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Mr. Maniac
A novelist gets lost in the grey zone between fiction and reality when real murders of young women appear copied from his latest, still unfinished manuscript.
Someone is murdering female students at an esteemed university. Kenneth, a young physics doctor turned suspense novelist, starts his own murky murder investigation with the help of his new mysterious girlfriend.
He receives strange telephone calls: an old, dead woman phones the author from her grave, encouraging him to look inside himself for the truth. Could he be the killer himself?
- GenresHorror
457 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 4, 2017
2 people are currently reading
12 people want to read
About the author
Johan Fundin
6 books46 followersDr. Johan Fundin writes medical techno-thrillers and science fiction. He has a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the top research-intensive Uppsala University and a background as a scientist at national and international laboratories and high-tech research facilities in several countries. Also, he has extensive experience of clinical work at a major metropolitan hospital.
PRAISE FOR JOHAN FUNDIN AND HIS NOVELS OF SUSPENSE
“Fascinating … Thriller lovers will be intrigued.”
—San Francisco Book Review
“Medical thriller tension ala Robin Cook.”
—Midwest Book Review
“A fast-paced, suspenseful read.”
—The US Review of Books
“Creative and enjoyable … Very interesting and clever.”
—Manhattan Book Review
“Fundin does an extraordinary job with description and detail.”
—Seattle Book Review
“Unique but resembles Dean Koontz.”
—Tulsa Book Review
“A definite talent to watch in the thriller genre.”
—OnlineBookClub.org, Official Review
What readers are saying:
“An excellent read—a real page turner throughout.”
“Johan Fundin has a gift for creating atmosphere.”
“Creepy and captivating.”
“A fascinating way of playing with genre.”
“Really exciting from beginning to end.”
“What a shocker! It’s really, really good! Has everything a suspense novel needs: mystery, murder, red herrings, characters, love.”
“It’s very suspenseful. There’s finesse in the train of thought, and the use of language differs from that of other thrillers.”
“Exciting, entertaining, vividly described, electrifying.”
“Reminiscent of Dean Koontz.”
“Enjoyed it immensely. Thrillers are at their best, for me, when there is something cosy and human and likeable at their heart. It makes you care much more about the characters.”
“What a thrilling story! Impressive!”
“Great read. Amazing sci-fi.”
“Keeps you guessing all the way.”
“The writing and storytelling were really good. I really wanted to know what happened.”
“I am impressed … Lots of twists and turns.”
PRAISE FOR JOHAN FUNDIN AND HIS NOVELS OF SUSPENSE
“Fascinating … Thriller lovers will be intrigued.”
—San Francisco Book Review
“Medical thriller tension ala Robin Cook.”
—Midwest Book Review
“A fast-paced, suspenseful read.”
—The US Review of Books
“Creative and enjoyable … Very interesting and clever.”
—Manhattan Book Review
“Fundin does an extraordinary job with description and detail.”
—Seattle Book Review
“Unique but resembles Dean Koontz.”
—Tulsa Book Review
“A definite talent to watch in the thriller genre.”
—OnlineBookClub.org, Official Review
What readers are saying:
“An excellent read—a real page turner throughout.”
“Johan Fundin has a gift for creating atmosphere.”
“Creepy and captivating.”
“A fascinating way of playing with genre.”
“Really exciting from beginning to end.”
“What a shocker! It’s really, really good! Has everything a suspense novel needs: mystery, murder, red herrings, characters, love.”
“It’s very suspenseful. There’s finesse in the train of thought, and the use of language differs from that of other thrillers.”
“Exciting, entertaining, vividly described, electrifying.”
“Reminiscent of Dean Koontz.”
“Enjoyed it immensely. Thrillers are at their best, for me, when there is something cosy and human and likeable at their heart. It makes you care much more about the characters.”
“What a thrilling story! Impressive!”
“Great read. Amazing sci-fi.”
“Keeps you guessing all the way.”
“The writing and storytelling were really good. I really wanted to know what happened.”
“I am impressed … Lots of twists and turns.”
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
November 3, 2017
Mr Maniac by Johan Fundin.
This is a murder mystery novel that opens up conventionally enough — there is a trademark serial killer on the loose, and all the young woman victims have their left eyeball gouged from its socket. True to form, a private sleuth is on the scene to aid the seemingly clueless official police investigation. As the plot progresses, red herring suspects are introduced, and the denouement sort-of-twist finally reveals the actual killer. Fans of the whodunit genre will undoubtedly consider it an enjoyable read, and the plot does exhibit glimpses of craftsmanship, but it is firmly entrenched in a well-worn formula.
Perhaps in an attempt to diverge from a well-trodden genre path, the text tries hard to distinguish itself from the usual whodunit tenets, and succeeds only in creating a hotchpotch plot that sits uneasily. There are early hints of the supernatural, incest is briefly broached, and the diversions of text to expound upon mathematical theories for the pattern of murders is laborious and essentially superfluous. Indeed, I found the author's obsession with explaining mathematical theories mind numbing — and I have a First in Pure Mathematics from The Open University. Expounding in detail prime number properties and hypotheses, Legendre's conjecture, and the intricacies of chess board notation is really not something that is likely to entertain the average reader. I feel the author has sacrificed the story in an effort to create, what he believes to be, a clever premise for the murders. Unfortunately, if you wade through its complexities, you're liable to find the premise neither convincing nor particularly clever.
