The Second Deadly Sin

Rebecka Martinsson #5

by Åsa Larsson (Translator), Laurie Thompson (Translator)

The novels that inspired Rebecka Martinsson: Arctic Murders - the major TV series

"Rebecka Martinsson: the new Scandi-noir heroine to rival Saga Noren and Sarah Lund" iNews

"In a television world now awash in female coppers, there aren't many as interesting and human as Rebecka" Wall Street Journal

At the end of a deadly bear hunt across the wilderness of Northern Sweden, the successful hunters are shaken by a grisly discovery.

Across in Kurravaara, a woman is murdered with frenzied brutality: crude abuse scrawled above her bloodied bed, her young grandson nowhere to be found. Only Rebecka Martinsson sees a connection.

Dropped from the case thanks to a jealous rival, she now stands alone against a killer who brings death to young and old, spawned by a horrifying crime that festers after one hundred years on ice.

Genres: Crime, Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Nordic Noir, Sweden, Scandinavian Literature

400 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Åsa Larsson is a Swedish crime-writer. Although born in Uppsala, she was raised in Kiruna in the far north. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, Larsson was a tax lawyer, a profession she shares with the heroine of her novels, Rebecka Martinsson.


Series:
* Rebecka Martinsson

Reviews

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

I believe this is only the 2nd or 3rd time I have ever given 5 stars in this genre. Not just for the Nordic brand but also for the wider genre of law side who-dun-its or a tangent of police procedural fare.

WHEW! I'm exhaling. Having read it slower (huge emergency situations times two in real life- all medical for my closest and most dearest) and also over a much longer period of time from beginning until the ending? Well, that often nearly kills a fiction book for me. But OH, not this one. It was more than a week later, but nothing was forgotten.

And so we come to book #5 in the series. And it is the last. So before I react, I want to give a bit of pre-advice to those who have not read this series or are on partial reads for it. Do NOT read them out of order. Although they are basic to a stand alone form, I would say that there are such punctuations in Rebecka's life, that an out of order read would negate most of the progression to character, desires, self-identity and also just the basic FUN aspect of her type of humor, enthusiasm. Because she's not a girly-girl or a jolly fellow well met person. And the faults she has are, more than just occasionally, ones that are at all not conducive to friendships or any personality sharing commitments.

This book is long too. And the case or cases compile within the true show down within the departmental hierarchy from Stockholm on too. Rebecka balks this time. She doesn't put up with the bureaucratic and bullying oppression. Anna-Maria and the others are all on their own chess squares within this issue/cabal too. Lots of underpinnings here. Quite, quite interesting to any of us who at any times in our lives had the inept boss from hell who believes they are good at what they do. Oh, I met one or two.

But the progression of the plot and the people of Kiruna peak in this book. The entire town is / has been caught up in a history of the iron ore mines of the first half of the 20th century. So some of this book has flashback sections to the 1914-1915 for that particular era set of characters in Kiruna.
Kiruna then, Kiruna now. But especially in how this plot twines them both! It was 6 star excellent.
I read these series fare with placements in numerous countries and in law and in police particularly- in great multitudes.

This one had one of the best plots I've ever read. The perp? Was I fooled. I knew which it couldn't be. But until the very ending- I was never at all sure. And Rebecka's love life too! But not in conditions that I had at all foreseen.

Lovely writing too. Getting BETTER as the series progresses. Clear and without any overblown appendages.

Here the dogs are becoming MORE important -the further you go into the series too the more you understand them as individuals. In this one they all become key at points. And are at the heart of the bridges to knowing and are also embedded within the most dire. Not just for the humans but for their own outcomes. As a parallel, IMHO. Because so much of our own innocent good intents are sacrificed into something quite opposite by hapless reality in our homo sapiens' lives.

And the food was great too. At least 4 or 5 times I was transported to D. Leon's Guido Brunetti. But here we have login berry sauce instead of marinara. We are planted directly into Northern Swedish Kiruna past, present and the cuisine of the farm and the fields. With more than a couple of under characters cooking and brewing for the next sit down or after sauna clutch. Because Rebecka is a on leave from prosecuting as a lawyer, she is a down home and prime physical country placed female. And with the increasingly known clan of Kiruna around her- so many enthralling intersections of conversations. For me, this one was nearly a physical trip to ice hotel country, on top of it.

And the ending was supreme, although it was not without a sorrow too that seems always to infiltrate the worlds of "happiest times" human. Nothing seems to come without a price, I know that too. And the little boy Marcus has some possibility for a future that is far better than his past has been. Finally.

But all the natural world events and also ordeals throughout the way in this book! That's what tipped it to a 5 from a 4.5 star. I just had to round it up. All I can add to that is that Rebecka has to really have a HARD head/ cranium. She's going to have to own as much CTE as a 7 year NFL tackle or running back at this juncture already, let alone in age.

So immensely sad for me that this is the last of this series! But I must say it was super wise to contrive such an excellent completion. Wisdom indeed to end it here. Our Rebecka is peaked at closure for the killings and also probably the most healed (that she ever will be). And all else is going to traipse into the mundane in all probability to continue from Kiruna. But maybe within Anna-Maria's story? She has a lot more to reveal with that great husband and the 4 kids.

If any of this doesn't make sense to you (this review)- I can understand some confusion. But I don't want to give spoilers.

Also for my GR friends. You know I am a super hard marker for 5 star reads. And that I have suggested to note and possibly read them or vet any that I give 5 star. This one I would make an exception with an exclusion. And that is that I do suggest reading it, but only after the others.

Because Rebecka has had a experience or two that is not norm in her society. And to get the dimension of her and her system both? It comes in layers, not easily grasped. The steps of the first books in the series are nearly essential to see or understand any of the whys.

