Geiger

Sara Nowak #1

by Gustaf Skördeman

For a seemingly perfect family, a single word will change everything in this edge-of-your-seat thriller for fans of The Silent Patient and The Whisper Man.It's early summer in Stockholm. Agneta and Stellan Broman have just waved off their daughters and grandchildren when the landline phone rings. The caller says just one word: Geiger. Agneta hangs up, finds her old pistol, kills her husband of fifty years and then disappears from their home without a trace. Sara Nowak, a police officer in the prostitution unit, is called by a colleague who is investigating the murder. Stellan was a widely loved former television presenter, and Sara grew up next door to the Bromans, spending much of her childhood in their grand house. Both the victim's daughters and Sara are devastated by the killing, and going against all regulations, Sara gets involved in the investigation. It is the beginning of a dark journey, leading back to the Cold War and fatal ideologies, and the truth about Sara's own childhood. Exciting, compelling, and full of twists you'll never see coming, Geiger is Gustaf Sk�rdeman's incredible debut thriller.

Genres: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Sweden, Audiobook, Suspense

366 pages, Hardcover

First published February 25, 2021

About the author

Gustaf Skordeman (b. 1965) was born in Sweden and is a screenwriter, director and producer. Geiger is his literary debut. It is sold for publication in more than 20 languages.

Reviews

[Rachel (not currently receiving notifications) Hall · Rating 2 out of 5]

Geiger opens with possibly the most exciting moment of the book as seventy-year-old Agneta Broman and the wife of former Swedish television legend, Stellan, waves off her daughters and grandchildren. The landline rings, Agneta answers and hears just one word: “Geiger”, indicating that it is time for her to set in motion a potentially devastating plan that has been fifty years in the making. Proceeding to shoot her eighty-five-year-old husband in the back of the head she makes a hasty escape and, with the preparations made years in advance, sets out to finish the job she has undertaken. But when Stellan’s body is discovered, well ahead of Agneta’s expectations, the story of his murder fixates a nation that grew up watching him dominate Swedish television. With Agneta presumed to be either in hiding or kidnapped, the race is on to find what could possibly have motivated someone to kill ‘Sweden’s Stellan’.

Sara Nowak is a forty-four-year-old mother of two and a Swedish detective in the vice department with an aggressive manner and uncompromising attitude. She also grew up alongside Stellan’s two daughters as her Polish refugee mother was the Broman’s cleaner and was afforded a privileged insight into the celebrity parties they were renowned for hosting. For feisty Sara, who struggles to keep her temper in check as she deals with the punters who repeatedly use and abuse prostitutes, the murder of Stellan is personal. Doing her own digging she uncovers a shocking rumour that Stellan was an ex-Stasi informant and responsible for ruining hundreds of lives, but the allegations don’t stop there with a far more damning one gaining traction. As Sara speculates on what could have happened to Agneta she is joined by two members of the former German security service ahead of a long-awaited denouement and last-gasp twist.

The plot is highly convoluted and entails a large number of indistinguishable individuals with Swedish names that don’t quite slip of the tongue and went in one ear and out the other for me. The scope of the conspiracy is seriously unlikely, not only in regard to the number of eminent figures involved but also the specifics of an outrageous plot. One big question mark surrounds the identity of Stellan’s handler and despite having minimal interest in the story I was still able to guess correctly as it is pretty obvious. Geiger is obviously intended as a fast-paced thriller however it is much too wordy to convince and long periods of the narrative are filled by Sara’s largely irrelevant internal dialogue on her marriage, relationship with her children and the effective policing of prostitution, and thus prevent the unfolding story from building momentum. Whilst the book is readable I found it lacking in coherence and occasionally confusing and would be hard pushed to recommend.

[Nadine Schrott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Puh.....ein Agenten Thriller mit Höhen und Tiefen....

Onkel Stellan ist berühmt, beliebt und......tot....erschossen von seiner Ehefrau....beide im Seniorenalter....

Es entspinnt sich eine etwas verworrene Spionage Geschichte um den kalten Krieg..... die Polizistin Sara, die einen starken persönlichen Bezug zum Mordopfer hat, deckt furchtbare Zusammenhänge auf....

Ich bin wirklich ambivalent, was diesen durchaus mit Esprit geschriebenen Agenten Thriller angeht....zum einen waren für mich die Gewaltszenen zu ausschweifend und verherrlichend ....auch waren die Zusammenhänge nicht immer gleich nachvollziehbar....

Auf der anderen Seite war der Plot unheimlich gut konstruiert, die Hauptakteure durchaus mit Tiefgang angelegt......

Und der Band hört sehr unvermittelt auf...was natürlich total dazu animiert, den nächsten Band der geplanten Triologie anzuschaffen...!

Ich denke, den zweiten Teil werde ich doch besorgen.....

Fazit:
Steile Spannungsbögen, abgebremst von zu vielen, undurchsichtigen Handlungssträngen...

Für Schweden und SpionageFans durchaus lesbar.....

