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The Crow Girl

(Victoria Bergmans svaghet #1-3)

Erik Axl Sund,

Neil Smith (translator),

Jerker Eriksson,

Håkan Axlander Sundquist

3.69 · Rating details · 5,626 ratings · 899 reviews

It starts with just one body – tortured, mummified and then discarded.

Its discovery reveals a nightmare world of hidden lives. Of lost identities, secret rituals and brutal exploitation, where nobody can be trusted.

This is the darkest, most complex case the police have ever seen.

This is the world of the Crow Girl.

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Hardcover, 768 pages

Published June 14th 2016 by Knopf (first published 2016)

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· 5,626 ratings · 899 reviews

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Oct 04, 2017 Paromjit rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery, netgalley, crime-fiction, thriller

This is an ideal read for Halloween although I have to add warnings that there is disturbing and distressing material with child abuse, paedophilia, torture, rape and murder that will be too much for many readers. It is a translated Swedish novel that comes in at nearly 800 pages, so be prepared for this long read. This is a serial killer thriller that begins with the discovery of a mummified boy in Stolkholm, closely followed by other bodies. Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg has a dif ...more

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Feb 20, 2017 Karl rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 2016-10-books-bought

The book “The Crow Girl” written by Erik Axl Sund a pseudonymously written book by a couple of guys who look more like some fans of the group The Cure, crossed with some Swedish Death Metal fans, is a difficult book to read because of all the depravity, deviant sex and violence contained within. Regardless of one’s resolve, this book will impact you beyond simple horror or shock.

The book primarily concerns three women, a female police detective, a psychologist, and a patient of that psychologist ...more

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Jan 12, 2016 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The first thing that strikes you about this book (assuming you buy this as a book and not on kindle of course) is how hefty it is at over 750 pages. The novel was written by Erik Axl Sund, which is actually the pen name used by Jerker Eriksson and Hakan Sundquist. This Swedish duo originally published this as an award winning trilogy: Crow Girl, first published in 2010, Hunger Fire in 2011 and Pythia’s Instructions in 2012. Now it has been translated into English and republished as a single volu The first thing that strikes you about this book (assuming you buy this as a book and not on kindle of course) is how hefty it is at over 750 pages. The novel was written by Erik Axl Sund, which is actually the pen name used by Jerker Eriksson and Hakan Sundquist. This Swedish duo originally published this as an award winning trilogy: Crow Girl, first published in 2010, Hunger Fire in 2011 and Pythia’s Instructions in 2012. Now it has been translated into English and republished as a single volume.

The book begins with the discovery of a mummified boy, found bound with tape in a bin liner. Detective Superintendent Jeannette Kihlberg is in charge of the case, with her colleague Jens Hurtig. Jeannette is an interesting character; the daughter and granddaughter of police officers, she is committed to her work but feels that she does not devote enough time to her son, Johan.
Meanwhile, her stay at home husband, Ake, dreams of being an artist, but Jeannette feels resentful that she has to juggle everything with little financial reward or support from her superiors or her husband.

Before long it transpires that the child found was not Swedish, but possibly Arabic. This is a dark and violent book, which looks at child abuse and trafficking. Jeannette finds her investigation stalled, especially by the Prosecutor, von Kwist, and feels the case is seen as less important as the child in question was not Swedish. Meanwhile, she comes into contact with psychotherapist Sofia Zetterlund, who spent three months in Sierra Leone. She hopes that Sofia can help her with her investigation and, as the book progresses, becomes very intrigued by her, both professionally and personally.

In fact, this is a novel which has women at the centre of the storyline and the strong, central female characters really work very well. This is a book which looks at the damage that abuse causes and is really a story of vengeance and serious psychological disorders. Although there is a lot of violence and some really upsetting content, it is never gratuitous and the story and characters carry the plot along at a fast pace, with lots of plot twists and turns. Unsettling, disturbing and sometimes upsetting, this is a stunning achievement and really well translated.

