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Victoria Bergmans svaghet #1-3
The Crow Girl
The most terrifying thriller you'll read this year
It starts with just one body – the hands bound, the skin covered in marks.
Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg is determined to find out who is responsible, despite opposition from her superiors. When two more bodies are found, it becomes clear that she is hunting a serial killer.
With her career on the line, she turns to psychotherapist Sofia Zetterlund. Together, they uncover a chain of shocking events that began decades ago – but will it lead them to the murderer before someone else dies?
It starts with just one body – the hands bound, the skin covered in marks.
Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg is determined to find out who is responsible, despite opposition from her superiors. When two more bodies are found, it becomes clear that she is hunting a serial killer.
With her career on the line, she turns to psychotherapist Sofia Zetterlund. Together, they uncover a chain of shocking events that began decades ago – but will it lead them to the murderer before someone else dies?
767 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2016
922 people are currently reading
15177 people want to read
About the author
Erik Axl Sund
21 books491 followersErik Axl Sund is the pen name of Swedish author duo Jerker Eriksson (b. 1974) and Håkan Axlander Sundquist (b. 1965). Håkan is a sound engineer, musician and artist. Jerker has been the producer of Håkan's electro punk band iloveyoubaby! and currently works as a librarian in a prison. Erik Axl Sund is the author of three novels so far: Crow Girl (2010), Hunger Fire (2011) and Pythia's Instructions (2012). Together, they form the trilogy about Victoria Bergman. These dark and addictive novels became an immediate success, both critical and commercial. The Victoria Bergman trilogy is the latest literary phenomenon in Swedish crime fiction and a milestone in contemporary crime fiction in general.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,155 reviews
October 4, 2017
This is an ideal read for Halloween although I have to add warnings that there is disturbing and distressing material with child abuse, paedophilia, torture, rape and murder that will be too much for many readers. It is a translated Swedish novel that comes in at nearly 800 pages, so be prepared for this long read. This is a serial killer thriller that begins with the discovery of a mummified boy in Stolkholm, closely followed by other bodies. Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg has a difficult home life with her stay at home husband, Ake, who aspires to be an artist and her rebellious son, Johan. As she investigates, it becomes clear that the child is not Swedish but a migrant. She faces obstacles such as the prosecutor who do not view the case as important as it does not involve Swedes.
Kihlberg gets involved with psychotherapist, Sofia Zetterlund, who has spent time in Sierra Leone and is instrumental in drawing up a psychological profile which gives insights into the killer. Psychological mental disorders play a big part in the story. This investigation reveals that the case goes back decades and involves powerful figures in Swedish society. I found myself having to read very fast over the darker aspects of the book. It is desperately shocking what parents can do to their own children. The authors draw on numerous real life happenings to children, coalescing it en masse that made for a stressful and grisly narrative. The main characters are women, determined women who want to get to the bottom of the horrors they come across.
Providing you can stomach the unpalatable, traumatic and repulsive subject matter and issues, this is a complex and compelling read. It is fast paced, well plotted and with numerous twists. This is definitely not a book for everyone, but if you are looking for horror at this time of the year, this twisted crime novel fits the bill. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.
Kihlberg gets involved with psychotherapist, Sofia Zetterlund, who has spent time in Sierra Leone and is instrumental in drawing up a psychological profile which gives insights into the killer. Psychological mental disorders play a big part in the story. This investigation reveals that the case goes back decades and involves powerful figures in Swedish society. I found myself having to read very fast over the darker aspects of the book. It is desperately shocking what parents can do to their own children. The authors draw on numerous real life happenings to children, coalescing it en masse that made for a stressful and grisly narrative. The main characters are women, determined women who want to get to the bottom of the horrors they come across.
Providing you can stomach the unpalatable, traumatic and repulsive subject matter and issues, this is a complex and compelling read. It is fast paced, well plotted and with numerous twists. This is definitely not a book for everyone, but if you are looking for horror at this time of the year, this twisted crime novel fits the bill. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.
February 21, 2017
The book “The Crow Girl” written by Erik Axl Sund a pseudonymously written book by a couple of guys who look more like some fans of the group The Cure, crossed with some Swedish Death Metal fans, is a difficult book to read because of all the depravity, deviant sex and violence contained within. Regardless of one’s resolve, this book will impact you beyond simple horror or shock.
The book primarily concerns three women, a female police detective, a psychologist, and a patient of that psychologist. We delve deeply into their lives and the others around them in the present and back through their history.
Originally published in Sweden as a trilogy (made up of three separate books) the first of which was published in 2010, the copy that I read is the British hardcover version published by Harvill Secker, which I probably purchased because of how much I liked the cover which is far superior to the American cover. The original Swedish cover which would most likely be banned in most countries, can be found here:
http://www.erikaxlsund.com/books/crow...
The book has been purchased for production into a T. V. series; however I really don’t know how that will be able to be done without an extreme amount of narration.
The biggest challenge of the book is the constant change of narrator. The only clues given, being the location of where that particular portion of the narrative is taking place or the year of the events.
An intense book that will challenge the reader to come to terms with just how cruel people can be to people especially to their own children, including torture, rape, murder and much much worse and should not be read by those of a sensitive nature or easily shocked.
The book primarily concerns three women, a female police detective, a psychologist, and a patient of that psychologist. We delve deeply into their lives and the others around them in the present and back through their history.
Originally published in Sweden as a trilogy (made up of three separate books) the first of which was published in 2010, the copy that I read is the British hardcover version published by Harvill Secker, which I probably purchased because of how much I liked the cover which is far superior to the American cover. The original Swedish cover which would most likely be banned in most countries, can be found here:
http://www.erikaxlsund.com/books/crow...
The book has been purchased for production into a T. V. series; however I really don’t know how that will be able to be done without an extreme amount of narration.
The biggest challenge of the book is the constant change of narrator. The only clues given, being the location of where that particular portion of the narrative is taking place or the year of the events.
An intense book that will challenge the reader to come to terms with just how cruel people can be to people especially to their own children, including torture, rape, murder and much much worse and should not be read by those of a sensitive nature or easily shocked.
February 7, 2016
The first thing that strikes you about this book (assuming you buy this as a book and not on kindle of course) is how hefty it is at over 750 pages. The novel was written by Erik Axl Sund, which is actually the pen name used by Jerker Eriksson and Hakan Sundquist. This Swedish duo originally published this as an award winning trilogy: Crow Girl, first published in 2010, Hunger Fire in 2011 and Pythia’s Instructions in 2012. Now it has been translated into English and republished as a single volume.
The book begins with the discovery of a mummified boy, found bound with tape in a bin liner. Detective Superintendent Jeannette Kihlberg is in charge of the case, with her colleague Jens Hurtig. Jeannette is an interesting character; the daughter and granddaughter of police officers, she is committed to her work but feels that she does not devote enough time to her son, Johan.