[Liz Barnsley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geiger is an engaging and unpredictable spy drama, with all the twists and turns you could possibly need and a strong sense of character and place.

It has an immediately absorbing opening as Grandma Agneta waves goodbye to her children and grandchildren, receives a phone call, then shoots her unsuspecting husband in the head and disappears into the day. Why? Well the answer to that question will keep you turning those pages.

I particularly liked that this was an intelligent story with plenty of historical context, some vibrant and divisive characters and a tendency to change the state of play every once in a while- the description “page turner” suits Geiger down to the ground but there’s no compromise in quality in order to deliver cheap thrills but more a gradual process of understanding what exactly is going on. The theme of celebrity and power is a strong one and overall this is a banging good read.

The end leaves you hoping for more given the world the author has presented here and I enjoyed every moment. Recommended.

[Ionarr · Rating 1 out of 5]

The actual spy thriller part of this book was pretty good, albeit exceedingly silly and marred by constant ideological ramblings. Unfortunately, that part made up maybe a third of the book. The worst part was the endless descriptions of the rape of girls, which was unnecessary to the point that new characters were introduced purely for a scene describing their rape and to be helpless agency-less victims before disappearing, never to be heard from again, having added nothing to the plot or character development and having no purpose of their own. The vast majority of the female characters in this book exist purely to be abused and have no motivations or thoughts of their own, and no women is allowed to finish the book without being raped, fathered by rape, or in the case of a couple of lucky characters enable rape so as to underscore how evil the evil communists are.

It's also poorly written (although that may well be the English translation) and not cohesive in the slightest. The fact I forced myself through this is a feat of endurance and self-loathing I am frankly impressed by. I will not be reading the sequels.

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this book on audio last weekend. Let's start at the beginning. An older woman calmly farewells her children and grandchildren, goes to her bedside table, takes out a gun, fits a silencer, walks up behind her husband as he sits reading in a chair and calmly shoots him in the head. And that is enough for you to get a sense of the pace, the feeling and the surprises that are in store in this thriller. What a book! I couldn't stop listening to it. I was making any excuse to disappear to the nether reaches of our tiny house to find a job to do where I wouldn't be spoken to, so that I could carry on. I even did an overlong trip to the supermarket so that I could eek out my listening time.

It is convoluted and complex and full of surprises. It gets very detailed about Russian politics towards the end and I found that a little bit distracting from the action, but it is important to the story and it bought back memories of that time in history. A great and thrilling read.

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning of this book starts off with a BANG. It had my attention for awhile, then it started to drag. I didn't connect with the main character Sara at all. She was actually pretty shitty at her job imo. Total rogue cop. Her decisions and actions were dangerous. She wasn't so much a bad ass female, more of a pain in the ass ...

This book was WAY too long to have such a disappointing ending. Even knowing there are more books on the way, the ending could have been SO much better. It felt as if the author got bored and was like, ok, I'm done writing now.

Unfortunately I don't think I'll be continuing with this series.

Thanks to Grand Central Publishing for my gifted copy!

[Ellery Adams]

Was sucked into this espionage novel by the riveting opening chapter, but there was just too much sexual violence against women (including children) for my tastes.

[Anae · Rating 4 out of 5]

Novela bastante desasosegante, narrada entre la actualidad y la Guerra Fría. Dos historias paralelas que se entremezclan en la persona de Sara Nowak y que dejan una sensación de impotencia y de amargura difíciles de superar: una por la situación social y otra por la política... ¿está ocurriendo? ¿podría ocurrir? ¿ocurrirá?
Puff, espero que no.

[[ J o ] · Rating 2 out of 5]

The cover instantly drew me in along with the blurb: a mysterious phone call with a shattering message and an intriguing cover to match it. The scene is set from there and we are placed right into what one would assume is a normal, loving family until the fateful phone call...

The story unfolds quite slowly, which at first feels intense and gripping. As the book progresses, however, I found this approach incredibly dull. The whole plot could have been told in a much quicker, shorter book which I think would have matched the plot much better. There was mystery, intrigue and all those lovely thrilling things you'd want from something about the Cold War, but-whilst it was there-it felt quite frozen and scattered rather than building up to anything particularly exciting.

I never really found myself enjoying the Detective Sarah. I found she mostly stumbled in to things rather than using any kind of detecting nous, which is usually my main bug-bear in detection fiction. I didn't find her that likeable either, but I don't think there are any particular stand out reasons for this: she just seemed a little meh, a little flat, a little 2D.

I do thoroughly enjoy crime thrillers and prefer ones I can read in one sitting, but I found this quite the chore to get through, even though I did enjoy the plotline: the Cold War is something I've not delved in to that much and have been meaning to for so long, but to be honest aside from the codeword, I never really felt it was particular to the Cold War.

It seemed a decent start but I found it just dragged a little, though if you're looking for a nice bit of crime I think you should give it a go.