[Rachel (not currently receiving notifications) Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Opening in the remote arctic north of Sweden, close to Lapland, with a bewitching hunt for a wounded bear at large through the woodlands, the discovery that its stomach contains not only the fur of a recently consumed dog, but what are very clearly human remains spreads like wildfire. From this startling introduction, the pace turns decidedly more sedate and almost flounders as readers are introduced to District Prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson and her former childhood community of Kiruna. Languidly narrated, Larsson takes time to set the stall out; providing background on Martinsson and her history (former lawyer turned prosecutor), whilst also initiating two split timelines centering on the intergenerational plight of one family - one from the turn of the century (1914) and one unravelling in the present day. Although these differing timelines are not specifically marked for the readers ease, this hardly matters as a truly immersive story segues from one to the other with seamless proficiency.

Several months after the discovery of the bear's stomach contents shocks hunters, in nearby Kurravaara the multiple stab wounds that puncture the body of sixty-year-old Sol-Britt Uusitalo horrify Martinsson, but the word 'whore' emblazoned above her bed seems to echo the spiteful thoughts of a hostile local community. Regarded as an outsider, with a reputation with men and alcohol, Sol-Britt lived alone with her seven-year-old grandson Marcus. When her savaged corpse is discovered, young Marcus is eventually found hiding in a dog-kennel having lapsed into a stolid silence, only broken to act as a 'Wild Dog' with the kind-hearted police dog handler, Krister Eriksson. As Martinsson's elderly neighbour and local font of knowledge, Sivvig, provides a potted history of the tragic life of Sol-Britt and her family he also mentions that it was Sol-Britt's father, Frans Uusitalo, whose remains were found inside the stomach of the bear, piquing Martinsson's interest. With a paternal grandmother who was also murdered (young schoolteacher Elina Pettersson) and the fatal hit and run accident that accounted for her son, Matti, three years earlier, can this tragic legacy of one family really be a coincidence or could Sol-Britt's murderer had their eyes set on some sort of revenge?

As the less competent prosecutor in the region, Carl von Post, coerces chief prosecutor Alf Björnfot to allow him to take over the case, citing possible conflicts of interest with Martinsson living in the same locality as the deceased, Björnfot relents for the sake of an easy life. Elbowed off the case, Martinsson refuses to be palmed off and instead exercises her owed holiday allowance, giving her plenty of time to engage in some undercover investigations of her own volition. Introducing a realistic array of detectives, wry police inspector Anna-Maria Mella, mother to a brood of four children leads the investigation and also has to contend with dealing with the jumped-up von Post (von Pest!), a man who has a remarkable habit for getting people's backs up. A vein of subtle humour runs throughout both the past and present narratives. Inspector Anna-Maria Mella's colleagues are a complementary mix, from people person Sven-Erik Stålnacke, technically gifted Fred Olsson and rookie officer Tommy Rantakyrö. At the half-way point of the story precious little progress has been made in terms of solid evidence, merely identifying the married father of two who was the secret lover of Sol-Britt. Loathe to place her trust in happenstance, Martinsson takes a closer look at Sol-Brett's father and son's death and aided by elderly chief pathologist, Lars Pohjanen she sees beyond the obvious to a story that was set in motion almost a century ago.

Although this was my first introduction to Åsa Larsson and the characters who surround Rebecka Martinsson I was pleased to find a realistic and assorted bunch, with Larsson even paying attention to the lesser characters in her script. Rebecka is very much the modern woman; a mix of frustrations with a passion for her career, yet at the mercy of her capricious emotions. Her susceptibility to overthinking makes for a most beguiling lead character. Despite this being the fifth novel in an ongoing series, Åsa Larsson makes short work of providing a précis of the highs and lows in Rebecka's life, from her past mental instability to her relationship with a somewhat possessive and much older Stockholm lawyer, Måns Wenngren, and the chemistry with the caring and considerate Krister Eriksson, the only genuinely willing volunteer to care for a distressed seven-year-old. With two central female leads in Mella and Martinsson, both of whom are strong-willed and drawn in admirable depth, the series has definite longevity.

The nonchalance with which Larsson lets this tale unfold is accompanied by a cast of characters who are all prone to their own internal discourse and there is a certain amount of head-hopping as characters provide their own, often unspoken, perspectives on a situation. Admittedly this unhurried style felt slightly unnatural first off but pretty soon in addition to the engaging plot developments and thoughtful reflections this was something I got used to. It takes someone with Rebecka Martinsson's own awkward history with the rural community to entertain the idea that the small and supposedly safe community could be harbouring a murderer with a deadly axe to grind stretching back across the generations. Ascribing precious little time and worth to the stories of her parents that the elder generations of the community are keen to share with her, she pays short shrift to the community whispers. That Martinsson goes the extra mile for Sol-Britt, regarded as a black sheep in the village in common with Rebecca's own family through past generations, adds extra poignancy and her momentous final sacrifice shows her desire to bring justice to every victim, regardless of reputation or local gossip.

Given that this was my first introduction to District Prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson and hence read as a standalone, The Second Deadly Sin comes highly recommended, but with a cast with much to offer, this is a series that I intend to revisit.

[Minty McBunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh, this book. It was almost unutterably wonderful.

To me, Rebecka Martinsson is the best Scandinavian crime fiction out there. I love Inspector Sejer, I love Kari Vaara, I like Department Q, VanVeeteren, Patrik Hedstrom & Erika Falk, etc... but this series just beats them all.

If Tana French's writing is the literary equivalent of haute cuisine, challenging, complex and unattainable to mere mortals, Larsson's writing is more like home cooking done by an acclaimed chef. It's comforting and familiar, but done to perfection, so exquisitely finished, with some slightly exotic touches that you can't quite pin down but which elevate it above the expected.