...more

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Dec 31, 2016 Janet rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I can't even remember how I came across this book I just remember that one look at the cover and I was drawn.

What can I say about The Crow Girl? That I read a 768 page hardback novel in two days finishing at 5 am, so reluctant I was to put it down. That it drew me in completely though it was a tale of darkness it could almost break the heart. Young boys are being found in a state of mummification and the case is given to Detective Superintendent Jeannette Kihlberg to work on. She meets psychothe ...more

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Oct 05, 2016 Doug Bradshaw rated it liked it · review of another edition

The Crow Girl is a long complicated story written by Swedish authors, set in both Denmark and Sweden. The primary characters both are strong and interesting females, a homicide detective and a psychologist who specializes in child abuse. The chapters are short and jump back and forth, sometimes into the past, as we ferret through bizarre killings of children and witness the behavior of pedophiles, corrupt officials and evil old men.

It's a psychological thriller revolving around child abuse, bot ...more

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Jan 06, 2017 Ashley Corbett rated it did not like it

***Spoilers In Review***

I don't think there is a way to review this book without including spoilers. What a disappointing read. The first 300 pages were great - very interesting, a true murder mystery, gruesome, gory and gripping, but it all went downhill after that.

This novel didn't really make a lot of sense. It became very confusing, and there were so many different elements to it that I was frequently going back through chapters to compare characters that I'd forgotten or weren't explained ...more

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Jan 30, 2016 Liz Barnsley rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: received-via-netgalley, top-psychological-thriller, top-crime

Whilst a fuller review will appear upon publication, I wanted to drop in my first thoughts about “The Crow Girl” now and absolutely encourage crime fans to read it when they can.

Translation by Neil Smith is superb, I cannot imagine that any nuance was missed this read beautifully all the way through.

The Crow Girl is a dark and violent tale, a psychological mish mash of brilliantly drawn characters following a deeply disturbing and hard hitting narrative that digs deep. It took me a few chapters ...more

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Feb 07, 2016 Emma rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley

I struggled all the way through this and if it hadn't been a review copy, I probably would have left it. 700ish pages are a lot to push through when you aren't that enthused.

The plot is complex, depraved, and inventive; it was, by far, the best part of the book. Yet the trilogy cried out for a good editor. If it had been tighter, it would have been truly thrilling. As it is, everything felt over-explained, filled with extraneous detail. It was just too long and too stilted.

Thanks to Erik Axl S ...more

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Jul 01, 2016 Crime by the Book rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nordic-noir-faves, favorites

It goes without saying, I consider this book a 5++++/5 read. An incredible, shocking, thoughtful story. Starting with a traditional police procedural structure, the story (in the English edition containing all 3 Victoria Bergman novels) moves seamlessly into parts 2 and 3: part 2 focusing on emotional trauma, and part 3 the catharsis. At its core, this is a story of human darkness and its root cause. Where does a cycle of violence start? Are abusers sometimes also the abused? Can redemption be f ...more

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Jun 01, 2016 Sean Smart rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A very long dark book full of twists, murders, child abuse and torture. Not easy to read in places and quite complex in others, at least for me. Started well but lost me in places

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Sep 30, 2016 aPriL does feral sometimes rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: cringed-and-winced, horror, mysteries-potboilers-thrillers, roller-coaster-ride, poverty-and-ignorance-suck, unbearably-sad, cold-hard-mean, illuminating

'The Crow Girl' is a very dark fictional psychological drama and a Swedish police-procedural mystery about connected cases of extremely depraved child abuse, torture and murder. The novel was not written originally in English nor was it first published as a single 700-page book. In Sweden, 'The Crow Girl' was an award-winning trilogy. Plus, Eric Axl Sund, the supposed author, is actually a pseudonym. The real authors are Jerker Eriksson and Håkan Axlander Sundquist.