[Vix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Uncovering the reason why Agneta shoots her husband is entertaining, but I struggled with the rest of it. However, if you enjoy history and politics along with spies and murder mysteries then this will be perfect for you.

Whilst I did enjoy the spy element of this book including who was involved, who was double-crossing, and who did what, I felt that only made up about half of the story. There were also some good twists and turns along the way and I didn't see the end ones coming which was a bonus - though I wish I'd have known it was going to be a series.

There is a lot of detail on history (the cold war) and politics (including many, many names) which slowed the flow down for me. Additionally I think there have been some mistakes in the translation here and there, so some sentences didn't always make sense. The main character Sara also makes some odd decisions and I can't say I ever warmed to her - or any of the other characters.

Also a warning - there are a lot of descriptions of rape (including of underage girls).

*I received a complimentary copy of the e-book from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

[Sir Gerry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nichts ist wie es scheint. Hinter einer schönen Fassade kann das Grauen lauern. Keiner weiß, was der andere hinter seiner Stirn denkt, tut oder fühlt. Alles wird verschleiert, alles ist geheim. Geheim und gefährlich. Daher ist es auch überaus überraschend und verwunderlich, als der über 80-jährige Stellen Broman, ein ehemals sehr beliebter schwedischer Fernsehmoderator kurz nach dem Besuch seiner beiden Töchter Lotta und Malin und deren Ehemännern und Enkelkindern erschossen aufgefunden wird. Wer konnte das Onkel Stellan, so wurde er von allen liebevoll genannt, antun? Die ermittelnde Polizeikommisssarin Anna ruft Kommissarin Sara Nowak an, die zwar bei der Sitte arbeitet, aber in ihren Kindertagen bei den Bromans aufgewachsen war. Stellans Ehefrau Agneta ist verschwunden. Wurde sie entführt? Wer steckt dahinter?

Der Leser weiß gleich zu Beginn, dass Agneta ihren Mann erschossen hat. Aufgrund eines kurzen Anrufs, in dem der Anrufende lediglich „Geiger?“ fragte. Das war für Agneta das Stichwort. Sie holt aus einem Versteck eine Waffe und erschießt ihren Mann Stellan und begibt sich auf eine lange Zeit vorbereitete Flucht mit einem Ziel, ihren Auftrag auszuführen. Die Polizei tappt im Dunklen. Doch nach und nach entwickelt sich eine sehr umfangreiche und verwickelte Story, die seines gleichen sucht. Stichworte sind hier einerseits Spionagetätigkeiten, DDR, IM, KGB, Säpo, BND. Zum anderen mir bislang unbekannte Begriffe wie Fulda Gap und Stay put. Vergrabene Bomben, Atombomben, Kalter Krieg, Zerstörung Deutschlands in einem Szenario 3.Weltkrieg. Des weiteren sexuelle Übergriffe und Vergewaltigungen, Erpressungen etc. . Daneben aber auch sehr tief gehende und überraschende Informationen rund um Sara, ihre Vergangenheit, ihren Job, in dem sie oft die gesetzlich gesteckten Grenzen überschreitet und ihrer Familie.

Die verschiedenen Handlungsstränge werden sehr gut aufgelöst. Mir hat sehr gut gefallen, mit welcher Akribie und Genauigkeit der Autor uns Leser hier in diese verschiedenen Ebenen und Geschehnisse eintauchen lässt. Dem ein oder anderen ist das vielleicht zu viel. Mit hat das aber sehr gut gefallen. Dann dadurch konnte ich die Geschehnisse, Ereignisse und die Charaktere der Protagonisten viel besser einschätzen. Der Schreibstil ist angenehm. Für das Buch sollte man sich aber schon Zeit lassen. Die Geschichte wird zum Schluss hin immer spannender.

Geiger ist das Debüt dieses Autors und der Auftakt einer Trilogie. Ich freue mich sehr auf die Folgebände.

Dem Buch gebe ich 4,5 Sterne.

[Javier · Rating 3 out of 5]

“En un mundo dominado por los hombres, el mejor disfraz es ser mujer”

“Crees que conoces a tu mujer…hasta que te mata”. Agneta y Stellan Broman acaban de celebrar un agradable reunión familiar cuando suena el teléfono. Al otro lado de la línea una única palabra, “Geiger”. Inmediatamente después de colgar, Agneta coge una pistola y mata a su marido, desapareciendo sin dejar rastro. ¿Qué o quién es Geiger? ¿Qué le ha llevado a cometer un acto tan brutal? Sara Nowak, una agente de policía que creció junto a los Broman, se involucrará de forma extraoficial en la investigación para tratar de hallar respuesta a esas preguntas.

Con ese tagline y esa premisa resulta prácticamente imposible resistirse a leer “Geiger”. Ese primer capítulo en el que se comete el crimen es tan potente y deja al lector con tal cantidad de preguntas, que tienes la necesidad de seguir leyendo para tratar de averiguar qué pudo llevar a Agneta a cometer un asesinato a sangre fría. Pronto se descubre que su misión no ha terminado y ha sido esta parte de la historia la que más disfruté.

