Although this is listed as #2 in the Jack Caffery series, I feel it is a really good stand alone novel. There was nothing in it, at any point, that had me thinking maybe I should've read the first book. Be warned though this book looks at the seedy underbelly of things that, some people would rather pretend doesn't exist. Oh, and then there's the dog...

I particularly enjoyed the way the book was written; it was well paced and reflected that slow, methodical movement police investigations have. It didn't try to make them out as super-heroes, instead showing that they are people like us, warts and all.

Even though I enjoyed this book, I'm not certain if I will read anymore of this Author's work. ( )

Dual review with Swedish first and then English!

SWEDISH REVIEW

Behandlingen är bok två i Jack Caffery serien, men kan läsas fristående.

Vad kan jag annat än säga än att när man inte tror att det kan bli värre så blir det så i boken. Behandlingen är i mångt och mycket en mycket obehaglig bok. Det finns nog inget värre ämne att läsa om än pedofiler och i denna bok får man sannerligen en mörk inblick i en värld man helst skulle önska inte fanns.

Mo Hayder är en lysande författare, varje bok jag har läst av henne har varit fantastiskt, denna är inget undantag. Dock är denna bok den värsta jag läst av henne. Behandlingen är kanske inte den mest skrämmande jag bok jag någonsin har läst, men definitivt en av mest obehagliga och jag önskar det var stycken jag kunde få glömma bort för gott.

Boken är också djupt tragiskt, på så många sätt, från Jack Caffery egna trauma från barndomen med en bror som försvann och aldrig hittades till de stackars utsatta barnen. Jag ville ett flertal gånger under boken gång bara skrika åt poliserna att hitta mördaren innan det var för sent för nästa familj. För som sagt, detta är en mardröm som inte slutar med försvinnandet av en pojke...

Mycket bra bok, dock mycket obehaglig och jag rekommenderar den bara till läsare som klarar sådana här mörka teman.

Tack till Modernista för recensionsexemplaret!

ENGLISH REVIEW

The Treatment is book two in the Jack Caffery series but it can be read as a stand alone.
What else can I say than that, when you do not think it could get worse, it does the book. The Treatment is in many ways a very unpleasant book. I think there is nothing worse to read about than pedophiles, and in this book, you certainly get a dark insight into a world one would have hoped didn't exist.

Mo Hayder is a brilliant author, every book I have read by her has been amazing, this is no exception. However, this book is by far the worst I read by her. The Treatment may not be the scariest book I've ever read, but definitely, one of the most unpleasant and I wish I could forget some of the passages from the book for good.

The book is also deeply tragic, in so many ways, from Jack Caffery's own childhood trauma with a brother who disappeared and was never found to the poor jeopardized children. I wanted to scream at the police several times during the book to just find the murderer before it was too late for the next family. This is a nightmare that does not end with the disappearance of one boy ...

The Treatment is a very good book, but also very unpleasant and I only recommend it to readers who can handle such dark themes.

Thanks to Modernista for the review copy! ( )

The violence against children and women is especially egregious in this book. The main character commits an act of horrific violence against someone he purports to love. There is absolutely nothing redeemable about this book. If I could give it zero stars, I would. If you like this series, skip this one. I will not be reading any more of the series. ( )

DI Jack Caffery from Hayder's earlier novel Birdman returns in The Treatment, it's another dark crime thriller. Some might say darker due to the nature of the topic at hand - a paedophilic serial rapist, and the subplot of Caffery's paedophile neighbour and Caffery's missing brother.

It's equally as good as Birdman, although I felt there was a bit of a plot hole with Klane finding the camera and then acting as if he has no idea what's actually on the camera, despite being the perpetrator and taking the photos, it's almost as if the perpetrator was changed mid writing and this was missed in editing. I also feel it can't just be dismissed as "he's crazy" as that doesn't really make sense to me with the end notes and the way the camera was found and treasured.

Despite this, it was still an enjoyable book, and this hole doesn't really appear until the closing of the plot which brings it to light. In reading the authors two books (Birdman, Treatment) I can't help but wonder if she has had encounters with incompetent police as in both books the perpetrators are able to extend their crime sprees due to lax police work.

Overall, an enjoyably dark crime thriller, not one for people with weaker constitutions. ( )

Not for the sensible ones or parents of young boys !!! ( )