The Preacher

Probably the best thing about this book is the attention to the characters.
Patrik is better built, more human(does not remain indifferent to the crimes).
But most of all the killer and the victim are portrayed better than in the most thrillers. They are not just cardboard pieces to be used for thrills. They are really human. You can sense the terror of the victim, the thoughts and the various stages they go through. What is more, the killer is not your average psycho, but you come to understand his motivations, his reasoning behind all those things. Of course, the idea is to have him be the villain, but beyond the "pure evil" surface, you find the humanity within.

What is more, the ending is also rather... different. In the good way.

Description
In the fishing community of Fjallbacka, life is remote, peaceful -- and for some, tragically short. Foul play was always suspected in the disappearance twenty years ago of two young tourists in the area. Now their remains are discovered with those of a fresh victim. Local detective Patrik Hedstrom, expecting a baby with his girlfriend Erica, can only imagine what it is like to lose a child. When a second young girl goes missing, Hedstrom's attention focuses on the Hults, a feuding clan of misfits, relgious fanatics and criminals.

This story was part cozy, part police procedural, part psychological suspense with a light touch of noir and a bit of humor. I liked the combination and it kept my interest throughout. In the end, show more the murderer and his reasons were a little different but it made sense and fit the story. I’ll be reading more of this series in the future. show less

Nordic crime is still hot, years after Stieg Larsson’s Millennium trilogy. We have Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell and someone who I don’t hear a lot of but love – Camilla Lackberg. Lackberg writes a series set in Sweden’s picturesque Fjallbacka involving detective Patrik Hedstrom and Erica Falck, his girlfriend (a true crime writer). The second adventure is set at the height of Swedish summer (I’m sorry, but I had to smirk at times – the heat is less than Aussie summer – but air conditioning is probably less prevalent in Sweden) and involves a murdered girl found at a local picturesque site. Underneath her body are the remains of other girls murdered in 1979 – that case was never solved. However, the method used is the same show more for all girls and the prime suspect for the 70’s murders is now dead. So who is really the murderer?

Lackberg drops a few hints along the way but you’re still left guessing as to the identity of the murderer – she inserts quite a few shady minor characters that have the potential as well as red herrings that send the police well off their path. To counteract the grizzly events, Erica is heavily pregnant, hot and tired. There are some amusing scenes as numerous ‘friends’ and family descend on them for the summer holidays unannounced, and then expect her to wait on them. Her sister Anna also makes a return as a single woman now arm candy for a playboy from Stockholm. Anna’s story looks to continue in subsequent books too.

The book starts rather slowly, making much of the heat and endless sun to set a sluggish tone as the police try to find their feet in the case. However, with the introduction of the Hult family (well known to the police), the pace picks up as they all have multiple secrets to hide. With the disappearance of another girl, the police don’t have any time to waste. The seriousness of events is comically relieved with the reason why Patrik’s boss, Mellberg, has been so nice and normal recently – Lackberg has the talent to know just when to lower the tension and give the reader a reason to smile.

I’ve managed to collect the rest of Lackberg’s Hedstrom/Falck series and I’m looking forward to reading the rest for two reasons – great crime and the fantastic characterisation of Erica and Patrik. Erica is a strong woman who could easily be your friend and Patrik is a well-adjusted, reasonably happy detective (an anomaly I know), I really want to know what happens between those two!

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The discovery of the body of a German tourist in the King’s Cleft cuts short Patrik Hedström’s summer vacation. His boss, Mellburg, puts Patrik in charge of the investigation. The murder is apparently connected to two 24-year-old murders, but the primary suspect in those murders had committed suicide shortly afterward. Did the police have the wrong suspect all those years ago? That’s something Patrik and his team will need to consider. As their investigation gets underway, the disappearance of another young tourist adds a new level of urgency. All roads seem to lead to the Hult family, the children and grandchildren of free church faith healer Ephraim Hult. On the home front, Patrik’s wife, Erica, is 8 months pregnant with show more their first child. Her forced idleness, the extreme heat of the July weather, and a string of uninvited and unwelcome guests leave Erica out of sorts.

Despite the length of the book, some aspects of the plot seem underdeveloped. The Hult family’s odd religious beliefs are dealt with only superficially, when the plot would have benefited from more detail. Patrik and Erica worked well as a team in the first book in the series, so it’s surprising that the author chose to place Erica on the sidelines in the follow-up novel. The strong sense of place continues to be the biggest draw for this series. I googled pictures of the King’s Cleft and it’s a magnificent sight. If I ever visit Sweden, Fjallbacka will be at the top of my list of places to visit. show less

In the second of what is now 8 books (though only 4 translated to English so far) we return to the summer resort town of Fjällbacka in Sweden. Writer Erica Falck and her partner, policeman Patrik Hedström, are enjoying a few days’ holiday before the birth of their first baby. Their idyll is interrupted when a recently deceased body and two skeletons are found and Patrik must return to work early and head up the investigation. It soon becomes clear that the skeletons are the remains of two young women who disappeared in the late 1970′s and the body is that of a young tourist. Attention for the murders soon focuses on the feud-ridden Hult family, one of whom was accused of the earlier disappearances (though he died before the crimes show more were solved). With an incompetent boss and a couple of staff who couldn’t work in an iron lung, Patrik has few resources to help him solve the case as quickly as everyone is demanding.

