I have a feeling thriller writers from the Nordic countries come in two flavours, those like Jo Nesbe that have dark humour always present and those (like author of this novel) that indulge in (too much) darkness. This is type of novel where no-one is a 100% good guy. Even Sophie acts strange and weird. But it is not even rather weird love story that I have issue here with (stranger things happen than girl falling in love with crime-lord).

No, my greatest issue is Lass, police inspector. Chapters with this character are OK in the beginning and in the end but the middle part is such a hurdle because of constant images of how he takes the drugs and how he feels after it.... and this gets repeated over an over again. And this brings dynamics of the story almost to the full halt. Maybe if he was more likeable character this would have different effect but with inspector as he was portrayed from the start I truly dont know who might be interested in his personal issues.

Not a bad story but author could trimm 100 pages give or take and make it more readable. I would give it 3.5 stars but round it to 4 since half stars are not an option. ( )

Slow at first, then never a dull moment. The plot gets a bit over complicated, but I suppose part of its appeal is in its cleverness. Not the best at character building, and the writing is minimally adequate. ( )

When Sophie Brinkmann - nurse, widow, single mother - meets Hector Guzman, her life is uneventful. She likes his quiet charm and easy smile; she likes the way he welcomes her into his family. She quickly learns, though, that his smooth façade masks something much more sinister.
Guzman is the head of a powerful international crime ring with a reach into drugs and weapons that extends from Europe to South America. His interests are under siege by a ruthless German syndicate who will stop at nothing to stake their claim. But the Guzmans are fighters and will go to war to protect what's rightfully theirs. The conflict quickly escalates to become a deadly turf war between the rival organizations that includes an itinerant arms dealer, a deeply disturbed detective, a vicious hit man, and a wily police chief. Sophie, too, is unwittingly caught in the middle. She must summon everything within her to navigate this intricate web of moral ambiguity, deadly obsession, and craven gamesmanship.

Clearly written from the beginning to set up a series of books. That's not necessarily bad, but you should be ready for it. A somewhat obvious shifting of good/bad between police and gangsters. I expected more ethical and moral questions to arise in the main character, but maybe the understated nature is realistic. A lot heavy on the geographic details, which is likely some sort of Robert Ludlum/Tom Clancy homage, but I don't really care too much about every turn someone makes on the streets of Stockholm. It's useless detail that doesn't add color but just distracts from the action at hand. Speaking of action, the author muddles his way through most of the action scenes either because of the limited narrator perspective or just glossing over things.

It's billed as the next "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" phenomenon but I think it pales in comparison. ( )

The Andalucian Friend
Alexander Soderberg
4 Stars

I'm always on the lookout for new Scandinavian authors but why must every book written by a Scandinavian author be compared to “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”? There are really no similarities other than both the authors are from the same area and the rumor this is the first volume of an anticipated trilogy.

Andalucian Friend introduces us to a young widow, Sophie Brinkmann, who lives a quiet life at home with her son, Albert, and works as a nurse in the local hospital. There she meets a new patient, Hector Guzman, who has been hospitalized for a broken leg he got in a hit and run accident. During his stay he becomes more and more attracted to Sophie and she begins to see him socially once he's released from the hospital. Unbeknownst to Sophie, Hector and his family are members of a Spanish (Andalusian) crime family who are engaged in a siege with a rival crime family who want to take his drug routes in South America.

This novel is loaded with colorful characters, primarily all evil. There are at least three different crime groups (Russian, Spanish and German) as well as a rogue division of the Swedish police headed up by Gunilla Strandberg and her group of psychotic policeman, including one who is sliding into paranoid drug addiction. Most of the characters have no redeeming qualities and are avaricious sociopaths.

This book is not for people who dislike violent books and there is such a huge cast of characters you may have a hard time getting into it. It seemed a little slow in the beginning with all the introductions, different story lines and plot twists. I thought it was very action packed and suspenseful once I was about 15-20 percent in.

I did end up enjoying it and am anxious to read the next volume when it's available.


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