Thursday, August 16, 2012

The Gingerbread House

by Carin Gerhardsen, Paul Norlen (Translator)
In a short space of time, several bestial murders occur in central Stockholm. When criminal investigator Conny Sjöberg and the Hammarby police begin to suspect that there’s a link between the murders, Sjöberg goes completely cold. There is a killer out there whose motives are very personal, and who will not be deterred.The Gingerbread House by Carin Gerhardsen is the first in the Hammarby series, thrillers with taut, suspenseful plots and unexpected twists and turns. This haunting novel explores schoolyard bullying among young children and the effect it has on them when people look the other way. Many of the scenes in this book are self-experienced and based on Gerhardsen’s own childhood. Urban settings and strong portraits of authentic characters are crafted in depth and detail, insuring the books will linger in the reader’s mind long after the finish.The Gingerbread House is written in the same tradition as the Sjöwall / Wahlöö crime novels, and has been described as a book version of the tv series The Wire. It is not only published by the same publisher as Stieg Larsson’s The Millennium Trilogy, but by the same editorial team. (from Goodreads)
My Thoughts

This was a good book The story moved along quickly and the detective team was likeable. I especially liked how the author showed us the personal and professional lives of some of the investigators - especially lead detective Conny Sjoberg. One minute he’s investigating a murder and the next he’s changing a dirty diaper. It made the characters seem real. The book also sends a frightening message about the effects of bullying - yikes!

So, if I understand correctly, this is Ms. Gerhardsen’s first book translated into English. I have just one thing to say to the publisher: WE WANT MORE!! WE WANT MORE!! Please don’t make us wait too long before you let us read more from this very talented author.

Tack så mycket to Stockholm Text and Netgalley for allowing me to read this for my unbiased review.

Publish date: June 5, 2012

2 comments:

  1. I love crime novels and this sounds interesting. I think its cool they are translating them to English, tell me did they stay true with the language translation etc or did they Americanize the novel?

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    1. Hi - I did not feel that they tried to Americanize the translation. Good question - thanks!

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