Secretos que se remontan a la Guerra Fría, espías, agentes dobles…son algunos de los ingredientes de una trama que en ocasiones peca de exceso de información, haciendo que la narración se vuelva un poco confusa. La RDA, la antigua URSS l, la OTAN… el contexto histórico está bien conseguido pero demasiados datos y nombres hizo que, en ocasiones, tuviese que pararme a pensar quién era quién y si eran aliados o enemigos, lo que ralentizó el ritmo de la narración.

Otro aspecto que en principio me descolocó un poco es el excesivo tiempo que se dedica a la vida personal de Sara (al terminarlo descubrí que es el primer libro de una serie y ya me cuadró un poco más). Me resultó muy interesante ver la evolución que va experimentando su personaje a lo largo de la historia en lo que respecta a su relación con los Broman, y cómo una mirada adulta percibe de forma distinta aquello que vivió en la infancia.

El trabajo de Sara en la Unidad de Prostitución le sirve al autor para hacer una crítica a la sociedad sueca y su forma de gestionar este asunto. Aunque me costó empatizar con Sara en ciertos aspectos, en lo relativo a su trabajo la pude entender perfectamente. Esa frustración al ver que tu trabajo no está sirviendo para nada, perpetuándose entre los jóvenes esos roles que tú estás tratando de cambiar, me resultó palpable y muy creíble.

“Geiger” es un thriller de espías con un contexto histórico muy logrado y esa atmósfera típica de los Nordic Noir. Una premisa interesante que se ve lastrada en ocasiones por un exceso de información y una resolución que, aunque sorprendente, me dejó un poco frío. Aún así, tengo curiosidad por leer el siguiente libro de la serie.

[Rachel Bridgeman · Rating 3 out of 5]

One word, uttered in a questioning fashion down an old fashioned landline, sets off a ricochet of incredible actions that have been 50 years in the making.

This political thriller takes no prisoners and needs maximum concentration, as a grandmother goes on the run after first shooting her husband, a beloved Swedish television celebrity ‘Uncle Stellan’, gathering up several essential belongings, and taking off on a pink pushbike.

Their stunned daughters have no idea whether their mother has been murdered, kidnapped, or run away, let alone why their father has been shot. Small comfort is given by the investigating officer being a family friend, being the daughter of the cleaner who grew up in the celebrity household and watched the lavish parties held there.

The investigations into allegations that Steffan was an accomplice to the Stasi, during the Cold War, sends shockwaves through Sweden and as the hunt for the missing Agneta ramps up, the police and Sara, are not the only ones on the trail of the truth.

I have to admit struggling to follow the names that were thrown up through the book and following who was who to whom, but this is definitely a political thriller which hits the ground running, and does not let up. Starting with a neat subversion on the family Sunday dinner, it goes off in unexpected directions following the case of what people want to believe about beloved childhood figures, versus the painful truth. Never has it been more apparent than today, where yet more figures are being held accountable for their actions.

A gripping, thrilling, nerve shredding enigma of a book, this is definitely a book for those who enjoy political thrillers, conspiracies and detective fiction.

[Eva · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Agneta waves off her grandchildren, the landline rings. The voice at the other end utters merely one word. Geiger. Agneta knew this moment would come and though shaken, she knows exactly what to do. Retrieving a weapon from its hiding place, she creeps up behind her husband and shoots him in the head without even blinking or flinching.

How is that for an opening chapter?! As the reader, I suddenly found my head full of a multitude of questions. What the heck is Geiger? Who was that person on the other end of the phone? Why does Agneta have a gun? What did her husband do that she would kill him in cold blood? Who still even has a landline? (Totally a legitimate question.)

I immediately wanted to find out much more. As it turns out, Agneta’s work isn’t done. She’s on a mission. Although what that mission entails is a bit of a mystery. Before I knew it, a tense game of cat-and-mouse was unfolding right before my eyes and I had the hardest time figuring out who was what. There are secrets to discover. Some that have been hidden for decades, its roots buried deep underneath layers of history. Nothing, or nobody, is what it seems.

Geiger is incredibly well plotted. The pace is spot on and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. I must admit I wasn’t quite sure about Sara Nowak’s part in all of this. She felt to me as an unnecessary character in a cast that was already plenty big enough and sometimes slightly confusing to keep straight. That could have been just me. My concentration wasn’t all there and it really should be when you’re reading this thriller. That said, Sara’s point-of-view did end up being important so I was able to appreciate her part in the story after all.

With Geiger, Gustaf Skördeman has written an intelligent spy thriller full of historical context. The kind that makes you want to hit the internet to find out more about. The Cold War may be over, its players are not. Sure, they’re all that bit older but once a spy, always a spy, right? Intriguing characters, cloak-and-dagger games and a mystery to solve … there is definitely quite a bit to sink your teeth into here. I especially enjoyed the setting, reminiscent of that Scandi-Noir that’s so popular, and the old-school spy vibes. For fans of political (spy) thrillers, conspiracies and a nice chunk of history, Geiger is a solid debut from Gustaf Skördeman.

