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Last Will: A Novel (Annika Bengtzon (Chronological Order) #6)

3.51 of 5 stars 3.51 · rating details · 581 ratings · 58 reviews

HOW FAR WILL A MADMAN GO TO ATTAIN THE ULTIMATE PRIZE? In the midst of a brutal Scandinavian winter, a member of the Nobel Prize committee is gunned down in the city of Stockholm.

Reporter Annika Bengtzon, who made eye contact with the killer just seconds before the shots were fired, is the key witness. Because of the sensitivity of the crime, police issue a gag order on he...more

ebook, 416 pages

Published April 10th 2012 by Atria/Emily Bestler Books (first published 2006)

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Mar 03, 2012 Manny rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: swedish-and-norwegian, too-sexy-for-maiden-aunts, history-and-biography, older-men-younger-women

You'll be hearing more about this hitherto unknown Swedish thriller: Yellow Bird, who made the three Millenium movies (Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, etc), are apparently going to film it. Remember you read it here first.

But back to the book. It's harder than I expected to review Nobels Testamente, #6 in the Annika Bengtzon series, because it's really three books in one. The surface story is a fairly conventional thriller set in the world of Swedish biotech research. The chairwoman of the Nobel Pr...more

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May 23, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 110-books-in-2012-and-do-it-again, family-relationships, free-book-for-honest-review, mystery, own-it, read-in-2012, reader-s-club-review-request, reviewed, series, thriller

Investigative reporter Annika Bengtzon is attending the ball that followed the Nobel Prize award ceremony.

She becomes a witness to the murder of Christine von Behring who was the chair of the committee to select the prize for medicine.

As a witness who came eye to eye with the killer, Annika can't wait to get back to the newspaper to write her story. However, as the sole witness, police place her on a disclosure ban. She's prohibited from reporting what might have been the story of a life time in...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Book Him Danno rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012, books-sent-by-author-publisher-for

Waiting for these books to be translated is sheer torture, it almost makes me want to give a try at learning Swedish.

All the excitement of the cutthroat world of modern scientific research. I know that statement sounds silly, but Liza Marklund through her investigative journalist Annika Bengtzon brings the tension of the world alive. When you are talking millions of dollars of research grants floating around, you are going to bring out the worst in a lot of people.

The mystery was solid, Nobel...more

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May 09, 2012 Krista (CubicleBlindness Reviews) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In the sixth book following newspaper reporter Annika Bengtzon, Last Will is a focus on the famous Alfred Nobel and his contributions to the development of the Nobel Prize awards. In the opening chapter Annika is witness to the shooting of one of the Nobel prize committee members Caroline Von Behring. The elusive killer-for-hire named The Kitten has made her way into the party after the Noble Prize awards have been given and shoots 2 people on the dance floor, only to make some of her worst mist...more In the sixth book following newspaper reporter Annika Bengtzon, Last Will is a focus on the famous Alfred Nobel and his contributions to the development of the Nobel Prize awards. In the opening chapter Annika is witness to the shooting of one of the Nobel prize committee members Caroline Von Behring. The elusive killer-for-hire named The Kitten has made her way into the party after the Noble Prize awards have been given and shoots 2 people on the dance floor, only to make some of her worst mistakes ever. 1. She looks right into Annika’s eyes after stepping on her foot, and 2. She misplaces her shoe upon fleeing the scene. This puts Annika right in the middle of the police investigation as she is the key eyewitness to the shooting. She is immediately placed with a gag-order to not reveal any of the details of what she saw or the case, which puts her in a bind with the newspaper agency she works for.

Annika is already reeling with the pressure of finding her husband has cheated on her, and they will be moving houses soon, but now her job is in jeopardy because she cannot report on the events that she witnessed.

There are several aspects to this story that come together. We get a very flawed main character with her hands full of money, marriage and work problems. She is so close to losing her sanity that at times I really thought she was going to break. The author puts her through so much you can only help but wonder if she is going to make it out ok. The detail and information that is given to the reader about Alfred Noble was very well researched and interesting, the parts about him and his life were some of my favorite chapters. Annika does a lot of investigating of her own, digging into the Nobel committee’s lives and their jobs as scientists. Which is were I want to add a warning label here that this book does contain some animal research and at least one very disturbing cat surgery scene. And last but not least the reader gets some very interesting inside knowledge of the inside workings of a newspaper agency and procedures that a reporter may experience. As the author herself ran a newspaper and knows the ins and outs of that business, it shows through.

