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The Preacher (Fjällbacka #2)

by Camilla Läckberg, Steven T. Murray (Translator)

3.72 of 5 stars 3.72 · rating details · 5,640 ratings · 471 reviews

In the fishing community of Fjällbacka, life is remote, peaceful, and for some, tragically short. Foul play was always suspected in the disappearance twenty years ago of two young campers, but their bodies were never found. But now, a young boy out playing has confirmed the grim truth. Their remains are discovered alongside those of a fresh victim, sending the tiny town in...more

Hardcover, 432 pages

Published April 27th 2011 by Pegasus (first published 2004)

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The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson

Silence of the Grave by Arnaldur Indriðason

Scandinavian/Nordic Mysteries

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Swedish authors

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Dec 21, 2011 John Gaynard rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is a solid Scandinavian crime novel,which weaves together scenes of domesticity and scenes of horror, in a social democratic context that manages to have its fair share of religious fanatics. I would have rated it higher, but I felt that the use of the "omniscient" narrator sometimes got in the way of the story. I prefer to have everything necessary to the final understanding of the plot emerge from the story, rather than have the omniscient narrator come up with a lot of extra, missing mat...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Rod rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

So we continue with our two main characters, Ericka Falck and Patrik Hedström. Now, however, Ericka is pregnant and physically unable to contribute much to the investigation. In fact, she is almost entirely sidelined. So what does she do in this book, apart from being heavily pregnant and uncomfortable in the heat? She reluctantly looks after two sets of visitors who invite themselves to the summer house. The first lot are relatives (with dreadful children) to whom she has never been close, and...more So we continue with our two main characters, Ericka Falck and Patrik Hedström. Now, however, Ericka is pregnant and physically unable to contribute much to the investigation. In fact, she is almost entirely sidelined. So what does she do in this book, apart from being heavily pregnant and uncomfortable in the heat? She reluctantly looks after two sets of visitors who invite themselves to the summer house. The first lot are relatives (with dreadful children) to whom she has never been close, and the second lot an acquaintance of Patrik’s whom she stupidly invites, together with his wife, without checking with Patrik first. In both cases the visitors expect to be waited on hand and foot and appear blind to her condition. I can only think this reflects experience on the author’s part of free-loaders who descend on summer houses. Credible as they are, neither of these episodes advance the narrative in any way.

Ericka’s sister still figures, though not so much as in the first book. Anna is an animal without a backbone who, having divorced her abusive husband meekly goes back to him as a result of one act of aggression I will not spoil by describing. The author might argue that as a counterpoint to Anna we have Annika, the secretary at the police station. Annika is a strong person who, unlike Anna, has taken the wise precaution of having no children. So she is not only strong but happy. However, the way in which she practically runs the station seems far-fetched to me, and her ability to browbeat our hero Patrik does not ring true. Yes, she might well make all of the points she does in convincing him to have more sympathy for Ericka’s plight, but he would hardly end up as the cowering creature he does under her criticism.

Patrik’s boss, Mellberg, while still a cartoon character, is less in evidence in this book. There is a reason for this but I can’t refer to it without spoiling things for the reader. Which leaves three other policemen: Martin who is young and enthusiastic, Ernst, who comes across as a bad-tempered night-club bouncer, and Gösta. Gösta is nearing the end of his career and is more interested in golf than upholding the law. Much is made of his hole in one and there is a danger that he will become a stock character too. But the author develops him very well. The way she deals with his response to the crimes under investigation, and particularly his sympathy with the victims, is handled very well.

The plot is considerably more sophisticated than that of the previous novel, The Ice Princess. This doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s better, though it’s probably the sort of narrative expected of a crime writer at this time. It is at once more clever and less likely than its predecessor.

I continue to have no interest in the relationship between Ericka and Patrik, which is no doubt a reflection of me as much as the book. I don’t want to meet them again and will not be inviting them into my summerhouse.
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A note on the translation credit which reads: Translated by Henning Mankell’s Steven T Murray. I have two Mankell novels, both translated by Ebba Segerberg. Having compared one of these (Steget Efter) with the original it seems to me that Ebba has done a good job.
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Aug 23, 2011 Filipe Miguel rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: suspense, romance, crime, thriller

Surpreendentemente melhor que a "Princesa": 4.0/5.0.