[Anschen Conradie · Rating 3 out of 5]

#Geiger - Gustaf Skördeman
#Zafre
#bonnerbooks

They were married for decades. Now retired, they enjoy their children and grandchildren. Until the phone rings on that fatal day. Only a single word is spoken. She ends the call, calmly retrieves her weapon and shoots her husband in the head. She always knew this day would come.

Although the front cover compares this novel (translated from Swedish) to the famous ‘I am Pilgrim’ of Terry Hayes; it is probably more similar to ‘Telefon’ by Walter Wager. ‘Pilgrim’ is much faster paced and focuses on very different types of characters, in that elderly ex spies, as portrayed in ‘Geiger’, could simply not scare me in the same way that the deadly characters in ‘Pilgrim’ did. Similar to the plot in ‘Telefon’ a single telephone call could start a war - unless an ordinary police officer can prevent the cycle from being completed by deciphering decades old secrets, involving double agents; sleeper cells; etc.

The novel started very slowly, but built up speed later. Apart from the slow start, the first third or so also frustrated me because the focus was primarily on the private life of the investigator and very few pages were actually dedicated to the espionage plot. Although relevant to the unfolding of the novel, I did feel that the novel was slightly unbalanced in that sense.

Although I was a bit bored at times during the first half, the pace speeds up considerately thereafter. The final unveiling of the secrets was cleverly done and very entertaining.

Recommended for lovers of Scandinavian thrillers and those interested in the aftermath of the Cold War.

#Uitdieperdsebek

[Bridget · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geiger begins with grandma Agneta Broman waving off her daughters and grandchildren after a family gathering. No sooner are the family out the door, when Agneta receives a telephone call that provokes her to shoot and kill her husband, Stellan and head off into the unknown. How could the word "Geiger" cause an old woman to murder her husband and flee on a pink bicycle, leaving her life behind?

In a story with plenty of historical context, the author delivers a compelling crime thriller. Sara Nowack is a forty-four-year-old mother and Swedish police officer in the vice department who is invited onto the Stellan Broman investigation by a colleague, Anna Torhall. She was a childhood friend of the Broman daughters and may have insider information. Sara is also working on a case with police officer David Karlsson involving prostitution.

Gustaf Skördeman has included a widely varied mix of characters for the different parts of the story and subplots, but not too many that I lost track of who everyone was. There is a whole range of happenings, accounts and occurrences and one of the themes is particularly distressing to read about. Overall, Geiger is a really intriguing read that I definitely recommend.

I read Geiger in staves with other Pigeonholers as part of a group. A special thank you to Bonnier Books/ Zaffre, Gustaf Skördeman, NetGalley and The Pigeonhole for a complimentary copy of this novel at my request. This review is my unbiased opinion.

[Catsbooksandcoffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Geiger er en hæsblæsende og meget vellykket debut, der fanger læserne fra første side. Plottet og bogens overordnede intrige er velgennemtænkt, og udvikler sig konstant i uventede retninger. Meget vellykket er blandt andet forfatterens blanding af svensk politik med misbrug af unge kvinder.

Fortællingen bevæger sig uhindret mellem fortidens Kolde krigs højdepunkter og nutidens stigende terrorisme og nationalisme. Der ligger tydeligt en grundig research til grund for bogen, der hæves gevaldigt at forfatterens baggrund som manuskriptforfatter; billedskabende scener, højt tempo og masser af overraskende tvists. Resultatet er virkeligt god underholdning pakket ind i en spændende ramme.

Konspirationer har altid været et populært emne i fiktionens verden, og det er ikke uden grund. Der findes vel næppe noget bedre end at fordybe sig i fiktion med et realistisk skær – også selvom bogen til visse tider taber lidt for meget tempo.
Sara Nowak er en interessant karakter, der både skal forholde sig til interne familieproblemer og uduelige chefer(et trick, der efterhånden findes i de fleste krimier), men det er et vellykket greb at hun kan give personligt indblik i drabsofferets fortid.

2020 tegner til at blive et stærkt debutantår, og Geiger hører til i toppen. Er du elsker af spionthrillere og konspirationsteorier, så er Geiger et must på din boghylde.

[Elaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Geiger.

I'm still not sure what this was about, but I can tell you it wasn't good.

Geiger was outrageously, ridiculously too political for me; so much exposition about the Cold War and Germany and blah blah blahhh.

There are disturbing subplots readers should be aware of including rape and sexual trafficking.

I didn't like the characters, especially Sara, who did not come off as a competent police officer.

She's judgmental, violent and spends too much time hating on the sex offenders she's tasked to catch in the act.

I get that she's frustrated with her job but it sounds like she needs a new job and many sessions with a psychologist.

I did like who the spies turned out to be, and the writing was good but the narrative was SOOO dull.