The first book in this series was a little wobbly in places, but each one since has been exceptional and I think this is the best yet. I was at war with myself between wanting to devour it in one gulp and wanting to savor it in small bits at a time, knowing there won't be a new one for some time to come. I was so pleased with the direction Rebecka's life has taken and the way her relationships move forward here. I am beyond excited to see how things progress in the next book. The pace was perfect, the storylines between past and present were exceptionally interwoven, and the characters were spot on in terms of believability, with intense integrity or lack thereof making crisp lines between good guys and bad guys.

I only have one small complaint about this book, I would have wished for a miracle for Vera, but I understand the necessity of what happened and I appreciated the little self-deprecating mention of it in Larsson's author's note.

I must give a shout out to Laurie Thompson who is one of the best translators out there, I know I enjoy these books in large part due to his skill at translating witty banter and clever dialogue from the original without losing its sharpness and humor.

[João Carlos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiruna (na actualidade)

“Sacrifício a Moloc”

“Aurora Boreal” (5*) (Planeta – 2010) o primeiro livro da série Rebecka Martinsson, da escritora sueca Asa Larsson (n. 1966) foi um autêntica surpresa. Asa Larsson constrói de uma forma brilhante, uma história envolta num mistério e num suspense espectacular, introduzindo na investigação criminal a advogada Rebecka Martinsson, a viver e a exercer advogacia em Estocolmo, agora num regresso à sua pequena aldeia natal de Kurravaara, nas proximidades da cidade de Kiruna, na Lapónia Sueca, para investigar um crime macabro com contornos religiosos, ajudando a sua amiga Sanna na descoberta da morte do seu irmão, contando com a “cumplicidade” com a inspectora Anna-Maria Mella.
Depois com “Sangue Derramado” (4*) (Planeta – 2011) e “A Senda Obscura” (4*) (Planeta – 2012) a qualidade da escrita e o suspense da narrativa mantêm-se. Mas no quarto livro da série “Quando a Tua Ira Passar” (3*) (Planeta – 2014) fiquei desiludido e pensei que o fascínio e a imprevisibilidade da escrita de Asa Larsson estava a perder fôlego.
Com “Sacrifício A Moloc” (Planeta 2015) Asa Larsson regressa ao seu melhor.
A história de “Sacrifício de Moloc” vai sendo construída com recurso a duas investigações, uma oficial e outra protagonizada pela marginalizada Rebecka Martinsson, agora procuradora em Kiruna; com a narrativa a decorrer em dois períodos distintos, no passado em 1914 e no presente, num cenário fascinante e encantatório no norte da Suécia, numa região inóspita e fustigada por um clima agreste, onde um grupo de caçadores mata um urso e encontram nas suas vísceras restos humanos e onde uma mulher é barbaramente assassinada na sua casa, numa família perseguida pelo infortúnio e pela morte.
“Sacrifício de Moloc” possui um enredo convincente, com utilização do flashback e um eficaz enquadramento das personagens, com recurso a segredos sinistros e ameaçadores, incorporando as crenças religiosas na construção da narrativa e do suspense, e descrevendo detalhes interessantes e fascinantes sobre Kiruna, em particular, sobre a exploração de minério de ferro no período da 1º Guerra Mundial.

"- Há que aproveitar o amor, é um conselho. De repente vivemo-lo pela última vez. E o resto, leva-o o vento." (Pág. 286)

[Έρση Λάβαρη · Rating 5 out of 5]

Until Thy Wrath be Past left me hanging (emotionally-wise on behalf of both myself and Martinsson), so I was really excited about this book, and although I was expecting to be disappointed, it did not fail to surprise me, to intimidate me, to make me so happy and so, so sad at the same time! Åsa Larsson belongs to this kind of writers who won’t necessarily come up with a particularly original plot, but work with what they’ve got –a simple idea, usually– to such an extent, that in the end, they’ll deliver excellence.

The Second Deadly Sin is no exception. A woman is found murdered and it is soon understood that the perpetrator acted in front of her grandson, whose memory of the event has been suppressed due to the trauma he suffered in the sight of it. The investigation shows the victim’s own father and grandmother have also been killed, most likely by human hand despite the lack of evidence, and prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson, albeit she is not assigned the case, insists on working on it off the record, on her own. Detective Anna-Maria Mella, head of the case, used to work with Rebecka and disapproving of the prosecutor involved, connives at Rebecka’s legal slip when the investigation gets too complicated and accepts her help. In the midst of a crisis in her personal life, Rebecka realizes that the perpetrator is also hunting the child who survived the attack, and along with Mella and her team manages to get in trouble once more, this time with cruel consequences for some.

I was once again impressed by Larsson’s language, simple yet perfectly put-together, her use of scenery, cold and beautiful and barbaric, and her deep understanding of her characters, main ones and secondary ones alike. I was heartbroken for Vera and I wished for a miracle to save her, but I understand the necessity of the act—and perhaps forgive it. Can’t wait to hear good news about a sixth installment in the Rebecka Martinsson series (it’s been years already)!

[Pepa · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pues vale
Una novela policiaca sin mucho sustento, casi todos los personajes son policías o similar, por lo que poco queda a la imaginación
Suspense tiene poco, lo que sí es interesante es el porqué. Pero al final, aunque tiene mucha lógica, tampoco termina sorprendiendo
Pasado y presente componen un entresijo pero mi gran problema ha sido con el estilo. Y la historia del pasado resta tanto espacio que el final de la novela resulta del todo precipitado
Frío
Frases cortas, capítulos cortos, algunos de una sola página. A mí todo eso me saca de la lectura. Personajes que entiendo que son asiduos (este el el quinto de la serie) y me perdía con tanto nombre ya que se da por hecho quienes son.
No sé si será generalizado, pero tres autores que he leído del norte, más o menos, comparten este mismo estilo. A mí no me gusta, me parece frío
He leído muchas novelas de suspense romántico que son mucho mejores... ahí lo dejo
Se debería terminaro con los prejuicios con el género de la romántica

[Scott Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book by Asa Larsson that I have read. Although it is a Scandinavian crime thriller I found it to be quite different from the work of Jo Nesbo and Jussi Adler-Olsen. My overall impression is that it is better constructed and written than the novels by these other two authors even though I have enjoyed the Harry Hole and Department Q series. Perhaps this impression is enhanced by the isolated northern Sweden setting compared with the usual settings inhabited by urban criminals.