Having read the final sentence I found myself mystified by a number of turns that laced the rather convoluted plot. Why did the protagonist's love interest travel to Sweden to murder one of the most influential industrialists in the world? Why was the pan global, and apparent all-powerful, secret law enforcement agency SCDX unable to make headway on the murder case without the aid of private citizen? Indeed, what is SCDX? And finally, why did the protagonist need to travel the tortuous journey to Paris (in an authorial attempt to build tension?) to speak to an academic when the (plot vital?) information could quite easily have been gleaned by simply making a telephone call?
With a little application, I'm sure Johan Fundin has a good story within himself struggling to be written, unfortunately this is not it.
If whodunit is a favourite genre of yours, worth giving it a go.
This is a murder mystery novel that opens up conventionally enough — there is a trademark serial killer on the loose, and all the young woman victims have their left eyeball gouged from its socket. True to form, a private sleuth is on the scene to aid the seemingly clueless official police investigation. As the plot progresses, red herring suspects are introduced, and the denouement sort-of-twist finally reveals the actual killer. Fans of the whodunit genre will undoubtedly consider it an enjoyable read, and the plot does exhibit glimpses of craftsmanship, but it is firmly entrenched in a well-worn formula.
Perhaps in an attempt to diverge from a well-trodden genre path, the text tries hard to distinguish itself from the usual whodunit tenets, and succeeds only in creating a hotchpotch plot that sits uneasily. There are early hints of the supernatural, incest is briefly broached, and the diversions of text to expound upon mathematical theories for the pattern of murders is laborious and essentially superfluous. Indeed, I found the author's obsession with explaining mathematical theories mind numbing — and I have a First in Pure Mathematics from The Open University. Expounding in detail prime number properties and hypotheses, Legendre's conjecture, and the intricacies of chess board notation is really not something that is likely to entertain the average reader. I feel the author has sacrificed the story in an effort to create, what he believes to be, a clever premise for the murders. Unfortunately, if you wade through its complexities, you're liable to find the premise neither convincing nor particularly clever.
Having read the final sentence I found myself mystified by a number of turns that laced the rather convoluted plot. Why did the protagonist's love interest travel to Sweden to murder one of the most influential industrialists in the world? Why was the pan global, and apparent all-powerful, secret law enforcement agency SCDX unable to make headway on the murder case without the aid of private citizen? Indeed, what is SCDX? And finally, why did the protagonist need to travel the tortuous journey to Paris (in an authorial attempt to build tension?) to speak to an academic when the (plot vital?) information could quite easily have been gleaned by simply making a telephone call?
With a little application, I'm sure Johan Fundin has a good story within himself struggling to be written, unfortunately this is not it.
If whodunit is a favourite genre of yours, worth giving it a go.
October 19, 2019
This is my first read by this unique author, and I am impressed. Full disclosure, I am an undergrad nuclear engineering major who ended up in med school. So I was intrigued when I saw this author has a PhD in physical chemistry from Sweden and has a background as a scientist at several laboratories and high-tech research facilities across Europe, with extensive experience of clinical work at a major metropolitan hospital. As his Amazon promotion note, his books cover the genres of psychological, occult, spiritual and medical thrillers, mystery and science fiction. And I agree with that assessment. It’s hard to put this book in any single genre. This books starts out like a typical murder mystery with a serial killer with the disgusting habit of gouging out the left eyeball. The victims are female students at a University in Northern England. As typical of many BBC murder mysteries, a private sleuth/investigator gets involved helping the official investigators. But in this case, the sleuth, Kenneth Sorin, is a chemical physics professor who also write horror/suspense fiction. When one of his students ends up a victim, he starts his own investigation. And thing then get weird…. It seems that some of his fiction ends up sounding some of the murders. Lots of twists and turns, As a former engineer, I personally was intrigued by the plot’s obsession with mathematical theories, prime numbers, etc., but might not be for everybody. I liked this book a lot, and have already started DISORDER by the same author.
September 21, 2017
Mr. Maniac
by Johan Fundin
Troubador Publishing Limited
Matador
Horror , Mystery & Thrillers
Pub Date 28 Jun 2017
I am reviewing a copy of Mr. Maniac through Troubador Publishing Limited/Matador and Netgalley:
A horror/suspense novelist finds himself getting lost in the grey zone, somewhere between fiction and reality.
Female students at a University in Northern England are being murdered. Kenneth Sorin a chemical physics doctor as well as a horror suspense novelist starts his own murder investigation.
Strange phone calls, that reveal clues in his bed, phone calls from a lady that had died in bed. Soon the clues lead him to a world of science and mysticism, which included a meeting with a professor in Paris, and he starts to see strange elements in his own writings. He also met the Swedish Girl one of the victims who were murdered, once a year before she was murdered and once the day of her murder.
I give Mr.Maniac fourbout of five stars.
Happy Reading!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews