Jan-Erik Fjell

Alcatraz. I have to admit that I loved the fact that part of the story took place in the famous prison. I mean Alcatraz, is there any more famous prison? It would be Devil's Island (see Dreyfus affair), but personally, I find that there it's something special with Alcatraz and that made me really appreciate this story.

The previous two books are really good so I wasn't surprised that this book turned out pt be really good as well. I had a blast reading this book and returning to Anton show more Brekke's world. I especially enjoyed that he has been degraded because of his poker obsession. The murder case is nothing that he should be working on, but he just can't stop himself from investigating it. And, the case keeps on getting more complicated as more people turn up dead and there seem to be something that connects the people that are killed, but what is the connection and what has Alcatraz to do with the killings?

I think that so far The Avenger is my favorite book about Brekke. I liked both the present murder case as well as the story from Alcatraz. And the great fun is to try to figure out what's the connection.

Thanks HarperCollins Nordic for the review copy! show less

Dual review with Swedish first and then English!

SWEDISH REVIEW

Bok två i Anton Brekke serien är precis som den första boken, Angivaren, en spännande och välskriven berättelse. Dock kändes det som om Smugglaren hade en mer brutal och rå berättelse än den i Angivaren. För känsliga läsare vill jag varna för en rå våldtäktsscen.

Nu är inte boken rakt igenom mörk och dyster, Anton Brekke och den nyexaminerade polisen Magnus Torp livar upp tillvaron mellan varven och sedan har show more vi det där lilla problemet med att Anton's exfru har hittat en nya man och hur mycket Anton än gräver i mannens bakgrund så hittar han inga fel.

För Anton Brekke blir fallet Viggo Holm en besvärlig gåta att knäcka, vem ville döda en gammal lärare? Vad är motivet? Kan det ligga i det förflutna? Tillsammans med kollegan Ole Kval och Magnus Torp börjar han gräve i det förflutna och ju mer de gräver desto mer verkar det vara så att gamle Viggo hade mörka hemligheter.

Smugglaren är en stark uppföljare till Angivaren. Boken var svår att sluta läsa och jag bara älskar upplägget med korta kapitel. Bara ett kapitel till var min mantra medan jag läste denna bok. Slutet förbluffade mig, jag hade verkligen inte väntat mig den vändning i berättelsen. Och nu vill jag ha bok tre!

Tack HarperCollins Nordic för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

It's close to Christmas and small-time criminal Bernandas from Lithuania is traveling to Norway with a sealed cargo, commissioned by the Russian gangster boss Doskino. But the contact to receive the cargo never shows up at the destined meeting place at a remote cabin outside Fredrikstad. When Bernandas understands what the cargo is that he has smuggled across the border, is he struck by panic. The next day, the old teacher Viggo Holm is found to be a brutal knife murderer in his home in Sarpsborg, and it turns out he was Bernard's contact. A reluctant Anton Brekke gets the case, and as he begins to follow the tracks, Bernardas fights desperately to get out of the trap he stuck in - stranded in a foreign country with the police on one side and the Russian gangster boss Doskino on the other.

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Book two in the Anton Brekke series is just some the first book, The Informer, thrilling and well-written. However, The Smuggler felt like a more brutal and cruel story than that of The Informer. For sensitive readers, do I wanna warn of a brutal rape scene.

Now the book is not through dark and gloomy, Anton Brekke and the newly graduated policeman Magnus Torp lighten the mood and then we have that little problem that Anton's ex-wife who has found a new man and no matter how much Anton is digging in the man's background, can't he find something wrong with the man.

As for the case. For Anton Brekke is the murder of Viggo Holm a difficult mystery to crack. Who would kill an old teacher? And why? Could the answer lie in the past? Together with his colleague Ole Kval and Magnus Torp, does Anton begin digging in the past and the more they dig, the more it seems that old Viggo had some pretty dark secrets.

The Smuggler is a strong sequel to The Informer. I found it hard to stop reading the book and I just love the short chapter form of the book. Only one chapter was my mantra while I read this book. The end surprised me, I really did not expect it to end that way. And now I want to have a book three!

Thanks HarperCollins Nordic for the review copy! show less