Set in a tiny village in northern Lapland it has a special mystique. Rebecca Martinsson, prosecutor, teams up with her sidekick Mella to investigate the murder of a woman in the village, Sol-Britt Uusital, who lives alone with her young granson Marcus. She has been stabbed to death with a hayfork but Marcus has escaped. Traumatized, he is unable to tell the police anything about what he has seen. Rebecca is swept aside from the case by another prosecutor, Von Post, a pompous ass who makes a balls of the investigation. So Rebecca decides to take leave. She has noticed that a lot of relatives of the killed woman have been killed accidentally or otherwise over several years.Sol-Britt's son was killed by a hit-and-run driver, her father was eaten by a bear, and her grandmother was murdered.Rebecca becomes convinced that these deaths are linked.

A large part of the novel takes place in a much earlier era in a mining town around 1914. It is a company town. A beautiful bookish teacher Elina Pettersson arrives there to start over. En route she meets mine owner Hjalmar Lundbohm who falls for her. He sets her up with his housekeeper Lizzie. Then Lundbohm and the teacher begin a passionate affair. Ultimately she becomes pregnant but Lundbohm does not assume responsiblity for the child. Elina is left to raise him on her own. She loses her teaching position and meets a tragic end at the hands of the Managing Director of the mine, Lundbohm's second-in-command. The boy is then raised by Lizzie and her financee.

This story and the present one are linked as Rebecca discovers that the boy from 1914 is the ancestor of the other folks who have been murdered recently. It is this link that is at the root of these recent murders. Rebecca unravels the connections just in time to save herself and Marcus from certain death.

An exceptionally well written novel. I have only one small quibble. As you move through the story the author keeps alternating from the present to the past but there are no clear guideposts when you turn the page as to which era you are in. After reading a few lines you figure it out but it is a bit frustrating in an otherwise splendid story.

I look forward to reading the others in this series. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-ARC to review.

[María Alejandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Relectura, viene el siguiente pronto y éste lo leí hace 8 años 😳

Soy fan de la novela negra nórdica, he leído a unos cuantos autores y no sé si es la crudeza de sus crímenes, la ambientación o la denuncia social lo que me gusta, pero siempre que descubro uno nuevo, me engancho (con sus excepciones, claro). Esta serie la leí hace años y siempre me pareció extraño que la autora tardara tanto en continuarla. Así que al salir el nuevo y último en agosto de este año, dije que tenía que releer el anterior porque honestamente no recordaba mucho (y en esta serie, hace falta porque los personajes entán relacionados desde los primeros libros). Tengo que ser honesta y decir que me pareció entretenido y nada más, porque aunque me gustó volverla a leer, siento que le faltó algo. Así que lo dejo en 3 estrellitas y en espera de ese último libro que cierra finalmente esta serie.

[Morten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mi primer libro de Åsa Larsson, novela nórdica que no defrauda, aunque he de decir que he empezado la casa por el tejado ya que este es el 5º de la saga y no lo sabía, aún así el orden de los factores no altera el producto.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another wonderful novel from Asa Larsson, perhaps the best in the Rebecka Martinsson series. From the very beginning with the hunt for a wounded bear, the storytelling is all engaging. What I liked in this book is an older story is told in segments within the modern narrative. The writing is quite seamless and both accounts are easy to follow.
The plot is terrific and cleverly expounded, always holding your attention and demanding your full consideration. Martinsson doesn't get everything her way but she is such a well drawn character you are always in her camp and the pages light up when she is involved.
It is her own parallel investigation that ultimately cracks the case; her love of this special part of Sweden allows the reader to sense that passion and enjoy the wilderness.
This is a riveting crime novel with a constant level of threat that stands juxtaposed amid the beautiful backdrop Kiruna. Larsson is one of my favourite authors and this book cements her place in my estimation and should underline her wider reputation. No-one can love Nordic Noir if they haven't read her and anyone who reads her books will be hooked on Scandinavia Crime.