I kept thinking, "Get to the point."

I hate politics in real life, so why would I want to read it in a book that's supposed to entertain me?

This was not a mystery as much as an outlet for the author to talk politics and a not so subtle way to talk about his own political leanings.

[Miriam Smith (A Mother’s Musings) · Rating 2 out of 5]

#GEIGER
By Gustaf Skordeman
- The landline rings as Agneta is waving off her grandchildren. Just one word comes out of the receiver: 'Geiger'. For decades, Agneta has always known that this moment would come. She knows what it means. Retrieving her weapon from its hiding place, she attaches the silencer and creeps up behind her husband before pressing the barrel to his temple.
“Geiger” is billed as the most gripping debut thriller since ‘I Am Pilgrim’. Although I haven’t read Terry Hayes’ highly rated book, I’m not sure “Geiger” - for me personally - can live up to that or any other promoted hype. Even after an opening that does capture your attention, I soon began to lose interest and the many Swedish place names that were unpronounceable, made it very hard going. Sadly not a story I could get away with and I ended up skipping many pages. I’m sure many a Cold War thriller reader may well enjoy this debut book but on this occasion it wasn’t for me.

[Sophia Tragelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Πολύ καλό, αν και θα το χαρακτήριζα περισσότερο κατασκοπικό κι όχι αστυνομικό μυθιστόρημα...ενδιαφέρουσα πλοκή, αρκετές ανατροπές και δράση μέχρι την τελευταία σελίδα...τελειώνει πολύ απότομα, σαν να βλέπεις μια ταινία κ στα τελευταία πέντε λεπτά γίνεται διακοπή ρεύματος... ενδιαφέρον για τους λάτρεις του είδους.

[Natalie Mackay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a free copy of this book from Readers First in exchange for an honest review.

For much of the book, I was swaying between whether to go with a 3 or 4 star review. I ended on 4 because I’m an optimist 😃

The book got off to a flying start, very fast paced, with action and mystery but then slowed to a gentler pace where we focused on history and relationships. I liked the spy names throughout, I liked that I was able to keep track of characters even though their names are traditional Swedish names.

I thought overall, the book worked very well - a spy thriller wouldn’t normally be my choice and I think that this book is a good foray into this genre.

The main character wasn’t the most likeable person, she came across, to me, as very overbearing and sanctimonious and not always a realistic or believable character. Her reactions and thoughts portrayed didn’t always track with me nor seem like a reasonable response to certain situations - so she let the book down a bit for me.

I found the story easy to follow, full of information and history, and had enough mystery to keep me interested throughout. I would probably like to read more books of the spy thriller genre.

[Mallory (onmalsshelf) Bartel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have not read a book with so much extra filler in a long time.

We were promised espionage and what we got was cop who is obsessed with her past and bragging that she got her husband.

The premise drew me in: After enjoying a day with the family in Stockholm, Agneta Broman gets a call from a caller that says one word, "Geiger". Agneta hangs up, finds her pistol, and shoots her husband only to disappear.

I thought this was going to centered on espionage stemming from WW2 all of the way to the Cold War, but instead it centered on Sara Nowak, a police woman in Stockholm who works in the prostituition unit and has connections to the Broman family.

The story unfolds slowly and spends a lot of time with Sara both surrounding her job in the prostitution unit as well as her inserting herself into the murder investigation. We spent more time with Sara than with Agneta and the espionage plot unfolded even slower than the rest of the novel. I liked the ending and wish that the rest of the book had that much tension. Following Sara around while she fumbles her career shouldn't have covered most of the book.

I'm not sure if it was the English translation, but this seemed so wordy and was not cohesive. Did the translator add extra words or was that how it was originally written? I feel like a lot could've been edited out. I usually love Scandanavian thrillers/noir that have been translated to English, but this one just wasn't a winner.

On another note, I did not like that the author focused solely on Palestinians when talking about current terrorism and espionage.

It looks like this will be a series following Sara Nowak, but I don't think I'll pick it up.

[Amanda Almén · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jag har SÅ svårt att betygsätta den här boken! Den har varit med mig nu under en tid då jag mått så förbannat dåligt, att blotta åsynen av omslaget fått mig att må illa. Därför känns inte betyget riktigt rättvist, jag borde kanske inte sätta ett betyg alls. Men jag TROR att den för mig, under normala omständigheter, är en trea.

Det börjar starkt, riktigt starkt. Ett telefonsamtal till den gamla kvinnan som sekunden efter sätter en pistolmynning mot sin mans tinning och trycker av. Här väcks så mycket frågor. Varför? Vem ringde? Det är så spännande!