The shootings at the Nobel Peace Prize event is just the beginning of numerous others, and as the body count raises, the deeper involved Annika gets, but are the police going to be able to arrest the murderer before Annika gets too deeply involved?

Annika is smart, but she’s stubborn and having a bad time of life, and this time she’s having to go it alone.

My review for www.tarasharp.com (less)

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May 02, 2012 Barbara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

LAST WILL
Liza Marklund

Liza Marklund was one of the first Swedish authors, after Mankell Henning, that I read. She immediately became a favorite, but was very difficult to find. Now she is a #1 NY Times bestselling author and is printed in the US by Emily Bestler, one of the Simon & Schuster group.
Annika Bengtzon is the headstrong and independent reporter. She has been through difficult times in her past and feels she has a tenuous hold on her present. The printed newspaper she works for, has...more LAST WILL
Liza Marklund

Liza Marklund was one of the first Swedish authors, after Mankell Henning, that I read. She immediately became a favorite, but was very difficult to find. Now she is a #1 NY Times bestselling author and is printed in the US by Emily Bestler, one of the Simon & Schuster group.
Annika Bengtzon is the headstrong and independent reporter. She has been through difficult times in her past and feels she has a tenuous hold on her present. The printed newspaper she works for, has laid her life on the line for, gives her a sense of identity, is giving way to new media forms, which gives her a sense of instability, along with her boss and co-workers. Her husband had an affair and she cannot forgive him. She has moved into a large house in an upscale suburb, with a hostile neighbor and her son being bullied at his new school. Normal everyday life. Annika must have her investigative reporting to hold herself together.
One of the interesting aspects of this book is the plot woven around the Nobel Peace Prize and Alfred Nobel, the Swedish man who devised the plan for the prize. To set the stage for the plot, Marklund opens the book at the dinner for the Nobel winners and the important people who are invited to the dinner dance after the presentation. Representing her paper, Annika is having a dance with a reporter from the competition, when a woman is shot. The woman looks into Annika’s eyes as she crumples to the floor, dead. Chaos is immediate at on the dance floor, but the story skips to follow the murderer out of the building and through her escape, without telling us who she is or why she killed the woman at the Nobel Prize dinner.
The police arrive and put Annika on a disclosure ban so she cannot report on what happened. The boss who is trying to get rid of her, puts her on indefinite leave of absence. Annika continues to investigate, because she just can’t stop herself.
The Annika Bengtzon books are raw and violent, with non-stop tension. For your own enjoyment, read the books in order – it is worth looking for them. Annika is not always likable, nor are the other characters, but they are real. She is strong, yet feels utterly helpless when her son is bullied. She loves her husband, but is hurt and angry over his betrayal and allows her anger to drive him away. She is straightforward and outspoken, and on the side of the weak, and has no patience for bigotry or snobbery.
Last Will is an interesting read for the information of the Nobel Prize, but the characters are the strong part of this series. You’ll be hooked.
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Jan 03, 2013 Minty McBunny rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2013, january-2013

I read the first Bengtzon book, The Bomber, a few months ago & found it utterly gripping, I really liked Annika and looked forward to reading more of her expoits. Last Will was the only other Marklund book my library had, so I picked it up despite it being the 6th in the series.

I average about 15 books per month and in my life I have stopped reading approximately 10 books midway through. This was the 11th. From the outset, I found Annika's attitude irritating and her existential crisis rega...more

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Dec 31, 2012 Kathleen Hagen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012-audio-books

Last Will, by Liza Marklund, Narrated by India Fisher, Produced by Brilliance Audio,Downloaded from audible.com.

Tabloid reporter Annika Bentgzen is sent to report on the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm, and the rooms in Stockholm’s City Hall where the ceremony is held. She is flirting and dancing with the reporter from her opposition newspaper when suddenly a young woman bumps into her, in fact, stepping right down on her foot with stiletto heels, and then shoots the woman in the couple right...more Last Will, by Liza Marklund, Narrated by India Fisher, Produced by Brilliance Audio,Downloaded from audible.com.

