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Joona Linna #3
The Fire Witness
Lars Kepler, the authors of The Hypnotist and The Nightmare, deliver their most thrilling novel yet
Flora Hansen calls herself a medium and makes a living by pretending to commune with the dead. But after a gruesome murder at a rural home for wayward girls, Hansen begins to suffer visions that are all too real. She calls the police claiming to have seen a ghost, but only one detective puts aside his skepticism long enough to listen: Joona Linna.
Linna has spent more time at the scene of the crime than any other detective would. The case seems obvious on the face of it: One of the girls at the home escaped in the middle of the night, leaving behind a bloody bed with a hammer under the pillow. But why does Hansen insist that the murder instrument was a stone, not a hammer? And what's the story behind the dark-red grain of sand, almost like a splinter from a ruby, stuck beneath the dead girl's fingernail? As Linna refuses to accept the easy answers, his search leads him into darker, more violent territory and, finally, to a shocking confrontation with a figure from his past.
Just as The Hypnotist and The Nightmare did, The Fire Witness has spent months at number one on the Swedish bestseller lists. As the newspaper Dagens Nyheter put it, you start the book "on the subway home, keep reading at the dinner table, and then don't stop until well into the wee hours." With publication to come in more than fifteen countries, it's sure to join the ranks of its predecessors as an international sensation.
Flora Hansen calls herself a medium and makes a living by pretending to commune with the dead. But after a gruesome murder at a rural home for wayward girls, Hansen begins to suffer visions that are all too real. She calls the police claiming to have seen a ghost, but only one detective puts aside his skepticism long enough to listen: Joona Linna.
Linna has spent more time at the scene of the crime than any other detective would. The case seems obvious on the face of it: One of the girls at the home escaped in the middle of the night, leaving behind a bloody bed with a hammer under the pillow. But why does Hansen insist that the murder instrument was a stone, not a hammer? And what's the story behind the dark-red grain of sand, almost like a splinter from a ruby, stuck beneath the dead girl's fingernail? As Linna refuses to accept the easy answers, his search leads him into darker, more violent territory and, finally, to a shocking confrontation with a figure from his past.
Just as The Hypnotist and The Nightmare did, The Fire Witness has spent months at number one on the Swedish bestseller lists. As the newspaper Dagens Nyheter put it, you start the book "on the subway home, keep reading at the dinner table, and then don't stop until well into the wee hours." With publication to come in more than fifteen countries, it's sure to join the ranks of its predecessors as an international sensation.
12 pages, Audio CD
First published November 11, 2011
968 people are currently reading
10054 people want to read
About the author
Lars Kepler
62 books5,840 followersLars Kepler is the pseudonym of critically acclaimed husband and wife team Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril, authors of the No. 1 internationally bestselling Joona Linna series. With seven installments to date, the series has sold 13 million copies in 40 languages. The Ahndorils were both established writers before they adopted the pen name Lars Kepler, and have each published several acclaimed novels.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,737 reviews
March 13, 2021
(B+) 78% | Good
Notes: Clever and on-point, it finally presents its detective as the main character rather than a mere component perspective.
Notes: Clever and on-point, it finally presents its detective as the main character rather than a mere component perspective.
February 18, 2022
Die selbstmordgefährdete Miranda und ihre Betreuerin Elisabeth werden in einem Wohnheim getötet. Beide werden erschlagen, jedoch mit unterschiedlichen Waffen. Joona Linna vom Landeskriminalamt ist zwar momentan wegen interner Ermittlungen vom Dienst freigestellt, aber er soll sich den Fall trotzdem als Beobachter einmal ansehen. Warum mussten Miranda und Elisabeth sterben, und warum wurden zwei unterschiedliche Waffen benutzt? Der für den Fall zuständige Polizist Gunnarsson ist alles andere als erfreut über die Einmischung von Joona Linna.
* Meine Meinung *
Joona Linna ist ein sympathischer Polizist, der auf jeden Fall seinen eigenen Kopf hat und sich nicht immer an die Weisungen seiner Vorgesetzten hält. Er ist klug und meistens auch einfühlsam.
Die Krimihandlung ist sehr spannend und rätselhaft. Mit jedem Kapitel erfährt man ein wenig mehr, und dennoch weisen das Ende der Geschichte und die Auflösung der Morde überraschende Wendungen auf.
Die Hauptcharaktere sind gut herausgearbeitet, so dass man sich ein ausreichendes Bild von ihnen machen kann.
Es gibt aber auch ein paar Dinge, die ich nicht nachvollziehen kann. Dazu gehört zum Beispiel, dass es in diesem Wohnheim für selbstmordgefährdete Mädchen immer nur eine Betreuerin gibt. In der Mordnacht ist es Elisabeth, und sogar nach den Morden wird nur Solveig als Betreuung eingeteilt, und die verschwindet dann auch noch für ein paar Stunden und lässt die Mädchen – die ja immerhin suizidgefährdet sind – ganz alleine.
Mir hat es aber dennoch viel Spaß gemacht, dieses Buch zu lesen, so dass ich bestimmt noch weitere Fälle von Joona Linna verfolgen werde!
* Meine Meinung *
Joona Linna ist ein sympathischer Polizist, der auf jeden Fall seinen eigenen Kopf hat und sich nicht immer an die Weisungen seiner Vorgesetzten hält. Er ist klug und meistens auch einfühlsam.
Die Krimihandlung ist sehr spannend und rätselhaft. Mit jedem Kapitel erfährt man ein wenig mehr, und dennoch weisen das Ende der Geschichte und die Auflösung der Morde überraschende Wendungen auf.
Die Hauptcharaktere sind gut herausgearbeitet, so dass man sich ein ausreichendes Bild von ihnen machen kann.
Es gibt aber auch ein paar Dinge, die ich nicht nachvollziehen kann. Dazu gehört zum Beispiel, dass es in diesem Wohnheim für selbstmordgefährdete Mädchen immer nur eine Betreuerin gibt. In der Mordnacht ist es Elisabeth, und sogar nach den Morden wird nur Solveig als Betreuung eingeteilt, und die verschwindet dann auch noch für ein paar Stunden und lässt die Mädchen – die ja immerhin suizidgefährdet sind – ganz alleine.
Mir hat es aber dennoch viel Spaß gemacht, dieses Buch zu lesen, so dass ich bestimmt noch weitere Fälle von Joona Linna verfolgen werde!
June 6, 2019
Kepler's third thriller surpasses all expectations laid out in the previous two novels, placing Joona Linna in the spotlight of this terrifying story with no halt in the action. Detective Inspector Joona Linna has been placed on quasi-administrative leave, as internal affairs investigates a violation he made while on the job. While not actively investigating, he is called to consult when a teenage girl and night nurse are found with their heads caved in at a secure group home for troubled youth. With one of the girls missing from the facility, all eyes turn to her as a suspect, especially one a bloody hammer is found under her pillow and the windowsill is covered in her bloodied fingerprints. While the manhunt (girlhunt?) is on, a car is jacked with a young boy found therein. Authorities deem this girl, Vicky Bennet, both a murderer and kidnapper. Meanwhile, Flora Hansen begins having visions of a murder that resembles the one reported at the group home, a power she was not aware she possessed. After placing numerous calls to the authorities, who dismiss her, she reaches out to Linna. After a rocky start, Linna and Flora work together to determine how involved young Vicky might be in the murders, and what lies beneath the story of Flora's numerous visions. With an ending that no reader could have seen coming, Kepler has saved the best yet for this novel, sure to pull readers in with reckless abandon.