Apesar da condição de Erica nesta segunda incursão por Fjällbacka, as personagens de Patrik e colegas crescem substancialmente e dão corpo à história. A somar a isto, o aparecimento de alguns familiares de Erica trazem um toque mais mundano ao livro.

"The Preacher/Gritos do Passado" é mais profundo, mais envolvente e (para mim) tem "sumo" (ao contrário do vazio da Princesa de Gelo): crença e religião.

Não é uma obra-prima, mas é, sem dúvida, bast...more

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Feb 28, 2009 The Writer rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Before I start with my review, I must inform that Prædikanten (The Preacher) is the second book written by Camilla Läckberg with the village policeman Patrik Hedström and the posh bookwriter from Stockholm Erica Falck. The first one is titled Isprinsessen (The Ice Princess) and you could find the review here.

Falck, who got knocked up by Hedström after they got together in the first book (one starts to wonder how slutty can one be? LOL Just kidding), was now moving to Fjällbacka, a small village...more Before I start with my review, I must inform that Prædikanten (The Preacher) is the second book written by Camilla Läckberg with the village policeman Patrik Hedström and the posh bookwriter from Stockholm Erica Falck. The first one is titled Isprinsessen (The Ice Princess) and you could find the review here.

Falck, who got knocked up by Hedström after they got together in the first book (one starts to wonder how slutty can one be? LOL Just kidding), was now moving to Fjällbacka, a small village near Göteborg in Sweden, for good. She lived in her old folks' house with the goofy policeman and had to refrain herself from too much investigating activity now that she looked like an elephant with her huge belly.

Therefore, now the investigation act was conducted by Hedström as he was suddenly called in from his holiday to handle a murder case in the small town. A body of a naked woman and two skeletons were found in some touristy spot in Fjällbacka. The woman turned out to be a German tourist wandering in Sweden while the other two skeletons were the remnants of the two missing women in the mid 1978s.

With Hedström leading the investigation, helped by a bunch of airheads at the policestation, the Fjällbacka police corps surprisngly could uncover the dark past of the Hult family. The grandfather, Ephraim Hult, was a well-known local preacher. His two sons - Johannes and Gabriel - were blessed with the ability to cure people and they were local legends. It all went smoothly until summer 1978 when Gabriel reported his own brother to the police after he saw the missing woman climbed up to Johannes car and never to be seen again.

The Hult family intrigue is already interesting enough to be explored further in the book. It's like the good old The Bold and the Beautiful TV-series kind of style. Poor people resent rich people and the other way around. Ex-beauty queen-turned-into-fat-cow Solveig Hult blamed Gabriel's family for her husband Johannes' suicide and Gabriel despised Solveig and his two criminal sons Robert and Johan for keep barging into their lives and demanding their rights on the farm they were living in.

Sure enough, Fjällbacka is suddenly the criminal capital of Sweden again as Hedström tried to figure out what had really happened 30 years ago in that small town and why all tracks always lead back to the Hult family.

The book is a real teaser and apparently Läckberg has perfected her art of writing as she beautifully played her readers curiousity by switching between one scene to another without disrupting the continuity of her novel. It's definitely better than Isprinsessen but you can't really see Godfather 2 (no matter how good it is) before watching Godfather 1 first, right? I feel the same with the Falck-Hedström duo solving Fjällbacka's mysterious histories. I absolutely can't wait to read the third book called "Stenhuggeren". Bear with me and wait for the next review! (less)

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Apr 12, 2013 Ingrid Verschelling rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

Predikant is het tweede boek van Camilla Läckberg met in de hoofdrollen inspecteur Patrik Hedström en zijn partner Erica Falck. Het verhaal speelt zich, net zoals het eerste verhaal IJsprinses, af in het plaatsje Tanumshede bij het Zweedse vissersdorpje Fjällbacka aan de Scherenkust. In de Koningskloof aldaar wordt het mishandelde lichaam van een jonge vrouw gevonden. Ze was als liftster meegenomen. Haar ouders staan op de camping van Fjällbacka. Onder dit lichaam worden nog twee skeletten gevon...more

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Oct 26, 2012 Roos Boum rated it 2 of 5 stars

I read the Dutch translation of the book

Pas op, ik spoil. Dus als je hem nog wilt lezen, deze recensie niet te ver door lezen.

