Be inte om nåd

Max Anger #1

by Martin Österdahl

Året är 1996 och det är snart dags för val i Ryssland. Pashie, en ung kvinna som jobbar åt ett svenskt företag med intressen i Ryssland, försvinner plötsligt i Sankt Petersburg. Samtidigt sker en rad intrång i telefonnäten i Stockholm, attacker som skulle kunna hota Sveriges säkerhet.

Pashies svenska pojkvän och kollega, attackdykaren och Rysslandsspecialisten Max Anger, åker till Sankt Petersburg för att leta efter sin älskade. Under sökandet hittar han ledtrådar som tyder på att hon har kommit en mystisk organisation på spåren, en organisation som verkar för en återgång till totalitärt styre och som tycks planera ett angrepp mot väst. Är det de som har kidnappat Pashie?

Fler oskyldiga faller offer för den hänsynslösa organisationen och det blir alltmer uppenbart för Max att tiden håller på att rinna ut. Kanske är Pashie redan död ... Samtidigt inser han att det finns en koppling mellan Pashies försvinnande och hans eget förflutna. Ska han äntligen få reda på hur hans pappa hamnade som fosterbarn på den lilla ön Arholma i Stockholms skärgård i mars 1944? Nutid och dåtid knyts samman på oväntade sätt.

För att rädda kvinnan han älskar och stoppa hotet mot Sverige måste Max Anger konfrontera en gränslös ondska. För att lyckas måste han omvärdera allt han vet om sig själv.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Audiobook, Scandinavian Literature, Spy Thriller

496 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

About the author

Swedish thriller, suspense and crime author internationally published and currently translated in twelve languages.

Creator of the Max Anger Series:
Ask No Mercy (Max Anger #1)
Ten Swedes Must Die (Max Anger #2)
Iron Angels (Max Anger #3 - published in April 2019)

Master of Science in Business Administration, Russian, Central European Studies.

Former TV and Film producer with credits that include being Exexutive Producer of The Eurovision Song Contest in Malmö 2013 and Stockholm 2016.

Former Director of Programmes at Swedish national broadcaster SVT.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook!

https://www.instagram.com/martinoster...
https://www.facebook.com/osterdahlmar...

https://sv.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_...

https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1970938/?...

Reviews

[Thebooktrail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Visit the locations in the novel

When a book starts like this, you know it’s going to be good:

“A black Mercedes followed her all the way from the gates of the university to the Griboyelov Canal. The car was still behind her when she turned onto Nevsky Prospekt.”

Martin Österdahl definitely knows how to grip the reader from the start. When someone is being followed, and in Russia, you know it’s not going to end well, but start a thriller in a very exciting way indeed.

With the book set in 1990s Russia, I came to this with a host of expectations and some degree of knowledge. There’s the fall of the wall, communism, the revolution and the political games with the west. There’s also a technological revolution ongoing here which affects Swedish communications. And that’s just for starters…

The premise of Max and Pashie which will continue in future books (I’ve read these out of order, but no matter) sets things up nicely. Max is an interesting character and despite the book largely set in Russian the Swedish background and therefore Max’s comes through loud and clear.

There’s a lot of meat on this novel and inkeeping with that analogy, a lot to chew on. You do feel satisfied at the end though when the stories come together and you sit back and see the bigger picture. It’s certainly a lot of fun getting there.

[Rosa Dracos99 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesante novela de espionaje, con uno de los países implicados un poco atípico. En este género, estoy muy acostumbrada a que, si están ambientados en momentos más o menos actuales, siempre nos encontramos con USA (o el Reino Unido), aunque van cambiando los contrincantes :China, URSS, países árabes, Israel... En esta ocasión, la confrontación es entre Suecia y URSS, en los tiempos previos a la apertura de esta última. En parte, puede ser normal, debido a la proximidad geográfica.
Los personajes implicados son más cercanos, más creíbles que los espías típicos. Las situaciones también están menos llevadas al límite, aunque no por eso disminuye la intriga. Bien escrita, ritmo muy ágil, trama bien hilvanda.