Fans of the Kepler series will highly enjoy this novel, as it pulls on the foundation laid in THE HYPNOTIST and THE NIGHTMARE. The novel uses a technique I have discussed at length in other reviews, called the Patterson Chapter system, whereby the author uses short, clipped chapters to lure the reader in to read 'just one more' and eventually finds themselves ensconced in the story while hours have passed. Kepler has used the knowledge of Linna and other minor characters to prepare this thriller and make it all the more enjoyable. As usual, a great sub-story (or two) gives the reader an in-depth look at some of the supporting cast, such that a personal connection is reached with ease. This can, for the avid and attentive reader, show that said character will play a key role in the overall story. While Flora's 'medium' capabilities were surely involved in the case, I felt there could have been more of a focus on this aspect of the story, though the entire plot was full enough with many of the threads Kepler wove into the novel. With a great deal of Joona Linna personal backstory presented in this novel, readers can finally have a better understanding of this man and the horrors he has lived through that brought him to where he finds himself today. Stellar breadcrumbs that I can only hope receive much more discussion in the next instalment. Kepler's greatest work to date, with another one on my bookshelf yet to come.
Kudos, Lars Kepler for this addition to the Joona Linna series. As things keep progressing, I am sure to be entertained with the next novel as Linna's role keeps developing.
Fans of the Kepler series will highly enjoy this novel, as it pulls on the foundation laid in THE HYPNOTIST and THE NIGHTMARE. The novel uses a technique I have discussed at length in other reviews, called the Patterson Chapter system, whereby the author uses short, clipped chapters to lure the reader in to read 'just one more' and eventually finds themselves ensconced in the story while hours have passed. Kepler has used the knowledge of Linna and other minor characters to prepare this thriller and make it all the more enjoyable. As usual, a great sub-story (or two) gives the reader an in-depth look at some of the supporting cast, such that a personal connection is reached with ease. This can, for the avid and attentive reader, show that said character will play a key role in the overall story. While Flora's 'medium' capabilities were surely involved in the case, I felt there could have been more of a focus on this aspect of the story, though the entire plot was full enough with many of the threads Kepler wove into the novel. With a great deal of Joona Linna personal backstory presented in this novel, readers can finally have a better understanding of this man and the horrors he has lived through that brought him to where he finds himself today. Stellar breadcrumbs that I can only hope receive much more discussion in the next instalment. Kepler's greatest work to date, with another one on my bookshelf yet to come.
Kudos, Lars Kepler for this addition to the Joona Linna series. As things keep progressing, I am sure to be entertained with the next novel as Linna's role keeps developing.
September 4, 2025
When two murders are committed in a specialized home, and a young girl, more than suspicious, disappears, Jonna Linna is charged with the role of "observer" but will be enormously involved in the investigation, convinced that elements escape the attention of all involved.
I had a little trouble immersing myself in this thriller, as I was initially disturbed by the few inconsistencies at the start of the investigation. The action unfolds quite slowly until an ending that one does not necessarily expect, yet is not entirely surprising. The elements brought together in the story are a bit "boat" (specialized home, a young girl with a troubled past, Unveiling the hidden text ...), so there are sometimes heavy feelings of déjà vu when you often read thrillers.
However, we get attached to the main characters fairly quickly, the suspense is relatively well-managed, and the reading is fluid. I had a good time, although I'm unsure if I will read more Lars Kepler in the future.
I had a little trouble immersing myself in this thriller, as I was initially disturbed by the few inconsistencies at the start of the investigation. The action unfolds quite slowly until an ending that one does not necessarily expect, yet is not entirely surprising. The elements brought together in the story are a bit "boat" (specialized home, a young girl with a troubled past, Unveiling the hidden text ...), so there are sometimes heavy feelings of déjà vu when you often read thrillers.
However, we get attached to the main characters fairly quickly, the suspense is relatively well-managed, and the reading is fluid. I had a good time, although I'm unsure if I will read more Lars Kepler in the future.
June 24, 2013
I was so fortunate to receive a free download of "The Fire Witness" by Lars Kepler through the NetGalley book review program, in exchange for an honest review. This is the third book in the Joona Linna series by Lars Kepler, author of "The Hypnotist" and "The Nightmare". As I was so impressed with The Hypnotist, and plan to read The Nightmare, I couldn't wait to read the latest novel...and I was not disappointed. This is a psychological thriller at it's best.
Detective Inspector Joona Linna, from Stockholm, with fifteen years experience, is on a personal leave of absence as a result of an internal investigation, searching for Rosa Bergman, the only person who knows where his wife and daughter are.
Joona receives a call from Carlos Eliasson, Chief of the National Police, asking for his assistance regarding a violent and bloody murder in Sundsvall,of a girl, found in bed with her hands over her face. Her head was smashed in. Joona is to act strictly as a observer on the case...but that didn't last too long, as he soon became totally involved in solving the case. Joona puts himself in the mind of the killer.
The killing takes place in a state-approved home for troubled girls, ranging in age from twelve to seventeen. Elisabet Grimm is the night nurse at this home and her husband, Daniel is the therapist, for these eight girls. A fight breaks out one night between two of the girls, and Elisabet puts Miranda in isolation, while the other girls are sent off to bed. Elisabet then takes her sleeping pills to retire for the evening. One of the girls, gets up in the middle of the night, sees the isolation room open, with the keys in the door,and discovers Miranda dead. The girls panicked when they couldn't find the night nurse, and called Daniel, the therapist.
Daniel Grim takes Joona to meet the girls and see if anyone was a witness. But Vicky is absent and her room is at the end of the hall. When Joona goes to investigate he finds blood in the room, on the sheets and a bloody hammer under her pillow with traces of hair. The evidence points to Vicky...but where has she gone? Could she have done such a terrible thing...but more important WHY?
This is such a gripping fast paced thriller that has you glued to your chair to find out the WHO and the WHY. I couldn't put this novel down. A definite 5 star rating.
March 26, 2013
Peguei hoje neste livro, estava na página 106. Li-o num ápice, e foram mais de 400 páginas! Brutal!
http://verovsky-meninadospoliciais.bl...
http://verovsky-meninadospoliciais.bl...
October 24, 2019
amazing and beautiful thriller. it takes a bit of time to get to it height but once it is there it really fly. it is sensitive and deep and touch the nerve with a story that deal mainly with children abuse. even the killer who kills innocent girls is touched by this, been an adopted child with no clear history.
all main characters are wounded ones and Joona the investigator carry the heaviest burden. there are some flaws. i did not like the sex appearance it is a bit forced but it have its function. great writing.
all main characters are wounded ones and Joona the investigator carry the heaviest burden. there are some flaws. i did not like the sex appearance it is a bit forced but it have its function. great writing.
June 12, 2013
Policiais como este são MUITO bem vindos a chegar ao pé de mim. Tem o enredo que eu adoro ler, com uma trama principal mas com vários outros mistérios a acontecer em simultâneo que vão ser ligados ao principal no fim.
Um assassino/culpado que nunca na minha vida ia desconfiar. A motivação por trás das acções dele, completamente diferente de tudo o que já li. Remonta à infância e a histórias que se contam entre a família. . .
Temos A VIDENTE. . . a vidente que ao início parece que não vai ser relevante, mas que ficamos desconfiados do contrário pois dá nome à obra (e que obra!).
Temos um vislumbre do passado de Joona Linna (o polícia) e do quanto ele abdicou em prol da família e da sua protecção. . .
Uma decisão que o levou a ganhar anos de solidão e tormento e a provocar estes mesmos sentimentos à sua família. . . tudo por causa de um psicopata que se encontra ainda a assombrar o presente. . .
Este livro tem um fim que nos faz ANSIAR LOUCAMENTE pelo próximo livro. Tanto que se saísse hoje, eu ia comprar e começaria a sua leitura!
O que há mais a dizer?
- Capítulos curtos (a maior parte das vezes de apenas duas páginas)
- Acção constante a desenvolver-se
- Mistério e suspense em cada final de capítulo (capítulos curtinhos, não sei se já referi, pode assim perceber-se a velocidade de acção)
- Sei que de cada vez que peguei no livro, o meu coração acelerava de expectativa quanto ao que aí vinha, houve alturas que acho que parava de respirar (indicativo para mim de que estou num livro favorito)
Quanto a perguntas que este livro suscita:
. Até onde estamos dispostos a ir pela nossa família?