Meanwhile, her stay at home husband, Ake, dreams of being an artist, but Jeannette feels resentful that she has to juggle everything with little financial reward or support from her superiors or her husband.
Before long it transpires that the child found was not Swedish, but possibly Arabic. This is a dark and violent book, which looks at child abuse and trafficking. Jeannette finds her investigation stalled, especially by the Prosecutor, von Kwist, and feels the case is seen as less important as the child in question was not Swedish. Meanwhile, she comes into contact with psychotherapist Sofia Zetterlund, who spent three months in Sierra Leone. She hopes that Sofia can help her with her investigation and, as the book progresses, becomes very intrigued by her, both professionally and personally.
In fact, this is a novel which has women at the centre of the storyline and the strong, central female characters really work very well. This is a book which looks at the damage that abuse causes and is really a story of vengeance and serious psychological disorders. Although there is a lot of violence and some really upsetting content, it is never gratuitous and the story and characters carry the plot along at a fast pace, with lots of plot twists and turns. Unsettling, disturbing and sometimes upsetting, this is a stunning achievement and really well translated.
The book begins with the discovery of a mummified boy, found bound with tape in a bin liner. Detective Superintendent Jeannette Kihlberg is in charge of the case, with her colleague Jens Hurtig. Jeannette is an interesting character; the daughter and granddaughter of police officers, she is committed to her work but feels that she does not devote enough time to her son, Johan.
Meanwhile, her stay at home husband, Ake, dreams of being an artist, but Jeannette feels resentful that she has to juggle everything with little financial reward or support from her superiors or her husband.
Before long it transpires that the child found was not Swedish, but possibly Arabic. This is a dark and violent book, which looks at child abuse and trafficking. Jeannette finds her investigation stalled, especially by the Prosecutor, von Kwist, and feels the case is seen as less important as the child in question was not Swedish. Meanwhile, she comes into contact with psychotherapist Sofia Zetterlund, who spent three months in Sierra Leone. She hopes that Sofia can help her with her investigation and, as the book progresses, becomes very intrigued by her, both professionally and personally.
In fact, this is a novel which has women at the centre of the storyline and the strong, central female characters really work very well. This is a book which looks at the damage that abuse causes and is really a story of vengeance and serious psychological disorders. Although there is a lot of violence and some really upsetting content, it is never gratuitous and the story and characters carry the plot along at a fast pace, with lots of plot twists and turns. Unsettling, disturbing and sometimes upsetting, this is a stunning achievement and really well translated.
January 7, 2017
***Spoilers In Review***
I don't think there is a way to review this book without including spoilers. What a disappointing read. The first 300 pages were great - very interesting, a true murder mystery, gruesome, gory and gripping, but it all went downhill after that.
This novel didn't really make a lot of sense. It became very confusing, and there were so many different elements to it that I was frequently going back through chapters to compare characters that I'd forgotten or weren't explained well enough. I didn't relate to any of the characters and Jeanette's frequent self-pity and announcements that she is not a good officer was irritating to say the least. It was unrealistic in a multitude of ways; in a relationship for 20 years with a man and suddenly become a lesbian with ABSOLUTELY NO questioning or confusion for what you're feeling, two different characters with multiple personality disorder, 2 different occasions where dead bodies are misidentified, approx. 10 different officers/swat team enter a shed and miss a HUGE, obvious clue, a main male character actually being a woman and there being absolutely no mention of it after the body is found, and finally the killer stating that they are unaware of why they mutilated and murdered over 40 children?!
This novel had way too many unrealistic and unnecessary components for me.
I don't think there is a way to review this book without including spoilers. What a disappointing read. The first 300 pages were great - very interesting, a true murder mystery, gruesome, gory and gripping, but it all went downhill after that.
This novel didn't really make a lot of sense. It became very confusing, and there were so many different elements to it that I was frequently going back through chapters to compare characters that I'd forgotten or weren't explained well enough. I didn't relate to any of the characters and Jeanette's frequent self-pity and announcements that she is not a good officer was irritating to say the least. It was unrealistic in a multitude of ways; in a relationship for 20 years with a man and suddenly become a lesbian with ABSOLUTELY NO questioning or confusion for what you're feeling, two different characters with multiple personality disorder, 2 different occasions where dead bodies are misidentified, approx. 10 different officers/swat team enter a shed and miss a HUGE, obvious clue, a main male character actually being a woman and there being absolutely no mention of it after the body is found, and finally the killer stating that they are unaware of why they mutilated and murdered over 40 children?!
This novel had way too many unrealistic and unnecessary components for me.
January 23, 2025
I can't even remember how I came across this book I just remember that one look at the cover and I was drawn in.
What can I say about The Crow Girl? That I read a 768 page hardback novel in two days finishing at 5 am, so reluctant I was to put it down. That it drew me in completely though it was a tale of darkness that could almost break the heart. Young boys are being found in a state of mummification and the case is given to Detective Superintendent Jeannette Kihlberg to work on. She meets psychotherapist Sofia Zetterlund and together they try to solve the mystery.
You quickly become aware that the book is predominantly female led as the characters come to the fore. The tale is dark with child abuse and mental illness at it's core. Violent and disturbing it is never gratuitous as it grapples with the themes running through it. There's no doubt that the book is upsetting and much has been said by other reviewers; but upsetting things happen in the world and this story ultimately becomes about how darkness can be overcome if a determination and sense of strength is there to beat the odds. It's a compelling story of redemption where roads either lead into the darkest pits or to glimmers of light at the end of a very long dark tunnel.
In a sea of crime fiction, I will never ever forget The Crow Girl.
What can I say about The Crow Girl? That I read a 768 page hardback novel in two days finishing at 5 am, so reluctant I was to put it down. That it drew me in completely though it was a tale of darkness that could almost break the heart. Young boys are being found in a state of mummification and the case is given to Detective Superintendent Jeannette Kihlberg to work on. She meets psychotherapist Sofia Zetterlund and together they try to solve the mystery.
You quickly become aware that the book is predominantly female led as the characters come to the fore. The tale is dark with child abuse and mental illness at it's core. Violent and disturbing it is never gratuitous as it grapples with the themes running through it. There's no doubt that the book is upsetting and much has been said by other reviewers; but upsetting things happen in the world and this story ultimately becomes about how darkness can be overcome if a determination and sense of strength is there to beat the odds. It's a compelling story of redemption where roads either lead into the darkest pits or to glimmers of light at the end of a very long dark tunnel.
In a sea of crime fiction, I will never ever forget The Crow Girl.
August 17, 2024
Oh my god that book took forever to read. I’m finally done with that book, and thank god!
I think at its core the book could’ve been really good but there was just soooo much content that didn’t matter or didn’t need to be there. By the end I was just confused as to why the authors spent so much time explaining unimportant details.
And so many unnecessary and irrelevant twists that just made no sense and were only really there for the reader to say “ooohhh another twist”. Books don’t need multiple twists to be good. Sometimes the simplest stories are the best, as long as they’re done well.