[miss.mesmerized mesmerized · Rating 5 out of 5]

Mitte der 1990er Jahre entwickeln sich in Russland nach dem Zerfall der Sowjetunion zunehmend demokratische Strukturen. Die anstehenden Wahlen werden die erste große Probe für die junge Republik sein. Vektor, Ein schwedischer Thinktank, beobachtet die Situation und bewertet die Lage, Max und Sarah von Stockholm aus, Paschie in Sankt Petersburg. Als letztere verschwindet, schwant ihren Kollegen bereits Schlimmstes, weshalb sich Max in die russische Metropole aufmacht. Eigentlich hat er dafür keine Zeit, denn gerade ist er einen entscheidenden Schritt weitergekommen bei der Frage, was 1944 geschehen ist und wie diese Ereignisse mit ihm und seiner Familien in Verbindung stehen. Doch er liebt Paschie und ihre Sicherheit hat Vorrang. Die letzte Nachricht der jungen Frau war kryptisch, was hat sie entdeckt? Max ahnt nicht, dass sie sich mit einem mächtigen Gegner angelegt hat, für den die neue Zeitrechnung noch nicht begonnen hat und dem zahlreiche Verbündete zur Verfügung stehen.

Martin Österdahls Thriller „Der Kormoran“ baut auf klassischen Mustern wie dem Ost-West-Konflikt, offenen alten Rechnungen und einer Armada von Geheimagenten, die den Staat unterwandern. Österdahl setzt diese jedoch geschickt ein und hat so einen überzeugenden und mitreißenden Roman geschaffen, der an Komplexität und Tempo schwer zu überbieten ist. Das Debüt des Historikers, der lange für das schwedische Fernsehen gearbeitet hat, ist der Auftakt einer Trilogie um Max Anger.

Im Wesentlichen treiben zwei Rätsel die Handlung des Thrillers voran: einerseits die privaten Ermittlungen Max Angers, die wesentlich mit den Ereignissen gegen Ende des zweiten Weltkrieges zu tun haben und immer wieder in Form von historischen Einschüben präsentiert werden und langsam erahnen lassen, welche Auswirkungen die alten Machenschaften auf die aktuelle Lage haben. Im Vordergrund steht jedoch ein großer russischer Plot, der sowohl politisch wie auch wirtschaftlich motiviert ist und sich modernster Technik bedient. Als Nebeneffekt wird hierbei die Fragilität der russischen Republik zu Ausgang des 20. Jahrhunderts deutlich, die grundlegend für die Entwicklungen nach der Jahrtausendwende waren. Beide Handlungsstränge werden glaubhaft miteinander verknüpft und sauber gelöst.

Insgesamt ein runder Thriller, der mit einem starken Protagonisten punktet und sich vor der großen skandinavischen Konkurrenz in keiner Weise verstecken muss. Die Tatsache, dass nicht nur persönliche Motive zu einer Serie von Morden führen, sondern ein komplexes Geflecht von Aspekten hinter dem Agieren der Figuren steht, das zudem historisch glaubhaft eingebettet wird, hebt ihn deutlich von der Masse der Neuerscheinungen im Genre ab.

[Joel]

I received my copy of this book via Goodreads giveaway which has no effect on my review.

DNFed at 6%. While I usually enjoy thrillers written by Scandinavian authors, I think this was a bit too much on the espionage/political side for me.

Also, after 4 years of Trump and his cronies, I have absolutely no desire to read about any character who is a nationalist, no matter which country they find superior. Please fuck off somewhere not in my immediate vicinity.

[Marieinsweden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ryssland och Sverige. 1940-tal och 1990-tal. Konspirationer och spioneri. Egentligen inte alls en bok för mig. Men man kan alltid ändra sig. En riktig bladvändare som bitvis är riktigt otäck.

[Barbara Heckendorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is probably one of the most exciting espionage thrillers I have read in a long time. At 575 pages, this book is one of the ‘heavyweights’, but it was so exciting that I couldn't put it down and almost read it through in one sitting.
Even though the story switches between 1996 and 1943/44, it couldn't be more topical.
Paschie, a young employee of the Swedish think tank Vektor, disappears without a trace in St Petersburg. At the same time, a hacker attack paralyses the mobile phone network in Stockholm, which could also threaten Sweden's security. Max Anger, Paschie's friend and colleague, travels to St Petersburg to look for her. In the process, the Russia expert and ex-soldier comes across evidence that Paschie has found information about a secret organisation that is doing everything it can to restore the old Stalinist order. This group of partly high-ranking Russians from politics and business is planning an attack on the West in order to achieve its goals.
Max also wants to find out where he comes from, unaware that the current events in Sankt Pertersburg are closely linked to his origins.
(4½)

[Rod · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this read my first on the Max Anger series will probably look into the series

[Liisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

Luettu vuoden 2020 Helmet-lukuhaasteen kohtiin ’vaihtoehtohistoria’ ja ’Kirjailijan sukunimi alkaa kirjaimella X, Y, Z, Å, Ä tai Ö’ - valitettavasti tässä tapauksessa kirjoittajan nimen lisäksi myös itse teos on aika lailla Ö-luokkaa.