[Dimitris Passas (TapTheLine) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Είναι το πρώτο βιβλίο της Asa Larsson που διαβάζω, η μόνη μου επαφή με την Σουηδή συγγραφέα μέχρι τώρα ήταν η κινηματογραφική μεταφορά του βιβλίου της με τίτλο ''Solstorm'' και πρωταγωνίστρια την -εκθαμβωτική- Izabella Scorupco. Δεν μπορώ να πω ότι το ''The Second Deadly Sin'' θα μου μείνει αξέχαστο, ωστόσο κατόρθωσε να κρατήσει το ενδιαφέρον μου μέχρι τις τελευταίες σελίδες. Η Larsson είναι γεννημένη στην Kiruna, μια πόλη που βρίσκεται στο βορειότερο άκρο της Σουηδίας και ιδρύθηκε μόλις στις αρχές τουυ 20ου αιώνα από την εταιρεία που δραστηριοποιήθηκε στην εξόρυξη σιδήρου και άλλων μεταλλευμάτων (LKAB) στην περιοχή. Σήμερα η -πάντα χιονισμένη και παγωμένη- Kiruna έχει φτάσει να έχει πάνω από 20.000 κατοίκους και παρέχει στους πολίτες της τις ανέσεις που απολαμβάνουν όλοι οι κάτοικοι μιας σύγχρονης ευρωπαικής πόλης. Επίσης, ένας από τους κεντρικούς πρωταγωνιστές του βιβλίου είναι ο Hjalmar Lundbohm, ο οποίος υπήρξε στην πραγματικότητα ο διευθυντής του ορυχείου της Kiruna και οι περιγραφές της πόλης από την περίοδο της ίδρυσής της είναι πολύ ζωντανές και λεπτομερείς. Βέβαια οι αντιστοιχίες με την πραγματικότητα τελειώνουν εκεί, αφού η Larsson υπογράφει ένα crime βιβλιο που μένει πιστό στη Σκανδιναβική παράδοση, δηλαδή παρακολουθούμε δύο παράλληλες ιστορίες -μια παροντική και μια παρελθοντική- που κλιμακωτά φτάνουν σε ένα σημείο σύγκλισης, το οποίο σηματοδοτεί και την κορύφωση της πλοκής. Το πρόβλημα του βιβλίου, κατά την προσωπική μου άποψη, είναι ότι μέχρι τα 2/3 της ανάγνωσης κυλάει αρκετά αργά και δίνει υπερβολικά πολύ χρόνο στην ανάπτυξη χαρακτήρων, οι οποίοι δεν παίζουν κάποιο ιδιαίτερα σημαντικό ρόλο στην ιστορία. Στο τελευταίο μέρος του ωστόσο, ανεβάζει τον ρυθμό και κρατά τον αναγνώστη σε αγωνία για την κατάληξη και την μοίρα της κεντρικής ηρωίδας της Larsson, της εισαγγελέως Rebecka Martinsson.
Σίγουρα στο απώτερο μέλλον θα ξαναδοκιμάσω να διαβάσω βιβλίο της Larsson, η οποία πρέπει να σημειωθεί ότι χαίρει μεγάλης εκτίμησης και αποδοχής στην χώρα της και βρίσκεται σχεδόν μόνιμα στις λίστες των best-sellers.
ΒΑΘΜΟΛΟΓΙΑ: 3,5/5.

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this ARC of "The Second Deadly Sin" by Asa Larsson, from NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. I wish to also thank MacLehose Press for allowing me to read this novel....A Scandinavian Crime Thriller.

This is book #5 in the series, but it still works as a standalone book. This mystery is scheduled to be released in e-book format in August 2014.This is my first Asa Larsson novel, and I'll be looking into readings others, especially the previous four in the series. I found District Prosecutor, Rebecka Martinsson, to be very intriguing character, strong in character, and the main characters are well-developed. Dogs are very important in this novel, and makes the setting more human and inviting. But the novel is not for those that are in the least bit squeamish, as some scenes are quite graphic in nature.

In a small village in Sweden, a bear that has been terrorizing residents is finally killed. But relief turns to horror when a human hand is found in the belly of the animal. Not far away a woman lies dead in her bed, the word “whore” written on the wall above her. Her grandson Marcus has disappeared.

Prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson is called in to investigate and search for clues. But she is soon removed from the case by a young, eager prosecutor, who calls her mental health as unstable. But Rebecka has no intention of giving up this case, and continues to try to solve the mystery, before it is too late.

This is a super example of Scandinavian Literature,Nordic Noir. A very enjoyable read.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

The earlier books of the series were good; this is even better*. And it works perfectly also as a standalone book. More please!

Åsa Larsson's forte is in creating brilliant, true-to-life characters in a setting that's both very exotic (Northern Sweden, part of Lapland... and where so many people and things are Finnish). Characters that are brilliant (and yet you wish this would be left as a book - so much more juicy and fun to imagine these people and places instead of having them pre-imagined for you by Hollywood), with what they do and how they react and what they say all like it should be. This is a completely different part of Sweden than all the other authors' books where the settings are Stockholm or Visby. Kiruna has surprisingly lot of Finnish everything there. So much that the characters would seem to fit quite well to the rural village in Finland where my mum's been living for the past twenty years. And Kiruna has also the idyllic village atmosphere that you can like (or like me, find it silently claustrophobic).

There is quite a bit of darkness here. But no matter what your comfort reads (cozies, procedurals where they follow inspector Brunetti or Jungstedt's Visby's equivalent, or whether you like your detectives hard-boiled like the Harrys, Hole and Bosch, or something very nordic like Arnaldur Indridason) the dark matter total and type would fit the tastebuds of most. Just a perfect balance, and it leaves you craving for the next book in the series.

* I got a copy for review from Netgalley.

[Mike Finn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Second Deadly Sin‘ (2012) is the fifth book featuring Recka Martisson, a prosecutor working in the far north of Sweden, having abandoned her high-powered job in Stockholm to come back to the village she was raised in. 

The cover and the publisher's summary seem determined to represent 'The Second Deadly Sin' as a thriller with a long investigator search for the truth against all odds. It sets the expectation of lots of arctic action and derring-do and completely misrepresents what this book is about. The book is filled with violent confrontations and has many moments of high tension but it's not a book that sets out to thrill the reader. The second deadly sin that gives the book its title is greed. It seems to me that what Åsa Larsson sets out to do is to get the reader to experience and consider the ugly actions and emotions that greed generates in people.

This a dark book, even darker than the ones that went before it. It’s set in two timelines, the present day and the early twentieth century when what is now a quiet village was a booming mining town, dominated by a single employer. Larsson pulled no punches in describing the violence, misogyny, and oppression of the poor. Sadly, her descriptions of the present day show only a superficial improvement. 

The link between the early twentieth-century timeline and the present day wasn't immediately apparent, except as a likely explanation of the motivation for the present-day killings. At times, I resented being pulled away from the actions of the present-day characters who I know well in order to drop back a few generations into a world where violence, greed, poverty, privilege and misogyny were so prevalent that they were taken for granted. Then, bit by bit, I got wrapped up in the story of the doomed efforts a young school teacher trying to make a life for herself in a raw scar of a town set in the beauty of the far north. It was a depressing story, made more so by being entirely plausible.

The present-day timeline delivered a solid mystery and some very tense action. The plot echoed the themes of greed and a sort of structural misogyny which normalises violence against women. The ending was tense, surprising and satisfying.

