Stalker

The National Crime Unit in Stockholm has received a video of a woman who is clearly unaware she is being filmed. Shortly after, the woman is found brutally murdered. When they receive another film, they try to find clues in the video to find the woman. Unfortunately, they are unable to find her in time and she too is murdered in the same brutal manner. And then a third video arrives. Psychiatrist Eric Maria Bark recognizes similarities to a past case he had worked on but the man who had been taken into custody is still being held in a Psychiatric Unit and it seems impossible that he could be responsible for these present murders. Bark also had secret knowledge that might have exonerated the man for the past murder had he not confessed. show more Bark now wonders if perhaps he is responsible for allowing the real murderer to go free.

At the same time, the body of the man who had been terrorizing the family of Finnish detective Joona Linna is identified. Linna can now return. He is called in to help with this case but it is clear that the time he spent in hiding has taken a huge toll on him both mentally and physically. When a new victim is found, one with links to the police, evidence seems to point to Barks as the perpetrator and Linna is suspected of aiding in his disappearance.

Stalker is the fifth novel in the Joona Linna series by Lars Keplar, a husband and wife team and it is very long and, at times, very convoluted. But it is also very clever, very dark and compelling. It is one roller coaster ride of a thriller with non-stop action. It kept me reading well into the night and guessing right up until the end (I never did suss out the real villain). Stalker is Nordic Noir at its heart-pounding best aided by Kepler's use of short paragraphs and positive phrasing throughout. Definitely not a book for the squeamish. show less

In "Stalker," translated from the Swedish by Neil Smith, Lars Kepler brings back Joona Linna, a former detective who disappeared and was presumed dead. Joona is unkempt, walks with a limp, and is unemployed. Nevertheless, he finds a way to insert himself into a major inquiry concerning a series of horrific murders. An unidentified assailant has been spying on women, videotaping them in their homes, killing and mutilating them, and posing their bodies. The Swedish investigators have no idea why the perpetrator targeted these particular victims.

This novel tries our patience for five hundred and fifty-one pages. The large cast of characters is unwieldy; Kepler's plot is convoluted; the prose and dialogue are labored; the pace is slow; and show more much of the story consists of an unrelentingly grim depiction of drug abuse, hedonism, sadism, and insanity. A psychiatrist and skilled hypnotist, Erik Maria Bark, is a lonely and troubled man who may be falling in love with his piano teacher, Jackie, but is Erik worthy of this gentle lady's affection? Meanwhile, while the police spin their wheels, Joona and Erik go rogue in their efforts to identify the killer. Unfortunately, the pair's reckless behavior may land them either in jail or in the morgue.

"Stalker" is an example of what happens when authors of psychological thrillers go too far in their attempt to shock and/or mislead readers. Kepler's scenes of graphic sex, beatings, stabbings, and shootings are not only distasteful, but the numbing violence robs the book of verisimilitude. Instead of bombarding us with gore and chaos, Kepler would have done well to trim this lumbering story to a manageable length and tone down some of its outrageous elements. Capping it all, the tale's macabre conclusion is stunning in its absurdity. show less

Det börjar med ett videoklipp på Youtube vars länk blir skickad till Rikskriminalpolisens e-postadress. Den korta filmsnutten är filmad från en trädgård, in i ett hus. Videoklippets huvudroll utgörs av en kvinna som inte verkar förstå att hon blir filmad. Men dagen efter hittas hon död i sitt hem. Hennes ansikte är bara en blodig köttmassa efter vad som verkar vara nästan maniskt huggande med en kniv.

Det dröjer inte länge förrän nästa videoklipp dyker upp – lika oidentifierbar som den första. Det är en filmsnutt i samma stil som den första; en ovetande kvinna som drar av sig träningsbyxorna medan hon äter glass ur en burk. Även hon hittas mördad, denna gång av sin man. Han är i chock efter upptäckten av show more sin ihjälhackade fru. För att försöka nå honom anlitar Margot och Adam, som tagit över efter Joona Linnas försvinnande året innan, hypnotisören Erik Maria Bark för att få honom att berätta om den traumatiska upptäckten. För förutom det han möjligtvis har sett så har polisen inget att gå på. Ingenting alls.

Motsträvigt går Erik Maria Bark med på att hypnotisera den skärrade mannen. Men det mannen berättar under hypnos gör Erik nervös – det påminner alldeles för mycket om ett mord för nästan tip år sedan. En präst vid namn Rocky Kyrklund dömdes för ett brutalt mord på en kvinna. Under Eriks sessioner med Rocky pratade den misstänkta om att han hade ett alibi, om bara polisen ville hitta Olivia så skulle hon bekräfta hans alibi. Men Erik var så övertygad att det var Rocky som var mördaren att han struntade i att söka upp Olivia – om hon ens fanns.