Tabloid reporter Annika Bentgzen is sent to report on the Nobel Prize ceremony in Stockholm, and the rooms in Stockholm’s City Hall where the ceremony is held. She is flirting and dancing with the reporter from her opposition newspaper when suddenly a young woman bumps into her, in fact, stepping right down on her foot with stiletto heels, and then shoots the woman in the couple right next to her. Annika is looking directly at the young woman on the floor when she dies. Annika soon finds out that this woman is the chairperson of the Nobel Nominating Committee, the one ultimately responsible for putting forward the successful nominations. The police block Annika from reporting anything to the paper she works for as she is a direct witness. In fact, Annika loses her job because she is sitting on the story of the century. Six months later, two more professors from the same research lab where the chair worked are also murdered. Annika has decided to defy the police and tell whatever she learns. She has learned that a professional killer, a woman nicknamed “the kitten” because she looks so much like an innocent suburban housewife, is responsible. She also knows that there is something else going on-something that the chair of the committee kept secret and which caused her to be killed. As she pursues her leads, she runs into trouble at home. The family has just moved into a suburban house next door to a neighbor who didn’t want anyone living there and who does everything to make it as miserable for them as possible. Annika’s husband works for the Justice Department and wants a normal sophisticated wife who will stay home with the kids so he can be the important and bread-winning member of the family-something she refuses to do. The book comes to a brilliant and exhausting climax putting Annika and her two children in terrible danger before she learns the final secrets and breaks open the case. These books are very good. I hope more of them appear in English soon.
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Dec 14, 2012 Andrew Macrae rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“Last Will” by Liza Marklund

In Stockholm’s sacred hall where for a hundred years the Nobel Prizes have been awarded, a contract killer coolly guns down the chairwoman of the Nobel Prize selection committee. For tabloid reporter Annika Bengtzon, assigned to report on the glitzy event for the celebrity and lifestyle section of her newspaper, the story becomes a quest for the truth, driven by the look in the eyes of the dying woman, a look that now haunts her dreams.

Annika, the mother of two young...more

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Sep 23, 2012 Raven rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Intrepid journalist Annika Bengtzon is back in the latest crime thriller by Swedish author Liza Marklund set in and around the world of medical academia and Nobel Prize selection. Annika not only finds herself witness to a shooting at the Nobel Prizewinner’s dinner but finds herself professionally ostracized from her job at the Evening Post unable to report on the events she has witnessed and placed on enforced leave. Needless to say Annika persists with her enquiries and as the body count rise...more
Intrepid journalist Annika Bengtzon is back in the latest crime thriller by Swedish author Liza Marklund set in and around the world of medical academia and Nobel Prize selection. Annika not only finds herself witness to a shooting at the Nobel Prizewinner’s dinner but finds herself professionally ostracized from her job at the Evening Post unable to report on the events she has witnessed and placed on enforced leave. Needless to say Annika persists with her enquiries and as the body count rises finds herself embroiled in a plot amongst the higher echelons of the world of medical academia that leads to threats against her own life and that of her family.

With an incredibly multi-stranded story line I thoroughly enjoyed the depth of research that Marklund brings to this book in the realm of medical science and the intense rivalries and secrecy that exist amongst this group of elite scientific professionals and gratifying that there was such a good representation of women amongst this elite group. Throughout the course of the novel much is learnt about scientific investigations into diseases that continually defy cure such as MS, dementia and so on and Marklund effortlessly weaves what could be quite dense scientific jargon into easily understood and fascinating detail. She also sheds light on the whole convoluted process of selection for the accolade of the Nobel Prize and there is an incredibly interesting subplot centred around the life and scandals of Alfred Nobel’s life that is central to the main plot and the motivations of both victims and murderer.

Likewise we have a greater depth of characterisation of Annika who once again is juggling the demands of family and career but who is encountering extra personal stress carrying the knowledge of her husband’s infidelity, the problems that her young son is encountering at the hands of bullies and their move out of the city next door to a frankly deranged neighbour.There is also an intriguing ‘will she won’t she’ situation with the temptation of the gorgeous reporter Bosse who drifts in and out of the plot tempting our erstwhile heroine. Annika has much to deal with…

Marklund once again proves her credentials amongst the Scandinavian crime posse presenting the reader with not only a perfectly researched and gripping plot line where much can be learnt about a subject not normally addressed in the crime genre, but fuelling the plot with her wonderfully observed characters intermingling the constraints and challenges for Annika in balancing the demands of her job with her emotional life and the danger that this places her in. An excellent read.