[Tony Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Black Mercedes had followed her.
A man stepped out of it & that is the last thing she remembered as the rear trunk lid closed.
2/24/1996, St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre. Chairman Nestor Lazarev enjoyed the evening with Tchaikovsky music.

Intermission. Marcel Rousseau interrupted Nestor, with a matter of importance.
Sarah Hansen (Econ) founded/started the Vektor think tank that conducts research on Russia.
She asked Max Anger (former Swedish Navy Coastal Ranger diver) to come work for/with her.
Max (26, St. Petersburg U Econ) & Pashie Kovalenko (Russian Tater, Vektor’s rep) were in a relationship.
Stockholm Sweden. Tyresö peninsula beachfront property/house. Sarah Lisette (nee Balcerak) & Max & Pashie were discussing what he had been researching/tabulating.
But Pashie had also missed the meetings & had not been heard from.
Dr. Afanasy Mishin (Professor/St. Petersburg U Econ head) was going to notify the police.
Tyresö. Gabriella “Gabbi” Julin (wife/mother) was greeted by Caspar Julin (eldest son), Vilma Julin, Teodor Julin, Chairman of the Board Charlie Knutsson, Lisa Sarah’s daughter, & David Julin (husband/father, gambling addict).
Sergey Gachov (anthropologist) came to visit with Dr. Mishin. Sharik (dog) had uncovered some human bones. The bones however had been cooked & appeared to be cannibalized.
St. Petersburg. Max was trying to locate Margarita Yushkova (mother, St. Petersburg GSM accounting).

The Dr.’s told Carl Borgenstierna (84) his choices of sustaining a heart transplant were slim/none.
What happened to Ilya?”
Max found out a bomb blew up in Sarah Hansen’s (Vektor leader, David’s boss) home.

I did not receive any type of compensation for reading & reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers & authors, I am under no obligation to write a positive review. Only an honest one.

A very awesome book cover, great font & writing style. A very well written international thriller book. It wasn’t always very easy for me to read/follow from start/finish, but never a dull moment. There were no grammar/typo errors, nor any repetitive or out of line sequence sentences. Lots of exciting scenarios, with several twists/turns & a huge set of unique characters to keep track of. This could also make another great international thriller movie, or better yet a mini TV series. I will still rate it at 5 stars.

Thank you for the free author; Goodreads; MakingConnections; Making Connections discussion group talk; AmazonCrossing; Amazon Digital Services LLC.; book
Tony Parsons MSW (Washburn)

[Ken Fredette · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would say that Martin Österdahl sure knows how to hold you off in a story so you keep reading. From the Prologue he has you in his grip with the disappearance of Pashie. Max, who is her boyfriend and her workmate, is going nuts trying to find her and leaves Sweden for Saint Petersburg, Russia. In Russia he encounters her network of people she has been working with. While in his office he is in contact with Sarah who is the main boss and smokes cigars. He has to find out what Pashie was working on to lead him to her. Several things happen which make it harder to figure out, their offices in Saint Petersburg are bombed and several people are killed. And back in Sweden 300,000 people have lost their secular phone service. In Russia Max finds his old friend Ilya, who wangles $15,000 U.S. dollars out of him to help him find Pashie, i would say Max was wipe out at this point looking for clues. We have other stories to cling to such as the relationship between Gabbie and Sarah. Gabbie's husband is David Julin who's the IT main guy Telia, Sweden's telephone company, whose been forced into helping the Russians. Each story takes some of the heat off finding Pashie. I won't elaborate on any of the other stories because that would lead to spoilers, you need to read this for yourself. I gave it 4 stars out of 5.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book launched a series of (so far) three books, the only one yet to be translated into English. Max Anger is the protagonist, a formal military operative who is now working with a Swedish NGO with close ties to Russia. Two of the most intriguing things about the book: It's set in 1996, and lays out the birth of Russia's supremacy in cyber warfare -- and along with its solid espionage credentials, it carries a compelling love story or two.