I wish I could give the novel 'The Crow Girl' is a very dark fictional psychological drama and a Swedish police-procedural mystery about connected cases of extremely depraved child abuse, torture and murder. The novel was not written originally in English nor was it first published as a single 700-page book. In Sweden, 'The Crow Girl' was an award-winning trilogy. Plus, Eric Axl Sund, the supposed author, is actually a pseudonym. The real authors are Jerker Eriksson and Håkan Axlander Sundquist.

I wish I could give the novel five stars because clearly a lot of work was done in working into the fictional plot the details of decades of many reported true-crime stories against children. While the book is sickeningly educational, I felt like I was undergoing a sadistic foie gras force-feeding of perversions. Over the years I have read of many actual real life cases where some of this and that happened. Here in this book, it ALL occurs. The plot is really an overstuffed pressure cooker of sexual suffering. Oddly, the police procedural style somewhat obfuscates the intensity, and it is not so graphic that it becomes pornographic, but it comes close.

I think either the English translation followed Swedish language conventions too closely, or maybe the translator, or perhaps the authors, have a writing style which is too choppy for my liking. I got used to it, but there were also additional difficulties of reading comprehension due to a large cast of characters and many points of view which were often unidentified(view spoiler) by the authors as to which character was continuing the story. Plus, believe it or not, gentle reader, there also were confusing flashbacks and current-time discontinuities in which memories may have happened, or not, as unfortunately, some of the characters were very untrustworthy and damaged mentally-ill narrators.

Many of these issues made this a difficult read on perhaps one level, or several, take your pick, but it is worthwhile if you have a pathological interest in perverted crimes, or a need for validation or education, or an enjoyment of dark horrific mysteries that are full of unusual and unexpected twists. Personally, I would not recommend this book to any but stabilized adult horror and dark mystery fans.

The heroine, Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg, is assigned minimal resources and an assistant, Detective Hurtig, to track down clues to an obviously horrific torture murder of a young homeless foreign boy. Meanwhile, her personal life is full of distractions she is purposely ignoring - a rebellious teenage son,Johan, and a frustrated artist and stay-at-home husband, Åke, both of whom she is supporting on her salary. Her boss, Commissioner Dennis Billing and Prosecutor von Kwist do not much care to spend time investigating the death of a homeless illegal immigrant, even if they know it might be linked to a sex-trafficking ring. The victims are not Swedish citizens, or of the important taxpayer classes, so who cares, really? Illegal immigrant crimes, especially those involving child prostitutes, are almost impossible for which to build a prosecutable court case. Everyone involved in these cases, perpetrators and victims, hide away in shadows behind false identities and secret rooms, and maybe they sometimes offer exaggerated or ridiculous claims of abuse for reasons involving revenge or asylum claims. Government coverups and conspiracies of people supporting child-sex rings can be simply beyond belief or dangerous to prosecute without solid evidence; and such stories are often distorted or muddied up in the telling to sell media ads to the lascivious and credulous customer. Psychiatrists and psychologists can almost never provide tangible evidence of rape and abuse from their patients, and medical doctors have difficulty putting evidence of physical damage into a believable coherent package describing prosecutable abuse for the attention of busy officials. Besides, hello, illegal immigrants are involved? Life is too short for many officials to look into these cases.

I was maddened with anxiety for some of the book's victims who were near death due to the slow plodding steps of the police as the plot unfolded! Would they never knock on the right doors? Sometimes, though, the psychological investigation bits of the story left me struggling to believe on occasion, as I thought those bits strayed into the realm of stretched truths and assumed certainties, given what I know about actual profiling and what is done in psychology practices (I am admittedly an amateur). But most of the psychological descriptions had a ring of partial believability, even though by the end of the book I felt I shouldn't actually think about those parts too closely. I wanted to remain immersed (well, maybe not, actually, since I had to put the book down a lot) in the story and not be derailed by any implausibilities. (view spoiler)

I cannot emphasize strongly enough how terrible the revealed world of ongoing child abuse and torture is when vividly explored throughout a 700-page novel. Legal indifference to the plight of the powerless and voiceless in most societies is too too accurately portrayed. The authors do not provide much emotional relief for the victims, or readers, in their story, which, even if true-to-life, is extremely unpleasant to read while it educates. At least there is some revenge (I will spoil that much of the plot), but it depressed me how much ordinary people assist criminals through indifference or because of a fear of being involved. ...more