Basically, there’s a great core story here. If only they stripped away the useless fat that made this story so long and boring.
I think at its core the book could’ve been really good but there was just soooo much content that didn’t matter or didn’t need to be there. By the end I was just confused as to why the authors spent so much time explaining unimportant details.
And so many unnecessary and irrelevant twists that just made no sense and were only really there for the reader to say “ooohhh another twist”. Books don’t need multiple twists to be good. Sometimes the simplest stories are the best, as long as they’re done well.
Basically, there’s a great core story here. If only they stripped away the useless fat that made this story so long and boring.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2016
It goes without saying, I consider this book a 5++++/5 read. An incredible, shocking, thoughtful story. Starting with a traditional police procedural structure, the story (in the English edition containing all 3 Victoria Bergman novels) moves seamlessly into parts 2 and 3: part 2 focusing on emotional trauma, and part 3 the catharsis. At its core, this is a story of human darkness and its root cause. Where does a cycle of violence start? Are abusers sometimes also the abused? Can redemption be found, even for those whose lives are entrenched in a cycle of violence? Erik Axl Sund explores this question and many, many more in this thought-provoking and utterly engaging read. Love, love, LOVE.
October 7, 2016
The Crow Girl is a long complicated story written by Swedish authors, set in both Denmark and Sweden. The primary characters both are strong and interesting females, a homicide detective and a psychologist who specializes in child abuse. The chapters are short and jump back and forth, sometimes into the past, as we ferret through bizarre killings of children and witness the behavior of pedophiles, corrupt officials and evil old men.
It's a psychological thriller revolving around child abuse, both physical and sexual, and the aftermath of such horrible behavior. Some of the psychology of one of the children abused by her father, is amazingly complicated and interesting. There is never any actual description of the offensive behavior. And yet you may want to throw up now and then reading the story.
I read that this translation and book was actually published in three segments originally which explains the over 800 pages.
Do I recommend this book? Not to everyone. It's quite a creepy journey and it seems all too real. However, by the end, I felt very close to the main characters and I'm personally glad I read it. It does make you want to strangle quite a few people. I do hope some of you will tackle it and give me your thoughts.
In certain ways, it will remind you of the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" series. 3.5 Stars
It's a psychological thriller revolving around child abuse, both physical and sexual, and the aftermath of such horrible behavior. Some of the psychology of one of the children abused by her father, is amazingly complicated and interesting. There is never any actual description of the offensive behavior. And yet you may want to throw up now and then reading the story.
I read that this translation and book was actually published in three segments originally which explains the over 800 pages.
Do I recommend this book? Not to everyone. It's quite a creepy journey and it seems all too real. However, by the end, I felt very close to the main characters and I'm personally glad I read it. It does make you want to strangle quite a few people. I do hope some of you will tackle it and give me your thoughts.
In certain ways, it will remind you of the "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" series. 3.5 Stars
February 27, 2016
I struggled all the way through this and if it hadn't been a review copy, I probably would have left it. 700ish pages are a lot to push through when you aren't that enthused.
The plot is complex, depraved, and inventive; it was, by far, the best part of the book. Yet the trilogy cried out for a good editor. If it had been tighter, it would have been truly thrilling. As it is, everything felt over-explained, filled with extraneous detail. It was just too long and too stilted.
Thanks to Erik Axl Sound, Random House, and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
The plot is complex, depraved, and inventive; it was, by far, the best part of the book. Yet the trilogy cried out for a good editor. If it had been tighter, it would have been truly thrilling. As it is, everything felt over-explained, filled with extraneous detail. It was just too long and too stilted.
Thanks to Erik Axl Sound, Random House, and Netgalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 2, 2016
Whilst a fuller review will appear upon publication, I wanted to drop in my first thoughts about “The Crow Girl” now and absolutely encourage crime fans to read it when they can.
Translation by Neil Smith is superb, I cannot imagine that any nuance was missed this read beautifully all the way through.
The Crow Girl is a dark and violent tale, a psychological mish mash of brilliantly drawn characters following a deeply disturbing and hard hitting narrative that digs deep. It took me a few chapters to immerse, but once in I was IN and despite the length of this I bombed through it. Totally addictive, often shocking, the world of The Crow Girl is one that any fan of crime fiction will not want to miss.
The language is intense and powerful, the story twisted and often entirely unexpected – it is both fascinating and horrific and one that you won’t forget. Highly Recommended.
Translation by Neil Smith is superb, I cannot imagine that any nuance was missed this read beautifully all the way through.
The Crow Girl is a dark and violent tale, a psychological mish mash of brilliantly drawn characters following a deeply disturbing and hard hitting narrative that digs deep. It took me a few chapters to immerse, but once in I was IN and despite the length of this I bombed through it. Totally addictive, often shocking, the world of The Crow Girl is one that any fan of crime fiction will not want to miss.
The language is intense and powerful, the story twisted and often entirely unexpected – it is both fascinating and horrific and one that you won’t forget. Highly Recommended.
June 5, 2016
A very long dark book full of twists, murders, child abuse and torture. Not easy to read in places and quite complex in others, at least for me. Started well but lost me in places
February 10, 2017
'The Crow Girl' is a very dark fictional psychological drama and a Swedish police-procedural mystery about connected cases of extremely depraved child abuse, torture and murder. The novel was not written originally in English nor was it first published as a single 700-page book. In Sweden, 'The Crow Girl' was an award-winning trilogy. Plus, Eric Axl Sund, the supposed author, is actually a pseudonym. The real authors are Jerker Eriksson and Håkan Axlander Sundquist.
I wish I could give the novel five stars because clearly a lot of work was done in working into the fictional plot the details of decades of many reported true-crime stories against children. While the book is sickeningly educational, I felt like I was undergoing a sadistic foie gras force-feeding of perversions. Over the years I have read of many actual real life cases where some of this and that happened. Here in this book, it ALL occurs. The plot is really an overstuffed pressure cooker of sexual suffering. Oddly, the police procedural style somewhat obfuscates the intensity, and it is not so graphic that it becomes pornographic, but it comes close.
I think either the English translation followed Swedish language conventions too closely, or maybe the translator, or perhaps the authors, have a writing style which is too choppy for my liking. I got used to it, but there were also additional difficulties of reading comprehension due to a large cast of characters and many points of view which were often unidentified by the authors as to which character was continuing the story. Plus, believe it or not, gentle reader, there also were confusing flashbacks and current-time discontinuities in which memories may have happened, or not, as unfortunately, some of the characters were very untrustworthy and damaged mentally-ill narrators.
Many of these issues made this a difficult read on perhaps one level, or several, take your pick, but it is worthwhile if you have a pathological interest in perverted crimes, or a need for validation or education, or an enjoyment of dark horrific mysteries that are full of unusual and unexpected twists. Personally, I would not recommend this book to any but stabilized adult horror and dark mystery fans.
