Why did I read it? I have been on a Scandi-Nordic fiction kick since midwinter 2011, and I heard the television drama series was good, but I couldn't afford to purchase the DVD; so I snapped up a preview copy from Amazon, but found it already released in audio format and downloaded it instead.
What's it about? Detective Inspector Sarah Lund is leaving her job with the Danish police and moving to Sweden with her fiancé and Son, but on the last day a teenage girl goes missing. Nanna Birk Larsen is found raped and brutally murdered, and Lund is unable to break from the case to leave, despite her replacement, Detective Inspector Jan Meyer, itching to take over.
What did I like? There are mistakes made by the police in their investigation, not everything is straightforward because, to quote the fictional Dr. Gregory House "Everybody lies". The listener is not always sure of Lund's thinking, or how she makes the connections she does in her investigations. Lund seems very well drawn, as do the all the other characters.
Like most detectives in Scandi-Nordic crime fiction, the family life of Lund is dysfunctional, as are her working relationships, adding to the character interest; she is fallible but apparently not vulnerable. In "The Killing", there are the additional problems stemming from the dysfunctional world of politics, and the disintegration of the family of the victim.
I was comfortable with the investigation, storyline and scenes seemingly being all over the place, only all being pulled together, and the mystery solved in the last 20 minutes of the audio version. I found the audio version from Audible clear, without error and with a steady, even volume.
What didn't I like? When I first started listening, I gave up very early into the story. I just could not focus on the story, my mind kept wandering. I can't say if it was the narration, the storyline or what. Months later, I started re-listening and was immediately, completely and utterly drawn in.
Though the book of "The Killing" is based on the television series, it seems to stray from it in many places. At least, according to synopses and analyses found at various places on the internet. So, I am not sure I got what I wanted from it, which is an alternative to watching/buying the DVDs.
Christian Rodka as narrator seems to struggle to find unique voices for the characters, employing various English accents, but I found this jarring, rather than engaging. It felt rather forced and false to me. Eventually, I did get used to Mr Rodka's style, but I don't believe his narration enhanced the book in any way.
Would I recommend it? Yes, though I would warn it's not an exact replica of the television drama and, perhaps would recommend reading, rather than listening to the book of "The Kiling". ( )
Through the dark wood where the dead trees give no shelter 19-year-old student Nanna Birk Larsen runs. Sarah Lund is looking forward to her last day as a detective with the Copenhagen Police department before moving to Sweden. But everything changes when Nanna is found dead. Originally published: London: Macmillan.… (more)
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What's it about? Detective Inspector Sarah Lund is leaving her job with the Danish police and moving to Sweden with her fiancé and Son, but on the last day a teenage girl goes missing. Nanna Birk Larsen is found raped and brutally murdered, and Lund is unable to break from the case to leave, despite her replacement, Detective Inspector Jan Meyer, itching to take over.
What did I like? There are mistakes made by the police in their investigation, not everything is straightforward because, to quote the fictional Dr. Gregory House "Everybody lies". The listener is not always sure of Lund's thinking, or how she makes the connections she does in her investigations. Lund seems very well drawn, as do the all the other characters.
Like most detectives in Scandi-Nordic crime fiction, the family life of Lund is dysfunctional, as are her working relationships, adding to the character interest; she is fallible but apparently not vulnerable. In "The Killing", there are the additional problems stemming from the dysfunctional world of politics, and the disintegration of the family of the victim.
I was comfortable with the investigation, storyline and scenes seemingly being all over the place, only all being pulled together, and the mystery solved in the last 20 minutes of the audio version. I found the audio version from Audible clear, without error and with a steady, even volume.
What didn't I like? When I first started listening, I gave up very early into the story. I just could not focus on the story, my mind kept wandering. I can't say if it was the narration, the storyline or what. Months later, I started re-listening and was immediately, completely and utterly drawn in.
Though the book of "The Killing" is based on the television series, it seems to stray from it in many places. At least, according to synopses and analyses found at various places on the internet. So, I am not sure I got what I wanted from it, which is an alternative to watching/buying the DVDs.
Christian Rodka as narrator seems to struggle to find unique voices for the characters, employing various English accents, but I found this jarring, rather than engaging. It felt rather forced and false to me. Eventually, I did get used to Mr Rodka's style, but I don't believe his narration enhanced the book in any way.
Would I recommend it? Yes, though I would warn it's not an exact replica of the television drama and, perhaps would recommend reading, rather than listening to the book of "The Kiling". (