What I enjoyed even more than the mystery was watching the relationships grow between Martinsson and the police officers and Martinsson's former boss in Stockholm. I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of the prosecutor who is trying to push Martisson aside. Larsson uses him to give an insight into the self-justifying narrative that an upper-class man with more ambition than ability and with an unassailable belief in his own worth, generates to exonerate himself from all blame.

I immerse myself completely in these books, even when that means being mired in sadness and confronted with ugliness. I think the reason for that is that, in the face of it all, Martinsson manages to retain her empathy and search for a little happiness. 

There's only one book left in the series now, 'The Sins Of Our Fathers'. I'm almost reluctant to read it because I know it will be my last visit with Rebecka Martinsson.

[Arjen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deel vijf van een serie die gaandeweg steeds beter wordt. In dit deel schrijft de auteur in het heden en in de geschiedenis. Twee verhaallijnen die langzaam bij elkaar komen en natuurlijk volop met elkaar verbonden blijken. Dat heeft ze knap gedaan en beide verhaallijnen zijn zelfstandig ook heel prettig leesbaar.

Daarnaast krijgt het karakter van de hoofdpersoon (Rebecka Martinsson) steeds meer diepgang. Enerzijds is ze Calvinistisch rechtschapen en anderzijds is ze ook getroubleerd door heftige gebeurtenissen waar de lezer in eerdere delen getuige van was. Het is geloofwaardig gedaan en ik vraag me af waarom masculine hoofdpersonen zoals Jack Reacher van Lee Child nooit last lijkt te hebben van de moorden die om hem heen gepleegd worden, de talloze keren dat hij het zelf nipt overleeft en alle overige ellende die hij dapper trotseert. Nee, dan is wat Larsson met Rebecka Martinsson uithaalt beduidend geloofwaardiger. Mijn waardering voor haar boeken en schrijfstijp is gegroeid met de delen. Nog één te gaan!

Eerdere reviews:
Deel 1: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Deel 2: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Deel 3: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Deel 4: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Macarena (followed that rabbit) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quinto -y hasta ahora último- libro de la saga.
La historia es interesante y me ha mantenido intrigada en todo momento.
Hay ciertas resoluciones en la vida de algunos personajes, o por lo menos, algunos acontecimientos que nos llevan a pensar en que habrá cambios importantes en sus vidas.
Lo que no me gusta y no termino de entender es, ¿por qué en todos los libros tiene que morir algún animal,- y en trágicas circunstancias- especialmente perros? Por esa razón bajo la calificación. Pienso que no es justificable que siempre tenga que ocurrir.

[Repix Pix · Rating 2 out of 5]

Flojito.

[Paulo Pires · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.4 Muito, muito bom

«Restos humanos são encontrados no interior de um urso! O que aparentemente foi um acontecimento aleatório de infortúnio pode ter mais de premeditado do que poderia supor-se...

Sacrifício a Moloch é o quinto livro da série Rebecka Martinsson da autora Åsa Larsson. O livro é apelativo em todas as frentes, uma capa apelativa, uma autora reconhecida e com largas provas dadas e uma história que prende o leitor desde o primeiro momento.

Começo pela autora, Asa Larsson tem uma voz distinta que galgou, há muito, os moldes do género literário e se impôs no meio com perícia e arte. São autores como esta que não se tornam mais um mas que se distinguem na corrente de uma forma bastante positiva.

No livro, Asa oscila entre duas histórias que se passam em alturas diferentes. Uma no presente e outra no passado (por alturas da primeira grande guerra) desvendando, à medida que a história evoluí, o contexto da história, as suas raízes e ligações.

Uma mulher é encontrada assassinada na sua própria cama, e o seu neto Marcus desapareceu. A investigação é encabeçado por Rebecka que apesar de ser afastada da investigação e das restantes adversidades continua na senda da verdade.

Por outro lado temos o passado, onde Elina Peterson, professora, que viaja para Kiruna procurando um recomeço e uma nova vida fazendo o que gosta. Advinha-se uma história de amor, o que vem a acontecer, tal como se advinha um desfecho menos feliz...

O interessante deste livro é o questionar da relação evidente entre ambas as histórias. Como irá Asa colocar o enredo, conjugar os factos para que seja coerente o facto de histórias tão distantes temporalmente se relacionem? Isso deixo para vocês descobrirem. ;)

Gostava de deixar a nota sobre o "Hook". Antes de mais, o "hook é a técnica literária para a abertura da história que se quer atractivo e que é (ou não) responsável por prender o leitor e levá-lo a continuar a leitura. O "Hook" foi bem conseguido, intenso e repleto de acção. A meu ver exemplar.

Quanto às personagens, (...)»

Ler mais em:
Opinião: Sacrifício a Moloc de Asa Larsson |Livros e Marcadores

[Jennifer (JC-S) · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘How can a dog possibly scream like that?’

The story opens in northern Sweden with a hunt for a wounded bear: a bear that has killed Samuel Johansson's dog. The bear is tracked, and then killed. Human remains are found in its stomach. In the nearby town of Kiruna, Sol-Britt Uusitalo has been brutally murdered, and her seven year old grandson Marcus is missing. What is the connection between these events?

Prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson is initially assigned to the murder investigation, until one of her colleagues (Carl von Post) contrives to have her removed. He takes over the investigation and Martinsson takes leave. But she doesn't stop thinking about the case, or looking into it.

There's a second older story woven through the novel. One hundred years earlier when Kiruna was a new town, Elina Pettersson, a young school teacher arrives determined to make a new life for herself. She falls in love, is betrayed and then brutally murdered. The story of who betrayed Elina and who murdered her and why makes sad reading.

The story moves between the contemporary investigations into Sol-Britt Uusitalo's murder, the fate of her grandson Marcus, and the story of Elina Pettersson. The connections between the stories gradually become clearer as does the motive for murder. Rebecka Martinsson has to make a number of choices, and one of them tore at her heart (and mine).

