The Spider

A Novel

By: Lars Kepler, Alice Menzies - translator

Narrated by: Saul Reichlin

#1 INTERNATIONAL BEST SELLER • A serial killer is spinning a sinister web and Detectives Joona Linna and Saga Bauer are caught dead center.

This pulse-pounding descent into the chilling world of The Spider is another shocking thriller in the Killer Instinct series.

Three years ago, Detective Saga Bauer received an ominous postcard describing a gun and nine white bullets—one of which was intended for her partner, Detective Joona Linna. The sender alleged that Saga was the only person who could save him. But as time passed, the threat faded.

Until now.

A sack with a decomposing body has been found hanging from a tree in the forest. A milky white bullet casing turns up at the scene. When the body count begins to rise, the police realize that the killer is sending riddles, offering them the chance to stop the murders before they happen. But the police always seem to arrive a moment too late. As they begin to close in, the case becomes more and more tangled: someone is spinning a fiendishly intricate web, pulling Joona ever closer to a trap he may not be able to escape. The Spider is shocking and exhilarating in a way only Lars Kepler could accomplish.

©2023 Lars Kepler (P)2023 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Kepler captivates the reader while also keeping things moving at a break-neck pace. While Linna has been saddled with many tough cases, this one could be the most complex, as members of the police appear to be the target, with gruesome outcomes....Chilling ... will have readers wondering as the story progresses, proving Lars Kepler’s superior writing ability.... Keep[s] the reader hooked from the opening pages and never backs down.... The characters, many of whom emerge for the first time, are strong and keep the reader in the middle of the action, adding depth to an already stellar piece of writing.... There is such an easy flow to Lars Kepler novels.... There appears to be no jaggedness when it comes to reading, nothing jilted or lost in translation. . . . Dark, Scandinavian, and full of surprises. What else could you want in a book?"
—Mystery & Suspense

"Kepler...ups the ante in this pulse-pounding ninth Killer Instinct thriller featuring detective Joona Linna.... Kepler manages to make each murder resonate, giving the deaths uncommon weight in the lives of Linna and his fellow detectives, who grow increasingly distraught at their failure to prevent the killings. That veracity, combined with regular passages of almost unbearable tension, make this another standout in a strong series." —Publishers Weekly"

Love Killer Instinct Books

I am so sad I will have to wait so long for the next book! These books are so well written, the translation is amazing and the narrations are so superb!

The series keeps getting better!

I so love the characters, settings and and plot twists in Lars Kepler books! The Spider ratchets it up a notch - so well written and spoken - especially in the way anticipation and fear are delicately detailed per character and help drive the storyline forward. Shall I say the best book in the series!

Possibly the best one yet!

I really enjoy Lars Kepler and they’ve really put done themselves this time. Possibly their best.

Great crime fiction

Lars Kepler have the market cornered on smart, exciting, scary and entertaining crime fiction. This book does not disappoint. I finished it in three days! I recommend it.

chuck90036 Kepler kills it!👍🏽👊🏽

I read and listen to many types of mystery thrillers. The translator was outstanding an that can make a great book even better. Yes, like this one.

Action Packed

I enjoyed the storyline and accept that it makes no sense. For me there seemed to be a lot of unanswered questions about the third main character but it's fiction after all. The only disappointing thing about the story is that it seemed more drawn out than usual.

not as good as the others in this series....

I love Joona and love the writing, intricate complex stories and the rich 3 dimensional characters, even Saga (who isn't the easiest person), but I thought that this story had many inexplicable - even exasperating elements. The characters sometimes acted in ways that were truly unbelievable.
I was disappointed in this one, but I will pre-order the next Lars Kepler book without a second's hesitation! And once again kudos to Saul Reichlin!!! I love his narration!

Tedious and grim

Repetitive and grim with gratuitous sex thrown in for good measure. I wish I could get the hours of my life I devoted to this listen back. Couldn't wait for it to end. The entire premise of the book is silly.

Crime Tale and Soft Porn

Why do these writers bother with crime fiction when what they really want to write is porn. No more, I’ve had enough.

Not up to the usual Joona Linna

A really whiny bunch of top NCU people are pretty stupid and pathetic. Despite being hyper aware of the murderer’s horrific methods and the targeting of Saga Bauer’s associates they are all caught unawares and killed. Joona deserves a better plot and better characters. It’s time for him to move on, at least past Jurek Walter who at this point should be dead and buried. He needs to move up in the crime hierarchy and take on some new criminals.
This was not the Kepler’s best in the series.