The heroine, Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg, is assigned minimal resources and an assistant, Detective Hurtig, to track down clues to an obviously horrific torture murder of a young homeless foreign boy. Meanwhile, her personal life is full of distractions she is purposely ignoring - a rebellious teenage son,Johan, and a frustrated artist and stay-at-home husband, Åke, both of whom she is supporting on her salary. Her boss, Commissioner Dennis Billing and Prosecutor von Kwist do not much care to spend time investigating the death of a homeless illegal immigrant, even if they know it might be linked to a sex-trafficking ring. The victims are not Swedish citizens, or of the important taxpayer classes, so who cares, really? Illegal immigrant crimes, especially those involving child prostitutes, are almost impossible for which to build a prosecutable court case. Everyone involved in these cases, perpetrators and victims, hide away in shadows behind false identities and secret rooms, and maybe they sometimes offer exaggerated or ridiculous claims of abuse for reasons involving revenge or asylum claims. Government coverups and conspiracies of people supporting child-sex rings can be simply beyond belief or dangerous to prosecute without solid evidence; and such stories are often distorted or muddied up in the telling to sell media ads to the lascivious and credulous customer. Psychiatrists and psychologists can almost never provide tangible evidence of rape and abuse from their patients, and medical doctors have difficulty putting evidence of physical damage into a believable coherent package describing prosecutable abuse for the attention of busy officials. Besides, hello, illegal immigrants are involved? Life is too short for many officials to look into these cases.
I was maddened with anxiety for some of the book's victims who were near death due to the slow plodding steps of the police as the plot unfolded! Would they never knock on the right doors? Sometimes, though, the psychological investigation bits of the story left me struggling to believe on occasion, as I thought those bits strayed into the realm of stretched truths and assumed certainties, given what I know about actual profiling and what is done in psychology practices (I am admittedly an amateur). But most of the psychological descriptions had a ring of partial believability, even though by the end of the book I felt I shouldn't actually think about those parts too closely. I wanted to remain immersed (well, maybe not, actually, since I had to put the book down a lot) in the story and not be derailed by any implausibilities.
I cannot emphasize strongly enough how terrible the revealed world of ongoing child abuse and torture is when vividly explored throughout a 700-page novel. Legal indifference to the plight of the powerless and voiceless in most societies is too too accurately portrayed. The authors do not provide much emotional relief for the victims, or readers, in their story, which, even if true-to-life, is extremely unpleasant to read while it educates. At least there is some revenge (I will spoil that much of the plot), but it depressed me how much ordinary people assist criminals through indifference or because of a fear of being involved.
I wish I could give the novel five stars because clearly a lot of work was done in working into the fictional plot the details of decades of many reported true-crime stories against children. While the book is sickeningly educational, I felt like I was undergoing a sadistic foie gras force-feeding of perversions. Over the years I have read of many actual real life cases where some of this and that happened. Here in this book, it ALL occurs. The plot is really an overstuffed pressure cooker of sexual suffering. Oddly, the police procedural style somewhat obfuscates the intensity, and it is not so graphic that it becomes pornographic, but it comes close.
I think either the English translation followed Swedish language conventions too closely, or maybe the translator, or perhaps the authors, have a writing style which is too choppy for my liking. I got used to it, but there were also additional difficulties of reading comprehension due to a large cast of characters and many points of view which were often unidentified by the authors as to which character was continuing the story. Plus, believe it or not, gentle reader, there also were confusing flashbacks and current-time discontinuities in which memories may have happened, or not, as unfortunately, some of the characters were very untrustworthy and damaged mentally-ill narrators.
Many of these issues made this a difficult read on perhaps one level, or several, take your pick, but it is worthwhile if you have a pathological interest in perverted crimes, or a need for validation or education, or an enjoyment of dark horrific mysteries that are full of unusual and unexpected twists. Personally, I would not recommend this book to any but stabilized adult horror and dark mystery fans.
The heroine, Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg, is assigned minimal resources and an assistant, Detective Hurtig, to track down clues to an obviously horrific torture murder of a young homeless foreign boy. Meanwhile, her personal life is full of distractions she is purposely ignoring - a rebellious teenage son,Johan, and a frustrated artist and stay-at-home husband, Åke, both of whom she is supporting on her salary. Her boss, Commissioner Dennis Billing and Prosecutor von Kwist do not much care to spend time investigating the death of a homeless illegal immigrant, even if they know it might be linked to a sex-trafficking ring. The victims are not Swedish citizens, or of the important taxpayer classes, so who cares, really? Illegal immigrant crimes, especially those involving child prostitutes, are almost impossible for which to build a prosecutable court case. Everyone involved in these cases, perpetrators and victims, hide away in shadows behind false identities and secret rooms, and maybe they sometimes offer exaggerated or ridiculous claims of abuse for reasons involving revenge or asylum claims. Government coverups and conspiracies of people supporting child-sex rings can be simply beyond belief or dangerous to prosecute without solid evidence; and such stories are often distorted or muddied up in the telling to sell media ads to the lascivious and credulous customer. Psychiatrists and psychologists can almost never provide tangible evidence of rape and abuse from their patients, and medical doctors have difficulty putting evidence of physical damage into a believable coherent package describing prosecutable abuse for the attention of busy officials. Besides, hello, illegal immigrants are involved? Life is too short for many officials to look into these cases.
I was maddened with anxiety for some of the book's victims who were near death due to the slow plodding steps of the police as the plot unfolded! Would they never knock on the right doors? Sometimes, though, the psychological investigation bits of the story left me struggling to believe on occasion, as I thought those bits strayed into the realm of stretched truths and assumed certainties, given what I know about actual profiling and what is done in psychology practices (I am admittedly an amateur). But most of the psychological descriptions had a ring of partial believability, even though by the end of the book I felt I shouldn't actually think about those parts too closely. I wanted to remain immersed (well, maybe not, actually, since I had to put the book down a lot) in the story and not be derailed by any implausibilities.
I cannot emphasize strongly enough how terrible the revealed world of ongoing child abuse and torture is when vividly explored throughout a 700-page novel. Legal indifference to the plight of the powerless and voiceless in most societies is too too accurately portrayed. The authors do not provide much emotional relief for the victims, or readers, in their story, which, even if true-to-life, is extremely unpleasant to read while it educates. At least there is some revenge (I will spoil that much of the plot), but it depressed me how much ordinary people assist criminals through indifference or because of a fear of being involved.
December 3, 2018
So Crow Girl is a tricky one for me to rate as there was so much here that I actually liked but also this for me had some real issues that I struggled with slightly.
So first the length I wasn't aware before embarking on this that this story was a trilogy that had been combined into one novel: If I had been I probably would have given The Crow Girl a miss as its quite an undertaking in resilience and endurance to stay steady for the whole nine yards.