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Jan 14, 2013 Hana Howard rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Last Will
By Liza Marklund

Last Will begins with a spectacular scene as the reader follows the assassin dramatically murder the chairwoman of the Nobel Prize committee, while she's dancing at the Nobel Dinner. This scene is followed by the thrilling escape of the assassin.

Annika Bengtzon, a journalist covering the gala happens to be a couple of meters away from the crime and becomes involved in the case. Anxious to get back to her office and write this exclusive story, Annika is told by the poli...more Last Will
By Liza Marklund

Last Will begins with a spectacular scene as the reader follows the assassin dramatically murder the chairwoman of the Nobel Prize committee, while she's dancing at the Nobel Dinner. This scene is followed by the thrilling escape of the assassin.

Annika Bengtzon, a journalist covering the gala happens to be a couple of meters away from the crime and becomes involved in the case. Anxious to get back to her office and write this exclusive story, Annika is told by the police that because she is the sole witness they have her on a disclosure ban.

As expected she complies with the public writing ban, but not her own private notes on the incident. In addition, she starts her own investigation of the victim and the Alfred Nobel committee responsible for the nominations and award of the prizes. The inserts of Alfred Nobel’s life history and some of the scandals associated with his life are interesting and follows the main plot. Because Caroline, the victim, and the chairman of the Nobel Prize committee was a Swedish biotech scientist, the author does some stereotyped descriptions of this research and labs. Too coincidently, Annika’s new neighbor a retired medical researcher is on hand to help her with questions about medical research.

This book falls in between the cracks of a wooshy women’s story and a mystery and, in my opinion, the two do not create an exciting novel. For 200 pages after a wonderful opening, the story deals with the heroine ‘s family life and being a working mother. There is a new house and neighborhood to settle the family into. The children are having problems at school and her cheating husband doesn’t seem to love her anymore.

Through most of the story the thriller plot is in the background, but when Marklund returns to the main plot, the book becomes a page turner. Marlund writes fast paced thrilling scenes for the assassin, known as Kitten, and finally the murderer who hired the assassin.

I would have enjoyed this story much more if there had been less family dynamics and more exciting scenes with some characters drawn in more depth.
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Oct 16, 2012 Lindsay (Little Reader Library) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime-fiction, thriller, translated-fiction

This is another exciting installment in Liza Marklund’s series featuring crime reporter Annika Bengtzon. In this sixth book, we find Annika attending the Nobel Prizewinners’ dinner in Stockholm, covering this glamorous and prestigious event for the tabloid Evening Post newspaper. Then, as Annika is dancing with journalist Bosse from the rival evening newspaper to the one she works for, shots are fired on the dance floor. Finding herself caught up in the chaos that ensues, Annika is questioned as...more This is another exciting installment in Liza Marklund’s series featuring crime reporter Annika Bengtzon. In this sixth book, we find Annika attending the Nobel Prizewinners’ dinner in Stockholm, covering this glamorous and prestigious event for the tabloid Evening Post newspaper. Then, as Annika is dancing with journalist Bosse from the rival evening newspaper to the one she works for, shots are fired on the dance floor. Finding herself caught up in the chaos that ensues, Annika is questioned as a witness, and is desperate to get back to the newsroom and tell her story, but this isn’t as straightforward as she or the paper would hope.

Further murders occur, and Annika starts to trace the links between the crimes, but remains in a difficult situation as a reporter who is also a key witness to events. The author brings in a host of modern day concerns including terrorist and security threats and the treatment of those accused, the workings of scientists, researchers and drug companies, and the challenges and demands facing the newspaper in it’s attempts to be current and relevant in the age of the Internet with it’s offering of immediate online news coverage. Annika is as doggedly determined as ever to find out the truth; why was the victim at the Nobel Prizewinners’ dinner targeted and killed? What secrets are hidden at the medical institute at the university? Who is the cold-hearted killer at work here? There is a fascinating series of short narratives interspersed amongst the main storyline, which detail aspects of the life of Alfred Nobel himself, and which cleverly link in and add to the main plot.