Voor het eerst dat ik iets lees van deze schrijfster. Ik vond het boek fijn om te lezen, maar het was niet zo dat ik het niet weg kon leggen. Voor mijn doen heb ik er erg lang over gedaan. Bijna een week. Een echt goed boek kan ik niet wegleggen en haalt dezelfde avond nog niet. Wat ik lastig vond bij dit boek waren de vele vele personen die erin meespelen. Daarbij hadden...more

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Oct 21, 2012 Christine rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was not familiar with this author before reading this book, but I am a new fan! This book has elements of a police procedural with a scary killer like something out of a John Sandford novel. The book takes place in a small Swedish village and I love the main characters of Patrik, the police detective leading up a murder investigation, and his girlfriend Erica, who is a writer. Patrik is an intelligent, caring person and his relationship with Erica is relatable and realistic. The book is suspen...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Alex rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: swedish, the-cold-and-bloody-north, crime

18 months after the events of The Ice Princess, Läckberg has shifted her prime focus from Erica to Patrik. Crime is emphasised and the domestic takes a backseat. For the most part this works, because Läckberg takes the opportunity to thoroughly examine the recurring cast that she has set up for the series, but a pregnant Erica and a domestically disturbed Anna become little more than bit players as a result.

The other people who suffer are the family that Patrik bases his investigation around, be...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Paula rated it 3 of 5 stars

Camilla Lackberg is receiving some accolades as Sweden’s female Stieg Larsson. So I read “The Stonecutter,” the third in the series featuring Patrick Hedstrom and liked it well enough to go back and see what I missed in the first two books. I was able to find an ebook publication of “The Preacher” in our digital public library. Since this is the second in the series, I seem to be working backwards! This time, the large cast of characters was a bit easier to take, although the “Washington Post” r...more

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Jun 27, 2012 Artist Erin rated it 5 of 5 stars

The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg- Book Review By Erin Miller

A review of a Swedish crime mystery author. Lackberg is a decent author. I am still annoyed that The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg is actually the second book in her series with the police officer Patrik Hedstrom and writer Erica Falck. I didn’t find out it was the second book in the series until I was in the middle of the book.

I have to say the reason I picked this up in the first place is because I am having a writer’s block right now...more The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg- Book Review By Erin Miller

A review of a Swedish crime mystery author. Lackberg is a decent author. I am still annoyed that The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg is actually the second book in her series with the police officer Patrik Hedstrom and writer Erica Falck. I didn’t find out it was the second book in the series until I was in the middle of the book.

I have to say the reason I picked this up in the first place is because I am having a writer’s block right now with my series with the characters Jackie Miller and Honey Elizabeth. Jackie is a police officer and Honey is a teacher/writer. So, I picked up The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg for purely selfish reasons after I read the back cover.

The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg takes place in Fjallbacka, Sweden. Erica Falck is pregnant with Patrik’s child. These two are on vacation when Patrik gets a call from his superintendent Mellberg. In an area known as the King’s cleft a six year old boy has discovered a woman’s bloody corpse. Patrik now has to search for the murderer and two skeletons were found under the woman’s corpse.

Eventually a teenage girl goes missing as well. Patrik and his team are looking everywhere and all the clues point to a family of religious fanatics. Back in the 70s this family had a dirty history and when Patrik’s investigation continually points back to this family, more secrets are revealed. In the book there is an interesting twist to the plot and it definitely makes a good read.

I rate The Preacher by Camilla Lackberg a 10 out of 10. I am just sad about one thing. I read this book to get inspiration since the storyline itself is very similar to my own. Unfortunately, I still have a writer’s block.

I definitely want to check out Lackberg’s first novel The Ice Princess. I saw some of the reviews for her book The Preacher say it wasn’t as good as her first book. Some of the reviews also mentioned that Erica should have had a bigger part to play. So now I have to check it out for myself.

Read more: http://bookstove.com/book-talk/the-pr...