I do think this would have been better-served releasing as individual novels: maybe then it wouldnt be such a daunting task to the casual strapped for time reader.
Failing that maybe some editorial work to lose some of the fluff and revamp this into a shorter novel: I feel that this would be an easy task as there was a lot here that in my opinion that didn't need to be included in the finished rereleased novel.
It worked when this was three: but as a single entity, it just made this a trifle long-winded in nature.
I also wasn't aware this was a translation: my bad as the author name listed was really such a clear indication in that regard.
This was for me was the first translation I have managed to stay fully committed throughout and despite the time it took me to get through this, for the most part, I thought that the translator had done a good job in making this lyrical and comprehensive: I did get confused slightly at times but I'm not sure if that was just the writing style or just my own personal comprehensive skills.
This was also written by two different authors working as a whole: I didn't feel this showed at all the two obviously complimented each other's styles very nicely.
I myself would have been oblivious of this fact if this hadn't actually been pointed out to me.
I did also feel that there was so much going on here that it was sometimes hard to keep up with the many separate story threads and directions this seemed to be heading in.
Also, the many names and characters were difficult to keep up with and I found myself getting turned around and having to re-read certain passages to find my place.
This is the main reason I have rated this down slightly but despite the above, it's the cleverly interwoven story itself which made this such a worthwhile endeavour.
I really had no idea at times where this was going: The Crow Girl most certainly in that respect kept me guessing throughout: I was certainly more than entertained with the fast-paced, thrilling suspensful dialogue used here.
This reflects on some harsh and chilling subjects: dipping its toe into extremely murky waters.
Encompassing mental health, child abuse and human trafficking.: also tackling bigoted attitude in a male-dominated profession and workplace: the crow girl really does contend with and explore some hard-hitting and far-reaching subject matter within its many pages.
So in conclusion, though I did enjoy this It wasn't an easy read: partly dues to the subject matter and also because of the length.
I will say this the attention to detail and intricate story-weaving was highly impressive some of the best ive encountered: it just needs, in my opinion, a bit of tightening: there's a danger in losing the readers attention when things go on way too long: just my ten cents though.
The Crow girl is dark psychological crime thriller with a powerful message to impart: it's also deeply disturbing and at times was not easy reading.
I voluntary reviewed an Arc of The Crow Girl.
All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
November 7, 2017
My, this is a long book; almost 800 pages in small typeface. The Crow Girl is, in fact a compendium of three novels by two authors, Jerker Eriksson and Håkan Axlander Sundquist - the nom du clavier is obviously derived from an abbreviation of both names.
Unsurprisingly, there is a broad historical and geographical sweep to the novel and the usually short chapters jump back and forth in time between numerous locations. The discovery of mummified bodies in Stockholm leads back to horrific cases of child abuse in northern Sweden and Denmark - and then back further still to the Babi Yar ravine outside Kiev, Ukraine where 33,771 Jewish men, women and children were massacred by the Nazis in late September 1941.
The plot can sometimes be difficult to follow, not only because of the wide range but also because one of the central characters has multiple personalities and two others have dual identities. Still, I felt this highly ambitious project from two relatively new writers was largely successful.
Unsurprisingly, there is a broad historical and geographical sweep to the novel and the usually short chapters jump back and forth in time between numerous locations. The discovery of mummified bodies in Stockholm leads back to horrific cases of child abuse in northern Sweden and Denmark - and then back further still to the Babi Yar ravine outside Kiev, Ukraine where 33,771 Jewish men, women and children were massacred by the Nazis in late September 1941.
The plot can sometimes be difficult to follow, not only because of the wide range but also because one of the central characters has multiple personalities and two others have dual identities. Still, I felt this highly ambitious project from two relatively new writers was largely successful.
July 11, 2017
Utterly stunning.
This book was written SO well that over 750 pages did not feel like a task at all. The story is grotesque, dark, and shocking. Full review later!
This book was written SO well that over 750 pages did not feel like a task at all. The story is grotesque, dark, and shocking. Full review later!
December 31, 2017
The most bizarre circumstance this Swedish writing duo could come up with to show their big bad was deranged was to make them gender queer.
Nicely done boys. I'll be skipping everything else you'll ever write.
Nicely done boys. I'll be skipping everything else you'll ever write.
July 27, 2016
4.5 stars
This book is extremely disturbing. In fact, it might be the most disturbing book I've ever read. But it is also a very well crafted dark and twisty police procedural.
I'm not always a fan of trigger warnings but this book requires it. There is devastating sexual child abuse. There are disturbing images. It's one of those books that you feel changed when you finish it. I found it completely fascinating and am glad I read it despite the images I'll never get out of my head.
This book is extremely disturbing. In fact, it might be the most disturbing book I've ever read. But it is also a very well crafted dark and twisty police procedural.
I'm not always a fan of trigger warnings but this book requires it. There is devastating sexual child abuse. There are disturbing images. It's one of those books that you feel changed when you finish it. I found it completely fascinating and am glad I read it despite the images I'll never get out of my head.
April 27, 2017
The Crow Girl is an exceptionally well-plotted crime novel- one of the darkest I've read in a long time. Structurally, the novel is led by the police investigation into a series of murders and child sex crimes (this is not for the faint hearted). To compliment the complex plot, these writers have also crafted some deeply complex characters- the line between hero and villain is ever blurred and highly fluid throughout. At its heart, this is more than a procedural crime novel- it is a meditation on cycles of violence and abuse. An outstanding read.
July 9, 2016
The rant is coming. Soon I will drain the anger. Soon...
August 3, 2016
I requested this book from Harvill Secker in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher for sending me this copy.
The Crow Girl is one of those books, much like A Little Life, that I have mixed feelings about. I enjoyed the reading experience for the most part: it was definitely a page turner, and I never felt the urge to put the book down. I was interested in the characters, and wanted to know how to story would resolve. However, there were a lot of issues that I had with this book, that really need to be taken into account.
The Crow Girl is a Swedish crime novel that focuses on a detective, Jeanette Kihlberg, who is trying to find the killer of numerous immigrant boys who have wound up dead around Sweden. Their bodies appear to have been mummified, and their genitals have been removed. To help her, she enlists the help of psychologist Sofia Zetterlund, to try and profile the killer.
This book has a fantastic premise that is right up my street. I love the whole Scandinavian-crime thing, with the surroundings and atmosphere being something that I love in a crime story. I also really liked the fact that this book was heavily focused on the psychological state of people, and how someone's past can affect their life in the future and their future actions. However, of course the portrayal of mental illness in this book was problematic in its portrayal.
Things I didn't like:
- Mental illness felt like a very black and white issue, which is misleading for those of us reading who may not have a full understanding of the conditions presented in this book. To me, with my limited knowledge of the subject, I still felt that the portrayal was too simplistic, and that we were being provided with a very negative view on those who suffer from the illness.
