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En ambulanshelikopter flyger över Östersjön med kriminalpolisen Fredrik Broman. Han har en svår skallskada och ingen vet om han kommer att klara sig. Tre veckor tidigare har två människor hittats mördade på en gård i Levide. En kvinna, dödad med ett enda hugg. En man, massakrerad till oigenkännlighet. När de hittas på den blodiga stavparketten i det exklusiva vardagsrummet har de redan varit döda i två dagar.Huset ägare, Arvid Traneus, har nyligen kommit hem efter flera år som storföretagskonsult i Japan. Polisen utgår först från att Arvid är den slaktade mannen. Kvinnan vid hans sida har ju identifieratrs som frun i huset.Men när det visar sig att den döde mannen inte är Arvid utan hans kusin, tar utredning en ny vändning. Och de misstänkta tycks försvinna spårlöst.
Nominerad till Bästa svenska kriminalroman 2008!Håkan Östlundh är tillbaka med den fjärde delen i serien om Fredrik Broman och hans kollegor vid Visbypolisen. Liksom de tidigare delarna Släke, Dykaren och Terror utspelas Blot på det idylliska men isolerade Gotland, där det visar sig vara svårare än i storstaden att undkomma sitt förflutna. Med Blot har Östlundh skapat en både annorlunda och klassisk deckare, som håller läsaren i spänning från första till sista sidan.
Nominerad till Bästa svenska kriminalroman 2008!Håkan Östlundh är tillbaka med den fjärde delen i serien om Fredrik Broman och hans kollegor vid Visbypolisen. Liksom de tidigare delarna Släke, Dykaren och Terror utspelas Blot på det idylliska men isolerade Gotland, där det visar sig vara svårare än i storstaden att undkomma sitt förflutna. Med Blot har Östlundh skapat en både annorlunda och klassisk deckare, som håller läsaren i spänning från första till sista sidan.
344 pages
First published January 1, 2006
19 people are currently reading
373 people want to read
About the author
Håkan Östlundh
31 books38 followersÖstlundh was born in 1962 into an academic home in the university town of Uppsala, just north of Stockholm. He grew up in Stockholm where he still lives.
Since both his parents were politically active, Östlundh's youth was influenced by the Social Democratic party and the labour movement, but after an initial stint working for the movement's news agency he went his own way.
He studied comparative literature and history of ideas at Stockholm University. He made an early debut as a writer (1981), but later came to work mainly as a journalist for Sweden's best-selling morning paper Dagens Nyheter, among others. In the mid-nineties he was hired as a scriptwriter marking the start of an intensive period working in the TV industry until the publication of his first crime novel.
Östlundh is married and has three sons. His favourite authors include Dennis Lehane and Haruki Murakami. When he was fifteen he cut class just so he could read all ten of Sjöwall & Wahlöö's mysteries.
Since both his parents were politically active, Östlundh's youth was influenced by the Social Democratic party and the labour movement, but after an initial stint working for the movement's news agency he went his own way.
He studied comparative literature and history of ideas at Stockholm University. He made an early debut as a writer (1981), but later came to work mainly as a journalist for Sweden's best-selling morning paper Dagens Nyheter, among others. In the mid-nineties he was hired as a scriptwriter marking the start of an intensive period working in the TV industry until the publication of his first crime novel.
Östlundh is married and has three sons. His favourite authors include Dennis Lehane and Haruki Murakami. When he was fifteen he cut class just so he could read all ten of Sjöwall & Wahlöö's mysteries.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
March 2, 2016
New review lives at my blog for a week or so! Scandicrime THE VIPER http://tinyurl.com/j4q6bbw
This book has a handsome jacket, is a lovely translation from Swedish by Per Carlsson, so much so that this, book 4 in a series, gaffed me through the gills! Minotaur Books how could you unleash such a killer of ingrained habits upon me? And thanks.
This book has a handsome jacket, is a lovely translation from Swedish by Per Carlsson, so much so that this, book 4 in a series, gaffed me through the gills! Minotaur Books how could you unleash such a killer of ingrained habits upon me? And thanks.
August 23, 2025
לסקירה מפורטת בעברית, קישור לבלוג שלי -
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/הצפע...
https://sivi-the-avid-reader.com/הצפע...
