The Stonecutter

By: Camilla Läckberg

Narrated by: David Thorn

The remote resort town of Fjällbacka has seen more than its share of tragedies, but a little girl found in a fisherman's net may be the worst yet - especially when the postmortem reveals that this was a methodical murder, not an accidental drowning.

Local detective Patrik Hedstrom has just become a father, and it’s his grim task to discover who could have killed a child both he and his partner Erica knew well. He realizes that the solution lies with finding a motive for this terrible crime. Although Hedstrom is no stranger to the criminal mind, he couldn’t possibly predict how this case will reach into Fjällbacka’s darkest heart, spanning generations and ripping aside its idyllic façade, perhaps forever.

©2012 Camilla Lackberg (Pegasus Books Edition). Translation © 2009 Steven T. Murray. Recorded by arrangement with Pegasus Books. (P)2012 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"A perfectly plotted and paced mystery bolstered by strong, realistic characters makes this a must-read for all followers of Scandinavian crime fiction." ( Booklist)

"[Camilla Lackberg] strips conventional veneers from her achingly complex characters." ( Publishers Weekly)

“ The Stonecutter, by Camilla Läckberg . . . continues her excellent series . . . The main narrative is cleverly interspersed with flashbacks from the past, the relevance of which becomes apparent as the novel progresses. Läckberg is particularly good at portraying the claustrophobia of a small community in which everyone knows everyone else and the police may well be friends with killers.” (Marcel Berlins, The Times)

good

Close to a 5. complicated story so it keeps you interested. A good read it was.

A disappointment and then some!

Got the first 3 books in this series through a 3-in-2 sale. The first was OK but the 2nd and 3rd books were a disappointment. Far too much psychodrama, poor editing, female characters that are either unstable, insecure, etc., detectives who are like the three stooges. Guess I'm not buying the rest of the series..

Unrelentlessly Cynical...but a great read!

This book turns detective fiction upside down. The detectives are mere mortals, while the villains are the strongest characters. The author exposes the inner thoughts of all the characters. In a deliciously cynical way these thoughts reveal many of the characters to be sailing on the same ship...The Ship of Fools.

Best yet

Couldn’t stop listening. Story was riveting and performance perfectly executed. Can’t wait for next installment.

Good, but...

I get the switching back and forth on the stories within the story, but the transitions were a bit awkward. I mean, there was no indication of going to another scene by way of a small delay. The narrator seemed like he didn't even take a breath when moving to the next scene so I found myself rewinding a bit quite often to figure out what was going on or to see if I had missed something.

Superb!

Would you consider the audio edition of The Stonecutter to be better than the print version?

The narrator was excellent,so I would say I got more from the listening experience.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

Ms. Lackberg wove an ingenious plot from strands of the past and present to create a riveting story. The suspense and uncertainty built inexorably.

Which character – as performed by David Thorn – was your favorite?

Patric was the unifying character throughout, but each player was extremely well done.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes - it was difficult to pace myself.

Any additional comments?

I absolutely want to listen to more from this author. She is first rate, a thrilling new Scandinavian mystery writer.

A very good psychological thriller.

The remote resort town of Fjällbacka, Sweden, is the scene for the latest murder investigation led by Detective Patrik Hedstrom. A little girl’s body is pulled up in a lobster pot. The detective is shocked when he sees her because he knows her. He and his companion just had a baby, and she was in pre-birth maternity classes with the child’s mother, and the two had become close friends. When the post mortem is completed it is determined that little Sarah drowned, and not in the sea. Her lungs had regular tap water, such as from a bathtub. Additionally, there were ashes in her mouth and in her lungs. As thisi police procedural continues, ashes are thrown on other babies with an attempt to put those ashes in their mouths, but they were saved. And there is evidence of other murders that have been committed. This is a high suspense psychological thriller with two women trying to get used to having just had babies, and the interference by their mother and mother-in-law respectively. But Patrik can see that there’s something not quite right about Sarah’s family, and it’s possible that someone in her own family planned and carried out the murder. We have two parallel plots going on, which of course become entertwined, with murders in both plots. And it’s my kind of story because we, the readers, know more than the police when it’s over. The best one I’ve read by this author

A Mystery that Solves Itself?

The writing is well done and the narration is great. I am struggling with this review because it just had too many characters. In addition, all the characters get a full back-story which made this story way too long. A significant editor's cut should have been done on this book.

This story is more of a psychological thriller as only about 20% of the book contained any actual police investigation by Patric (a favorite character of mine) and his crew. The actual "solve" of the mystery was more like the clues fell into the Patric's lap instead of actual crime solving. I wasn't surprised by the ending. The twist comes so late and after so much reveal of the characters, you just want to get on with it.

Yet, Camilla Lackberg can tell a story in a very interesting way. It just wasn't the story I wanted. Hopefully, the next book will be more of the crime solving genre that I crave.

Stonecutter unexpected

The number of characters and multiple stories were at times hard to follow but overall it kept my attention. Interesting to consider the nature vs nurture argument.

Awful People

A difficult book to review. I very much enjoyed the police investigation side of the story, but all of the other characters are varying shades of awful. Not in terms of characterization, but as in awful human beings. You really grow to hate most of them. The only sympathetic character outside of the regular cast is the victims mother. It makes for an unpleasant read when you are dealing with multiple examples of horrible narcissistic parenting. It seems wrong to wonder as you read if the child killer when revealed will even rate top 5 in terms of most disliked characters in the book.
I would strongly recommend making a character list. As others have said there are a lot of them and even though the book held my rapt attention, it was at times hard to remember who someone was who seemed to have no connection to the main story and only popped in a few times.