I very much enjoyed this book though will concede that at least a portion of that enjoyment is sheer relief that the book contained a Swedish bloke who wasn’t a complete bastard (unlike Box 21 which I recently finished). Patrik is a really terrific character. Unlike many of his crime fiction counterparts he is no lone wolf either at home or at work. He is very wrapped up in Erica and their soon-to-be-baby and, even though his work is important, is still involved with their home life (including getting rid of their series of annoying visitors who refuse to leave the house and expect to be waited on hand and foot by the heavily pregnant Erica). At work he relies on his colleagues, well at least the functional ones like Martin, the eager young rookie and Annika who holds the office together and the teamwork they display while doing their jobs and dealing with their idiot of a boss is credibly depicted. While there are plenty of obsessed loner characters that I really like, they’re not always realistic whereas Patrik feels very real indeed.

The story of The Preacher is one I was probably destined to enjoy. I love family sagas and other people’s family feuds. Throw in a charismatic or odd religious character and you’ve well and truly hooked me. This book had all of that with the large Hult family full of complicated relationships and a charismatic preacher as part of their heritage. Although at times I thought the author had forgotten there was a crime to solve I didn’t mind too much as I was quite engrossed by untangling the family history and changing my mind (several times) about whodunnit.

Läckberg’s books are lighter or cosier than many police procedurals, so not recommended for those whose preferences are entirely at the dark/hard-boiled end of the genre spectrum. However if you like your crime fiction to be set within a fairly credible, middle-class environment that most people will recongise (even if you’ve never been to Sweden) then you could do much worse than this book. It could have done with a bit of editing but other than that it’s nicely written, has interesting characters and even a sense of humour. show less

Avec "Le Prédicateur", Camilla Läckberg livre un polar suédois de bonne facture, à mi-chemin entre Henning Mankell et Stieg Larsson: plus fourni et réfléchi que les intrigues du premier, moins noir et complexe que le monde monstrueux dépeint par le second. Même si le dénouement de l'enquête est rapidement prévisible, les moyens pour y arriver le sont moins et maintiennent la tension jusqu'à la la fin, laissant même planer le doute sur certains points. L'intrigue est donc bien construite, même si certains personnages annexes auraient mérité d'être plus développés. Les dialogues sonnent parfois faux et certaines tournures de phrases sont un peu lourdes, les traductrices auraient peut-être dû s'autoriser plus de show more libertés par-rapport au texte original pour assurer la fluidité du récit? show less

First Line: The day was off to a promising start.

It's summer in Fjällbacka, Sweden. Erica Falck is close to the end of her pregnancy, and her partner, police detective Patrik Hedström, has taken some vacation time to be with her. Unfortunately, the body of a young German woman is found on the beach, and Patrik is called in to lead the investigation. Since the heat has turned Erica into one continuous mood swing, Patrik is ashamed to admit that he's looking forward to getting back to work.

When the bones of two young women are discovered buried beneath the German woman, speculation is high that the skeletons are of two young women who disappeared in the area in 1979. Patrik now has more work than ever before which means that Erica is show more left unwillingly on the sidelines to deal with freeloading relatives who like to show up uninvited on the doorstep of any family member who owns beachfront property away from the city.

For me, the weakness of this book was in its plot. The title of the book itself turned out to be a big clue, and the solution was clear to me early on-- including the answer to the DNA question that was stumping all of the police. Fortunately the plot was only a minor irritant to me because what I like so much about Läckberg's books isn't her plotting, but her marvelous cast of characters.

Although it was disappointing that Erica Falck took a backseat in this investigation, she was left in charge of the comic relief. Her reactions to some of the freeloaders showing up at her house made me laugh and cheer (and be extremely thankful for having family and friends who never just "show up" for free room and board).

Läckberg's cast of characters is a large one, and even though they're not all likable, they are all very well drawn. During the course of the investigation, I came to know about their lives and personalities, and I have definite favorites as well as a character or two whom I believe just has to go.

The Preacher may be the second book in this series, but it stands very well on its own. If you're a character-driven reader, as I am, and if you're willing to overlook a weak bit here and there in the plot, you're going to be amply rewarded with a wonderful cast of characters. show less