This is my first Åsa Larsson novel, and I'll be looking to read the others. Rebecka Martinsson is an intriguing character, as are some of the others who people the novel. Dogs are also important in this story, with one in particular being a hero. It's black and bleak, but there's hope as well - for some. I found this novel challenging and while I recommend it, it's not for the squeamish.

`The moon is like a cold white goddess in the black sky.'

Jennifer Cameron-Smith

[Katya · Rating 1 out of 5]

I won’t even be fair and give this book more stars. Same as in some previous books in this series, there’s animal cruelty towards dogs. It seems that this is a favourite theme in Larsson’s books. I wish I never read it! I am done with this series and the author.

[John Hatley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This in a tense thriller. It's easy to see why it won the Svenska Deckarakademins 2012 award for best detective/crime novel.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Thomas Stroemquist · Rating 2 out of 5]

Middle of the road Swedish thriller, occasionally odd dialog and actions of not great characters. Not very memorable.

[Kathy Davie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fifth in the Rebecka Martinsson history + contemporary mystery series based in Kurravaara, Sweden.

I received this ARC from the publisher.

My Take
Once past the disconcerting start and Larsson’s introduction of her reason for this look back in time, Larsson keeps it evenly split between today and 1914 and on.

It takes awhile before it ties in to the rest of the story that follows. More tears will follow when Erikkson unexpectedly surprises Marcus, and how Erikkson copes with that. Of course, Marcus’ response to all this new trauma will crack you up. Wuff.

I love what we learn about Swedish culture in this, and it takes me back to a trip I made to Norway with its talk of cloudberries and reindeer. There’s a bit of back history on what caused Swedes to emigrate out, and I’m wondering how similar Swedish reasons for leaving are to Norwegians emigrating — I’ve always wondered what drove my maternal grands out of Norway. It’s also fascinating to read about education in the early part of the twentieth century, and how incredibly depressing it must have been for Elina. As for that priest…typical. Larsson’s depiction of the time’s mores, lifestyles, and housing rings depressingly true and makes me feel as though I’m there, especially when she writes of the living conditions.

We also learn that Swedes are the same as people elsewhere: quick to judge and to feel superior. Poor Elina is ahead of her times, by about fifty-plus years! And it’s those beliefs that find her in hot water.l

There is so much sadness in this, and I love what Sivving says about how he misses his wife:

”. . . he had ironed tablecloths and picked flowers to put in vases all around the house. Heather and wild rosemary and globeflowers. But the house had not seemed to be alive. It was as if it did not want to be alive.”

I do love how Erikkson rewards his working dog, by playing with her. Even if it does look bad to outsiders, lol. He’s also so very caring and thoughtful with the Wild Dog. I do love that text message Erikkson sends to Martinsson, lol, with Tintin’s thoughts on animal welfare.Then there’s the unplayful Vera. Well, unplayful with Martinsson anyway.

Oh, oh, oh, then there’s Maja Larsson’s spot-on analysis of von Post. If only Martinsson could’a been there! Unluckily for Mella and crew, they have to enjoy it in secret — lordy, von Post is the most amazingly dense idiot. Martinsson also learns more about her parents from Maja.

I don’t understand why Elina doesn’t complain about Fausth to her boyfriend. She has to know he behaves this way with anyone female.

Oh, the ending is so very sad and uplifting all at the same time. I must go back to the beginning, Sun Storm , 1, and read this series. I like Martinsson, and I want to indulge in the relationships that have evolved to this point.

Do read Larsson’s “The Author’s Thanks” as it can be quite poetic. I love the first two lines: “I stumbled and fell. The book came adrift and ran off into the trees.” Now, if that doesn't sound like a writer . . .

The Story
A dog dies from a bear attack, and it sets off a chain of thoughts in Martinsson’s mind. Lucky for her — amd Marcus — that von Post stole her case from under her.

The Characters
District Prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson has a reputation for getting her man. Mikk and Virpi’s daughter, she’s currently living in her grandma’s house and trying to decide what to do about Måns Wenngren, her Stockholm lawyer boyfriend who is a partner with Meijer & Ditzinger. Madelene is Måns’ first wife who is now married to Ekstömer. Jasko, a.k.a., the Brat, is her sheepdog puppy gifted to her by Eriksson. Vera is a mongrel dog she inherited when his owner, a hermit, was murdered. Sivving is her retired neighbor with his German pointer, Bella. Maj-Lis had been his wife.

Krister Eriksson is a police dog handler with a major visual disability; he’s also in love with Martinsson. His two dogs are Tintin and Roy, working dogs. Brat is Tintin’s son. The three of them — Martinsson, Sivving, and Eriksson — make up a close trio, however much Martinsson wishes they didn't, lol.

Sol-Britt Uusitalo lives out at Lehtiniemi and works at the Winter Palace with Ann-Helen Alajärvi. Her promising son, Matti, was killed three years ago by a hit-and-run driver, leaving his son, Marcus, an orphan. Marcus’ runaway mother wants nothing to do with him. And Marcus is the making of Sol-Britt. Her dad, Frans Uusitalo, was eaten by a bear last fall; Anna Jaako was his girlfriend with a different take on Frans’ death. His mother was Elina, and she was murdered. The beautiful and amazingly understanding Maja Larsson is Sol-Britt’s cousin and is in town to nurse her mother. Örjan Bäck is Maja’s boyfriend. Solveig Uusitalo is one of Lundbohm’s grandchildren.

The investigating team
Police Inspector Anna-Maria Mella has three kids including Petter, sixteen-year-old Jenny, and the too-chatty Gustav, her youngest. Robert is her husband whose sister, Ingela, is having a birthday party. The rest of Mella’s team includes the baby of the group, Tommy Rantakyrö ; Fred Olsson; and, Sven-Erik Stålnacke, who’s ready for retirement. Dr. Lars Pohjanen is a very well-respected pathologist dying of cancer; Anna Granlund is his assistant. District Prosecutor Carl von Post, a.k.a., the Pest, with his excuses is a stupid jerk more interested in his own self-aggrandizement than solving cases. Alf Björnfot is the chief prosecutor who messed up badly. Sonja is the switchboard operator.