There are troubles for Annika at home, too, despite hoping to land her supposed dream family home in the countryside, the relationship between Annika and husband Thomas is decidedly rocky, and the pleasant new neighbourhood doesn’t seem to be as perfect and friendly as it might have first appeared. Once again she is trying to balance motherhood and her career, though a fortuitous event means that she has more money than before at her disposal. But danger is never far away for Annika and the more corruption and lies she uncovers as she edges closer to the truth, the more she must fight to keep herself and those she loves the most safe from harm as the novel builds to a dramatic and nail-biting conclusion.

I love this series, and I really enjoyed this latest installment, another addictive page-turner that I read quickly. I like the short chapters that jump about so that at one moment we hear about Annika’s family life, then about the situation in the newspaper offices, then about what the killer or suspect is up to; this keeps the novel very engaging, fresh and pacy to read. I was perhaps not quite as fond of this one as I was of both The Bomber and Vanished, but Last Will is certainly still an entertaining, fast-paced and welcome addition to the Annika Bengtzon series, well translated again by Neil Smith, and I am already looking forward to the arrival of the next book.
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Jul 29, 2012 Gloria Feit rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This novel, the 6th by this author but only the second published in the US [in addition to one co-written with James Patterson], features Annika Bengtzon, reporter for the Evening Post, one of the main evening papers in Stockholm. The tale opens on a wintry evening in December, as the Nobel Prize festivities are about to begin. In the banquet hall, things suddenly take a shocking turn as shots ring out. One of the first victims is the Israeli co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in medicine, the seco...more This novel, the 6th by this author but only the second published in the US [in addition to one co-written with James Patterson], features Annika Bengtzon, reporter for the Evening Post, one of the main evening papers in Stockholm. The tale opens on a wintry evening in December, as the Nobel Prize festivities are about to begin. In the banquet hall, things suddenly take a shocking turn as shots ring out. One of the first victims is the Israeli co-recipient of the Nobel Prize in medicine, the second a woman who is a member of the Nobel Prize Committee. Three others are also wounded as the shooter, a woman, makes her escape. Who was the main target, and who the collateral damage? If the man, does anti-Semitism come into it, or is it the fact that the work for which he was being honored dealt with controversial stem cell research? If the woman, what could possibly have been the motive?

Annika is more than just ‘present at the scene:’ Not only did the female victim look directly at her as she lay dying on the floor, quite near to Annika, but the woman who shot them made eye contact with her seconds before the shots were fired. As such, she is the key witness for the police, who place a gag order on her immediately. So she has exclusive information, which she cannot use, in the aftermath of which she is placed on six-month suspension from the newspaper, as well as in the sights of the killer, apparently an American assassin known as “the Kitten.”

The title refers to the document prepared by/for Alfred Nobel, bits and pieces of whose life are interspersed, referencing his legacy, both as he saw it and as it has perhaps been perverted.

Annika, married and with two small children, has been somewhat ambivalent about her impending move to a country home, as well as going through rough patches in her marriage. Now she is forced to spend more time at home, with the resulting increased tension there. This is made worse by the fact that her husband, a government employee, is actively working on legislation aimed at, in Annika’s view, at least, “restricting people’s private space with surveillance and more legislation,” a subject apparently dear to the heart of this author [as it is to many others, obviously, now more than ever].

This is an exciting, well-written tale, with intriguing characters, and it is recommended.
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Jun 21, 2012 Larraine rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

It's a cold and nasty winter in Sweden when a member of the Nobel committee is gunned down. Reporter Annika Bengtzon is there to report the story. However, for a very short time she actually sees the killer. The killer, a murder for hire specialist, who goes by the name of "Kitten," makes mistakes she hasn't made before including losing her shoe which has her fingerprints on it. Annika is unable to write about what she saw due to a Swedish "disclosure" law. Meanwhile, her marriage is falling apa...more

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Jun 16, 2012 Tony Nielsen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I did things the wrong way round this time. I saw the movie version of this Liza Marklund Swedish thriller with her character Annika Bengzton. In a way I'm glad I did as the book is SO much better than the movie, which is also OK. From the rookie reporter of the Bomber Bengzton is now the go-to crime reporter at Stckholm's afternoon tabloid newspaper. While reporting on a glitzy evening on the back of Sweden's Nobel Awards committee Annika is a close witness to a brutal attack which sees one of...more