Men när de liknande morden tar sin början börjar han bli tveksam. Tänk om Rocky talade sanning?

Jag måste erkänna att det här är nog den mest spännande boken i serien. Innehållsmässigt slår den absolut inte Sandmannen, som antagligen alltid kommer vara min favorit, men jag satt verkligen på helspänn från början till slut. Vid många tillfällen insåg jag att om det skulle komma ett plötsligt ljud i närheten skulle jag antagligen kissa på mig av skräck – och det är definitivt en bra känsla när man läser en kriminaldeckare. Kepler har verkligen lyckats med stämningen i boken; jag kände mig ofta iakttagen under de spännande delarna med mördaren.

Det känns som jag gör detta med varje bok men jag måste återigen prisa Kepler för det faktum att berättelsen alltid tar plötsliga vändningar i riktningar som man absolut inte hade förutsett. Det känns som boken kan sluta lite hur som helst vilket gör den ännu mer spännande eftersom det inte finns en chans att gissa mördarens motiv – eller vem mördaren är.

Jag har nog inte varit lika livrädd på grund av en bok sedan första halvan av Dracula. Tack för det, Kepler. Jag önskar att jag kunde glömma denna bok bara för att få upptäcka den igen. show less

Los últimos tres libros de esta serie han sido realmente buenos, este particularmente me ha dejado un muy buen sabor de boca.

Tiene una historia muy bien hilada, controlada, con un nivel de suspense realmente alto, me ha tenido en vilo desde la primera página, no solo es que tiene un asesino terrible, asesinatos brutales, una investigación de esas a contrarreloj, es que además estos autores han creado un personaje protagonista muy atrayente.

Joona Lina, en esta entrega va de menos a más y nos reencontramos con quien fuera en la primera entrega un personaje importante. Mas allá de estos dos personajes, todos los que se involucran en la trama son personajes redondos, realmente con mucha profundidad, incluyendo al asesino del que show more realmente sabemos muy poco.

Todo el libro me ha tenido en un vilo espectacular, pero el final de este libro me ha dejado con la boca abierta, ahora tendré que leer el siguiente lo más pronto que pueda

Ha sido realmente impresionante ver la evolución de estos escritores a través de sus libros, si bien todos han sido muy buenos, como decía, los últimos tres han sido los mejores y cada uno mejor que el anterior.

A pesar de que conozco gente que se ha leído algunos libros de esta serie de manera independiente, yo recomendaría leerlos en orden, al menos a partir del tercero, independientemente de las investigaciones por asesinatos que trata cada libro, a partir del tercero hay una secuencia importante a seguir no solo de la vida personal de Joona Lina, si no de un asesino brutal que lo persigue desde hace muchos años, en cada libro se nos va entregando un poco de esta historia, que en independencia de la trama principal, es un dulce que se nos entrega a quienes seguimos esta serie.

Me gusta mucho como escriben estos autores, tienen un estilo muy peculiar, se introducen mucho en cuestiones psicológicas, supongo que al ser ellos mismos de esa profesión, saben de lo que hablan y por lo tanto estos libros más allá de un tema policial, más allá de temas de asesinatos, tiene un trasfondo psicológico interesante.

Es verdad que he adivinado quien era el asesino, creo que no era difícil saberlo, pero eso no le ha quitado nada al libro, si bien a veces la sorpresa de saber finalmente de quien se trata da un plus, bueno, lo cierto es que no demerita la historia, además, tenemos que lidiar con ese asesino casi por el 30% del final del libro, hay que decir que Lars Kepler en este libro en particular, mucho más que en los anteriores, han sido especialmente brutales y contundentes y como he dicho, con un final que deja entrever lo que nos espera para la siguiente entrega. show less

As usual I started in the middle of a series but it didn’t really seem to make a great deal of difference as far as the story went. I found out the series is written by a husband-and-wife team. Their main character is a very interesting Finnish detective named Joona Linna. He’s a bit of an odd duck...but a fairly likable guy who has marvelous instincts coupled with intense combat training. We don't see Linna for a while at the beginning... but once we do it's obvious that he's not fit company for man or beast. He tried to go into hiding but events soon send a fellow detective to find him. This book is nearly 600 pages and it is an interesting mystery that catches the reader up and keeps you turning the pages...however the police are show more supposedly intelligent people but they do the dumbest things throughout the entire book. Maybe things are different in Sweden...or perhaps something is lost in the translation. We also don’t get much information on any of the other characters. Some of the storyline verges on the incredible...but overall, it was a very, very long mystery. show less

