Huss for many reasons, being believable possibly the most important. She is intelligent but hardly infallible. She is a wife, a husband and has, again, a believable home life. Her relationship with her work mates is also believable.
If you like mystery, aren't bothered by some amount of graphic mayhem, enjoy a protagonist with a life outside of the hunt for a villain, you should like Inspector Huss.
This is shown as the 9th in the Inspector Huss series and somehow I bypassed the 8th, The Treacherous Net. From this book there were several things I missed by bypassing The Treacherous Net and that will be in my next book order.
There are 6 more (counting Treacherous Net) with the last being released in 2018. I fear that that means the series ends, as they all do eventually. (Well. with people taking over from authors who have passed away in the more current times that may not be true.
I like Irene Huss for many reasons, being believable possibly the most important. She is intelligent but hardly infallible. She is a wife, a husband and has, again, a believable home life. Her relationship with her work mates is also believable.
If you like mystery, aren't bothered by some amount of graphic mayhem, enjoy a protagonist with a life outside of the hunt for a villain, you should like Inspector Huss.
January 27, 2018
After receiving this novel in a good reads first read drawing, I was pleasantly surprised with an entertaining murder mystery. I reminded me a lot of the Bones TV series and I could definitely visualize the plot expand in my mind like watching a video.
Irene is a middle age detective (this is in a series) who gets saddled with a serial killer case. In addition to being the cases detective she is also a target. The drama begins when an unsuspecting victim breaks the overbearing rules of a dangerous stalker. When his rules are broken the results are deadly. A body is discovered abandoned and shrink wrapped with care in an abandoned church yard.
Other than the fact that the killer himself is very shallowly defined, to be followed up with a brief climax, I have few complaints. The characters are relate able and you really want Irene to pull it together. At the same time you curse at the characters in their stupidity when they do the classic horror movie faux pas time and again.
It took me about 48hrs to run through this book so its a quick read, but compelling if you like sitcom style murder mysteries.
Irene is a middle age detective (this is in a series) who gets saddled with a serial killer case. In addition to being the cases detective she is also a target. The drama begins when an unsuspecting victim breaks the overbearing rules of a dangerous stalker. When his rules are broken the results are deadly. A body is discovered abandoned and shrink wrapped with care in an abandoned church yard.
Other than the fact that the killer himself is very shallowly defined, to be followed up with a brief climax, I have few complaints. The characters are relate able and you really want Irene to pull it together. At the same time you curse at the characters in their stupidity when they do the classic horror movie faux pas time and again.
It took me about 48hrs to run through this book so its a quick read, but compelling if you like sitcom style murder mysteries.
June 23, 2017
Who Watcheth? Who watcheth indeed. This is the crux on one of Helene Tursten's intriguing mysteries. Tursten's intrepid Detective Inspector, Irene Huss gets more embroiled in an investigation that she thought. In the search for a stincky perpetrator who stalks and then strangles women, cleans them and packages them before dropping them off in a cemetery. The investigation ramps up dramatically when the perp attacks and nearly kills Irene Huss' boss.
As in all good mysteries, it gets a satisfactory conclusion. I love a good mystery, and Tursten writes outstanding mysteries. Oh, by the way, this takes place in Goteborg Sweden where Tursten lives.
Bruce
As in all good mysteries, it gets a satisfactory conclusion. I love a good mystery, and Tursten writes outstanding mysteries. Oh, by the way, this takes place in Goteborg Sweden where Tursten lives.
Bruce
January 20, 2019
Another great read from Sweden by Helene Tursten. Inspector Irene Huess draws the case of someone apparently stalking women, taking pictures through their windows of them in compromising situations and sending them along with a flower and note with reference to a bible verse. They are then found wrapped in plastic, strangled with a blue cord, naked and washed. There is a lack of forensics to identify the killer and the bosses are coming down on the Huss' team for lack of progress. Meanwhile Irene is having her own stalker and is being threatened as well. These are good, hate to put down stories. Look then up and give them a try.
February 25, 2021
The serial killer is a staple of the police crime series, so here is one from Sweden, where fictional serial killers outnumber real serial killers by one thousand to one. Basically we are just watching and waiting for the mysterious watcher to strike again and we are tantalized by the possibility that he is stalking Inspector Huss. I thought this was a weak effort because the mental acuity of the perpetrator of these crimes seems so completely out of sync with the public persona we had been introduced to. It is so very doubtful that he would not have been caught out very early in the game. And the imaginary writings were again very problematic.
July 19, 2022
Another wonderful mystery because Tursten has found the formula that holds my interest. It's a mix of old crimes, new crimes, family updates and the changes that life presents. Detective Inspector Irene Huss is brilliant and yet subject to being tired, hungry and sleepy - like the rest of us. In this way, we care about her well-being as well as her sleuthing ability. She misses a few cues in this book, making her entirely human. She's keeping things all together but an outside stalker changes her world in a speedy way. I enjoy these mysteries because they have just enough realism and just enough theatricality to be entertaining.