Strax därefter börjar det nystas upp information om spionringar. Underrättelsetjänst, hemliga uppdrag, Östtyskland och Sovjet. Därtill prostitution, sexköp, pedofili och utpressning och snart är det en härva utan dess like. Fortfarande intressant, men ibland kan jag tycka att det är lite väl rörigt. Och i slutet ska jag ärligt säga att jag inte längre har koll på vem som är på vilken sida, eller vad de inblandade har för agendor. Jag inser att jag till sist skummat igenom sidorna om DDR, när det blev för mycket gammal politik - jag tappade helt intresset och det får jag sona för i slutet av boken då jag inte har koll på vad de olika makterna och personerna vill.

Jag har utöver det svårt för huvudkaraktären och hennes ogenomtänkta drag och har full förståelse för att hon stängs av. Förstår att hon ska vara på gränsen, men djises, hon är som ett litet barn. Vilket säkert är meningen inser jag när jag skriver det.

Den passar dig som vill ha en lite annorlunda thriller, och inte bara räds mycket gammelpolitik och kopplingar till gamla välfärdssverige.

Tack till Polaris för recensionsex!

[Veronika Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an exciting story! The amount of research that must have gone into the politics of Sweden, Russia and the DDR is staggering. And the construction of this complicated tale is immaculate in its undertaking.

We begin at the home of retired TV personality ‘Uncle’ Stellan Broman and his wife Agneta. The phone rings, Agneta answers, and only one word is spoken – ‘Geiger’. She promptly recovers her hidden gun and shoots her husband in the back of the head, killing him outright. She then flees.

Only a few minutes earlier they were surrounded by their family – two daughters and their husbands, and the grandchildren that Stellan and Agneta had been looking after all week.

Sara Nowak is a police officer, working on the streets, following punters who are abusing young prostitutes and hopefully arresting them. Stellan’s murder is not her case, but she becomes involved because she has history with the Broman family. Her mother Jane was their cleaner, living in a cottage in the grounds and Sara used to play with the two daughters Lotta and Malin. Until they left in a hurry one day.

But this is just the beginning. The story develops into a chase involving the communist days of the DDR before the Berlin Wall came down, Russian spies and Swedish politics. I’m not even going to attempt to say much more as I would probably get it wrong, but suffice to say, it’s an engaging read.

Many thanks to The Pigeonhole and to my fellow Pigeons for making this such an enjoyable read.

[Melanie Patrice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This expected a ton of reasoning to read, yet it was intriguing to find out about. It's somewhat set in a period of west and east Germany and the divider descending. Current realities in the story are valid and are interesting to learn about so I'd suggest doing this. I was continually discussing what side everybody was on and was still left stunned by a few revelations. I don't read a great deal of recorded fiction or books with subjects like this however will understand more.

[Henrik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hæsblæsende debut - spioner af ældre dato “vækkes” af en telefonopringning - og så går den vilde jagt, men hele tiden med uventede drejninger. Rigtig god underholdning - håber forfatteren har mod på nete.

[Liesbeth Van der ven · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ik heb er van genoten 😀

[sheila_hjv_inbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Één codewoord stelt een oud en verwoestend complot in werking.

Vanaf het moment dat Agneta Broman de telefoon opneemt en het codewoord Geiger te horen krijgt, wordt een reeks gebeurtenissen opgestart waarvan de oorsprong zich in het verleden bevindt. Zodra Agneta het codewoord heeft gehoord schiet ze haar echtgenoot neer, treft ze de noodzakelijke maatregelen en verlaat ze het huis.

“Aan de andere kant van de lijn zei een mannenstem in gebroken Duits ‘Geiger?’ Daar was ze al bang voor geweest. Lieve hemel. De kleinkinderen. Maar ze hoorde dat buiten de auto’s werden gestart en realiseerde zich dat ze vrij weinig keus had.” Gustaf Skördeman

De moord op oud presentator en publiekslieveling Stellan Broman slaat in als een bom. Al snel wordt agente Sara Nowak benaderd door een oud studiegenoot, omdat ze weet dat Sara het gezin Broman kent. Ondanks dat de moord niet binnen haar jurisdictie valt, en tegen het bevel van haar leidinggevende in, start Sara haar eigen onderzoek.

Langzaam ontvouwt zich een verwoestend complot dat al minstens dertig jaar wacht om te worden geactiveerd.

Geiger is niet alleen het thrillerdebuut van Gustaf Skördeman, maar ook het begin van een thrillerserie over de agente Sara Nowak.

Het verhaal van Geiger wordt gedegen opgebouwd, en onderbouwd. Iets wat grotendeels prettig is, maar soms ook wat aan de langdradige kant. Hierdoor wordt het tempo, waarin de ontwikkelingen zich aandienen, een beetje naar beneden gehaald en moet je je wel meer inspannen om je aandacht bij het verhaal te houden.

Toch spreekt Geiger voldoende tot de verbeelding om deze inspanning ook daadwerkelijk te willen leveren. Het verhaal begeeft zich niet slechts in één richting, maar kent een paar onverwachte afslagen, die weer andere zaken aan het licht brengen dan die waarnaar wordt gezocht. Dit boek bevat een aantal boeiende twist die ik totaal niet zag aankomen.