Louise and Lelle Miemi support their bullying son, Willy, until forced down. Jocke Häggroth is a welder at Nybergs Mekaniska with a nasty wife, Jenny. Leif Silbersky is the lawyer she demands. Marianne Aspehult works at Be-We’s. Hannes Karlsson is an ice sculptor who works for the Ice Hotel. He found Matti’s body. Mange Utsi is a friend of Jocke’s and has his alibi. Ragnhild Lindmark worked for a home-help service in Lainio and Frans was one of the people for whom she cared.

It’s the attack on Samuel Johansson’s dog that brings out Patrik Mäkitalo, an expert hunter from Luelå.

Kiruna in 1914
Fröken Elina Pettersson is a schoolteacher looking forward to her new job in Kiruna. Klara “Lizzie” Andersson is Lundbohm’s housekeeper and Elina’s new roommate, and she has a wealth of ideas on how to make money. Her fiancé is the protective Johan-Albin. Heiki is his supportive friend.

Hjalmar Lundbohm is the managing director of L.K.A.B., a mining company in Kiruna — Rudyard Kipling calls him “the uncrowned king of Lapland”. He wants to create a family town for the miners, in spite of the challenges of revolutionary employees. Sixten is his brother. Lundbohm also has a hankering for beauty and celebrities whom he courts: Prince Eugen, Carl and Karin Larsson, Selam Lagerlöf, Anders Zorn and his Emma, Ferdinand Boberg and his wife, and Christian Eriksson.

District Police Superintendent Björnfot knows which side his bread is buttered on. Old Johan Tuuri represents the Laps. Manager-in-Chief Fasth is the worst type of man; his wife despises him. Johansson is the principal of the children’s home. Blenda Mänpää and Hillevi are a couple of Fasth’s maids. Oskar Venetpalo, a rock-blaster, is one example of Lundbohm’s dishonesty and is Johan Venetpalo’s great-grandfather.

The Cover & Title
I'm guessing it's Elina with her head bowed and a hood covering her dark hair as she hovers over a cityscape, or perhaps it's a mining camp? It's difficult to tell if the combination represents the original and the contemporary. I much prefer the cover I found over at Amazon.

The title could well refer to the second commandment, The Second Deadly Sin, which certainly does find Lundbohm’s sins visited unto the third and fourth generations.

[Luci · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ánimo Rebecka, solo necesitas sobrevivir un libro más para acabar la saga.

[Gloria Feit · Rating 4 out of 5]

The newest entry in the Prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson series begins with the discovery of the carcass of a massive bear, evidence indicating that he had mauled and feasted upon a human victim. Not long after, in distant Kurravaara, Martinsson is assigned the investigation into the brutal killing of a woman, Sol-Britt Uusitalo, the daughter of the man identified as that victim, murdered in her bed; her seven-year-old grandson, who lived with her, is nowhere to be found. As the investigation continues, it soon appears that Sol-Britt’s grandfather and grandmother had years ago each also been murdered, in separate incidents, and three years earlier her son was run over in what appeared to be a hit-and-run incident. Like police everywhere in the world, neither Rebecka nor any of her colleagues believed in coincidence. As always, there are office politics in play as Rebecka is soon officially taken off the case. But that’s never hampered her before, nor does it here.

Essential to the tale are glimpses into Rebecka’s private life, including her on-again-off-again romance with one of the partners in the Stockholm law firm where she used to work, and her colleagues, chiefly mother-of-four Inspector Anna-Maria Mella and Krister Eriksson, the police dog handler (learning to live with the fact that he and Rebecka are destined to be no more than friends), and her neighbor, Sivving, who is “closer to her than anybody else in the world,” and all their respective canine pets, who become as much a part of the tale as any of the humans. The writing is lovely, e.g.: “Who can love perfection? No, love requires solicitude, and solicitude requires the loved one to have faults, requires wounds, frailty. Love wants to heal. Perfection has no need of healing. Perfection cannot be loved, merely worshipped.”

The action takes place in the winter in the far north of Lapland, whose atmosphere is wonderfully well-evoked by the author, as “forbidding as the creaking, squeaking, relentless midwinter.”
The present-day chapters frequently alternate with flashbacks to the period between 1914, when the was in Europe is escalating into WWII, through the end of the war in 1919, and for the next several years up to and including 1926, when their relevance is made crystal clear. The author has in previous novels proven herself masterful in using this device, and this is no exception. After just having finished this author’s “Until Thy Wrath Be Past,” this equally intriguing tale was another treat, and is also recommended.

[Marisa Muñoz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aunque la traducción me lo ha puesto difícil (otra vez), me ha encantado volver a Kiruna (en Laponia) con Åsa Larsson ❄️

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a read! Wish they translated this author faster! Excellent and more than 5/5! Lapland, what a place, what a history of the mines WWI time in Kiruna and then the nature and climate. Found the old story of Elina and Lizzie good and the back and forth then and now well constructed with excellent story flow. Rebecca and her colleagues, neighbours and dogs well told. The power struggle within the police and basically bad cop, good cops. Community losers and good folk. There were some very hard spots to read through, while as usual Martinsson fights to survive and solve the case.... Excellent very good read!

[Ken Fredette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book so far that Åsa Larsson has written. She's over her previous boyfriend, has a new and better love and has a small boy to visit very frequently. The mystery was incredibly hard to figure out but it makes sense.

[Fernanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best Rebecka Martinsson novel - or maybe I just love them all so much I was delighted to read yet another one. What a great book, Asa!!!