- The story was very disjointed. As far as I know, this was originally a trilogy, and it seems as though a great deal of content has been cut out from this particular translation, in an attempt to fit it into one volume. This was a massive mistake, as characters appear all over the place but don't feel like they have a real function, and plot points get thrown about without any real follow-through. It was both too long, and rushed. Three volume translation please.
- The characters were a little one-dimensional at times, and there was a great deal of repetition with the authors info-dumping information about the characters' feelings, rather than showing them.
I probably had more issues than this, but for a full review, please check out my video review on youtube at www.youtube.com/chboskyy
Overall, I'm glad I picked up this book, because there was a lot that I enjoyed about it. However, I can't ignore the fact that there were problems with it, and as this book was sent to me for review, I need to be honest in my review.
The Crow Girl is one of those books, much like A Little Life, that I have mixed feelings about. I enjoyed the reading experience for the most part: it was definitely a page turner, and I never felt the urge to put the book down. I was interested in the characters, and wanted to know how to story would resolve. However, there were a lot of issues that I had with this book, that really need to be taken into account.
The Crow Girl is a Swedish crime novel that focuses on a detective, Jeanette Kihlberg, who is trying to find the killer of numerous immigrant boys who have wound up dead around Sweden. Their bodies appear to have been mummified, and their genitals have been removed. To help her, she enlists the help of psychologist Sofia Zetterlund, to try and profile the killer.
This book has a fantastic premise that is right up my street. I love the whole Scandinavian-crime thing, with the surroundings and atmosphere being something that I love in a crime story. I also really liked the fact that this book was heavily focused on the psychological state of people, and how someone's past can affect their life in the future and their future actions. However, of course the portrayal of mental illness in this book was problematic in its portrayal.
Things I didn't like:
- Mental illness felt like a very black and white issue, which is misleading for those of us reading who may not have a full understanding of the conditions presented in this book. To me, with my limited knowledge of the subject, I still felt that the portrayal was too simplistic, and that we were being provided with a very negative view on those who suffer from the illness.
- The story was very disjointed. As far as I know, this was originally a trilogy, and it seems as though a great deal of content has been cut out from this particular translation, in an attempt to fit it into one volume. This was a massive mistake, as characters appear all over the place but don't feel like they have a real function, and plot points get thrown about without any real follow-through. It was both too long, and rushed. Three volume translation please.
- The characters were a little one-dimensional at times, and there was a great deal of repetition with the authors info-dumping information about the characters' feelings, rather than showing them.
I probably had more issues than this, but for a full review, please check out my video review on youtube at www.youtube.com/chboskyy
Overall, I'm glad I picked up this book, because there was a lot that I enjoyed about it. However, I can't ignore the fact that there were problems with it, and as this book was sent to me for review, I need to be honest in my review.
June 4, 2017
Dear Reader,
This has to be one of the must disturbing and horrendously gripping books that I've ever read!
While subjects like child abuse,pornography and mental illness are never easy to discuss, never mind read about,I found myself totally enraptured by the masterful storytelling and choice of beautifully scripted sentences that weaved a web of horror,pain,torture,revenge and for some characters,closure,if such is possible under these circumstances.
Tasked with discovering the perpetrator of a murder of a mummified child,Jeanette H. finds herself in a swirling vortex of disbelief, intrigue and mystery as she digs deeper and discovers the truly brutal and heinous acts visited on innocent children,who we,as adults,are compelled to protect.
Peppered with many different perspectives, this dark and multi faceted tale takes us on a twisted,turbulent and traumatic journey,as we travel down rabbit holes that are the product of sickeningly disturbed individuals.
Ingeniously plotted,this tale will linger in your consciousness long after story's end.
Definitely not for the faint hearted,I recommend this book and hope you find it as chillingly compelling as I did.
This has to be one of the must disturbing and horrendously gripping books that I've ever read!
While subjects like child abuse,pornography and mental illness are never easy to discuss, never mind read about,I found myself totally enraptured by the masterful storytelling and choice of beautifully scripted sentences that weaved a web of horror,pain,torture,revenge and for some characters,closure,if such is possible under these circumstances.
Tasked with discovering the perpetrator of a murder of a mummified child,Jeanette H. finds herself in a swirling vortex of disbelief, intrigue and mystery as she digs deeper and discovers the truly brutal and heinous acts visited on innocent children,who we,as adults,are compelled to protect.
Peppered with many different perspectives, this dark and multi faceted tale takes us on a twisted,turbulent and traumatic journey,as we travel down rabbit holes that are the product of sickeningly disturbed individuals.
Ingeniously plotted,this tale will linger in your consciousness long after story's end.
Definitely not for the faint hearted,I recommend this book and hope you find it as chillingly compelling as I did.
July 30, 2022
This book had the potential to be an all time favorite for me. This is probably one of the only books that has ever really made me feel truly uncomfortable with the themes and triggers. (Job well done 👏🏻) I JUST WISH IT WASNT SO DAMN LONG. I truly think the length of this really is unnecessary, HOWEVER everything else about the book was great.
It took a bit to actually get into it, because we were following lot of people and time periods. But boy when it started getting dark, I was ALL IN! There is one character in this book that was so interesting to read, and see how things played out. One of the most unreliable narrators, I’ll give him that. Can’t go into much because spoilers, but honestly, Job well done!
Anyway. It’s 1am. I’m going to bed.
It took a bit to actually get into it, because we were following lot of people and time periods. But boy when it started getting dark, I was ALL IN! There is one character in this book that was so interesting to read, and see how things played out. One of the most unreliable narrators, I’ll give him that. Can’t go into much because spoilers, but honestly, Job well done!
Anyway. It’s 1am. I’m going to bed.
August 27, 2016
I first heard of this book at Book club, where the decision was made that at over 700 pages, it was probably not going to suit most of the members. I get excited when I hear a book is that long, because it means I can immerse myself into the story and have it last longer than the usual 3-4 days. The title sounded dark and cool, and with promises of the Larsson tone I was hooked. So I sat down with glee to start this novel.
It wasn't until about halfway through that I started feeling disappointed. At first I was busy trying to keep the story straight in my head, and figuring out who the Crow girl was. As I continued reading, I felt it was waffling on, and had seemingly random passages inserted, and that was using peadophilia as a substitute for a story. Actually that's a bit harsh, but it did feel like it was trying to shock me. I don't feel it needed the mummification, and the peadophilia, and the sex and the dark, depressing thoughts, one of these would have been sufficient, instead of stuffing the book with all the horrible things the authors could think of.
There were parts I liked, which is why this isn't a 1 star review. Jeanette was interesting, and I liked her part of the story, even if I didn't buy romance part of it. I could see what the book was trying to accomplish, I just don't think it quite pulled it off, and certainly not the level other reviews suggest.
Final summary - it's needs a good edit, and I wouldn't recommend it unless you really like sick twisted Swedish plots.