. Que impacto acontecimentos traumatizantes podem ter na nossa vida? Nas nossas memórias?
. Que impacto histórias e crenças familiares podem ter em nós?
. Quão a sério levamos o nosso trabalho?
. Pessoas expostas a maus tratos regulares conseguem confiar novamente no ser humano? Conseguem elas próprias mostrar carinho, compaixão e compreensão pelo outro?
"A Vidente inquieta-nos do princípio ao fim. Uma intriga expcionalmente bem urdida." - Goteborgs-Posten
Não podia estar mais de acordo com isto.
Ansiosa pelo próximo!
Recomendo SEM reservas.
Um assassino/culpado que nunca na minha vida ia desconfiar. A motivação por trás das acções dele, completamente diferente de tudo o que já li. Remonta à infância e a histórias que se contam entre a família. . .
Temos A VIDENTE. . . a vidente que ao início parece que não vai ser relevante, mas que ficamos desconfiados do contrário pois dá nome à obra (e que obra!).
Temos um vislumbre do passado de Joona Linna (o polícia) e do quanto ele abdicou em prol da família e da sua protecção. . .
Uma decisão que o levou a ganhar anos de solidão e tormento e a provocar estes mesmos sentimentos à sua família. . . tudo por causa de um psicopata que se encontra ainda a assombrar o presente. . .
Este livro tem um fim que nos faz ANSIAR LOUCAMENTE pelo próximo livro. Tanto que se saísse hoje, eu ia comprar e começaria a sua leitura!
O que há mais a dizer?
- Capítulos curtos (a maior parte das vezes de apenas duas páginas)
- Acção constante a desenvolver-se
- Mistério e suspense em cada final de capítulo (capítulos curtinhos, não sei se já referi, pode assim perceber-se a velocidade de acção)
- Sei que de cada vez que peguei no livro, o meu coração acelerava de expectativa quanto ao que aí vinha, houve alturas que acho que parava de respirar (indicativo para mim de que estou num livro favorito)
Quanto a perguntas que este livro suscita:
. Até onde estamos dispostos a ir pela nossa família?
. Que impacto acontecimentos traumatizantes podem ter na nossa vida? Nas nossas memórias?
. Que impacto histórias e crenças familiares podem ter em nós?
. Quão a sério levamos o nosso trabalho?
. Pessoas expostas a maus tratos regulares conseguem confiar novamente no ser humano? Conseguem elas próprias mostrar carinho, compaixão e compreensão pelo outro?
"A Vidente inquieta-nos do princípio ao fim. Uma intriga expcionalmente bem urdida." - Goteborgs-Posten
Não podia estar mais de acordo com isto.
Ansiosa pelo próximo!
Recomendo SEM reservas.
July 7, 2013
I found "The Hypnotist" a bit over the top but highly entertaining. I thought "The Nightmare" needed an editor. I'm afraid with "The FIre Witness, Lars Kepler has lost me. The chapters are very short and most end for no good reason. I know short chapters have seemed to work for James Patterson but they don't work here.
Many basic things were explained that didn't need to be and people are always talking about Joona Linna's brilliance but I find him a poorly delineated character.
I have one other objection but that would involve revealing the identity of the murder. While this book was no fun for me, I don't want to spoil it for anyone else.
Many basic things were explained that didn't need to be and people are always talking about Joona Linna's brilliance but I find him a poorly delineated character.
I have one other objection but that would involve revealing the identity of the murder. While this book was no fun for me, I don't want to spoil it for anyone else.
May 3, 2020
In this book, Internal Affairs have Joona under investigation, but his boss sends him to participate as an observer in a case with murders in a house for young girls with special needs. House like that offers hospitality to young girls that might have faced abandonment, psychiatric problems or drag addicts. A young girl and the house nurse are found dead; one girl has gone missing and she’s claimed to be responsible for these murders.
This third book, is mostly based on the detective’s perspective and personality while trying against all odds and restrictions from his supervisors’ to find the solution on this case. Joona Linna has an ability to rebuilt each murder scene he witnesses in his mind and finds out all the discrepancies that lead to solving the case. He is rather stubborn and he will find until the end, although this might cost him.
The story is well built and the murderer does not reveal until few chapters before the end.
This third book, is mostly based on the detective’s perspective and personality while trying against all odds and restrictions from his supervisors’ to find the solution on this case. Joona Linna has an ability to rebuilt each murder scene he witnesses in his mind and finds out all the discrepancies that lead to solving the case. He is rather stubborn and he will find until the end, although this might cost him.
The story is well built and the murderer does not reveal until few chapters before the end.
December 24, 2016
Um thriller que me agarrou da 1ª á ultima pagina. Não queria largar o livro nem por nada.
Para quem ainda não leu nada desta dupla de escritores fantástica, este livro faz parte da série Joona Lina, que é um inspetor da Policia Criminal sueca, que tem um 6º sentido apuradíssimo. Ele confia bastante nele, sendo o agente que mais casos resolve, dentro da policia.
Neste livro e como o próprio Joona diz, o mal mostra mais uma das suas facetas. Ele está a ser alvo de um inquérito interno, devido a uma rusga policial quando é chamado na qualidade de observador num caso muito intrigante, de uma jovem que aparece morta, posta posição quase ritualística, num centro de reabilitação de menores, sem ninguém conseguir perceber como é que alguém lá conseguiu entrar.
Em paralelo, a vida passada de Joona vem para o assombrar e ele tem que remexer em assuntos que, pensava ele, estavam resolvidos. Mas, quando só se corta um dedo ao diabo, o resto do corpo continua o mal, certo???
Não posso dizer muto mais em jeito de sinopse tentadora, mas o que digo é que foi uma leitura convulsiva - daquelas que "é só mais um capitulo" - que me deixou alternadamente furiosa, enojada, incrédula com o nível de violência e até de algum desprezo a que as crianças estão sujeitas, na Suécia. As referencias feitas - neste e noutros policiais nórdicos - deixam-me sempre de cabelos em pé, pela completa nulidade com que o Estado e os próprios pais veem as crianças.
Vemos também o que atormenta Joona - que para mim é um personagem fantástica, torturada, 3D - e agora dá para perceber o porquê de algumas atitudes dele, da visão geral da vida que ele apresenta.
Portanto, arrepios da espinha? - Check. Quero ler mais desta série? Check
Para quem ainda não leu nada desta dupla de escritores fantástica, este livro faz parte da série Joona Lina, que é um inspetor da Policia Criminal sueca, que tem um 6º sentido apuradíssimo. Ele confia bastante nele, sendo o agente que mais casos resolve, dentro da policia.
Neste livro e como o próprio Joona diz, o mal mostra mais uma das suas facetas. Ele está a ser alvo de um inquérito interno, devido a uma rusga policial quando é chamado na qualidade de observador num caso muito intrigante, de uma jovem que aparece morta, posta posição quase ritualística, num centro de reabilitação de menores, sem ninguém conseguir perceber como é que alguém lá conseguiu entrar.
Em paralelo, a vida passada de Joona vem para o assombrar e ele tem que remexer em assuntos que, pensava ele, estavam resolvidos. Mas, quando só se corta um dedo ao diabo, o resto do corpo continua o mal, certo???
Não posso dizer muto mais em jeito de sinopse tentadora, mas o que digo é que foi uma leitura convulsiva - daquelas que "é só mais um capitulo" - que me deixou alternadamente furiosa, enojada, incrédula com o nível de violência e até de algum desprezo a que as crianças estão sujeitas, na Suécia. As referencias feitas - neste e noutros policiais nórdicos - deixam-me sempre de cabelos em pé, pela completa nulidade com que o Estado e os próprios pais veem as crianças.
Vemos também o que atormenta Joona - que para mim é um personagem fantástica, torturada, 3D - e agora dá para perceber o porquê de algumas atitudes dele, da visão geral da vida que ele apresenta.