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Jun 05, 2012 Bonnie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Why do I always read the most recent novel last? Last Will by Swedish author Liza Marklund opens at the annual Nobel banquet with the heroine Annika Bengtzon attending as representative of the Evening Post, a tabloid newspaper. During the formal formal ceremony in which the new laureates dine with the Swedish royal family and assorted dignitaries, Annika is dancing with another reporter when shots are fired. The laureate for medicine and the head of the Nobel committee are hit. Because Annika is...more

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May 17, 2012 Eyehavenofilter rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scan-nor-rus-crime

I really like the way Marklund sets up her plots, revealing just enough to get you really interested, so you can't put her books down once you start.
Her central character is majorly flawed. (She is trying to keep her singing angels at bay!) (Oh Oh....!)
Her job as a reporter has put her in the crosshairs of danger many times and she is still plagued by psychological damage from situations she suffered in her past and by an affair her husband had with another woman.
This time she actually witness...more

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May 14, 2012 Paul Pessolano rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“Last Will” by Liza Marklund, published by Emily Bestler Books.

Category – Mystery/Thriller

Annika Bengtzon is a reporter for the Scandinavian newspaper, Evening Post. Annika seems to be the whipping post for just about everyone in this book. She is set upon by her two children, her husband has been in an extra-marital affair, her best friend takes advantage of her, and her boss at work is unmerciful.

Annika becomes involved in several murders that take place at a dinner for Nobel Prize scholars. A...more

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Jun 10, 2012 Charline Ratcliff rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I've only just recently discovered the reading pleasure of Liza Marklund books. Marklund is a gifted writer who provides an interesting tale in a very well-written and intriguing manner. Marklund’s latest title “Last Will,” which is also my first experience with her, was a great read.

“Last Will” is set in Stockholm, Sweden. Annika Bengtzon, a reporter for the Evening Post, is attending a Nobel Prize Award Ceremony banquet in the hopes of finding a story worthy of a front page headline. She defin...more I've only just recently discovered the reading pleasure of Liza Marklund books. Marklund is a gifted writer who provides an interesting tale in a very well-written and intriguing manner. Marklund’s latest title “Last Will,” which is also my first experience with her, was a great read.

“Last Will” is set in Stockholm, Sweden. Annika Bengtzon, a reporter for the Evening Post, is attending a Nobel Prize Award Ceremony banquet in the hopes of finding a story worthy of a front page headline. She definitely winds up getting more than she bargained for because this night comes complete with a once in a lifetime story as well as a gag order that won’t allow Annika to share it.

A female assassin known only as “the Kitten” has been hired to kill Caroline von Behring, a member of the Nobel Prize committee at the Nobel Prize Award Ceremony banquet. Moments before the Kitten ends her target’s life a clumsy dancer knocks the Kitten off balance and she comes face-to-face with Annika. Unable to stop it from happening, the Kitten and Annika make eye contact however, with nothing out of the ordinary, apart from yellow eyes and an injured foot, Annika resumes dancing with her own partner.

Moments later, hearing a muted pop; Annika looks up and sees the man currently dancing with Caroline fall to his knees. Annika hears another muffled pop and watches in stupefied silence as Caroline looks down at her fallen dance partner, then looks directly at Annika before looking down at her own chest. Annika follows Caroline’s gaze and is stunned and horrified when she realizes that Caroline is bleeding profusely. Caroline looks at Annika once more, almost as if trying to convey a message to her, before she too falls to the ground and dies seconds later.

I won’t give away any more of the story but from this point Marklund takes the reader on a winding road between Annika’s life and the Kitten’s. Marklund did a fantastic job with this tale and “Last Will” transitions seamlessly from scene to scene and country to country. An “edge of your seat” experience and a “must read” for anyone who enjoys fictional suspense / crime novels. Five stars...(less)

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Apr 19, 2012 Monica rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: scandinavia, crime-and-or-evil

So there is this ruthless blonde American hired killer called the Kitten (really!) who assassinates the chair of the Nobel prize committee (who was obsessed with Alfred Nobel, who was obsessed with Beatrice Cenci and wrote a play about her), then goes on to kill her "wing-man" and the doctor who mends her broken leg. Oh yeah, and the next chair of the same committee is murdered too. Then there is the creationist scientist who keeps interrupting conferences and ends up murdered rather colorfully....more