It wasn't until about halfway through that I started feeling disappointed. At first I was busy trying to keep the story straight in my head, and figuring out who the Crow girl was. As I continued reading, I felt it was waffling on, and had seemingly random passages inserted, and that was using peadophilia as a substitute for a story. Actually that's a bit harsh, but it did feel like it was trying to shock me. I don't feel it needed the mummification, and the peadophilia, and the sex and the dark, depressing thoughts, one of these would have been sufficient, instead of stuffing the book with all the horrible things the authors could think of.
There were parts I liked, which is why this isn't a 1 star review. Jeanette was interesting, and I liked her part of the story, even if I didn't buy romance part of it. I could see what the book was trying to accomplish, I just don't think it quite pulled it off, and certainly not the level other reviews suggest.
Final summary - it's needs a good edit, and I wouldn't recommend it unless you really like sick twisted Swedish plots.
August 11, 2016
I am so emotionally drained. I don't have it in me to review this book.
Is it flawless? No.
Is it unlike anything I've ever read before? Yes.
Is it for everyone? No.
Would I still recommend it? Yes.
Disclaimer: If sexual abuse is a trigger for you, you might want to stay away from this book. Contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence against children including, but not limited to incest.
Is it flawless? No.
Is it unlike anything I've ever read before? Yes.
Is it for everyone? No.
Would I still recommend it? Yes.
Disclaimer: If sexual abuse is a trigger for you, you might want to stay away from this book. Contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence against children including, but not limited to incest.
January 20, 2025
Finalizada. Es engañosa, le sobran páginas y no es para todos los públicos, pero a mí me ha gustado por salvaje. Nota 4/5. FIN.
May 13, 2019
"What the hell has humanity come to?"
"Not humanity. Just men...you can strike everyone else off the list."
And that, in a nutshell, is why I am quitting this book at a quarter of the way in. This isn't just a character's viewpoint, which would be okay; it's the authors', and it's pervasive. Men are monsters. They commit unspeakable crimes, and even when a woman is an equal partner in the acts, she is never responsible. It's not her fault. It was the man who manipulated her. Or a man did something to her that made her this way. She's just a victim. And it's not only the criminals. The rest of the police department is always trying to keep the woman down. The other woman's husband sponges off her. Men are philanderers, good-for-nothing, useless.
I'm hard-pressed to think of one male character who was portrayed as even a decent bloke. Thinking...nope, I can't remember one.
Even if you, too, hate men, this isn't a very well-done story. Despite the prodigious amount of background filler, the two female protagonists are indistinguishable from each other. Every time the point of view changed (which was often--the "chapters" are only a few pages long), I had to think for a moment: Which one had the lazy artist husband? Who's the detective and who's the therapist?
Who are any of these people again?
The subject matter of the novel is fascinating (and yes, as disturbing as the cover promises), but the authors' agenda is reprehensible. And sad that they are two men themselves. Allegedly.
"Not humanity. Just men...you can strike everyone else off the list."
And that, in a nutshell, is why I am quitting this book at a quarter of the way in. This isn't just a character's viewpoint, which would be okay; it's the authors', and it's pervasive. Men are monsters. They commit unspeakable crimes, and even when a woman is an equal partner in the acts, she is never responsible. It's not her fault. It was the man who manipulated her. Or a man did something to her that made her this way. She's just a victim. And it's not only the criminals. The rest of the police department is always trying to keep the woman down. The other woman's husband sponges off her. Men are philanderers, good-for-nothing, useless.
I'm hard-pressed to think of one male character who was portrayed as even a decent bloke. Thinking...nope, I can't remember one.
Even if you, too, hate men, this isn't a very well-done story. Despite the prodigious amount of background filler, the two female protagonists are indistinguishable from each other. Every time the point of view changed (which was often--the "chapters" are only a few pages long), I had to think for a moment: Which one had the lazy artist husband? Who's the detective and who's the therapist?
Who are any of these people again?
The subject matter of the novel is fascinating (and yes, as disturbing as the cover promises), but the authors' agenda is reprehensible. And sad that they are two men themselves. Allegedly.
March 31, 2016
4 stars
Huge thanks to Erik Axl Sund, Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
I started this at the beginning of February and got 14% through before my brain just gave up and got terribly confused so I decided to start it again, to reboot my brain and give it another go, this time it worked.
This book was originally released in Sweden as a trilogy and, obviously, the copy we have is the bind up, all 700+ pages of Swedish crime goodness!
It's very twisty, I thought I had things worked out and knew who was killing peeps but as you get further in that changes and you're left with a big 'huh' feeling. It is quite heavy on explanation and information but you do need a lot of it to try and work through the story.
There's also a lot, and by a lot I mean a huge amount, about sexual molestation of children and violent and bloody deaths. Just wanted to warn you about that!!
The chapters are short and involve various characters, years and locations so it can get quite jumpy in parts and might make you pause a little to get your bearings.
I really enjoyed it but it could've been shorter, everything seemed to be tied up enough for me so that's always good.
Huge thanks to Erik Axl Sund, Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.
I started this at the beginning of February and got 14% through before my brain just gave up and got terribly confused so I decided to start it again, to reboot my brain and give it another go, this time it worked.
This book was originally released in Sweden as a trilogy and, obviously, the copy we have is the bind up, all 700+ pages of Swedish crime goodness!
It's very twisty, I thought I had things worked out and knew who was killing peeps but as you get further in that changes and you're left with a big 'huh' feeling. It is quite heavy on explanation and information but you do need a lot of it to try and work through the story.
There's also a lot, and by a lot I mean a huge amount, about sexual molestation of children and violent and bloody deaths. Just wanted to warn you about that!!
The chapters are short and involve various characters, years and locations so it can get quite jumpy in parts and might make you pause a little to get your bearings.
I really enjoyed it but it could've been shorter, everything seemed to be tied up enough for me so that's always good.
July 7, 2019
I absolutely hated this. Such a frustrating read
No sense of urgency from any of the detectives to solve this so no wonder every bugger bloody died. Too many place names that made no bloody sense to me - maybe my geography is rubbish or maybe it’s just not needed.
An absolute chore to read and I have no idea how it ended as it pickled my brain
No sense of urgency from any of the detectives to solve this so no wonder every bugger bloody died. Too many place names that made no bloody sense to me - maybe my geography is rubbish or maybe it’s just not needed.
An absolute chore to read and I have no idea how it ended as it pickled my brain
February 10, 2017
3.5 stars
This is a dark, dark book. Before you consider reading it, I'd add heavy trigger warnings for child abuse, rape, and incest. If any of these are upsetting topics for you I'd definitely proceed with caution. While none of the violence is gratuitous and most of it happens either in memory or off-screen, a lot of the details are hard to get through even if you have a strong stomach. Though this does work against the book in some ways: by the time you get to the end and the final reveal of the horrors the murderer has created, it seems almost blase. I feel like this is a danger with any long, dark book: eventually the reader is immune to the shocks. But that doesn't negate how grim and effective 90% of it is.