Portanto, arrepios da espinha? - Check. Quero ler mais desta série? Check
January 3, 2014
On the whole, I liked The fire witness, but I couldn't help feeling that the book suffers from the same maladies the previous installment in the series did.
While The fire witness has a pretty good plot and delivers suspense and tension, there were instances of telling which were, to be honest, quite unnecessary. Also, I have expected more character development from a third novel in an established series. The aforementioned character development exists in traces and is confined solely to Joona Linna.
However, the million dollar question remains: Why, oh why, are there so many Joona Linna fanboys and fangirls in this book?
Don't get me wrong, I like Joona Linna as a character, but I just don't get why everyone, from his superiors to his colleagues, fawns over him. I can't comprehend how can a person command such universal liking. Stubborn investigators and lone wolves such as Joona Linna oftentimes get into conflict because of their obstinacy and clash with people because of their loner attitude. But according to everyone in the book, Linna can do no wrong. And we're supposed to accept that as believable. Please, Mr. and Mrs. Ahndoril, you can do better than that.
While The fire witness has a pretty good plot and delivers suspense and tension, there were instances of telling which were, to be honest, quite unnecessary. Also, I have expected more character development from a third novel in an established series. The aforementioned character development exists in traces and is confined solely to Joona Linna.
However, the million dollar question remains: Why, oh why, are there so many Joona Linna fanboys and fangirls in this book?
Don't get me wrong, I like Joona Linna as a character, but I just don't get why everyone, from his superiors to his colleagues, fawns over him. I can't comprehend how can a person command such universal liking. Stubborn investigators and lone wolves such as Joona Linna oftentimes get into conflict because of their obstinacy and clash with people because of their loner attitude. But according to everyone in the book, Linna can do no wrong. And we're supposed to accept that as believable. Please, Mr. and Mrs. Ahndoril, you can do better than that.
May 10, 2020
Uma história rica e com um toque subtil de sobrenatural.
Os primeiros capítulos iniciam repletos de ação e de personagens credíveis fomentando um clima de inquietação que atrai de imediato a atenção do leitor.
Ocorre um assassinato numa casa isolada para adolescentes problemáticas, nas profundezas da floresta escura e o detetive sueco-finlandês Joona Linna, altamente motivado mas com um passado sombrio, inicia a sua investigação.
Nos seus quase 15 anos de serviço, Joona solucionou casos mais complexos do que qualquer outro detetive da Unidade Nacional de Crime, mas este caso em particular, acaba por não ser tão simples quanto as evidências iniciais sugerem.
À medida que a história se desenrola, a loucura parece sanidade e a sanidade aparenta loucura. De um simples mistério a uma intrigante, mas satisfatória mistura de procedimentos policiais e história de terror, em poucas linhas.
Um verdadeiro quebra-cabeças misterioso, com imensas camadas de pistas que mantêm o leitor em alerta até o fim. O enredo e o estilo de escrita são capazes de proporcionar muitas horas de entretenimento ficcional.
É um livro para…
… apreciadores de ficção criminal com suspense e ação;
… quem gosta de capítulos relativamente curtos, que obrigam os leitores a um constante virar de páginas;
… quem aprecia crimes e romances de mistério;
… quem não é altamente sensível a uma ficção policial mais sombria, com alguma violência, por vezes brutal;
… quem não se importa com uma quantidade razoável de conteúdo sexual (nada de mais);
… quem gosta de procedimentos policiais, incluindo técnicas forenses.
Os primeiros capítulos iniciam repletos de ação e de personagens credíveis fomentando um clima de inquietação que atrai de imediato a atenção do leitor.
Ocorre um assassinato numa casa isolada para adolescentes problemáticas, nas profundezas da floresta escura e o detetive sueco-finlandês Joona Linna, altamente motivado mas com um passado sombrio, inicia a sua investigação.
Nos seus quase 15 anos de serviço, Joona solucionou casos mais complexos do que qualquer outro detetive da Unidade Nacional de Crime, mas este caso em particular, acaba por não ser tão simples quanto as evidências iniciais sugerem.
À medida que a história se desenrola, a loucura parece sanidade e a sanidade aparenta loucura. De um simples mistério a uma intrigante, mas satisfatória mistura de procedimentos policiais e história de terror, em poucas linhas.
Um verdadeiro quebra-cabeças misterioso, com imensas camadas de pistas que mantêm o leitor em alerta até o fim. O enredo e o estilo de escrita são capazes de proporcionar muitas horas de entretenimento ficcional.
É um livro para…
… apreciadores de ficção criminal com suspense e ação;
… quem gosta de capítulos relativamente curtos, que obrigam os leitores a um constante virar de páginas;
… quem aprecia crimes e romances de mistério;
… quem não é altamente sensível a uma ficção policial mais sombria, com alguma violência, por vezes brutal;
… quem não se importa com uma quantidade razoável de conteúdo sexual (nada de mais);
… quem gosta de procedimentos policiais, incluindo técnicas forenses.
August 24, 2015
Još jedan odličan triler iz hladne Švedske... A mi mislili kako su te nordijske zemlje puka ljubaznost i civiliziranost..:P Dobro da nam je Stieg Larsson "otvorio oči".. Amerikanci su, skoro pa "male bebe" prema švedskim psycho killerima.. ;) Pročitan u dva dana (točnije dvije noći..).. Knjiga koju je zaista jako jako teško ispustiti iz ruku.. Slažem se sa svima koji si mi rekli da je ovo najbolji Keplerov uradak (tj. bračnog para Ahndoril koji se krije iza pseudonima).
U ovoj knjizi inspektor Joona Lina istražuje ubojstva (i ostala čudna događanja) u domu za problematične djevojke. I jako je napeto, i dinamično i puno obrata.. Moram se pohvaliti da sam pogodila tko je odgovoran za ubojstva, ali sam , bez obzira na to sa užitkom čitala Svjedoka vatre. Veeelika preporuka!
U ovoj knjizi inspektor Joona Lina istražuje ubojstva (i ostala čudna događanja) u domu za problematične djevojke. I jako je napeto, i dinamično i puno obrata.. Moram se pohvaliti da sam pogodila tko je odgovoran za ubojstva, ali sam , bez obzira na to sa užitkom čitala Svjedoka vatre. Veeelika preporuka!
April 18, 2016
Gostei bastante deste livro, suspense e emoção da primeira à ultima pagina. Confesso que não tinha desconfiado do(a) assassino(a) mas se calhar alguém mais atento teria chegado lá. Sem duvida um dos melhores livros que li nos últimos tempo. Quem gosta de policiais e de não conseguir parar de ler até à ultima pagina, não deve deixar de ler este :)
November 21, 2018
4.5 stars
The Fire Witness by Lars Kepler is the 3rd in the Detective Joona Linna Series.
First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Knopf Doubleday and Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Series Background:
Homicide Detective Joona Linna works for the National Criminal Investigation Department in Sweden. His father was a policeman who was killed on the job when Joona was 12, so he was raised by his mother. After his military service as a paratrooper, he was recruited into Special Operations, and qualified for special training in the Netherlands in mixed close combat, innovative weaponry, and urban guerrilla warfare. He is respected by his peers, and somewhat envied, but considered stubborn, and somewhat aloof. His need to be “right” is a strange quirk. His crime solve rate is high, probably because of his empathy. He can understand, but not condone, the criminal mind, and anticipates the perpetrators moves. He is driven, driven to keep going until the crime is solved. He suffers from a rare form of migraine, but refuses to take the drug when he is working a case, since it makes him drowsy.
My Synopsis:
Joona is “on leave” pending an Internal Affairs Investigation into his behaviour on a past case. However, when there is a murder at a house for wayward girls, he is sent to “observe”. No one wants him there, and he isn’t supposed to do anything. That doesn’t stop Joona, who quickly finds a second body, and realizes Vicky, one of the girls in the home, is missing. He will not leave this case alone.
When a woman stops at the side of the road, badly in need of a bathroom break, she leaves her 4-year old son Dante in the backseat. Before her very eyes, a young girl comes out of the woods, gets into her car, and drives off with her son.