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Nov 28, 2018 Bex (Beckie Bookworm) rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: arc, book-reviews, crime, police-fbi, psychological-thriller, mental-illness, dark, netgalley, contemporary, serial-killer

So Crow Girl is a tricky one for me to rate as there was so much here that I actually liked but also this for me had some real issues that I struggled with slightly.
So first the length I wasn't aware before embarking on this that this story was a trilogy that had been combined into one novel: If I had been I probably would have given The Crow Girl a miss as its quite an undertaking in resilience and endurance to stay steady for the whole nine yards.
I do think this would have been better-served r ...more

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Nov 06, 2017 Bruce Hatton rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: swedish-crime

My, this is a long book; almost 800 pages in small typeface. The Crow Girl is, in fact a compendium of three novels by two authors, Jerker Eriksson and Håkan Axlander Sundquist - the nom du clavier is obviously derived from an abbreviation of both names.
Unsurprisingly, there is a broad historical and geographical sweep to the novel and the usually short chapters jump back and forth in time between numerous locations. The discovery of mummified bodies in Stockholm leads back to horrific cases of ...more

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Jul 11, 2016 Sumaiyya rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favourites

Utterly stunning.
This book was written SO well that over 750 pages did not feel like a task at all. The story is grotesque, dark, and shocking. Full review later!

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Mar 04, 2017 Valyssia Leigh rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: author-male, audible, published-decade-2010s, format-audio, protagonist-female, mystery, suspense, crime, cultural-sweden, book-club-bb-other-challenges

The most bizarre circumstance this Swedish writing duo could come up with to show their big bad was deranged was to make them gender queer.

Nicely done boys. I'll be skipping everything else you'll ever write. ...more

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Apr 21, 2017 Claire rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: best-of-2017

The Crow Girl is an exceptionally well-plotted crime novel- one of the darkest I've read in a long time. Structurally, the novel is led by the police investigation into a series of murders and child sex crimes (this is not for the faint hearted). To compliment the complex plot, these writers have also crafted some deeply complex characters- the line between hero and villain is ever blurred and highly fluid throughout. At its heart, this is more than a procedural crime novel- it is a meditation o ...more

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Jul 12, 2016 Amanda rated it really liked it · review of another edition

4.5 stars

This book is extremely disturbing. In fact, it might be the most disturbing book I've ever read. But it is also a very well crafted dark and twisty police procedural.

I'm not always a fan of trigger warnings but this book requires it. There is devastating sexual child abuse. There are disturbing images. It's one of those books that you feel changed when you finish it. I found it completely fascinating and am glad I read it despite the images I'll never get out of my head. ...more

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Jun 04, 2017 Mary rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: read-2017

Dear Reader,

This has to be one of the must disturbing and horrendously gripping books that I've ever read!

While subjects like child abuse,pornography and mental illness are never easy to discuss, never mind read about,I found myself totally enraptured by the masterful storytelling and choice of beautifully scripted sentences that weaved a web of horror,pain,torture,revenge and for some characters,closure,if such is possible under these circumstances.

Tasked with discovering the perpetrator of a ...more

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May 03, 2016 Portal in the Pages rated it did not like it

The rant is coming. Soon I will drain the anger. Soon...

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Jun 16, 2016 Vanessa rated it liked it · review of another edition

I requested this book from Harvill Secker in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher for sending me this copy.

The Crow Girl is one of those books, much like A Little Life, that I have mixed feelings about. I enjoyed the reading experience for the most part: it was definitely a page turner, and I never felt the urge to put the book down. I was interested in the characters, and wanted to know how to story would resolve. However, there were a lot of issues that I had with this b I requested this book from Harvill Secker in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to the publisher for sending me this copy.