Anyone who has watched The Killing (Danish version) will know that this type of Nordic crime telling has a raw, edgy yet intensive burn. It's almost as if the action is slowed down, and combining this with the bleakness and solitude of the weather and dour intensive characters certainly makes for unmissable viewing. This translates very well into the written word and I have always enjoyed reading the highly addictive prose of Jo Nesbo and Henning Mankell. Having therefore read the positive amazon reviews and noting that the English "Daily Express" has described the book as "Terrifying yet hugely enjoyable" I was eager to make the acquaintance of The Stalker!

The synopsis is simple. The National Crime Investigation Department, based in show more Stockholm, is receiving tapes/video that purport to show a young lady alone at night in her house plainly unaware that she is the subject of some deranged mind. Soon after the tape is received a badly mutilated, and savaged body is discovered the natural conclusion being that the narcissistic killer is pre warning the police of his intentions and they can do nothing to stop him as he is in total control. Imagine you, the reader, alone at night with the windows and doors hopefully locked and secured when you read the following....."There's a breeze blowing straight through the kitchen. The door to the garden is wide open. The thin curtain of plastic strips is fluttering into the room. She walks slowly forward. It's hard to see anything behind the dancing curtain. There could be someone standing just outside...."........"holds her breath when she hears footsteps outside the cupboard. They move off in the direction of the kitchen, the doors knock against each other the other door slips open a couple of millimetres. She stands in the darkness with her eyes open wide, and hears a kitchen drawer being opened. There's a metallic clattering sound, and she's breathing in short gasps....." These highly memorable and truly frightening descriptions were in all honesty the highlight of what in reality became a ponderous and very average crime thriller.

Detective Margot Silverman is senior officer tasked with bringing the stalker to justice. After a very short period she is instructed to approach and enlist the help of D I Joona Linna who is on compassionate leave. I thought this was a mistake as the heavily pregnant Margot was a much more interesting and likeable personality and it would have been good to understand how she combined a stressful job with pregnancy and home. Eric Maria Bark, psychiatrist and psychotherapist, hopes that his insight into the psychotic mind can play a positive contribution into the investigation. A bizarre situation develops when Eric decides to commence piano lessons (??) Within a very short time he is sha**ing the piano teacher and making a clumsy attempt at a Chopin Etude. It is this type of random incident that really turned what could have been an excellent frightening thriller into a very mediocre story. (spoiler to follow) A totally unexpected event happens when Katryna, the wife of Margot's assistant Adam Youssef, becomes the next victim of the stalker. Now the hunt for the killer is personal but unfortunately the author barely mentions Adam or Katryna again. How did this traumatic event effect Detective Youssef? This was such an horrific occurrence and yet the author barely makes mention in the remainder of the book.

Apart from a few genuinely brilliant moments the storytelling was very average, lots of time and description wasted on a clueless police force chasing an elusive psychopath throughout the streets and suburbs of Stockholm. What about the killer you may ask? Without wishing to unveil or spoil your entertainment (?) I found the disclosure of the killer preposterous and highly unlikely...of course you may choose to disagree. I realize that Jonna Linna is the main character in The Stalker as it is part of a series. The author missed a good opportunity here to remove an overrated, conceited and unfit Detective Inspector and replace with the womanly charms of the unassuming Margot Silverman. show less

In my opinion, based on what I have read so far, there is no one to beat the Scandinavian writers in the game of psychological thrillers. And, true to this tradition, Lars Kepler has delivered a gripping thriller that had me hooked from the beginning till the very end. Stalker has a host of characters, all given sufficient space, primarily consisting of a serial killer that stalks and films the prey before delivering a very violent death accompanied by unimaginable mutilation, a very pregnant crime squad detective on the hunt of the maniac, a hypnotist with his own load of troubles who gets caught up in the melee, and a stalwart ex-detective who has come back from the dead. The novel has heart-racing, pulse-pounding action and well show more developed, complex characters. There are many twists and turns, crowned by an entirely unexpected one revealing the stalker-killer at about 80% of the novel.
Except for some drawn-out chases and somewhat far-fetched sequences, Stalker is a delectable thriller that will leave the reader fully satisfied. show less