Vicky is on the run, but whether she is responsible for the murders at the home, or whether she is running in fear, not even Vicky knows.
Flora is down on her luck, and giving séances in the basement of a nearby building to earn cash. When she hears the news about the events at the girls home, she sees the murdered girl. Flora can’t believe she is actually seeing a ghost, but when the girl keeps re-appearing, Flora call the police. No one believes her. But Flora is slowly being driven crazy by these sightings, and she keeps calling. She eventually talks to Joona.
Meanwhile, Joona and Disa are back together, and we find out what happened to his wife and daughter.
My Opinions:
I read this book many, many years ago, but when offered the ebook through NetGalley, I was more than willing to re-read it. I am again reminded why I loved Joona Linna. His mind works differently than others, and he sees what others cannot.
I love the fact that we learn about his past, although it looks like the next book may cover more of it. I am okay with that.
This book moved quickly, and although there were a lot of characters, nothing was confusing, and their individual stories all ended up being tied up in a nice bow.
I think my only complaint was the way the authors treated Saga Bauer (who made a brief appearance in this one, before heading back to her own series). Too many comments about her beauty, to the point that I think a sexual harassment case might be in order. (I deducted ½ star for this).
It was a great book, and I’m looking forward re-reading the next!
For a more complete review of this book and others, please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
The Fire Witness by Lars Kepler is the 3rd in the Detective Joona Linna Series.
First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Knopf Doubleday and Vintage Crime/Black Lizard, and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Series Background:
Homicide Detective Joona Linna works for the National Criminal Investigation Department in Sweden. His father was a policeman who was killed on the job when Joona was 12, so he was raised by his mother. After his military service as a paratrooper, he was recruited into Special Operations, and qualified for special training in the Netherlands in mixed close combat, innovative weaponry, and urban guerrilla warfare. He is respected by his peers, and somewhat envied, but considered stubborn, and somewhat aloof. His need to be “right” is a strange quirk. His crime solve rate is high, probably because of his empathy. He can understand, but not condone, the criminal mind, and anticipates the perpetrators moves. He is driven, driven to keep going until the crime is solved. He suffers from a rare form of migraine, but refuses to take the drug when he is working a case, since it makes him drowsy.
My Synopsis:
Joona is “on leave” pending an Internal Affairs Investigation into his behaviour on a past case. However, when there is a murder at a house for wayward girls, he is sent to “observe”. No one wants him there, and he isn’t supposed to do anything. That doesn’t stop Joona, who quickly finds a second body, and realizes Vicky, one of the girls in the home, is missing. He will not leave this case alone.
When a woman stops at the side of the road, badly in need of a bathroom break, she leaves her 4-year old son Dante in the backseat. Before her very eyes, a young girl comes out of the woods, gets into her car, and drives off with her son.
Vicky is on the run, but whether she is responsible for the murders at the home, or whether she is running in fear, not even Vicky knows.
Flora is down on her luck, and giving séances in the basement of a nearby building to earn cash. When she hears the news about the events at the girls home, she sees the murdered girl. Flora can’t believe she is actually seeing a ghost, but when the girl keeps re-appearing, Flora call the police. No one believes her. But Flora is slowly being driven crazy by these sightings, and she keeps calling. She eventually talks to Joona.
Meanwhile, Joona and Disa are back together, and we find out what happened to his wife and daughter.
My Opinions:
I read this book many, many years ago, but when offered the ebook through NetGalley, I was more than willing to re-read it. I am again reminded why I loved Joona Linna. His mind works differently than others, and he sees what others cannot.
I love the fact that we learn about his past, although it looks like the next book may cover more of it. I am okay with that.
This book moved quickly, and although there were a lot of characters, nothing was confusing, and their individual stories all ended up being tied up in a nice bow.
I think my only complaint was the way the authors treated Saga Bauer (who made a brief appearance in this one, before heading back to her own series). Too many comments about her beauty, to the point that I think a sexual harassment case might be in order. (I deducted ½ star for this).
It was a great book, and I’m looking forward re-reading the next!
For a more complete review of this book and others, please visit my blog: http://katlovesbooksblog.wordpress.com/
November 3, 2013
It's your turn to close your eyes
Joona Linna is a Swedish detective currently under suspension and relieved from active duty, while under investigation by The National Police's Internal Review Board.
He is called in as an 'observer' in the investigation of violent murders at Birgittagården, a halfway home for troubled girls.
Many are drug addicts...some can be violent. For these girls, there is no alternative to Birgittagården, with its alarms and double- locked doors. The next step would be prison or forced confinement in a psychiatric unit.
Plot
Miranda, one of the teenage residents, is found bludgeoned to death in a locked isolated room, her body posed with her hands covering her face and her legs crossed.
Close by, in an old abandoned brewery, Elisabet, a nurse from Birgittagården, is also found brutally murdered, her keys to the isolation room are missing.
Vicky, another disturbed teenaged resident is nowhere to be found; her mysterious disappearance and a bloodied hammer found under her pillow point to her as the major suspect.
The introduction of a medium might make even the amateur crime reader(moi) feel patronized. Flora Hansen tries to make ends meet by claiming she can communicate with the dead. It's easy to dismiss her as a fraud and a liar when she says that information of the killings came to her by a ghost, and offers tips to the police at a price.
All liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone …
—REVELATION 21:8
Yet through all the skepticism, Linna has a needling feeling that she is a part of the puzzle. It makes one eager to find out how.
Joona Linna's character is not that of a dark and brooding hero, but he has other challenging qualities. He seldom does things by the rules; he's "so stubborn he'll stare at a crime scene until it opens before him like a book"; a 'lone wolf' who would rely on gut instincts and keen observational skills. It's that gut instinct that urges him to set out on his own to find Vicky before the police.
I haven't completely read the earlier 'Joona Linna' novels ( DNF The Hypnotist), but there is a suggestion of a past submerged in deep, painful and unhealed wounds.
The story unfolds with strongly laid out plot twists that lead to a web of child trafficking, the questionable use of psychotropic medication in state institutions, and a neglected, abused foster system. The chapters are very short( two to three pages at most), each ending enticingly in a cliffhanger.
There are some gory, violent scenes which may be off-putting for the squeamish( not me, after-all, that's what I expected).
This turned out to be an intense, fast-paced thriller with a solid storyline. As for Joona Linna, his past serves as an intriguing segue into the next novel. I think I'll give that a try, too.
Lars Kepler is a pseudonym for the Swedish couple Alexander Ahndoril and his wife Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril who authored previous novels The Hyponotist (which I DNF) and The Nightmare (which I DNR).
Joona Linna is a Swedish detective currently under suspension and relieved from active duty, while under investigation by The National Police's Internal Review Board.
He is called in as an 'observer' in the investigation of violent murders at Birgittagården, a halfway home for troubled girls.
Many are drug addicts...some can be violent. For these girls, there is no alternative to Birgittagården, with its alarms and double- locked doors. The next step would be prison or forced confinement in a psychiatric unit.
Plot
Miranda, one of the teenage residents, is found bludgeoned to death in a locked isolated room, her body posed with her hands covering her face and her legs crossed.
Close by, in an old abandoned brewery, Elisabet, a nurse from Birgittagården, is also found brutally murdered, her keys to the isolation room are missing.
Vicky, another disturbed teenaged resident is nowhere to be found; her mysterious disappearance and a bloodied hammer found under her pillow point to her as the major suspect.
The introduction of a medium might make even the amateur crime reader(moi) feel patronized. Flora Hansen tries to make ends meet by claiming she can communicate with the dead. It's easy to dismiss her as a fraud and a liar when she says that information of the killings came to her by a ghost, and offers tips to the police at a price.
All liars shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone …
—REVELATION 21:8
Yet through all the skepticism, Linna has a needling feeling that she is a part of the puzzle. It makes one eager to find out how.