April 16, 2017
סביר. לא כזה מותח.
July 27, 2012
If you see 'Swedish' and 'crime' and expect this book to be like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, then you're in for a surprise. This is very much a police procedural, set on a small island and centered around a troubled family.
I mostly enjoyed the book. There were some fun twists and turns, as any good murder mystery should have. The author has a way with words, setting scenes very vividly. The translation was also very good, except for a few lines of dialog that were very stilted -- though that may have been a faithful translation of the original.
My one big problem were the sex scenes. Not because I'm a prude, but because they seemed tacked on and not important to the plot. They were also, for the most part, pretty violent. So I would avoid this book if violence, especially sexual violence towards women, is upsetting to you.
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads
I mostly enjoyed the book. There were some fun twists and turns, as any good murder mystery should have. The author has a way with words, setting scenes very vividly. The translation was also very good, except for a few lines of dialog that were very stilted -- though that may have been a faithful translation of the original.
My one big problem were the sex scenes. Not because I'm a prude, but because they seemed tacked on and not important to the plot. They were also, for the most part, pretty violent. So I would avoid this book if violence, especially sexual violence towards women, is upsetting to you.
I received the book for free through Goodreads First Reads
October 11, 2016
I am not a big fan of crime novels and I only read this book as part of a reading challenge, so my opinion is probably slightly biased. I think it is very tough to write a great crime story, there is a lot that needs to be met, the plot needs to be interesting, an element of suspense to draw you in. For me there needs to be a nice big cast of possible suspects, when solving the crime there needs to be some logic, a nice amount of science always helps. The crime itself needs to well planned, just like in a game of cluedo.
This book however fails in all of those things required by me. Most of the time it was dull, obvious what the outcome was gonna be. The author tried to spice things up with a bit of sex and violence but even that fell short.
It gets 2 stars because the writing itself was good, I couldn't fault that, it just needed a bit more of an imagination. (Maybe starting at book 1 of the series may have helped but I won't be bothering with anymore of this series.)
This book however fails in all of those things required by me. Most of the time it was dull, obvious what the outcome was gonna be. The author tried to spice things up with a bit of sex and violence but even that fell short.
It gets 2 stars because the writing itself was good, I couldn't fault that, it just needed a bit more of an imagination. (Maybe starting at book 1 of the series may have helped but I won't be bothering with anymore of this series.)
June 30, 2012
*Goodreads FirstReads Giveaway Winner*
True Rating: 3.5 stars
For those interested and deem themselves crime fiction enthusiasts, this book is for you.
The Viper begins with the main character -- the detective assigned to the gruesome double-murder in a farmhouse in Gotland, Sweden -- Fredrik Broman, being flown into a hospital by helicopter.
Following this, Hakan Ostlundh leads us to a series of people all implicated in the murders in some way, allowing us a special and peculiar introspection into each person's emotional and psychological dilemma. It is not even the more minor characters that can escape from this thoughtful and intense scrutiny, as we learn how deeply shrouded in mystery the Traneus family is from various accounts of bystanders.
A pervasive gloominess and oppressiveness saturates indefinitely the island of Gotland, as an unraveling of the enigma and secrecy beleaguering the family connected with one of the murders incites an inescapable pessimism riding on the backs of all the people involved in the case.
Descriptions of the murder scenes were executed with a bold rawness, unlike so many a crime novel. With admirable ability, the author plunged into these detailed narratives with crazy delight and unrestrained exhilaration. The horrific murder scenes makes the book commendable on its own for being paramount in its field for its grisly and morbid writing.
The symbolic meaning, if any, of the ravens flying among the skyscrapers after dark at the end of the novel still puzzles and leaves me perplexed -- but perhaps this cryptic and mystifying ending is well justified with the rest of the novel's dark and curious scenes.
True Rating: 3.5 stars
For those interested and deem themselves crime fiction enthusiasts, this book is for you.
The Viper begins with the main character -- the detective assigned to the gruesome double-murder in a farmhouse in Gotland, Sweden -- Fredrik Broman, being flown into a hospital by helicopter.
Following this, Hakan Ostlundh leads us to a series of people all implicated in the murders in some way, allowing us a special and peculiar introspection into each person's emotional and psychological dilemma. It is not even the more minor characters that can escape from this thoughtful and intense scrutiny, as we learn how deeply shrouded in mystery the Traneus family is from various accounts of bystanders.