January 29, 2025
This is the ninth book in a police procedural series (ten books in all) set in Goteborg, Sweden and the third book in this series which I have read. I like the character of Detective Inspector Irene Huss.
The story deals with a serial killer but there is also a subplot with someone targetting Irene and her family. The story is told in a matter of fact style but I enjoyed this book. I think it is probably a good idea to read the books in the correct order though apparently the events in the fourth book take place before the events in the second and third books!
I will definitely look for more books in this series and will probably try some of the author's other books too.
The story deals with a serial killer but there is also a subplot with someone targetting Irene and her family. The story is told in a matter of fact style but I enjoyed this book. I think it is probably a good idea to read the books in the correct order though apparently the events in the fourth book take place before the events in the second and third books!
I will definitely look for more books in this series and will probably try some of the author's other books too.
December 10, 2017
Generally speaking I really enjoy Tursten’s books. So far, not this one. She appears to have run out of ideas. The serial killer comes from central casting, w/ a textbook religious/sex fantasy. Everyone has chills running down their spines. Disparate average women are in danger. The two separate “sexy”women in the story are dressed in red sweater dresses and black boots. Really a snooze. It’s as if Torsten wrote the book by drawing cards, i.e. weapon, killer type, victim etc. There is a naive rant about the internet opening up to scams and trolls. And, let me add, I know every hero needs a protagonist, but it is inconceivable that Irene’s colleague Jonny would be employed as a detective any where on earth.
March 3, 2018
I have always been a Helene Tursten fan and this 9th in the Inspector Irene Huss series does not disappoint. After 2 women in their 40s are found strangled and wrapped in brown paper, Inspector Huss is brought in to solve "the Package Murders" as they are now labelled. The killer is not done yet and brings his hunt all too close to Detective Huss's home and family. The strength of Tursten's books in my opinion is her character development. Across the novels, I really feel like I know all the characters.
July 22, 2019
He watches from the shadows. He targets blonde women who appear to live alone. He kills them (claiming biblical rights) and wraps them in plastic. One victim (possibility his first) survived and the only thing she remembers is the overwhelming smell. About half way through the book Huss and her colleagues have their prime suspect, but little hard evidence to back them up. Will they get the evidence before there is another killing?
Meanwhile some strange things are happening in Irene’s life, each incident worse than the others. Who is targeting Irene and her family, and why.
Meanwhile some strange things are happening in Irene’s life, each incident worse than the others. Who is targeting Irene and her family, and why.
February 4, 2020
An Inspector Irene Huss investigation (#9). A page turning entry into this Swedish noir series. Irene Huss and colleagues investigate a serial killer who leaves a white chrysanthemum and a photograph at the home of women he stalks, strangles, washes and wraps in plastic. At the same time, someone is vandalizing Irene’s home and harassing her husband and daughters in some dangerous ways. Is it the same person? Or are there two very disturbed people in her universe? Taut, we’ll plotted and suspenseful.
July 11, 2022
Denna bok var precis vad jag behövde, en lättläst deckare. Tycker dock den inte var kalasbra. Det presenteras ganska snabbt vem som är mördaren så den var inte direkt så spännande, men det händer alltid något i boken vilket gör den enkel och underhållande att läsa. Flera konversationer i boken bidrar också till att det går ganska snabbt att ta sig fram bland sidorna.
Detta var min första bok om Irene Huss och jag tyckte det funkade bra att läsa denna bok utan att ha läst, eller sett, något innan om henne.
Detta var min första bok om Irene Huss och jag tyckte det funkade bra att läsa denna bok utan att ha läst, eller sett, något innan om henne.
October 25, 2024
Irene and the team are dealing with a killer who strangles women in their 50s. We get to see something of his thoughts, as they are interspersed between chapters. He thinks the women have broken their faith with him and must die. Irene is also being targeted... destruction in her garden, an urn through the window. Are these attacks related to the so-called "package killer"? (dubbed that because he wraps his victims in plastic) Creepy stalker stuff too, with flowers and photos. Ugh. But a cute little dachshund named Egon.
August 19, 2018
Entertaining Enough.
As mysteries go, I liked this well enough. However, toward the end of the book, I found Huss’ actions to be inexplicable. To me, her attitude was a giant plot hole. An experienced detective is quite unconcerned that she is clearly on a serial killer’s list? As well, there was little or no development of the killer which I found unsatisfying. Not a literary masterpiece, but entertaining enough - a short read.
As mysteries go, I liked this well enough. However, toward the end of the book, I found Huss’ actions to be inexplicable. To me, her attitude was a giant plot hole. An experienced detective is quite unconcerned that she is clearly on a serial killer’s list? As well, there was little or no development of the killer which I found unsatisfying. Not a literary masterpiece, but entertaining enough - a short read.
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