Joona Linna's character is not that of a dark and brooding hero, but he has other challenging qualities. He seldom does things by the rules; he's "so stubborn he'll stare at a crime scene until it opens before him like a book"; a 'lone wolf' who would rely on gut instincts and keen observational skills. It's that gut instinct that urges him to set out on his own to find Vicky before the police.
I haven't completely read the earlier 'Joona Linna' novels ( DNF The Hypnotist), but there is a suggestion of a past submerged in deep, painful and unhealed wounds.
The story unfolds with strongly laid out plot twists that lead to a web of child trafficking, the questionable use of psychotropic medication in state institutions, and a neglected, abused foster system. The chapters are very short( two to three pages at most), each ending enticingly in a cliffhanger.
There are some gory, violent scenes which may be off-putting for the squeamish( not me, after-all, that's what I expected).
This turned out to be an intense, fast-paced thriller with a solid storyline. As for Joona Linna, his past serves as an intriguing segue into the next novel. I think I'll give that a try, too.
Lars Kepler is a pseudonym for the Swedish couple Alexander Ahndoril and his wife Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril who authored previous novels The Hyponotist (which I DNF) and The Nightmare (which I DNR).
March 13, 2013
Iniciei este livro domingo de manhã e terminei domingo às 6h da tarde… deverá querer dizer alguma coisa, certo? Este é um autor que sigo de forma «religiosa», O Hipnotista foi uma surpresa, O Executor fez-me manter o autor no meu Top de Preferências Negras mas A Vidente deixou-me presa desde o 1º ao último parágrafo! O ambiente do livro é negro, um pouco tenebroso género filmes de terror da década 80, casas escuras, barulhos arrepiantes, crianças tenebrosas… de nos deixar em pele de galinha, pelo meio encontramos um inspetor que só pode ser observador, vítima de um processo interno, uma médium que de médium tem pouco ou… não, vítima de violência doméstica… não da parte do marido ou companheiro mas do casal geriátrico dos patrões. Mais à frente uma jet7 conhecida das revistas cor de rosa, com uma crise de consciência por ter abandonado uma menina de 6 anos quando era família de acolhimento desta… e porquê????? Por causa do imprestável marido que no final, acabou por a deixar!!!! Uma mãe que abandona o carro para verter águas e no qual deixa o filho de 4 anos, acabando o carro e o filho por serem levados…
Temos um conjunto de personagens bastante bem estruturados, com o seu lado negro que os torna ainda mais humanos. As várias tramas fazem-nos roer as unhas até ao sabugo, dividimo-nos entre as angústias presentes, somos contemplados com a possível tráfico de crianças, um livro pesado mas escrito de forma magistral! No que diz respeito à escrita, apesar de o tema ser pesado, achei-a bem mais fluida neste livro, reconheço que os escritores nórdicos têm uma escrita sui generis mas na qual já me encontro à vontade.
Aconselho aos que se encontram na dúvida a: COMPRAR JÁ E LER IMEDIATAMENTE!!!!!
Temos um conjunto de personagens bastante bem estruturados, com o seu lado negro que os torna ainda mais humanos. As várias tramas fazem-nos roer as unhas até ao sabugo, dividimo-nos entre as angústias presentes, somos contemplados com a possível tráfico de crianças, um livro pesado mas escrito de forma magistral! No que diz respeito à escrita, apesar de o tema ser pesado, achei-a bem mais fluida neste livro, reconheço que os escritores nórdicos têm uma escrita sui generis mas na qual já me encontro à vontade.
Aconselho aos que se encontram na dúvida a: COMPRAR JÁ E LER IMEDIATAMENTE!!!!!
January 2, 2017
Odlična knjiga koju nisam mogla ispustiti iz ruku kad sam krenula s čitanjem. Kratka poglavlja koja jednostavno tjeraju da čitaš dalje, zanimljivi likovi i logična priča.
Ovaj dvojac zaista zna napisati dobar triler :)
Ovaj dvojac zaista zna napisati dobar triler :)
July 21, 2019
In the book The Fire Witnesses
BRIGITTAGARDEN HVB IS A HOME FOR YOUTH SPECIAL NEEDS; Some can be violent. The doors have alarms and double locked doors. Some of the girls who stay here are aged 12years old - 17 year old girls. Some are drug addicts, self-injury and with eating disorders.
One fatal night
Miranda a young girl at Brigittagarden was sitting in her room when she was brutally killed by a rock. A real page turner. I recommend The Fire Witness.
Merged review:
I have never read a Lars Kepler book before.I enjoyed reading this book by Lara Kelper so much that i will defentely read more of Lara's books.
The story is about a youth home for girls with special needs. One young girl Miranda Erikdotter is killed and a nurse by the name of Elisabet Grim. Both of these victims are killed with different weapons. Dectective inspector Joona Linna thinks that all the evidence points to one girl, but is he right?. A gruesome thriller that I recommend.
BRIGITTAGARDEN HVB IS A HOME FOR YOUTH SPECIAL NEEDS; Some can be violent. The doors have alarms and double locked doors. Some of the girls who stay here are aged 12years old - 17 year old girls. Some are drug addicts, self-injury and with eating disorders.
One fatal night
Miranda a young girl at Brigittagarden was sitting in her room when she was brutally killed by a rock. A real page turner. I recommend The Fire Witness.
Merged review:
I have never read a Lars Kepler book before.I enjoyed reading this book by Lara Kelper so much that i will defentely read more of Lara's books.
The story is about a youth home for girls with special needs. One young girl Miranda Erikdotter is killed and a nurse by the name of Elisabet Grim. Both of these victims are killed with different weapons. Dectective inspector Joona Linna thinks that all the evidence points to one girl, but is he right?. A gruesome thriller that I recommend.
August 19, 2022
Ši trečioji dalis man žiauriai patiko. 💚 Palyginti su pirmomis dalimis tai čia tikra bomba. Tikrai įtemptas skandinaviškas detektyvas.
December 13, 2023
Χαλαρά το καλύτερο έως τώρα.
(Μπράβο και για την καζουρα στα μέντιουμ που δεν εξιχνιάζουν εγκληματα)
(Μπράβο και για την καζουρα στα μέντιουμ που δεν εξιχνιάζουν εγκληματα)
August 31, 2025
Nos idos de 2013 tropecei nesta dupla e li O Hipnotista, de que gostei bastante. Em 2014, li o segundo da série, O Executor, mas a coisa já não correu tão bem e deixei a série de lado. Onze anos depois, regressei e, embora com algumas reticências devido ao título A Vidente – sou muito pouco dada a assuntos esotéricos – arregacei as mangas e iniciei a leitura.
Este tipo de livros cumpre bem o seu propósito: agarrou-me desde o início e, mesmo tendo outras leituras em mãos, esta esteve sempre à frente de todas. Ainda que tenha descoberto o assassino (não era difícil), o interesse na história não esmoreceu. O pior é acabar daquela maneira que quase me leva a pegar de imediato no próximo.
#CrimeNaAreia
Este tipo de livros cumpre bem o seu propósito: agarrou-me desde o início e, mesmo tendo outras leituras em mãos, esta esteve sempre à frente de todas. Ainda que tenha descoberto o assassino (não era difícil), o interesse na história não esmoreceu. O pior é acabar daquela maneira que quase me leva a pegar de imediato no próximo.
#CrimeNaAreia
November 30, 2018
The Fire Witness is the third installment in the Joona Linna series by critically acclaimed husband and wife team Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril, writing as “Lars Kepler”. Their Joona Linna series has sold more than twelve million copies in forty languages! Re-edited and reissued by a new North American publisher, with a brand new translation from the original Swedish by Neil Smith, The Fire Witness demonstrates the authors’ mastery of layered, complex plotting, replete with numerous scenes of gripping, high suspense!
