The Stranger

Fjällbacka Mysteries, Book 4

By: Camilla Läckberg

Narrated by: Simon Vance

A local woman is killed in a tragic car crash, but while the victim’s blood contains high alcohol levels, she rarely drank a drop. Meanwhile, a reality TV show begins shooting in Fjällbacka, and as cameras shadow the stars’ every move, tempers flare. When a drunken party ends with an unpopular contestant’s murder, all eyes turn to the cast and crew. Could there be a murderer among them? The ratings spike as the country tunes in to a real life murder mystery.

Detective Patrik Hedstrom finds himself increasingly unable to focus on the strange circumstances of the first case, but what if that holds the key to a series of other unsolved cases across Sweden? Under the unforgiving media spotlight, Patrik tackles his most challenging investigation yet.

©2006 Camilla Lackberg (P)2013 HighBridge Company

Good story, small problem with the narrator

I've listened to all of Camilla Lackberg's Fjallbacka series so far, and have enjoyed the characters and stories very much. I have to say, however, that I prefer David Thorn's readings over Simon Vance's. Don't get me wrong, Simon Vance is an excellent narrator generally, but I found myself often jarred by Vance's pronunciation of the Swedish character and place names. He's so "British" that he seems to be unable (or unwilling) to pronounce the names as they would be by a native speaker. Instead, for example, even in the opening "credits" he prounonces the author's name as "Camilla Lackbury" instead of "Lackberg." I can't say that he's really "wrong," but as a native American English speaker, it bothered me enough that I'm writing this review to mention it.

good listen

This is my second Camilla Lackberg book and I can see the improvement over the first one. Her books so far aren't overly suspenseful police procedurals but they are interesting and entertaining. The author has good insight into human nature plus I enjoy the Swedish settings and talk about life in Sweden. Throw in the interesting twists and turn the author put into her stories and it's an entertaining listen. I know I'll listen to the next one as it's about a mother with a Nazi past, the end of this book gives you a lead in plus I looked ahead at the next one.

Story is pretty good, but Simon Vance is reading

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

Great -- I've loved his readings of the "Girl / Tattoo" series, and he does an amazing job here as well. Most notably, several of the characters "change their names" in this reading from the earlier books, as he pronounces the English names differently than his predecessor.

The Stranger

These Fjallbacka mysteries are all very well-crafted police procedurals, which I like. They probably don't have enough action for some, but they hold my attention easily. A myriad of mundane details support good character development along with the mystery. This book may have more of that than previous books; but I wasn't put off--I just got to know some of the characters better. While narrator David Thorn did a good job on the earlier books for the most part, I never got over his very Swedish people and place-name pronunciations--especially poor Patrik's name. Maybe when someone is speaking Swedish, Pawtrik or even Pohrtrik is right, but among all those British accents it sounds very out of place as did Ear-ica (Erika). I was relieved when Vance actually said Patrik and Erika as a Brit would. I was hoping to find the next book, but it looks like I get to wait. I also recommend reading the books in order; they have the same characters.

Interesting, I'll have to think about it.

I'll admit I was preoccupied listening to this while exhausted and doing a project, so my review isn't reliable on this one. Naturally, the narrator was perfect as usual. But, I felt there was no conclusion. It dropped off like the edge of a cliff. Maybe there are more books in the series or the author just gave up. Nevertheless, it was a story with promise. Maybe I'll listen. Again, another time to see if I missed something.

My Favourite So Far

I've listened or read a few of the Camilla Lackberg series, and I've enjoyed them all. But this one is my favourite so far!

The story-line was tight, and we really get to know more of the lesser characters. Ericka's sister is well-done, and I'm glad her drama is wrapping up. The murder mystery in this book, too, is really good. I'm an avid mystery fan, and, as such, can usually figure things out well ahead of time. But not in this one!

A very well-crafted, superbly narrated, mystery, with lots of colourful and fun characters to help lighten the sometimes bleakly atmospheric mood.

If you like the Wallander series, or the other Lackberg books, you will really like this one.

Good Series But Where is Her Editor?

Would you try another book from Camilla Läckberg and/or Simon Vance?

Yes, I enjoy the story lines and the characters. This is my fourth book.

What about Simon Vance’s performance did you like?

It took me a while to adjust to the change in narrator and maybe it took him a while to get into character and find his pace, but I think he is pretty good now.

Any additional comments?

The editor should have done a little more to advise on the writing. I think the author used the term "he threw out his hands" about 2 dozen times throughout the book. In past books, the phrase "so palpable you could almost reach out and touch it" was repeated to the point of distraction. Otherwise, the author does have nice skill with language and imagery and culling out these artifacts of phrase are the job of the editor.

Spellbinding

I can't wait for the next book......beautifully crafted....love the deep background of all the characters.

Very good story well written

I have found a certain melancholy with Swedish mystery writers. I can picture this story being written on a long dark Swedish winter in front of a fireplace. It's a good yarn not a happy one very strong on character development. You can figure out who was the murderer but not why. Very sad story and at times positively gloomy. She does grab you even though you sense no happy ending and I felt compelled to finish it on one setting. I have already committed to read another. She is very good on the psychology of her characters, the plot is adequate and the atmosphere is compelling. I felt cold and damp after reading it. Warning to fellows readers once you start she will draw you into the cold dark night and you'll stay with her throughout though you are not sure why.

Love Vance--writing too formulaic

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

Parts of the book certainly are entertaining and it's fine for commuting. But the constant alluding to some detail that remains elusive just beyond the characters'--particularly Patrick's--consciousness only to be remembered, lo and behold, a short while later really got kind of old as a narrative strategy fast. I understand that a mystery needs to create suspense but this was just too formulaic and, frankly, boring. I stopped caring after a while whether this "something" here and "something" there he couldn't pinpoint just now would eventually be revealed. She uses a similar strategy to NOT reveal phone calls, or discoveries, or really important information, by "fading out" so that the characters are filled in but the reader/listener isn't. Trying too hard to get me intrigued.

Which character – as performed by Simon Vance – was your favorite?

Vance is fantastic across the board. Love, love, love.