The Crow Girl is one of those books, much like A Little Life, that I have mixed feelings about. I enjoyed the reading experience for the most part: it was definitely a page turner, and I never felt the urge to put the book down. I was interested in the characters, and wanted to know how to story would resolve. However, there were a lot of issues that I had with this book, that really need to be taken into account.

The Crow Girl is a Swedish crime novel that focuses on a detective, Jeanette Kihlberg, who is trying to find the killer of numerous immigrant boys who have wound up dead around Sweden. Their bodies appear to have been mummified, and their genitals have been removed. To help her, she enlists the help of psychologist Sofia Zetterlund, to try and profile the killer.

This book has a fantastic premise that is right up my street. I love the whole Scandinavian-crime thing, with the surroundings and atmosphere being something that I love in a crime story. I also really liked the fact that this book was heavily focused on the psychological state of people, and how someone's past can affect their life in the future and their future actions. However, of course the portrayal of mental illness in this book was problematic in its portrayal.

Things I didn't like:
- Mental illness felt like a very black and white issue, which is misleading for those of us reading who may not have a full understanding of the conditions presented in this book. To me, with my limited knowledge of the subject, I still felt that the portrayal was too simplistic, and that we were being provided with a very negative view on those who suffer from the illness.
- The story was very disjointed. As far as I know, this was originally a trilogy, and it seems as though a great deal of content has been cut out from this particular translation, in an attempt to fit it into one volume. This was a massive mistake, as characters appear all over the place but don't feel like they have a real function, and plot points get thrown about without any real follow-through. It was both too long, and rushed. Three volume translation please.
- The characters were a little one-dimensional at times, and there was a great deal of repetition with the authors info-dumping information about the characters' feelings, rather than showing them.

I probably had more issues than this, but for a full review, please check out my video review on youtube at www.youtube.com/chboskyy

Overall, I'm glad I picked up this book, because there was a lot that I enjoyed about it. However, I can't ignore the fact that there were problems with it, and as this book was sent to me for review, I need to be honest in my review. ...more

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Jul 09, 2016 Mahima rated it it was amazing

I am so emotionally drained. I don't have it in me to review this book.

Is it flawless? No.
Is it unlike anything I've ever read before? Yes.
Is it for everyone? No.
Would I still recommend it? Yes.

Disclaimer: If sexual abuse is a trigger for you, you might want to stay away from this book. Contains graphic descriptions of sexual violence against children including, but not limited to incest. ...more

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Feb 05, 2016 Sarah rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: netgalley, crime-procedural, 2016-popsugar-reading-challenge

4 stars

Huge thanks to Erik Axl Sund, Random House UK, Vintage Publishing and NetGalley for this copy in exchange for an honest review.

I started this at the beginning of February and got 14% through before my brain just gave up and got terribly confused so I decided to start it again, to reboot my brain and give it another go, this time it worked.

This book was originally released in Sweden as a trilogy and, obviously, the copy we have is the bind up, all 700+ pages of Swedish crime goodness!

It's ...more

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Dec 08, 2016 Leah Bayer rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: twisted-mystery, in-translation, rough-reads, thriller

3.5 stars

This is a dark, dark book. Before you consider reading it, I'd add heavy trigger warnings for child abuse, rape, and incest. If any of these are upsetting topics for you I'd definitely proceed with caution. While none of the violence is gratuitous and most of it happens either in memory or off-screen, a lot of the details are hard to get through even if you have a strong stomach. Though this does work against the book in some ways: by the time you get to the end and the final reveal of 3.5 stars

This is a dark, dark book. Before you consider reading it, I'd add heavy trigger warnings for child abuse, rape, and incest. If any of these are upsetting topics for you I'd definitely proceed with caution. While none of the violence is gratuitous and most of it happens either in memory or off-screen, a lot of the details are hard to get through even if you have a strong stomach. Though this does work against the book in some ways: by the time you get to the end and the final reveal of the horrors the murderer has created, it seems almost blase. I feel like this is a danger with any long, dark book: eventually the reader is immune to the shocks. But that doesn't negate how grim and effective 90% of it is.

