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Christian Thydell's dream has come true: his debut novel, The Mermaid, has been published to rave reviews. So why is he as distant and unhappy as ever? When crime writer Erica Falck, who helped Christian discover and develop his talents, learns he has been receiving anonymous threats, she investigates not just the messages but also the young author's mysterious past. Then, one of Christian's closest friends, Magnus, goes missing. Erica's husband, Detective Patrik Hedström, has his worst show more suspicions confirmed as the mind-games aimed at Christian and those around him become a disturbing reality. Within Christians group of friends-a "gang of four" from childhood-is a tangle of relationships, love triangles, and family secrets that Erica and Patrick must unravel to discover what really happened to Magnus and who is still threatening Christian. But, with the victims themselves concealing evidence, the investigation is going nowhere. Is their silence driven by fear or guilt? And what is the secret they would rather die to protect than live to see revealed? show lessTags
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I picked this book up on a whim – the front cover had caught my attention and the first page made me curious. Never having read any of Camilla Lackberg’s writing before I was in for quite a ride! “The Drowning” is written in the perspective of multiple people and has a dual story line (e.g. one based on memories, flashbacks and another based on a present day murder mystery). The intertwining of characters and stories sets a fast pace and motivates the reader to plunge further into the novel’s depths. Day-to-day life and relationships become anything but monotonous. In fact, I think that Lackberg uses the coziness of everyday life to lull you into a false hope that the underlying horrors and tragedies that make this book a show more murder mystery don’t really exist. This is a book that will keep you coming back for more and will keep you guessing until the last page and then leave you stunned and shocked. show less
The ending of this book was not at all what I expected, or ever would have wanted! That said... this is a great book, it has it all. Like plot twists, more questions than answers until the end, and/or really screwed up people? Then you're in luck, it's all here!
A newly-published writer struggles when his fantasy Mermaid (the subject of his novel) becomes a public story. This entry in the popular series has everything I don't like about it and nothing that I do. Bad mothers are the root of all violence. There are long sections of backstory interspersed throughout the book, so we know things the detectives don't. To get even, characters in the modern-day plot withhold clues from readers and from one another. The big reveal is ripped from a 1970s soap opera, and the author throws in a dramatic cliffhanger in the final pages because we're meant to tune into the next thrilling episode. Nope. I'm done. Never again.
The Drowning is the sixth in the Swedish crime series featuring police detective Patrik Hedström and his wife Erica Falck, a "true crime" author.
The small town of Fjällbacka now has another famous author besides Erica. Christian Thydell, a librarian in Fjällbacka, has published his novel The Mermaid to much critical acclaim. Erica feels especially proud because she helped him edit the book. But what should be a happy time for Christian is ruined by his receipt of threatening letters, always on the same type of paper and written by the same hand.
Erica thinks the police should be involved, and pockets one of the letters to show to Patrick. Patrik however is too busy to devote much attention to them; he is absorbed by trying to find show more Magnus Kjellner, who has been missing for three months and is believed to be dead. When Kjellner's body is found, the investigation heats up. When it does so, it seems to be the first time the police notice that Kjellner basically only had three close friends, one of whom was Christian, and none of whom was apparently even interviewed about the disappearance. The other two, Erik and Kenneth, are also getting the letters, although neither has told anyone else. But clearly, something is rotten in the state of Sweden.
The recounting of each of their stories alternate with flashbacks from the life of a young boy who underwent terrible abuse, and then became a bit psychotic himself. It is obvious what happened to him is somehow connected to what is happening in the present.
Discussion: Läckberg is a good writer, and while I cannot read the original in Swedish, the translation work by Tiina Nunnally seems very competent; the prose flows smoothly and one doesn’t notice any awkwardness in the dialogue.
The story is a bit repetitive with respect to the situation of all of the wives; the jokes about Erica’s size (she is pregnant with twins) grow old after a bit, and the cringing submissiveness and abuse of the other wives is too belabored. Similarly, the shocking incompetency of Patrick’s boss is overworked. In previous books by this author, she also interposed “lifestyle” sequences to break up the tension, but I think in this case, too much rehearsing of the same issues became monotonous and frustrating.
Evaluation: In spite of a few quibbles, I like this police procedural series a great deal. The writing is competent and the main characters are likable. While the mystery in this particular book gets solved, the storyline germane to the series itself has a cliffhanger ending, and I look forward to finding out how matters progress. show less
The small town of Fjällbacka now has another famous author besides Erica. Christian Thydell, a librarian in Fjällbacka, has published his novel The Mermaid to much critical acclaim. Erica feels especially proud because she helped him edit the book. But what should be a happy time for Christian is ruined by his receipt of threatening letters, always on the same type of paper and written by the same hand.
Erica thinks the police should be involved, and pockets one of the letters to show to Patrick. Patrik however is too busy to devote much attention to them; he is absorbed by trying to find show more Magnus Kjellner, who has been missing for three months and is believed to be dead. When Kjellner's body is found, the investigation heats up. When it does so, it seems to be the first time the police notice that Kjellner basically only had three close friends, one of whom was Christian, and none of whom was apparently even interviewed about the disappearance. The other two, Erik and Kenneth, are also getting the letters, although neither has told anyone else. But clearly, something is rotten in the state of Sweden.