The Crow Girl neatly toes the line between police procedural and psychological thriller. We have a ton of POVs: everything from the cops working on the case to the killer. Quite a few seem unrelated and really only come together at the end, and there's a ton of misdirection and potentially unreliable narrators. It's one of those "who am I supposed to trust?" type of novels, which I always enjoy. Every time I was sure I knew what was going on another twist and turn was revealed. It's not a wham-twist type of novel like Gone Girl: sure, there's a lot going on, but it's hard to say that there is "one big reveal." It's more a series of smaller (but still effective) surprises.
The most interesting aspect of the book is the discussions of mental health. It's both my favorite and least-favorite thing about The Crow Girl. I loved how complex all the characters were, and how intensely it looks at trauma, memory, and mental health. There are some wonderful moments of insight and really interesting discussions.
However, every mentally ill character in the book (and there are quite a few) is either an abuser or a victim. It's absolutely a myth that the mentally ill are more likely to commit violent crimes: in fact, there's no proven link between mental illness and criminal behavior. However, the mentally ill are far more likely to be the victim of a crime. For all its interesting discussions, The Crow Girl still uses mental illness as a plot point. It's supposed to be a revealing look at the cycle of abuse but it kind of comes off as "wow mentally ill people sure are crazy, look at the stuff they do!" It's a sore subject for me and I didn't appreciate how black and white the issue was. You also really need to suspend belief for some of the bigger twists, or know nothing about mental illness.
To end on a positive note, this is an incredibly compulsive read. The chapters are quite short (2-5 pages) and the POV/time period changes constantly, making it feel insanely fast paced even though it takes place over the course of a few months. I never felt bored by the length or wanted things to happen faster. In fact, I think it could have been a bit longer: the end is slightly rushed!
This is a dark, dark book. Before you consider reading it, I'd add heavy trigger warnings for child abuse, rape, and incest. If any of these are upsetting topics for you I'd definitely proceed with caution. While none of the violence is gratuitous and most of it happens either in memory or off-screen, a lot of the details are hard to get through even if you have a strong stomach. Though this does work against the book in some ways: by the time you get to the end and the final reveal of the horrors the murderer has created, it seems almost blase. I feel like this is a danger with any long, dark book: eventually the reader is immune to the shocks. But that doesn't negate how grim and effective 90% of it is.
The Crow Girl neatly toes the line between police procedural and psychological thriller. We have a ton of POVs: everything from the cops working on the case to the killer. Quite a few seem unrelated and really only come together at the end, and there's a ton of misdirection and potentially unreliable narrators. It's one of those "who am I supposed to trust?" type of novels, which I always enjoy. Every time I was sure I knew what was going on another twist and turn was revealed. It's not a wham-twist type of novel like Gone Girl: sure, there's a lot going on, but it's hard to say that there is "one big reveal." It's more a series of smaller (but still effective) surprises.
The most interesting aspect of the book is the discussions of mental health. It's both my favorite and least-favorite thing about The Crow Girl. I loved how complex all the characters were, and how intensely it looks at trauma, memory, and mental health. There are some wonderful moments of insight and really interesting discussions.
However, every mentally ill character in the book (and there are quite a few) is either an abuser or a victim. It's absolutely a myth that the mentally ill are more likely to commit violent crimes: in fact, there's no proven link between mental illness and criminal behavior. However, the mentally ill are far more likely to be the victim of a crime. For all its interesting discussions, The Crow Girl still uses mental illness as a plot point. It's supposed to be a revealing look at the cycle of abuse but it kind of comes off as "wow mentally ill people sure are crazy, look at the stuff they do!" It's a sore subject for me and I didn't appreciate how black and white the issue was. You also really need to suspend belief for some of the bigger twists, or know nothing about mental illness.
To end on a positive note, this is an incredibly compulsive read. The chapters are quite short (2-5 pages) and the POV/time period changes constantly, making it feel insanely fast paced even though it takes place over the course of a few months. I never felt bored by the length or wanted things to happen faster. In fact, I think it could have been a bit longer: the end is slightly rushed!
February 7, 2019
"BOOK 1of 2019" - " The Crow Girl" ,by Erik Axl Sund .I began this book thinking it was the usual run of the mill Scandinavian thriller and how wrong I was😊.This book is a well written dark crime thriller with excellent narratives on police work and psycho analysis.A body of a young boy turns up and police officer Jeanette Khilberg is thrown into the case .What seems to be a simple homicide turns out to be spider web of conspiracies with ends attached in the police as well as the judicial system .Enter psychologist Sofia Zetturlund who attempts to assist Jeannette and who is fighting her own demons from the past.
Likes : 🌼This is the first intensely feminine thriller I have read and I was surprised to see that it was written by men.The writers capture our fears and insecurities pretty well .
🌼Jeannette Khilberg is unforgettable .
🌼The writers have dissected mental illness and multiple personality disorder into different pieces and laid them out for the reader to understand .
🌼The brutality and sadism of pedophilia and the life long trauma faced by victims has been illustrated throughout the novel .
🌼They have also captured the beauty of Sweden and the swedish way of life very well .Read this with a map of Stockholm though.
🌼There were a lot of references to popular culture sprinkled throughout the narrative.
Dislikes : 🌼The narrative was a teeny bit winding in the middle.
🌼Sofia Zetturland's character could have been given more strength and power 🌼I felt that the ending was hurried as though they wanted to finish the book fast,leaving a lot of loose knots.
To sum up,this book was a good start to my 2019 reading year . @bookbarr ,my fellow crime reader,I think you will like this one .
Note : Erik Axl Sund is actually the pseudonym for two writers(Jerker Erikson and Hakan Axlander) who have been friends for a long time .The original swedish novel was a trilogy and this is the English translation.
Likes : 🌼This is the first intensely feminine thriller I have read and I was surprised to see that it was written by men.The writers capture our fears and insecurities pretty well .
🌼Jeannette Khilberg is unforgettable .
🌼The writers have dissected mental illness and multiple personality disorder into different pieces and laid them out for the reader to understand .
🌼The brutality and sadism of pedophilia and the life long trauma faced by victims has been illustrated throughout the novel .
🌼They have also captured the beauty of Sweden and the swedish way of life very well .Read this with a map of Stockholm though.
🌼There were a lot of references to popular culture sprinkled throughout the narrative.
Dislikes : 🌼The narrative was a teeny bit winding in the middle.
🌼Sofia Zetturland's character could have been given more strength and power 🌼I felt that the ending was hurried as though they wanted to finish the book fast,leaving a lot of loose knots.
To sum up,this book was a good start to my 2019 reading year . @bookbarr ,my fellow crime reader,I think you will like this one .
Note : Erik Axl Sund is actually the pseudonym for two writers(Jerker Erikson and Hakan Axlander) who have been friends for a long time .The original swedish novel was a trilogy and this is the English translation.
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