The Crow Girl neatly toes the line between police procedural and psychological thriller. We have a ton of POVs: everything from the cops working on the case to the killer. Quite a few seem unrelated and really only come together at the end, and there's a ton of misdirection and potentially unreliable narrators. It's one of those "who am I supposed to trust?" type of novels, which I always enjoy. Every time I was sure I knew what was going on another twist and turn was revealed. It's not a wham-twist type of novel like Gone Girl: sure, there's a lot going on, but it's hard to say that there is "one big reveal." It's more a series of smaller (but still effective) surprises.

The most interesting aspect of the book is the discussions of mental health. It's both my favorite and least-favorite thing about The Crow Girl. I loved how complex all the characters were, and how intensely it looks at trauma, memory, and mental health. There are some wonderful moments of insight and really interesting discussions.

However, every mentally ill character in the book (and there are quite a few) is either an abuser or a victim. It's absolutely a myth that the mentally ill are more likely to commit violent crimes: in fact, there's no proven link between mental illness and criminal behavior. However, the mentally ill are far more likely to be the victim of a crime. For all its interesting discussions, The Crow Girl still uses mental illness as a plot point. It's supposed to be a revealing look at the cycle of abuse but it kind of comes off as "wow mentally ill people sure are crazy, look at the stuff they do!" It's a sore subject for me and I didn't appreciate how black and white the issue was. You also really need to suspend belief for some of the bigger twists, or know nothing about mental illness. (view spoiler)

To end on a positive note, this is an incredibly compulsive read. The chapters are quite short (2-5 pages) and the POV/time period changes constantly, making it feel insanely fast paced even though it takes place over the course of a few months. I never felt bored by the length or wanted things to happen faster. In fact, I think it could have been a bit longer: the end is slightly rushed! ...more

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Apr 27, 2017 Rob Twinem rated it liked it · review of another edition

I am a big fan of Nordic/Scandi Noir, both in movies (The Killing, The Bridge) and in the written word. There is a certain style in the crime writing; very descriptive very character driven with a plot line always developed in an articulate and thoughtful way. I was therefore very excited when "The Crow Girl" recently reduced to £5 (kindle) became available to UK readers. I expected the same attention to detail and exciting storytelling that I have become used to in the writings of Henning Manke I am a big fan of Nordic/Scandi Noir, both in movies (The Killing, The Bridge) and in the written word. There is a certain style in the crime writing; very descriptive very character driven with a plot line always developed in an articulate and thoughtful way. I was therefore very excited when "The Crow Girl" recently reduced to £5 (kindle) became available to UK readers. I expected the same attention to detail and exciting storytelling that I have become used to in the writings of Henning Mankell, Jo Nesbo, and more recently Yrsa Sigurdardottir

It is always a good thing when the first few pages immediately hold and retain the reader's attention.....a room is being prepared, insulated and sound proofed to create what we can only presume is a prison, and very soon a young boy is held captive, doped and incarcerated. A body is discovered in the centre of Stockholm and DS Janette Kihlberg is tasked with finding the perpetrator of some gruesomely mummified remains. To help understand the mind of a killer she seeks out and requests help from psychotherapist Sofia Zetterlund. Jeanette is feeling the growing pressure, male prejudice at work and in addition trying to cope with a disintegrating home life with her partner Ake and son Johan. As the body count rises a conspiracy is discovered stretching back many years, involving sexual abuse and paedophilia, and implicating respected pillars of the community.

At 786 pages long this is a story that needs perseverance. At first I became engrossed with the stylish writing depicting acts of depravity and with characters that had multiple personalities and deep rooted personal problems. There are some big issues to think about here most prominent the idea of dissociative identity disorder where a person is characterized by the presence of two or more distinct or split identities or personality states that continually have power over the person's behaviour. I found myself having a lot of sympathy for DS Kihlberg balancing an increasing complicated workload and an equally confusing personal life. Decisions that she takes and a personal discovery that she makes will have far reaching consequences for the present and into the future.