The plot was strong and plausible, the characters were well-drawn and relatable. For those who must have physical action in their stories, it was there in plenty, yet it didn't dominate the overall mix. What I liked best was gaining insight into eastern European geopolitics painlessly, while being drawn into the stories of Max, his boss Sarah, and his girlfriend Pashie. We also get backstory on several of the characters' lives, all the way back to WWII.

I got this book as a digital ARC from NetGalley, but I will watch for the English translations of the other books in the series.

[BookObsessWithJess · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ask No Mercy is not a book I would have pulled off the shelves, but I am grateful to have received this as an ARC copy!

If you are into history involving revolutions during the early/mid 1900s this is for you! Max seemed very much the tortured protagonist with many relatable characters along the way.

It was hard for to get into the story during the beginning chapters as I felt the story line was drawn out, along with descriptions. Don't be turned off yet though as this book quickly picks up with action and story line. Max's determination in setting things right is such an admirable quality to have! There was enough suspense and intrigue all the way through the climax, until the finale written word.

I am not sure if I will continue this series, but I am certainly interested to know what becomes of Max Anger.

[Koskinen Sari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jostain syystä Martin Österdahl yllätti minut kirjallaan, koska kuuluu kategoriana sellaiseen kirjallisuuteen, mihin normisti aika nirsosti suhtaudun. Mutta kuuluu minulla kategoriaan yhdessä Ilkka Remeksen ja Alexander Söderbergin kanssa. Kirjan paksuuteen nähden äärettömän nopeasti luettavissa tai ainakin itse luin noin 60-90 sivun vauhdilla eli yhden illan aikana onnistuisi. Nyt toki pari kolme päivää, kun muuta välillä luin. Mutta itse kirja oli mielenkiintoinen thrilleri 90-luvun Venäjästä. Ja ehkä siinä mielessä näen suomalaisen vastaavan kirjailijan olevan juuri Ilkka Remes, jonka kirjat tulee luettua heti ilmestymisen jälkeen. Mutta tässä kirjassa hahmot oli kiinnostavia ja odotan nielenkiinnolla seuraavan osan lukemista. Max Anger -hahmona oli jostain syystä hyvinkin vähän sitä, mitä kliseisesti hahmo tämän kaltaisissa kirjoissa voisi yleensä olla.

[Renee van Eijk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Natuurlijk is dit boek van een heel ander soort dan andere boeken die ik vijf sterren heb gegeven, maar in dit genre is dit boek het echt waard!

Spanning van begin tot einde, een verfijnd verhaal vol met intrige en complotten waarvan je aan het begin geen idee hebt waar het eindigt. Sterker nog, bij de start was de schrijver me af en toe kwijt omdat ik voor mijn gevoel te weinig informatie had. Toch maakt hij dat helemaal goed en heb je later in het verhaal het gevoel dat je alles snapt, knap gedaan!

En dan het beste na het lezen van dit boek. Het moment dat je je realiseert dat er meer boeken komen van deze schrijver in dit genre, yes!

Link met de vorige? Door Sapiens las ik alles wat gaat over Russische trots op land en natie met een heel ander oog!

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Een verhaal waar de gebeurtenissen in het heden hun oorsprong vinden tijdens WO2. Waar hebben we dit nog meer gehoord? Menig schrijver heeft dit al voor gedaan (denk maar aan Gard Sveen - "De doden hebben geen verhaal") waardoor de kracht van het verhaal toch ergens ander moet gezocht worden. De vraag bij mij blijft, waar? Ik herken een vrij voorspelbaar, weinig gecompliceerd verhaal waar alles te gemakkelijk loopt. Hierdoor leest het verhaal wel zeer vlot en snel. Een boek dat gekenmerkt wordt door korte hoofdstukken en veel blanco pagina’s tussen de dagen door. Het verhaal wordt verteld over een 10 tal dagen. Goed, maar niet steengoed zoals de uitgever aangeeft.

[Bookswithal · Rating 2 out of 5]

Puh! Ziemliche schwere Kost. Seit langem leider ein Buch durch das ich mich richtig durchquälen musste. Sehr viele Charaktere und teilweise sehr fachlich und politisch. Man sollte bei diesem Buch eventuell schon Vorkenntnisse über die Sowjet-Zeit haben und sich einigermaßen in Schweden oder Sankt Petersburg auskennen da man sich mit den Örtlichkeiten auch ziemlich schwer tut. War leider nicht mein Geschmack. Wer aber in der Sowjet-Zeit ein wenig interessiert ist, sollte es sich mal ansehen.