A pervasive gloominess and oppressiveness saturates indefinitely the island of Gotland, as an unraveling of the enigma and secrecy beleaguering the family connected with one of the murders incites an inescapable pessimism riding on the backs of all the people involved in the case.
Descriptions of the murder scenes were executed with a bold rawness, unlike so many a crime novel. With admirable ability, the author plunged into these detailed narratives with crazy delight and unrestrained exhilaration. The horrific murder scenes makes the book commendable on its own for being paramount in its field for its grisly and morbid writing.
The symbolic meaning, if any, of the ravens flying among the skyscrapers after dark at the end of the novel still puzzles and leaves me perplexed -- but perhaps this cryptic and mystifying ending is well justified with the rest of the novel's dark and curious scenes.
June 21, 2012
I was so fortunate to win a copy of "The Viper" by Hakan Ostlundh, through the Goodreads Giveaway Contest.What an amazing novel.I couldn't put this book down.It reminded me when I read The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler, which I loved.The Viper is a true crime novel.
As the story began, detective Fredrik Broman was helicoptered in to the emergency room with a severe head injury. Through the course of the story, the action moves back to Broman's hospital room where we see his recovery process and the steps leading up to him going there.This significant novel tells of a double homicide.
Arvid Traneus is a ruthless, arrogant businessman who returns to Sweden after an assignment in Tokyo. He had been gone for a number of years.
Shortly after his return, the maid finds the bodies of a man and woman in the Traneus home. The woman had been stabbed but the man was badly mutilated. The police had trouble identifying him and assumed it was Arvid.
The action takes place on the island of Gotland, sixty miles off the southeastern coast of Sweden. It's an island where gossip is part of life and people take interest in knowing what their neighbors are doing.
During the course of the investigation, we see the relationship between various people in the Tranus family and the antagonism that exists. We also see the people in the Gotland police department.
The novel is well written and the characters are well developed.The author allows us to experience the psychological drama of the characters.If you enjoy reading a true crime novel, don't miss out on this one.
As the story began, detective Fredrik Broman was helicoptered in to the emergency room with a severe head injury. Through the course of the story, the action moves back to Broman's hospital room where we see his recovery process and the steps leading up to him going there.This significant novel tells of a double homicide.
Arvid Traneus is a ruthless, arrogant businessman who returns to Sweden after an assignment in Tokyo. He had been gone for a number of years.
Shortly after his return, the maid finds the bodies of a man and woman in the Traneus home. The woman had been stabbed but the man was badly mutilated. The police had trouble identifying him and assumed it was Arvid.
The action takes place on the island of Gotland, sixty miles off the southeastern coast of Sweden. It's an island where gossip is part of life and people take interest in knowing what their neighbors are doing.
During the course of the investigation, we see the relationship between various people in the Tranus family and the antagonism that exists. We also see the people in the Gotland police department.
The novel is well written and the characters are well developed.The author allows us to experience the psychological drama of the characters.If you enjoy reading a true crime novel, don't miss out on this one.
November 3, 2014
This significant novel tells of a double homicide. Arvid Traneus is a ruthless, arrogant businessman who returns to Sweden after an assignment in Tokyo. He had been gone for a number of years.
Shortly after his return, the maid finds the bodies of a man and woman in the Tranus home. The woman had been stabbed but the man was badly mutilated. The police had trouble identifying him and assumed it was Arvid.
The action takes place in the island of Gotland, sixty miles off the southeastern coast of Sweden. It's an island where gossip is part of life and people take pride in knowing what their neighbors are doing.
During the course of the investigation, we see the relationship between various people in the Tranus family and the antagonism that exists. We also see the cararaderie of the people in the Gotland police department.
As the story began, detective Fredrik Broman was helicoptered in to the emergency room with a severe head injury. Through the course of the story, the action moves back to Broman's hospital room where we see his recovery process and the steps leading up to him going there.
The island life, the exotic setting of an island off Sweden and the closeness of the characters blend together to create a novel rich in psychological drama and is both enjoyable and interesting to read.
Shortly after his return, the maid finds the bodies of a man and woman in the Tranus home. The woman had been stabbed but the man was badly mutilated. The police had trouble identifying him and assumed it was Arvid.