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Mar 05, 2013 Ron Chicaferro rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The 'Annika Bengzton' series of novels by Liza Marklund are excellent examples of how an author can weave a cliff-hanger of a mystery around a character who is a journalist and mother of two little kids. 'Last Will' is no exception. This is an amazing story of murder and deception. The hardest thing about these novels is trying to read the street and town names which are all in Swedish. The stories, though are first-rate thrillers that will keep you riveted to each page. A super series of books....more

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Aug 09, 2012 Noora rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dekkarit

Kirjan alku tuntui hyvin davincikoodimaiselta, mutta onneksi muuttui loppua kohden enemmän tavalliseksi dekkariksi. Marklundin kirjoissa ärsyttää lähinnä se, että Annikalla menee aina huonosti ja avioliitto narisee jatkuvasti liitoksissaan. Thomas taas on tosi rasittava näissä uudemmissa kirjoissa, eikä tajua yhtään Annikaa... Ihan hyvä kirja kuitenkin muuten, ei huippu, muttei huonokaan.

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May 07, 2012 Ellen Keim rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Because I really enjoy the ongoing story of the main character, I will keep on reading this series. I do think it's important to read them in order however. Otherwise you get lost about her personal and professional life. For instance, in this book, there is a reference to her "hearing angels." But as a first time reader, you have no idea what it refers to. The main character is much more complex than one of the books would reveal. So, again, read all of them if you can!

I liked this book because...more

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Feb 14, 2013 Sara rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I trudged through the first two thirds of this book and found the last third a reward for all my efforts. Slow going throughout, but packs a punch at the end. I do want to know more about the central characters and care about what happens to them. I just wish that the subject matter in this case wasn't quite so dry.

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Dec 23, 2012 Mickey Hoffman rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A depressing novel chocked full of gory details including animal torture. I wouldn't have finished the book if the torture had begun earlier in the story. By the time it came in, about 3/4 of the way through, I wanted to see who dunnit so I kept reading, but won't read another of this author's books.

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Dec 25, 2012 Susan added it · review of another edition

Shelves: swedish

Reporter Annika Bengtzon on a case - somehow the crime parts are convincing but the parts about her horrible marriage are not. Involves the Nobel prize and the awarding of it - the scientific angle is most interesting - the massive amounts of money involved and opportunity for corruption.

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Jun 06, 2012 Andy Plonka rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This one has a lot going on in it Annika is at a party at which one of the members of the committee that selects the Nobel Prize winners is killed. She'd like to write an article for her newspaper but is not permitted to do so because she might jeopardize the police inquiry. She is also admidst issues with her husband over child care and his former lover, as well as trying to keep a relationship with a girl friend from crumbling. As with most Scandinavian mystery novels, a number of social and g...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Carol Provost rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Pretty good addition to the Swedish Detectives. Not Henning mankell who is the best, in my opinion, but gripping and interesting, well drawn characters, good plot.

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Jan 08, 2013 Ann rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This gripping series continues to impress. Crime reporter Annika is one tough woman, turning to her work when her personal life is overwhelming. Looking forward to the next one.

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Jul 01, 2012 Kathryn rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Published in the US as Last Will. I liked the story, a little reminiscent of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, but not nearly as good.

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May 29, 2012 Greg rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, scandivavian

Who solves a murder mystery? Usually it is the famed police detective. Sometimes it is a private detective, an amateur sleuth, or in this case a reporter. Annika Bengtzon is at a Nobel Awards celebration when she witnesses an assasination of the head of the awards committee. With some information from a police detective, Q, she must overcome the usual family, neighbor and work issues as she digs out the story and discovers who did the original "hit" as well as subsequent murders. It is a good sc...more

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About Liza Marklund

Scandinavia’s undisputed queen of crime fiction, Liza Marklund is the No. 1 international bestselling author of the Annika Bengtzon series.

Liza Marklund was born in 1962 in the small village of Pålmark, close to the Arctic Circle in Sweden. She is an author, journalist, columnist, and goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. She is also co-owner of Piratförlaget, one of Sweden’s most successful publishing...more

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Last Will: A Novel (Annika Bengtzon (Chronological Order) #6)

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