The real problem with The Crow Girl is the page count. I really enjoyed the story at first but the depressing subject matter became overwhelming in the later stages. My understanding is that this was originally 3 separate books on first release in Sweden, and would have benefited greatly from some tight proof reading/editing, before UK release, leading to a single combined volume of around 500 pages. Having made clear my reservations I still believe this is essential reading for lovers of Nordic crime but be prepared to be shocked and possibly repulsed at the sensitive storyline unfolding before you.

...more

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Feb 07, 2019 Jaanaki rated it really liked it · review of another edition

"BOOK 1of 2019" - " The Crow Girl" ,by Erik Axl Sund .I began this book thinking it was the usual run of the mill Scandinavian thriller and how wrong I was😊.This book is a well written dark crime thriller with excellent narratives on police work and psycho analysis.A body of a young boy turns up and police officer Jeanette Khilberg is thrown into the case .What seems to be a simple homicide turns out to be spider web of conspiracies with ends attached in the police as well as the judicial system ...more

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Aug 27, 2016 Jody rated it it was ok · review of another edition

I first heard of this book at Book club, where the decision was made that at over 700 pages, it was probably not going to suit most of the members. I get excited when I hear a book is that long, because it means I can immerse myself into the story and have it last longer than the usual 3-4 days. The title sounded dark and cool, and with promises of the Larsson tone I was hooked. So I sat down with glee to start this novel.

It wasn't until about halfway through that I started feeling disappointed. ...more

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May 12, 2019 Scott rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Shelves: abandoned

"What the hell has humanity come to?"
"Not humanity. Just men...you can strike everyone else off the list."

And that, in a nutshell, is why I am quitting this book at a quarter of the way in. This isn't just a character's viewpoint, which would be okay; it's the authors', and it's pervasive. Men are monsters. They commit unspeakable crimes, and even when a woman is an equal partner in the acts, she is never responsible. It's not her fault. It was the man who manipulated her. Or a man did something ...more

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Jul 05, 2017 Jessica Sullivan rated it really liked it

Shelves: pageturners, multiple-narrators, dark-and-disturbing, mystery-thriller

At 768 pages, this Swedish crime thriller is quite the undertaking, but I'm happy to report that it reads very quickly.

Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg is tasked with investigating the gruesome murder of a young immigrant boy, and soon finds herself immersed in the most disturbing case of her career. There's a serial killer at large who appears to be involved in a secret cult of men and women running a decades-long child pornography and human trafficking operation.

During her investigat ...more

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Jan 29, 2018 Brenda rated it liked it

Shelves: borrowed

I thought this would be one that would blow me away. It had all the makings for an awesome detective thriller—cold climates, gruesome murders, unreliable narrators, and plenty of red herrings to keep anyone occupied. The problem is that there was TOO much going on. Mutilated young boys, a giant pedophile ring, one person who’s positively delusional but apparently no one sees it, another one that is basically a phantom and not a person for all that anyone knows about that person, a hermaphrodite, ...more

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Nov 08, 2016 Pia rated it really liked it

Shelves: nordic-noir, crime, thriller, netgalley, src-fall-2016

This is a very difficult book to read, the themes of sexual abuse, children and incest are something that will give you the shivers. Add a component of mental disease and an unreliable narrator and you are set for a very dark book, even if it is a very good book.

On one side we have a police investigation looking into the deaths of very young boys, led by Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg; an explanation into the mind of the killer by psychologist Sophia Zetterlund; and a dive into the w ...more

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About Erik Axl Sund

Erik Axl Sund

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Erik Axl Sund is the pen name of Swedish author duo Jerker Eriksson (b. 1974) and Håkan Axlander Sundquist (b. 1965). Håkan is a sound engineer, musician and artist. Jerker has been the producer of Håkan's electro punk band iloveyoubaby! and currently works as a librarian in a prison. Erik Axl Sund is the author of three novels so far: Crow Girl (2010), Hunger Fire (2011) and Pythia's Instructions ...more