The action takes place in the island of Gotland, sixty miles off the southeastern coast of Sweden. It's an island where gossip is part of life and people take pride in knowing what their neighbors are doing.
During the course of the investigation, we see the relationship between various people in the Tranus family and the antagonism that exists. We also see the cararaderie of the people in the Gotland police department.
As the story began, detective Fredrik Broman was helicoptered in to the emergency room with a severe head injury. Through the course of the story, the action moves back to Broman's hospital room where we see his recovery process and the steps leading up to him going there.
The island life, the exotic setting of an island off Sweden and the closeness of the characters blend together to create a novel rich in psychological drama and is both enjoyable and interesting to read.
December 21, 2012
It's at best a moderately interesting murder mystery, certainly not one which engages and holds the reader's attention. He signals the ending very early, so it's just a matter of seeing how he plans to keep our interest for the next 200 pages or so. The story telling is tedious, and the story itself is not particularly interesting. The detective work is not engaging or revelatory. The interaction between characters is at best prosaic and dull, which may or may not be attributable to the weaknesses of the translation. The title has no relationship to the novel itself. Ostlundh leaves a major subplot unresolved at the end (perhaps there is or will be a sequel). There are too many irrelevant trivial actions on the part of the characters. The reader's so glad to be finished with it that the resolution of the mystery is anticlimatic. The plotting and characterization are poorly done and not up to the standards set by other Swedish mystery novelists. I don't recommend it
Read
January 1, 2013I would have to agree with others that this book leaves a bit to be desired. it is promoted with much hype but doesn't quite make it.
The shifting time perspectives I found confusing and many of the characters were not fully developed. I was also disappointed that the 'intrigue' hinted at regarding the dead daughter was never resolved. I agree with some other reviewers that the gratuitous 'sex' elements added nothing to the story and being so early in the story almost made me put the book down.
I generally love Swedish crime but will not be rushing to read another by Håkan Östlundh.
The shifting time perspectives I found confusing and many of the characters were not fully developed. I was also disappointed that the 'intrigue' hinted at regarding the dead daughter was never resolved. I agree with some other reviewers that the gratuitous 'sex' elements added nothing to the story and being so early in the story almost made me put the book down.
I generally love Swedish crime but will not be rushing to read another by Håkan Östlundh.
September 24, 2012
I liked this book even though every book that comes out of Sweden is being compared to Steig Larson. Actually the only resemblance is another dysfunctional family, and we all know there are several novels with this as a basis. Pacing was a little slow in parts but I did enjoy the story. Look forward to reading more of this series. Actually I think this is the fourth in the series, now have to go and see if the other three have been translated in the US.
Want to read
June 12, 2012I won this book from First Reads. Looks like a good book. Thank you.
Want to read
June 12, 2012I won this book for free through Goodreads First Reads. Hope to read it soon. Thanks.
June 24, 2012
So confusing at first. It's one of those books where everything comes together in the end. Good book though; interesting.
September 6, 2012
Darkly complex. I bought this book and found it well worth the price and the time spent reading it. Well-crafted.
September 22, 2019
I am absolutely 100% on the Swedish thriller train. Started with Stieg Larsson, moved to Lars Kepler, and just read “The Viper” by Hakan Ostlundh. What has gripped me about most of these books is not so much the crime, or the thriller aspect, but the unique characters, the depth given to them by the authors…such a huge departure from most American thrillers and their stock characters.
I do always wonder how a story changes in the translation…and after reading this book – I wonder even more. “The Viper” had none of the depth that I have appreciated in the past. To be honest, I kept forgetting who the main character was even supposed to be. Per the back of my copy, I think it is Detective Fredrik Broman, but that doesn’t come across in the story.
There are many sort-of main characters. The reader learns a bit about them, but not enough to form any sort of attachment or develop much interest in what happens to them. As in American thrillers, the case leads the plot, with the author throwing out several possible combinations of events, but without giving the reader nearly enough background to even have a suspicion on which might be true.
I just didn’t get much from this book. The chapters kept tiptoeing towards dramatic tension…but then when the moment would come for some sort of revelation or turn of events – the chapter would end.