The recounting of each of their stories alternate with flashbacks from the life of a young boy who underwent terrible abuse, and then became a bit psychotic himself. It is obvious what happened to him is somehow connected to what is happening in the present.
Discussion: Läckberg is a good writer, and while I cannot read the original in Swedish, the translation work by Tiina Nunnally seems very competent; the prose flows smoothly and one doesn’t notice any awkwardness in the dialogue.
The story is a bit repetitive with respect to the situation of all of the wives; the jokes about Erica’s size (she is pregnant with twins) grow old after a bit, and the cringing submissiveness and abuse of the other wives is too belabored. Similarly, the shocking incompetency of Patrick’s boss is overworked. In previous books by this author, she also interposed “lifestyle” sequences to break up the tension, but I think in this case, too much rehearsing of the same issues became monotonous and frustrating.
Evaluation: In spite of a few quibbles, I like this police procedural series a great deal. The writing is competent and the main characters are likable. While the mystery in this particular book gets solved, the storyline germane to the series itself has a cliffhanger ending, and I look forward to finding out how matters progress. show less
La Lackberg mi piace proprio perché ha uno stile rassicurante, ma questo romanzo della serie mi è parso molto triste, la storia a me personalmente ha impressionato, e il finale lasciato a metà (si capisce cosa è successo nel romanzo successivo) è ancora più traumatico. Ecco, stavolta troppo. Ho ancora in mente la scena più violenta e ancora mi dà fastidio. Magari alcuni lettori più maturi di me diranno che descrivere certi delitti è segno di maggiore adesione alla realtà, ma per me che sono lettrice emotiva è peggio.
I've enjoyed the Erica Falck and Patrik Hedstrom series. I assume it is doing well in sales, so I can't imagine why Lackberg needed to write this horrid cliff hanger ending. Was she afraid she was losing readers and that was the only way to assure an audience for the next book? This was a fairly interesting mystery, but the cheesy ending spoiled the whole book for me. I doubt I'll carry on with her.
This is a really strange book. The first 100 pages feel like dragging yourself through quicksand; the second 100 pages had me wonder who was who; and suddenly the pace quickened and it became an interesting whodunnit. Still the outcome of the story is a bit unsatisfactory, justified only by the humanity of it all. But what happens on the final page makes the previous 484 pages completely redundant. A cliffhanger like this was not needed at all, the characters make you want to read a following episode in the series anyway.
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Author Information
101+ Works 18,628 Members
Camilla Läckberg is a Swedish crime writer whose works have been translated into many languages. Her stories are set in her hometown of Fjällbacka on the Swedish coast.
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- The Drowning
- Original title
- Sjöjungfrun
- Original publication date
- 2008 (original Swedish) (original Swedish); 2011 (English translation) (English translation)
- People/Characters
- Erica Falck; Patrik Hedström (police); Anna Falck (sister of Erika); Dan Karlsson (husband of Anna); Maja (daughter of Erica and Patrick); Gösta Flygare (police) (show all 23); Annika Jansen (police station secretary); Martin Molin (police); Paula Morales (police); Bertil Mellberg (police chief); Christian Thydell (librarian, writer); Sanna Thydell (wife of Christian); Gaby von Rosen (publisher of Christian); Magnus Kjellner (victim); Cia Kjellner (widow of Magnus); Erik Lind (businessman); Louise (wife of Erik); Cecilia Jansdotter (hairdresser, mistress of Erik); Kenneth Bengtsson (accountant, business partner of Erik); Lisbet (wife of Kenneth); Alice Lissander (foster sister of Christian); Iréne Lissander (foster mother of Christian); Ragnar Lissander (foster father of Christian)
- Important places
- Fjällbacka, Sweden; Tanumshede, Sweden
- Dedication
- To Martin
- First words
- He had known that sooner or later it would come to light again. Something like that was impossible to hide. Every word had led him closer to what was unnameable and appalling. What he had been trying for so many years to repr... (show all)ess.
Now escape was no longer an option. - Quotations*
- Blz. 194
De kanker had gewonnen, maar toch verloren, want die zou met haar sterven - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)She didn’t see it until it was too late. For just a second she had glanced away to look out towards the sea, marvelling at how beautiful the ice was. She only looked away for an instant, but that was enough. She suddenly realized that she had veered into the oncoming lane, and she had time to see two women sitting in the car coming towards her, two women with mouths open wide, screaming.
Then she heard the sound of metal against metal, echoing off the massive rock wall. After that, there was only silence. - Original language
- Swedish
*Some information comes from Common Knowledge in other languages. Click "Edit" for more information.
Classifications
- Genres
- Fiction and Literature, Mystery
- DDC/MDS
- 839.738 — Literature & rhetoric German & related literatures Other Germanic literatures Swedish literature Swedish fiction 2000-
- LCC
- PT9877.22 .A34 .S5813 — Language and Literature German, Dutch and Scandinavian literatures Swedish literature Individual authors or works 2001-
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 1,270
- Popularity
- 19,278
- Reviews
- 62
- Rating
- (3.75)
- Languages
- 21 — Catalan, Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Estonian, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Icelandic, Italian, Norwegian (Bokmål), Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 96
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 19