Precious Love

A Swedish Crime Novel (Chief Inspector Greger Thulin, Book 1)

By: Ramona Fransson

Narrated by: Judith Bourque

Precious Love is the popular Swedish author Ramona Fransson's first in a series of detective novels with Chief Inspector Greger Thulin. There are seven in the series so far.

Gothenburg, Sweden: During a break-in at the luxurious home of Kenneth and Viola Svalborg, someone has neatly sliced valuable paintings from their frames. Also missing is the neighbor's beautiful 15-year-old daughter, Elina Gullberg, who was babysitting for the Svalborg's two sons. Did she follow the thieves of her own accord? Was she involved with the break-in? Her parents, Daniel and Miriam Gullberg, are sick with worry. Chief Inspector Greger Thulin is called in and senses tension between the two families.

Kenneth Svalborg wants to divorce his wife, the mother of their two children. Viola suspects he has met another woman, which Kenneth flatly denies. A month after the break-in at Svalborgs, a young woman is found naked in the woods, beaten to death. Shortly thereafter, the body of a young man is found in the Mölndal River, shot to death. Greger Thulin and Crime Scene Investigator Charlotte Engman start to see a pattern. Is there some connection between the victims and the two families?

©2016 Ramona Fransson (P)2016 anomaR Förlag AB

Narrator vs. Reader. A great difference.

I am confused as to why the publisher chose the translator to read the book. No character intonation, no vocal performance stressing irony, joy, pain, the horror of losing a child, etc. Good book for falling asleep to.

Terrible audible book. Don't buy it.

The performer has no clue how to do this.
Wrong intonation. Wrong everything. I'm an avid listener of audible. So very disappointed.

Not so good

Maybe it was the translation but the story was undermined by the writing and the reader although I’ m sure chosen because she could handle the Swedish names, was dull and lifeless.

Excellent.Mystery and Police Procedural

The plot is well constructed and it held my interest throughout. The main detective and his associates are well delineated, each with his or her distinct outlook and interests.
The author has a very nice bittersweet and ironic humor, but there are some really moving scenes. The women characters in particular are very sympathetic and appealing.
I found the narrator very good. She is also the translator. She speaks like a Scandinavian born and educated in the US. It is a plus that she preserves the flavor of the original, and you can be sure that she pronounces the names of Swedish people and places correctly. She is also a good voice actress.
So far only the first three mysteries in this series are available in English. I hope people are translating more, since the series is addictive, and I’ve listened to all three, and would like more.