Tyckte inte alls om. Har iofs ingen läslust alls, om det är p.g.a boken eller om betyget är en konsekvens av brist på just lässug kan man ju fundera på. Jag gissar på boken, aldrig tyckt Kepler varit bra. ( )

I read this in English. Quite a great book. I think you could read it alone but you will get more out of it if you read the previous two ( )

I love any book that the team Lars Keplar writes, especially a Joona Linna book. This book delves a little into Joona's marriage as well. It was an exceptionally riveting story. I need to read the next Joona Linna book to see what kind of trouble he stirs up. ( )

A detective with the National Police, Joona Linna is given the assignment to "observe" the investigation of the death of two people in a home for troubled girls. A girl is found, beaten repeatedly and placed on her bed with her arms covering her face (peekaboo style). The home's nurse, Elisabet, is the other victim, found in an outbuilding, beaten to death apparently with a hammer.

Another girl disappears from the home. A girl described as "nice" and never violent, she nonetheless soon is the chief suspect.

As Joona looks into the case he tends to go beyond observing, irritating the local detective on the job as well as his own superior. But he's not the type to let go. He finds out more about the missing girl, Vicky Bennet. She had indeed shown some signs of violence in her past, but nothing that was reported to the police or child protective services. Still, Joona has difficulty believing her to be the killer. There is evidence in her bedroom that she was involved but Joona isn't ready to believe it.

Meanwhile we get to know Flora Hansen a bit. Now in her forties, she lives with her foster parents from childhood, acting as their maid. She is not treated well and one way she hopes to get out from under is by acting as a medium. She holds seances when she can slip away from home to earn money. She knows how to read people and give them what they want.

But then she starts to see things that make her wonder if there really are ghosts.

In time, Joona's investigation spreads out to take in Flora and the pieces gradually start to come together. It's definitely a page-turner, or it was for me, but I haven't been sleeping well anyway!

One thing that bothered me in this time of forensic investigations. Nobody analyzed the blood spatter beyond Joona's informed review from his experience. Nobody measured to determine the approximate height of the killer or the intensity of the blows. These measurements should have given a clearer picture of how the murders happened and who committed them. These days, writers of procedurals need to be on top of forensics! ( )

Fire Witness is another strong showing in the Joona Lima series. The novels have become a consistent example of a great police mystery.

Fire Witness begins at an all girls home where one of the girls and a guardian had been murdered. Joona Lima is called in as a consultant on the case. As the investigation proceeds, it is discovered that another one of the girls is missing. A troubled girl named Vicky is not only missing, but there is evidence in her room that points toward Vicky’s guilt. When Vicky appears to surface and she steals a vehicle with a 4 year old child in the backseat, the case is given a new sense of urgency. Joona remains unconvinced, despite growing evidence, that Vicky commited the two brutal homicides.

Ever the intuitive detective, Joona follows his guts and instinct down the path that always leads to him catching his man. The storyline closes with a twist. A recommended read. Novel supplied by Netgalley. ( )