The earliest chapters of The Fire Witness set a mood of disquiet and unease that pull the reader into the story right away! Ever since the Blancheford Holding Company purchased the Birgitta Home, the private holding company has been steadily reducing the supervising, night staff. Now murder has occurred at this group home for troubled, adolescent girls that is an isolated, 377 kilometers from Stockholm, deep in the dark forest, and Finnish-Swedish detective Joona Linna investigates. In his almost 15 years of service, Joona Linna has solved more complex cases than any other detective within the National Crime Unit, which is a good thing, because this particular case turns out to be not nearly as cut and dry as the initial evidence would suggest.
Based upon the two novels in the series that I have now read, these are not the oft marketed “thrillers” that drive along at a very moderate speed, and then accelerate once, as fun as that may be, for the last fifteen percent of the book. These authors really know how to write the hills and valleys of suspense that meet the Mystery in Minutes definition of a thriller! Fans of (non-gory) horror films may well enjoy the often cinematic, Lars Kepler style of writing, which, among other techniques, sometimes employs “jump scares”, such as a door suddenly slamming shut behind a character after a significant amount of breath-holding tension has been created.
At over 500 pages, The Fire Witness is not a quick read, but it certainly held my attention throughout, and the book’s short chapters, often ending on “mini cliff-hangers”, drove me to keep reading “just one more chapter”. If you enjoy a mysterious puzzle with many layers of clues that keep the reader on their toes until the very end, the plot and style of The Fire Witness will provide many hours of entertainment to both female, as well as male, readers of Scandinavian crime fiction! 4.5/5 Stars
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The earliest chapters of The Fire Witness set a mood of disquiet and unease that pull the reader into the story right away! Ever since the Blancheford Holding Company purchased the Birgitta Home, the private holding company has been steadily reducing the supervising, night staff. Now murder has occurred at this group home for troubled, adolescent girls that is an isolated, 377 kilometers from Stockholm, deep in the dark forest, and Finnish-Swedish detective Joona Linna investigates. In his almost 15 years of service, Joona Linna has solved more complex cases than any other detective within the National Crime Unit, which is a good thing, because this particular case turns out to be not nearly as cut and dry as the initial evidence would suggest.
Based upon the two novels in the series that I have now read, these are not the oft marketed “thrillers” that drive along at a very moderate speed, and then accelerate once, as fun as that may be, for the last fifteen percent of the book. These authors really know how to write the hills and valleys of suspense that meet the Mystery in Minutes definition of a thriller! Fans of (non-gory) horror films may well enjoy the often cinematic, Lars Kepler style of writing, which, among other techniques, sometimes employs “jump scares”, such as a door suddenly slamming shut behind a character after a significant amount of breath-holding tension has been created.
At over 500 pages, The Fire Witness is not a quick read, but it certainly held my attention throughout, and the book’s short chapters, often ending on “mini cliff-hangers”, drove me to keep reading “just one more chapter”. If you enjoy a mysterious puzzle with many layers of clues that keep the reader on their toes until the very end, the plot and style of The Fire Witness will provide many hours of entertainment to both female, as well as male, readers of Scandinavian crime fiction! 4.5/5 Stars
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February 10, 2017
O livro "A Falsa Vidente", como deveria ser intitulado na minha modesta opinião, é o terceiro da série do Inspetor Joona Linna.
Antes de mais, aviso-vos já: este livro nada tem sobre a poderosa temática do sobrenatural ou aborda aspetos do fantástico. Não vão conhecer nenhum espírito e as vossas tranquilas noites de sono não vão ser perturbadas. Longe disso, fecha-se o livro, evaporam-se as personagens e as suas vidinhas problemáticas. A complexidade que esta abordagem exigiria não está ao alcance de Lars Kepler, já que os escritores optaram por enveredar pelo caminho comercial.
Apesar do bom ritmo do enredo, a história principal é caracterizada por um excesso de tramas e personagens, que não são devidamente delineadas. Senti-me excluída logo desde o inicio, não sentindo empatia nem pelo pobre do Inspetor Linna, cuja trágica e misteriosa vida pessoal é quase surreal.
Dito isto, a introdução conseguiu despertar-me pela falsa ideia que criei ao me encontrar perante uma instituição para raparigas problemáticas. A premissa cheia de potencial não foi desenvolvida. Em vez disso, foi descartada para segundo plano, misturando-se com outras histórias secundárias, todas elas apenas visíveis há superfície.
A linha de investigação é quase inexistente e o único acesso que temos ao processo de resolução do crime é através da mente peculiar do Inspetor, que apenas está presente como observador. Ora, se ele é um simples observador, nós também o somos! Sendo assim, os pormenores mais técnicos estão ausentes e o enredo flutua por entre suposições e palpites.
A comparação da dupla sueca com Stieg Lasson é um insulto ao criador de Lisbeth Salander, cuja personalidade fascinante foi, muito certamente, a base para Vicky, uma rapariga perturbada e incompreendida que está no centro de toda a tensão - ou falta dela, neste caso. Contudo, a pseudo Lisbeth Salander, em versão adolescente, foi o que manteve a minha curiosidade e interesse despertos.
Apesar da previsibilidade da maior parte do desenrolar dos acontecimentos o livro proporciona algumas surpresas, umas mais agradáveis que outras, deixando um final em aberto, a meu ver, bastante fora do contexto.
Outro pormenor interessante foram os cenários da ação. Incrivelmente, um armazém em particular, fez-me recordar o mundo de Salander e a sua perseguição pela vingança. Mas não me deixando enganar por este aparente thriller psicológico, mantive as expectativas baixas - como rapariga esperta que sou - e consegui usufruir deste leitura fácil e sem reflexões de maior.
Antes de mais, aviso-vos já: este livro nada tem sobre a poderosa temática do sobrenatural ou aborda aspetos do fantástico. Não vão conhecer nenhum espírito e as vossas tranquilas noites de sono não vão ser perturbadas. Longe disso, fecha-se o livro, evaporam-se as personagens e as suas vidinhas problemáticas. A complexidade que esta abordagem exigiria não está ao alcance de Lars Kepler, já que os escritores optaram por enveredar pelo caminho comercial.
Apesar do bom ritmo do enredo, a história principal é caracterizada por um excesso de tramas e personagens, que não são devidamente delineadas. Senti-me excluída logo desde o inicio, não sentindo empatia nem pelo pobre do Inspetor Linna, cuja trágica e misteriosa vida pessoal é quase surreal.
Dito isto, a introdução conseguiu despertar-me pela falsa ideia que criei ao me encontrar perante uma instituição para raparigas problemáticas. A premissa cheia de potencial não foi desenvolvida. Em vez disso, foi descartada para segundo plano, misturando-se com outras histórias secundárias, todas elas apenas visíveis há superfície.
A linha de investigação é quase inexistente e o único acesso que temos ao processo de resolução do crime é através da mente peculiar do Inspetor, que apenas está presente como observador. Ora, se ele é um simples observador, nós também o somos! Sendo assim, os pormenores mais técnicos estão ausentes e o enredo flutua por entre suposições e palpites.
A comparação da dupla sueca com Stieg Lasson é um insulto ao criador de Lisbeth Salander, cuja personalidade fascinante foi, muito certamente, a base para Vicky, uma rapariga perturbada e incompreendida que está no centro de toda a tensão - ou falta dela, neste caso. Contudo, a pseudo Lisbeth Salander, em versão adolescente, foi o que manteve a minha curiosidade e interesse despertos.
Apesar da previsibilidade da maior parte do desenrolar dos acontecimentos o livro proporciona algumas surpresas, umas mais agradáveis que outras, deixando um final em aberto, a meu ver, bastante fora do contexto.
Outro pormenor interessante foram os cenários da ação. Incrivelmente, um armazém em particular, fez-me recordar o mundo de Salander e a sua perseguição pela vingança. Mas não me deixando enganar por este aparente thriller psicológico, mantive as expectativas baixas - como rapariga esperta que sou - e consegui usufruir deste leitura fácil e sem reflexões de maior.