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Mar 09, 2012 Michèle Beck rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

J'avais un peu peur de m'engager dans cette lecture, alors que j'avais lu le premier tome des années avant, j'avais peur d'être larguée sur certains sujets, et finalement non, ça a été.
Donc si vous n'avez pas lu le tome 1 et que vous avez la possibilité de lire celui-ci, foncez !
Vous ne serez pas perdu, et en plus, vous passerez un bon moment.

On retrouve donc Erica, enceinte jusqu'aux dents, et même si elle est très présente dans cette histoire, elle reste à l'écart de l'enquête, pour son plus g...more J'avais un peu peur de m'engager dans cette lecture, alors que j'avais lu le premier tome des années avant, j'avais peur d'être larguée sur certains sujets, et finalement non, ça a été.
Donc si vous n'avez pas lu le tome 1 et que vous avez la possibilité de lire celui-ci, foncez !
Vous ne serez pas perdu, et en plus, vous passerez un bon moment.

On retrouve donc Erica, enceinte jusqu'aux dents, et même si elle est très présente dans cette histoire, elle reste à l'écart de l'enquête, pour son plus grand malheur, puisqu'elle ne supporte pas de rester chez elle à ne rien faire !

C'est son compagnon Patrik qui mène donc l'enquête, et qui se retrouve avec trois cadavres et un enlèvement sur les bras. On suit son parcourt dans cette difficile enquête qui nous ramène une vingtaine d'années plus tôt, et on découvre aussi de quelle manière il vit cette enquête, et l'impacte qu'elle a sur sa vie privée. Comment concilier ce métier avec une vie de famille, surtout quand on va être papa, et toutes les questions qu'on est amené à ce poser, comme "serai-je capable de protéger mon enfant de ce monde de violence?"

Malgré le thème grave (meurtre, enlèvement...) c'est facile à lire, et à aucun moment on passe dans du gore ou trop sanglant. Mais moi qui aime ça, j'avoue que parfois, ça m'a un peu manqué.

Erica ne participe donc pas à l'enquête, mais la pauvre, elle ne reste pas sans rien faire !

J'ai adoré les passages la concernant, même si en fin de compte ça n'avait absolument rien à voir avec l'enquête.

Elle vit les dernières semaines de sa grossesse pendant la canicule, et de la famille et des amis vont taper l'incruste comme pas permis chez elle, ce qui nous donne des scènes à mourir de rire, mais oh combien énervantes quand on se met à la place d'Erica.

Vous l'aurez compris, ce fut une lecture vraiment agréable, et il me tarde maintenant de continuer avec Le tailleur de pierre et ainsi de prendre des nouvelles d'Erica et de Patrik, car oui, je me suis attachée à eux... (less)

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Mar 06, 2012 Doreen added it

This second Falck/Hedstrom mystery begins with the discovery of the body of a young woman; beneath her body lie two skeletons of young women who disappeared two decades earlier.

Patrik leads the investigation. The evidence soon points to a member of the family of Ephraim Hult, a charismatic preacher. The family includes misfits, criminals, and religious fanatics, so there are plenty of suspects from which to choose.

Lackberg's strength lies in the psychological depth she gives her characters. An e...more

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Feb 06, 2012 Book Him Danno rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

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

How much does parenting matter, or rather, how much can you screw up a kid if you really tried? Almost every plot, both main and background, focus on a parent child relationship. At center we have three generations of fathers and sons creating an environment where horrific crimes against young girls could be permitted. But every side plot also involved some parent child relationship with a sliding scale of disfunctionality.

The plot successfully exposes the pitfalls that can have deadly conseque...more How much does parenting matter, or rather, how much can you screw up a kid if you really tried? Almost every plot, both main and background, focus on a parent child relationship. At center we have three generations of fathers and sons creating an environment where horrific crimes against young girls could be permitted. But every side plot also involved some parent child relationship with a sliding scale of disfunctionality.

The plot successfully exposes the pitfalls that can have deadly consequences when we take an end justifies the means approach. For example, relatives make a surprise visit the lead detective and his very pregnant wife, taking advantage of their kind nature. They take a very hands off approach to parenting as not to squash their children’s inquisitive nature (and it is “okay” because she is a child psychologist). The consequence to this approach is the child inevitably turns out to be a major pain in the butt. We all know those parents and their kids - this is a universal truth.