[Jari Pirhonen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Russia hits Swedish society via Telecom sector. Max Anger's co-worker and girlfriend got into trouble after finding about the plans. Max does whatever is needed in order to save his girlfriend - and Sweden. The book's style reminds me of Finnish author Ilkka Remes' books where Russia often threatens Finland. Nice to read about Sweden being in trouble for a change. Entertaining and easy reading. The book is originally written in Swedish and it's English name is Ask No Mercy.

[Mia Gutkovas · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ganska spännande bok om svensk-ryska konspirationsteorier, som pendlar mellan att vara brutal och banal. En lättläst bladvändare. Eller kanske snarare ett engagerande pussel.

Jag köpte boken av författaren själv på en bokträff. Han lovade fler böcker om Max Anger i framtiden, och det finns onekligen mer att spinna vidare på kring bokens huvudkaraktär!

[Theat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one is going right next to my other globe hopping novels. I really enjoyed being sucked into different times and places, I love the details to scenes and descriptions. I would highly recommend this one for some time needed to get away

See full review here
https://gszengarden.wixsite.com/mylit...

[Elaine Carmona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Una lectura sin descanso ni respiro. El escritor te atrapa desde el principio y te mantiene en vilo todo el tiempo. Los personajes bien desarrollados, una trama espectacular y el deseo de tener ya a la mano el segundo libro. Mis felicitaciones para el escritor y los que contribuyeron a que este libro llegara a mis manos.

[Kristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Except for the first 40-50 pages, which were so chaotic and overpacked with information and action, and a handful of grotesque and (imo) unnecessary brutal scenes/torturing and killings, the rest was a pleasant surprise.

A pageturner - and interesting for everyone, maybe especially for Scandinavian and people who’re interested in politics and spy thrillers. Looking forward to the next book!

[Kyle Woods · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is at best a mediocre spy thriller. I mostly read it because of the author's connection to the Eurovision Song Contest. The problem is it all feels cut and pasted from just about any other spy thriller you could imagine. As usual, all the "shocking revelations" somehow magically involve the main characters, and the intrigue is not very intriguing.

[Eva Susanne Bengtsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

HERREGUD! Att läsa den här just nu ... Var det ens en bra idé?
Oerhört spännande och tyvärr oerhört aktuell just i dessa tider. Lite FÖR aktuell för nattsömnen kanske. Jäkligt spännande dessutom!
Författaren är en ny bekant, aldrig hört talas om honom förut. Väldigt imponerad och positivt överraskad!
Fem stjärnor, där en signifikant höjning i sista tredjedelen bättrade på slutbetyget.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relativt spännande bok om svensk-ryska konspirationsteorier. Jag kommer på mig själv under läsningen med att vilja googla vissa saker för att se om de har hänt eller ej. Vissa delar av boken är riktigt hemska men den i andra lägen är pinsamt dålig. Det är lättläst underhållning som håller en fast i ett järngrepp, man vill hela tiden läsa till.

[T Olsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a big novel with lots of characters, jumping between several locations and years. However, there is a logic to everything and it's actually not very difficult to follow. Great plot and very well written.

[Rhonda Lomazow · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic read a multilayered story espionage mystery a book that kept me racing through the pages.This is the first in a series first translated in to english hoping the next two books get translated soon.Highly recommend,

[LeseMaus · Rating 3 out of 5]

#beendet
🐭🐭🐭

Martin Österdahl
"Der Kormoran"
- Thriller -

Nach anfänglichen Schwierigkeiten entpuppte sich "Kormoran" doch zu einem sehr spannenden und lesenden Buch.

Ein Agententhriller, der gespickt ist mit historischen Ereignissen und einem Szenario, das heute denkbarer denn je ist.

[Daramegan · Rating 4 out of 5]

https://darameganknihy.blogspot.cz/20...

[Henrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rigtig god debutant spændingsroman. Konteksten er Sverige Rusland i 90’erne. Sveriges svar på Leif Davidsen omend i en lidt mere moderne udgave.

[Arturs · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started slowly but picked up big time. Waiting for the 2nd part.