De hoofdpersoon Sara is interessant en zeer zeker niet eendimensionaal. Enerzijds heb je de wat boze en agressieve agente, maar daar tegenover staat een moeder en een vrouw met gevoeligheden en onzekerheden. Gustaf Skördeman heeft zijn hoofdpersonage echt menselijk weten te maken. Geen perfect karakter maar eentje met fouten en onhebbelijkheden. Dat Sara een gezin heeft, is een prettige tegenhanger voor wat haar werk met haar doet, en maakt haar als personage sympathieker.

Geiger van Gustaf Skördeman is, naar mijn mening, mede dankzij de verrassende wendingen en de gelaagdheid, een geslaagd debuut te noemen. Daarnaast bevat het boek een einde dat duidelijk hint op meer. Ik geef deze thriller 4 sterren.

Deze recensie schreef ik voor, en is terug te vinden op, de blog In de Boekenkast: https://indeboekenkast.com.

[Sandra · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wie kann man dieses Buch ohne jegliche Triggerwarnung zu sexuellem Missbrauch, Prostitution und Kindesmissbrauch veröffentlichen?! Es wird nicht einmal mit einem Wort im Klappentext erwähnt! Dabei sind diese Themen fast zentraler als der ganze Spionage und DDR Kram. Unfassbar. Ich habe mich zum Schluss gefragt, wie ein Großverlag so etwas überhaupt so veröffentlichen konnte. Ich gebe nur deshalb nicht nur einen Stern, weil mir die Idee hinter dem Spionage/DDR-Teil gefallen hat. Die Umsetzung dafür aber gar nicht.

[Marcel Haußmann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Krimis aus dem hohen Norden stehen in den letzten Jahren hoch im Kurs. Geiger, das Debüt von Gustaf Skördeman ist der neuste Ableger dieses Genres und hört sich verdammt spannend an:

Das Festnetz-Telefon klingelt, als sie am Fenster steht und ihren Enkelkindern zum Abschied winkt. Agneta hebt den Hörer ab. "Geiger", sagt jemand und legt auf. Agneta weiß, was das bedeutet. Sie geht zu dem Versteck, entnimmt eine Waffe mit Schalldämpfer und tritt an ihren Mann heran, der im Wohnzimmer sitzt und Musik hört. Sie setzt den Lauf an seine Schläfe – und drückt ab. Als Kommissarin Sara Nowak von diesem kaltblütigen Mord hört, ist sie alarmiert. Sie kennt die Familie seit ihrer Kindheit und stößt bei ihren Ermittlungen auf Verbrechen die in die höchsten Kreise führen...

Ich hatte vor Beginn des Buches eine komplett andere Vorstellung davon in welche Richtung diese Geschichte laufen wird, von daher war ich überrascht das es hier durch die Themen Spionage und der Stasi sehr politisch wurde. Die Geschichte ist recht komplex aufgebaut verpasst dadurch aber der Spannung immer wieder einen Dämpfer. Dadurch konnte mich der Anfang der Geschichte auch nicht richtig packen, erst zur Mitte hin wurde es dann interessant als sich der politische Teil mit einem anderen Verbrechen kreuzt und die Geschichte dann eine andere Richtung nimmt.

Die Ermittlerin Sara Nowak ist eigentlich bei der Sitte und wird nur unfreiwillig in den Fall hineingezogen da sie das Opfer und die Familie aus Kindheitstagen kennt. Durch ihre Arbeit hat Sara schon einige Grausamkeiten erlebt und hat sich dadurch eine raue Schale zugelegt. Das sorgt dafür das ich leider keinen Zugang zu ihr und ihren teilweise sehr überzogenen Reaktionen finden konnte. Sie übertritt Grenzen, rastet aus, sorgt für Spannungen im Team und mir fehlt hier einfach noch mehr Hintergrundwissen warum sie sich so Verhält.Wir erfahren zwar einiges aus ihrer Kindheit was aber noch keinen Aufschluss auf ihr Verhalten gibt.

Der Schreibstil war für mich zu Beginn etwas sperrig so das ich etwas gebraucht habe um in die Geschichte reinzukommen. Gerade am Anfang hätte die Geschichte etwas mehr Tempo vertragen. Erst ab der Hälfte des Buches nimmt die Geschichte dann an Fahrt auf und steigert sich kontinuierlich. Im letzten Drittel kommt dann die ganze Komplexität mit einigen interessanten Wendungen des Plots zum Tragen und sorgen für einen spannenden und versöhnlichen Abschluss.

Geiger konnte mich leider nicht vollends überzeugen. Durch die falschen Erwartungen an die Geschichte aber auch durch den zu langsamen konnte mich die Geschichte leider erst zur Mitte hin abholen. Das letzte Drittel ist dann wirklich interessant und zeigt wie toll der Autor schreiben kann. Ich hoffe das der zweite Band mich mehr überzeugen kann und wir einen besseren Einblick in die Protagonistin bekommen.

3 von 5 Sternen