Later on one of the lead characters is acting as a parent figure to a troubled young man and decides not to give specific instruction to him. He basically parented good values as long as they were convenient for his needs, but when he needed some trouble taken care of, not a word of what not to do. In this situation the young man reverts to his old ways, what he knows, and commits a terrible assault.

You have on one hand the Preacher, a long since deceased patriarch who through his lies and manipulation has led to the death and general ruination of multiple lives. And then you have our lead detective who is well on his way to becoming a first time father. Every generation has the opportunity to make a change to their family path. The problem usually is people often pick the wrong things to purge, and the worst things to incorporate.

The problems I did have with the book were technical in nature. The translation was a little bumpy and I never felt like that the story ever got into a good flow. Not helping that cause were the 40 page chapters and multiple side plots going on. For example we spend a little time with the detective’s wife’s sister. As I can figure she has escaped an abusive man only to hook up with another one. Then she receives a threatening phone call from the ex who then proceeds to destroy everything in her new apartment. The book ends with her moving in with him again (WHAT??). Then we conveniently get a rapist turning up as a red herring for 5 pages. Now you see him, now you don’t.

The biggest problem though was the complete lack of motivation of the whole mystery until the end. Typically a detective will work through all the angles of the crime and slowly figure out who they are trying to catch. Sometimes you get to spend time with the criminal which will add meaning to the plot, but here we only get to spend time with the victims in which we learn that the criminal hurts them, is nice to them, repeat until dead. Essentially at the end the perpetrator is arrested and then he explains the whys, because you have no clue until then. To me that feels like cheating.

Not the best example of Swedish crime fiction, but worth the read.

Thank you T. Stevens for this review. 3 1/2 stars
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Nov 16, 2011 Bruce rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. I occasionally read fiction and this is one of the better mysteries that I have read. The main character is Patrik Hedstrom, a married police detective. Unlike the police detectives in Indridason (Inspector Erlendur)and Henning Mankell (Kurt Wallander) Hedstrom is in a stable relationship with his girlfriend who is in her eighth or ninth month of pregnancy. Inasmuch as the victims are young females an added impetus to solve the crime quickly. Though mid-way through the book one has an idea of wh...more

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Nov 04, 2011 Jill rated it 3 of 5 stars

In the summer of 2003, in Fjällbacka, Sweden, the newly dead body of a young girl is found on top of the skeletons of two other dead girls who had been missing since 1979. Detective Patrik Hedström, who we met in Lackberg’s previous book, The Ice Princess, is called back from his vacation to take charge of the case.

Hedström now lives with Erica Falck, who is eight months pregnant with their baby. (Erica was the main character in The Ice Princess.) It is hot, and Erica is miserable, but Patrik's...more

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Oct 25, 2011 Dee rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

this was a good read. Not as fast past as some of my recent reads, but very good! enjoyed it!

Läckberg weaves a solid thriller that will gratify fans of Liza Marklund, Stieg Larsson, and the team of Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom. This fast-paced tale ensures Läckberg’s place on the A-list of Scandinavian crime writers. (Booklist )

Läckberg’s many-layered story features plot twists and turns galore…. Patrik and Erica continue to evolve, leading readers to become increasingly involved in their...more

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Jul 14, 2011 Sheila rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: cultural, relationships, mystery, suspense

A small boy plays among the rocks of a well-known Swedish tourist spot. A policeman sleeps beside his heavily pregnant wife. A rebellious teen heads home. There’s an oppressive summer heat hanging over all, and then there’s a dead and very curiously positioned body. The scene is set for an exciting Swedish mystery, and the reader is pulled into the lives of a large and varied assortment of characters, each viewing the world in their own different ways, each hiding secrets as they navigate the wo...more

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Jun 26, 2011 Kathleen Hagen added it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011-audio-books, 2011-mysteries

The Preacher, by Camilla Lackberg, A-minus, narrated by David Thorn, produced by Highbridge Audio, downloaded from audible.com.

In the fishing community of Fjallbacka,Sweden, life is remote and peaceful, even with so many tourists present. Foul play was always suspected in the disappearance
20 years ago of two young female tourists in the area. Their bodies were never found. But now a young boy found the body of a woman, and with her are the bones of what turns out to be the two tourists from 20 y...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Anna rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, bookcrossing

A Swedish police procedural that is supposed to be thrilling, or at least is advertised as a thrilling one. But all the concentrating on the people and their motives and relationships and their inner dialogue makes it a cozy procedural. I'd love more thrill.

A local detective in a small city somewhere in Sweden, Patrik Hedström, is investigating a murder. A naked, broken body is found close to holiday area, and two other bodies that turn out to be for people who disappeared 24 years ago, were fou...more

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Mar 19, 2011 June Ahern rated it 2 of 5 stars

"The Preacher" is Swedish author Camilla Lackberg's second police mystery mystery. I did not read the first one, and think after this book, probably will not. As I said in the past about my reviews of book and critique of authors' works is often based upon my reading preference at the time of reading it. The story is set in Fjallbacka, a Swedish coastal town and begins with a young female’s body found murdered. On further investigation her body is placed on top of the remains of two young girls...more

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Jul 19, 2012 Caroline rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction, mystery, police-dectective, suspense

I really enjoy this author's books, this one being my second. She really knows how to weave a fantasticly, suspenseful plot with lots of interesting characters. A number of the main characters from her first book, were also in this one, which I liked. The location of the story, Sweden, is also interesting. I am already on the waiting list at the library for her new one, The Stonecutter, but see that it will be a while since I am number 45 on the list.
I had both the hardcopy of the book and the...more

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Nov 03, 2011 Mary Gilligan-Nolan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I picked this up in the library, having seen the author being recommended several times recently. I think it's the second book in the series, I did seem to be reading out of sequence, but apart from the development of the relationship between Patrik and Erica, it did not hamper the story in any way. It was a little odd reading the Swedish names of places, as I knew I was not correctly reading the pronunciations, however again, it did not matter. It was a good enough story to ignore this and get...more

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May 16, 2013 Ingrid Fasquelle rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

La Princesse des Glaces m'avait offert une vue imprenable sur le charme désuet et macabre de Fjällbacka. J'y avais rencontré des autochtones inoubliables, croqués et analysés à merveille, plongé avec délice dans les strates d'une petite société provinciale dont la surface trop tranquille cachait des eaux plus troubles que je ne l'aurais soupçonné... Autant dire que j'attendais beaucoup de ce deuxième tome !

Le Prédicateur ne m'a pas déçue. Plus abouti que le premier opus, le récit fait sans cesse...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Valerie rated it 5 of 5 stars

I believe this is the third of Ms. Lackberg's novels I have read, the others being "The Ice Princess" and "The Stonecutter", although this is actually the second one she wrote. This one I have to say I thought was the best of the three, with the family dynamics very well written about, as well as the thriller aspect of the murders of four young women. It also shows how terribly harmful it can be to be a con-man who convinces children of his miracles, to see some of those children grow up and won...more

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Sep 27, 2012 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: crime, scandinavian

Second book in the Erica Falck and Patrik Hedström series, THE PREACHER continues the personal story of these two characters, whilst taking the reader into another past / present scenario. I think I'm going to have to start a count of this sort of storyline as it seems to be cropping up all over the place. In this case the present connects with the past when the body of a young tourist is located in the place where the bones of two missing tourists, missing for 20 years, are then discovered. A s...more Second book in the Erica Falck and Patrik Hedström series, THE PREACHER continues the personal story of these two characters, whilst taking the reader into another past / present scenario. I think I'm going to have to start a count of this sort of storyline as it seems to be cropping up all over the place. In this case the present connects with the past when the body of a young tourist is located in the place where the bones of two missing tourists, missing for 20 years, are then discovered. A second young female goes missing and the race is on.

Apart from the locations, and the setting for this book there's not a lot unusual in the plot-line here, nor are there any particular stand out elements in the way that the investigation is undertaken. Focus falls on the local misfits, clues keep leading back to them, but which family member and what is the explanation for the 20 year gap.

