The Ice Child

Fjallbäcka book # 9

I knew of this author but never had the pleasure to read any of Ms. Läckberg works till my friend gave me “The Ice Child” and I am glad she did now I can add another great author to my very very long list.

Although this may be the 9th book in the series it can easily be read as a standalone the author gives us enough background to fill the gaps and for us to understand where the characters fit into this saga. This is an excellent “Nordic Noir” story that combines a chilling and heart-wrenching plot with the lives of the main players and the horrendous crimes being investigated. This book deals with a group of people in a pretty unpleasant way.

“The Ice Child”, is set in the small Swedish town of show more Fjallbäcka and features Detective Patrik Hedström and his crime writer wife Erica Falck. The broad canvas is also filled with a huge cast of interconnected characters and I assure you it is quite a challenge to remember them all. Some may said this book has a fairly simple structure but I found the long chapters, the many threads in each chapter including flashbacks was difficult to get used to but once I got familiar with the style I enjoyed the plot much more and of course by then I was shaken by a steady escalation of suspense and sadism. Although this story may have taken some time to process it nevertheless kept me interested and on my toes till the very last page. This story is an insane page-turner once you are in the swing of things. show less

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I was quite surprised to not find this book in English translation yet. I mean the Dutch translation has been out for three quarters of a year and the English one isn't even announced as far as I could tell, even though all the other books in the series were translated.

However, I've always enjoyed the stories a lot, even though they're usually not very suspenseful and contain for a large part not-detective stuff and the eating of the Swedish cinnamon buns (the ones they also sell at Ikea).

This book is not different from the other ones I've read. When a missing girl is found back, there are only more questions than before.

I always need to turn a switch because in these novels, show more policing isn't done by the police. Instead Erica, a crime-writer and wife of police officer Patrick is solving everything. So, I realize this isn't the most believable kind of story, but still I enjoy them from time to time. I used to frequently read Scandinavian detectives but this is one of the few series left from which I buy every new book blindly. I finished this story in a single reading.

I hope the next book won't take as long as this one though! show less

THE ICE CHILD is written by Camilla Lackberg and translated (from the Swedish) by Tiina Nunnally. The title is Book #9 in the Patrik Hedstrom (Fjallbacka) series.
“It’s January in the peaceful seaside resort of Fjallbacka. A semi-naked girl wanders through the frozen woods. When she finally reaches the road, a car comes out of nowhere. It doesn’t manage to stop.”
“The victim, a girl who went missing four months ago, had been subjected to unimaginably brutal treatment - and Detective Patrik Hedstrom suspects this is just the start.” [Book Jacket]

I certainly liked the book (as I have liked all of Camilla Lackberg’s titles) but the last few pages of THE ICE CHILD just ‘blew me away’. It was as if a bomb went off beside my show more chair. I was not expecting what was written on those last few pages.
The plot is very complex; very brutal. The characters are part of a very intricately woven spider web. And the secrets - Camilla Lackberg is so good with secrets; dark, evil secrets that intersect the years, the generations, the characters.
This one is five stars. ***** show less

Leeuwentemmer is het voorlaatste deel van de Fjälbacka reeks, maar in maart 2023 komt er gelukkig een nieuw deel uit! Dit negende deel gaat over Victoria, die een hele poos vermist was en nu aangetroffen wordt, maar wel gruwelijk verminkt. Intussen is Erika bezig aan een nieuw verhaal en gaat ze daarvoor op bezoek in de gevangenis om meer achtergrond te bekomen over een familiedrama. Na verloop van tijd vloeien de twee onderdelen samen en komen we tot de onthutsende ontknoping. Dit boek vond ik het beste van de hele reeks. Op vier dagen was het uitgelezen en ik kon maar niet stoppen omdat het me echt wel aangreep. Ik zag de verbanden niet meteen tussen heden en verleden, maar eenmaal ik ongeveer wist wat er aan de hand was, ging het show more boek in een nog sneller tempo vooruit. Het boek loopt af met een ‘bang’ en doet alweer uitkijken naar het nieuwste deel dat er dus heel binnenkort aankomt. Ik kan alvast niet wachten tot het verschijnt want deze serie is echt steengoed en een echte aanrader! Maar eerst nog verder met het tiende deel Heks. Voor leeuwentemmer geef ik 5 dikke sterren!
https://elinevandm.wordpress.com/2023/02/15/leeuwentemmer-van-camilla-lackberg-5.... show less

The new story from Fjällbacka is as interesting and exciting as ever but unfortunately this is the one I've enjoyed the least. That's ok that in the 'small sleepy town' more and bloodier murder happening than in a metropolis because for example Miss Marple was somehow in the neighbourhood of murders all the time. But it's rather annoying that the psychopath killer meets another psychopaths (whole generations of them!) wherever she goes in her life. And the final twist is really unnecessary and far fetched.

A young girl is seen wandering on the road, just before a car hits her (not the driver's fault). It turns out that she is one of four girls that have gone missing in the general area in the recent past. The child dies from the incident but an autopsy shows that she has been greatly mutilated.

The four missing girls came from different jurisdictions. Ultimately, they get together to try to solve these disappearances, which appear to be related.

While Patrik Hedstrom leads his investigative team in the effort, his wife Erica is researching an old murder case in preparation for another true-crime book. She discovers some connections to the present missing children.

As typically happens in these novels, Erica pursues her leads while not show more telling Patrik, sometimes just because she is caught up in the moment. Fortunately, she does have good instincts and is a good researcher, so her work helps the investigation.

It is another complex, winding tale with the backstory of an unknown person inserted from time to time, in italics. Honestly, I wouldn't mind as much if these insertions were not in italics. They do help move the story along, parallel to the official investigation. show less

haiku~~
I see a child
No eyes, ears, and tongue
The worlds' gone dark

I didnt expect it to be this good. I did skip parts with unnecessary dialogues. Why bother reading them when you have murder and kidnapping to solve, right?

So I have a very bad habit of reading the last page or just reading the parts that i like first. I read the italized back story of Laila and I realised Louise is Marta. But to my immense surprise there was much more than that.