July 22, 2015
Translated from the Swedish by Laura A Wideburg
Opening: Elisabet Grim is fifty-three years old. Her hair is streaked with grey, but her eyes are bright and happy, and when she smiles, one of her front teeth juts out impishly.
As always, I removed the dust cover before snuggling down to the big read and WHOH the cover is pure white - spooky.
The bad news is that I cannot for the life of me remember the back story that propels this episode on, and that may mean there was a shallowness underlying the initial KAPOW of the previous two stories.
LATER: An eye-scorching read yet best of all is there was a catch-up and advancement with Joona's back history at the end.
4* The Hypnotist (Joona Linna, #1)
4* The Nightmare (Joona Linna, #2)
4* The Fire Witness
Opening: Elisabet Grim is fifty-three years old. Her hair is streaked with grey, but her eyes are bright and happy, and when she smiles, one of her front teeth juts out impishly.
As always, I removed the dust cover before snuggling down to the big read and WHOH the cover is pure white - spooky.The bad news is that I cannot for the life of me remember the back story that propels this episode on, and that may mean there was a shallowness underlying the initial KAPOW of the previous two stories.
LATER: An eye-scorching read yet best of all is there was a catch-up and advancement with Joona's back history at the end.
4* The Hypnotist (Joona Linna, #1)
4* The Nightmare (Joona Linna, #2)
4* The Fire Witness
October 19, 2022
السلسلة مثيرة للإهتمام ومن بين الأفضل في نوعها، ربما لا يفوق هذا الكاتب/ين براعةً سوى ستيغ لارسن ويوسي أدلر أولسن .
لكن أجد أنه من الغريب أننا لم نعرف شيئًا ذا بال عن خلفية المحقق الرئيسي وبطل السلسلة إلا في هذا الكتاب وهو الجزء الثالث.
لكن أجد أنه من الغريب أننا لم نعرف شيئًا ذا بال عن خلفية المحقق الرئيسي وبطل السلسلة إلا في هذا الكتاب وهو الجزء الثالث.
December 3, 2020
Dintre cele trei romane ale seriei Joona Linna acesta este cel mai bine scris si te tine cu sufletul la gura de la inceput pana la sfarsit. Daca la primul ma plangeam ca are mult prea multe piste false, al doilea are probleme de cronologie, acesta a avut doar usoare neconcordante prinvind timpul actiunii. In rest acțiunea te atrage, iar incursiunile in trecutul lui Joona clarifica multe lucruri despre care am aflat foarte putin in volumele anterioare.
September 7, 2020
La idea era leer un libro de genero policial o paranormal y recomendárselo a mi hermana; a cambio, ella haría lo mismo conmigo. La sinopsis de La vidente me fascinó porque presentaba en un mismo producto la combinación de crimen y paranormal (me interesan mucho estos temas) y, como plus tenía una valoración de cuatro estrellas.
La vidente (título en inglés The fire witnnes) es la tercera entrega de la serie del detective Loona Linna. Jonna Linna es el típico tipo inteligente, gris y hermético que rompe las reglas, y eso le gusta a mucha gente (eso vende ¿no?), incluso a sus compañeros de trabajo que lo respetan y admiran. La novela arranca con un doble crimen en un centro de acogida para menores. Una adolescente y la enfermera encargada del turno de la noche son asesinadas de forma violenta. Adicional a eso, se da la huida de una de las internas y el secuestro de un niño. Como es lógico, sobre la fugitiva recaen todas las sospechas. Pero Linna duda de la culpabilidad de la señalada y, termina inmiscuido en el caso sin querer queriendo, ya que solo debía asistir como observador porque estaba de licencia en el momento del siniestro. El “qué hacía” J. Linna durante su licencia, es la abertura -y apertura- a los secretos e historia personal del detective, que apenas queda como abrebocas para una nueva entrega o Spin-off.
De esta manera la trama dominante es interesante, tiene buenas descripciones de acción y movimiento, buenos procedimientos de investigación y, hasta ahí. Pare de contar. Porque empezando que el titulo en español no corresponde a la historia; no hay tal vidente, no hay componente paranormal (y por lo que veo el titulo en inglés va por las mismas). Siguiendo en que no hay desarrollo de personajes, en que pese a que los capítulos son cortos la novela se hace larga, que si bien el caso está resuelto el final se ve mutilado. Y lo más sobresaliente: no hay sorpresa. Yo que he leído muy pocos títulos de estos géneros, sabía quien era el asesino desde el principio. Me quedé leyendo el libro, porque pensé que era el típico distractor o pista falsa, pero no: se sabe quien es el asesino desde el principio. El único interés que queda es saber cómo lo hizo y que pasó para que la chica huyera, y estos aspectos no son desarrollados, quedan desabridos.
La idea es y sigue siendo encontrar buenos títulos de genero policial y paranormal, porque este no fue el libro. Desde luego, no se lo voy a recomendar a mi hermana porque aún con pocos títulos leídos y siendo una primípara en estos géneros, estoy segura -segurísima- que hay novelas mucho mejores, y no solamente mejores, sino que valen la pena leer.
La vidente (título en inglés The fire witnnes) es la tercera entrega de la serie del detective Loona Linna. Jonna Linna es el típico tipo inteligente, gris y hermético que rompe las reglas, y eso le gusta a mucha gente (eso vende ¿no?), incluso a sus compañeros de trabajo que lo respetan y admiran. La novela arranca con un doble crimen en un centro de acogida para menores. Una adolescente y la enfermera encargada del turno de la noche son asesinadas de forma violenta. Adicional a eso, se da la huida de una de las internas y el secuestro de un niño. Como es lógico, sobre la fugitiva recaen todas las sospechas. Pero Linna duda de la culpabilidad de la señalada y, termina inmiscuido en el caso sin querer queriendo, ya que solo debía asistir como observador porque estaba de licencia en el momento del siniestro. El “qué hacía” J. Linna durante su licencia, es la abertura -y apertura- a los secretos e historia personal del detective, que apenas queda como abrebocas para una nueva entrega o Spin-off.
De esta manera la trama dominante es interesante, tiene buenas descripciones de acción y movimiento, buenos procedimientos de investigación y, hasta ahí. Pare de contar. Porque empezando que el titulo en español no corresponde a la historia; no hay tal vidente, no hay componente paranormal (y por lo que veo el titulo en inglés va por las mismas). Siguiendo en que no hay desarrollo de personajes, en que pese a que los capítulos son cortos la novela se hace larga, que si bien el caso está resuelto el final se ve mutilado. Y lo más sobresaliente: no hay sorpresa. Yo que he leído muy pocos títulos de estos géneros, sabía quien era el asesino desde el principio. Me quedé leyendo el libro, porque pensé que era el típico distractor o pista falsa, pero no: se sabe quien es el asesino desde el principio. El único interés que queda es saber cómo lo hizo y que pasó para que la chica huyera, y estos aspectos no son desarrollados, quedan desabridos.
La idea es y sigue siendo encontrar buenos títulos de genero policial y paranormal, porque este no fue el libro. Desde luego, no se lo voy a recomendar a mi hermana porque aún con pocos títulos leídos y siendo una primípara en estos géneros, estoy segura -segurísima- que hay novelas mucho mejores, y no solamente mejores, sino que valen la pena leer.
November 3, 2022
Me gustó mucho. Era una serie cuyo primer libro me gustó, pero el segundo casi me hace abandonarla. Me alegro de no haberlo hecho porque no sólo me mantuvo en vilo el caso (mucho mejor y más... nítido que los anteriores) si no ese final en el que por fín se nos abre una visión del protagonista, más plagada de aristas, no sólo "el señorín que resuelve los casos" y poco más (con decir que en la primera novela, me interesaba más el hipnotista que él...!). Con esta luz sobre el personaje, que nos deja ver su relieve y que eso que tomaba por "Ser anodino" en realidad era que intentaba con todas sus fuerzas mantener un perfil bajo, la serie entera ha pegado un subidón.
Ganas de seguir leyendo.
Ganas de seguir leyendo.
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