The personal life aspects of this book do seem to take a lot of the focus. Erica's very advanced pregnancy means that she's unable to contribute to the investigation, instead a series of unwelcome guests in the house cause problems in the extreme heat, simply by refusing to leave.

I must admit the personal aspects, whilst amusing for a while, got pretty predictable quickly, and Erica's inability to show all these annoying people the door vaguely bewildering. As are her sisters actions, in an ongoing storyline from the first book. A lot of this wandering around in the personal didn't really seem to be advancing the story anywhere in particular, and I've no idea why on earth most of it was there.

Buried somewhere under all this personal chitchat, there is a plot lurking which was actually quite interesting. The first book THE ICE PRINCESS interested me slightly more than THE PREACHER, and I'd think that readers would be best off starting with the earlier book, as there's a lot that won't make a lot of sense in THE PREACHER without it. Whilst I was a bit disappointed in this book, this is a series I'm planning on continuing with as long as I can still see glimmers of something interesting.
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Mar 20, 2010 Henni rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, krimi

Kunne man give halve stjerner ville denne have fået 3½.

Nordens krimidronning kalder man Camilla Läckberg, det er jeg nok ikke helt enig i. (jeg stemmer på Sara Blædel)
Det er en spændende krimi, men ligger meget op ad lignende typer bøger fra svenske krmiforfattere som ex Åsa Larsson. Dog er Läckbergs meget bedre skrevet.
Det er nummer to i serien om Patrik Hedström, men jeg havde ingen problemer med at følge med, selvom jeg ikke har læst den første, historien foregår på en typisk søvnig politist...more

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May 21, 2013 Tony Nielsen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Yet another Scandanavian thriller, this time by Camilla Lackberg, and it's a good 'un. My quest for exploring this genre seems to know no bounds, but I'm not complaining. The local library provided the opportunity this time and it was another enthralling read. When a body is found in a local coastal spot the big surprise is that two long dead skeletons are underneath the body. And so, the Lackberg's cop character Patrik Hellstrom is thrown into the investigation, despite the fact that he's enjoy...more

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Dec 24, 2012 Saretta rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biblioteca, crime, crime-detective-story, language-ita

Come l'autrice sia definita la nuova Agatha Christie mi è sempre meno chiaro, il giallo in questione ruota attorno a un'unica famiglia e il lettore può, senza difficoltà, ridurre la rosa dei colpevoli e anche trovare l'assassino.
Le indagini questa volta le segue completamente Patrik, Erika, incinta, si limita a vagare in casa afflitta da visite di amici e parenti e dal caldo (ma proprio caldissimo) - qualcosa evidentemente mi sfugge della Svezia, e io che mi lamento dell'afa in Lombardia.

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Why...more

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Jun 25, 2011 Rafal Jasinski rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Intryga drugiej książki z cyklu jest z pewnością dużo lepiej dopracowana i przemyślana, ciekawsza i obfitująca w całkiem zaskakujące zwroty akcji, jednak pisarce, po raz kolejny, nie udało się nadać powieści odpowiedniego ciężaru gatunkowego. Dzięki odpowiedniemu zawikłaniu akcji daje się chwilami przymknąć oko na banalnie rozpisane wątki obyczajowe, przynoszące na myśl historie z telewizyjnej opery mydlanej, oraz fakt, że większość bohaterów tej powieści to nijacy statyści, mało wiarygodni w sł...more

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May 01, 2009 Guy rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mysteries, nordic, translated-literature, sweden, fiction

From the reactions to her writing from serious literary figures in Sweden, I expected this book to be trash. But to my surprise, it was a remarkably workmanlike classical murder mystery, with lots of suspects, a complicated plot, suspense, some humor, and NO cheating or pulling rabbits out of hats.
I wonder what is keeping these from being published in English more quickly--clearly she is the hot number in Swedish crime at the moment.

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About Camilla Läckberg

Born in 1974, Camilla Läckberg graduated from Gothenburg University of Economics, before moving to Stockholm where she worked for a few years as an economist. However, a course in creative crime writing became the trigger to a drastic change of career. Her first four novels all became Swedish bestsellers. Läckberg's books are always set in or around her birthplace, the small Swedish west coast tow...more

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