So I don’t know if this book lost something in the translation or if the story was just rather flat to start with. But “The Viper” just didn’t have much of a bite.
(Sorry.)
I do always wonder how a story changes in the translation…and after reading this book – I wonder even more. “The Viper” had none of the depth that I have appreciated in the past. To be honest, I kept forgetting who the main character was even supposed to be. Per the back of my copy, I think it is Detective Fredrik Broman, but that doesn’t come across in the story.
There are many sort-of main characters. The reader learns a bit about them, but not enough to form any sort of attachment or develop much interest in what happens to them. As in American thrillers, the case leads the plot, with the author throwing out several possible combinations of events, but without giving the reader nearly enough background to even have a suspicion on which might be true.
I just didn’t get much from this book. The chapters kept tiptoeing towards dramatic tension…but then when the moment would come for some sort of revelation or turn of events – the chapter would end.
So I don’t know if this book lost something in the translation or if the story was just rather flat to start with. But “The Viper” just didn’t have much of a bite.
(Sorry.)
August 4, 2018
Three and a half stars. This is very noir Nordic noir, the first of a series in which I hope this promising ensemble of police characters will be further developed. However, the whodunit part was something of a foregone conclusion--it had to be someone in the family--leaving only the exact sequence of events to be revealed. Some disturbing sexual violence is part of the plot.
September 7, 2020
מסופר מנקודת מבט של שני זמנים שונים - עבר והווה עד למיזוגם.
למעט תוצאת הרצח החריגה, לא כל כך מרגישים, לאורך הספר, רמה
של מתח. אלא, חקירה בלשית "רגילה" ו-"נינוחה" עד שמגיעים
לסוף הספר וגם שם המענה הוא מיידי. כנראה, זו הסיבה שהספר
נקרא "הצפעוני" - בשל היכולת המהירה שלו להקיש ולחכות עד
למוות או השיתוק של הקורבן שלו.
למעט תוצאת הרצח החריגה, לא כל כך מרגישים, לאורך הספר, רמה
של מתח. אלא, חקירה בלשית "רגילה" ו-"נינוחה" עד שמגיעים
לסוף הספר וגם שם המענה הוא מיידי. כנראה, זו הסיבה שהספר
נקרא "הצפעוני" - בשל היכולת המהירה שלו להקיש ולחכות עד
למוות או השיתוק של הקורבן שלו.
July 7, 2018
I'm happy with this book. One that was really old fashioned Swedish (Nordic) crime.
Family matters, murders, a hazy past, all ingredients in a case that needs to be solved.
Liked it a lot and I look forward to reading the next one!
Family matters, murders, a hazy past, all ingredients in a case that needs to be solved.
Liked it a lot and I look forward to reading the next one!
May 8, 2020
Slightly overly-long decent police procedural I put down for a while after the first chapter (one of many violent gratuitous sex scenes). It seems the author just threw them in to “spice things up” as they don’t really add anything to the story.
November 22, 2020
Boeiende Zweedse misdaadroman. Twee mensen worden vermoord in een huis gevonden. Het moordonderzoek legt geleidelijk aan ingewikkelde familiegeheimen bloot. Je wordt door de auteur meegenomen in het heden en het verleden, tot een verrassende ontknoping.
October 31, 2021
The book skipped around too much in time, place and characters. Poorly translator with many grammatical errors that spelling checkers don't pick up but good translator would. The main story just seemed a little too contrived for my taste.
August 31, 2018
A new Scandic noir find. pity it’s not the first book of the series probably just the first to be translated into English. Promising.
October 4, 2018
Not a progressing story at all.
December 18, 2019
Family in disarray -- killing each other. Mother kills abusive father, son kills mother.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 19, 2020
Great literary mystery. The emphasis on family relationships is really the core and what makes me insert the word “literary as its appeal is much more than a simple crime novel.
Want to read
June 20, 2020Abbruch nach 44 Seiten
August 2, 2020
The best book in the Fredrik Broman series! Håkan Östlundh impressively builds up the suspense until the very end by altering the perspective back and forth in time and between characters.
April 16, 2021
Een van de betere Zweedse thrillers schrijvers. Goed gestructureerd, spannend verhaal en een interessante groep onderzoekers
February 9, 2022
The sex scenes were too much and the outcome was predictable.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews