Camilla Läckberg

Fast read. Decent brain chewingum with loads of introspection, motivations rooted deep in the disfunctional family past of the killer, and exploration of the usual topics of the Scandinavian mystery: sexism, violence on women, prejudice against not-average people (guess what? Yes. Another character with Asperger syndrome).
Style is quite flat, but characters are decently complex, at least some of the main characters are. Anyway, they did not grate my nerves, which is more than I can say of most large consume thrillers I have read.
The novel ends, kind of, on a cliffhanger, so I will look for the next installment. Usually I am annoyed by this thing of prefab series, but this novel is unobtrusive, unassuming and agreeable as a pair of fluffy slippers, the kind you can't wait to slip in after a day work, as long as they are new and crispy clean.… (more)

**1/2
The second book I read by the same author, and the style starts annoying me, as does the plot and some of the characters. Why should I get to know the details of the burger meal consumed on the way to an interview with some suspect? Why all those adjectives? Why do all the voices sound the same?
I noticed some lack of consistency, too. For example, the good guy and the good girl go against common sense and rules more than once, but they are the Chosen Good Ones, so the reader is expected to smile indulgently and forgive their good-willed little mischief. If a Dumb Mean Antagonist does the same, though... ahi ahi ahi, that is a proof (if we ever needed one) and a consequence of their ineptitude and lack of moral strength.
After Kay Scarpetta and her mates, I would find likeable even Judge Dredd. This said, the characters, though lacking a voice, are interesting, or at least not unbearable. Anyway I found them likeable enough, given the level of the novel. However, the author must have a problem with maternal figures. Nearly all of them are, to be nice to them, inadequate and cold if not completely insane.
Plot is the Eternal Plot of the Scandinavian Thriller. I like it, even if it is always the same story.
All in all, I had enjoyed more The Stonecutter, in which these defects are less conspicuous, but I just found out that the latter is a more recent effort. So, I will try the second novel in the series before deciding if I can stand her writing or not. In the meantime, the 2 stars are raised to 2 and a half, as a sign of hope...
By the way, the style is sometimes really annoying. Maybe it is the Italian translation's fault.… (more)