The Spider by Lars Kepler

Happy Wednesday, readers! Today I'm a stop on the Compulsive Readers tour for the latest in Lars Kepler's Joona Linna series, The Spider. 

Fair warning: while much of the series can be read out of order without major spoilers (mostly character development stuff), this one does contain spoilers for both Lazarus and The Sandman. 

Saga is on leave after recent occurrences, but that doesn't mean that a killer can't have her in her sites. And this one is playing a game. 

Saga had received a postcard saying she was the only one who would be able to save Joona Linna. But as time passed, the postcard got pushed to the back of her mind. That is until a tin figure arrives with her name on it. Saga recognizes the figure but only after the person is killed in a  truly horrific manner. 

But, brilliant as she is, Saga very quickly puts the pieces together and is allowed back on the force to assist with the case. Desk work only! And with the first clue, the postcard, she knows there will be nine victims. 

But the killer is one who uses intricate puzzles. And while they provide everything the police need to identify and even save the victims, the killer proves to be faster and perhaps even more clever than Saga and Joona. 

With Joona's life on the line as the ninth victim. Saga becomes increasingly desperate to find the killer—predictably going beyond the bounds of her newfound privileges and making herself the prime suspect. 

If you've read Kepler before, then you know that the husband and wife team are truly masters at plotting! And you know that they write twisted stuff!

If you're new to them: they're masters at plotting and writer twisted stuff!

This latest in the series puts both Joona and Saga in an interesting position. Both are suffering from the fallout of a case involving a killer that almost claimed both of their lives. And both are dealing in different ways. This particular case forces them to reckon with that fallout!

Readers, this is one of the series that got me through 2020. I'm not kidding! Beginning all the way back in 2009 with The Hypnotist, Kepler have proven themselves to be two of the best in the business! And following Joona, Saga, and the others throughout nine books has been an absolute thrill and, in spite of the fact that you might think I'm truly messed up, a pleasure!

The Spider is everything I'd hoped it would be complete with unexpected twists and turns! The authors put their character through the wringer and I am waiting on the edge of my seat for more!

If you'd like to read the series in order, it is:

The Hypnotist

The Nightmare

The Fire Witness

The Sandman

Stalker

The Rabbit Hunter

Lazarus

The Mirror Man

The Spider is officially out tomorrow from Zaffre. (It'll be out in the States in July.)

The Mirror Man by Lars Kepler

Good morning, readers! Today I'm super excited to be a stop on the Random Things tour for the latest in Lars Kepler's Joona Linna series, The Mirror Man. 

Jenny Lind disappeared five years ago and in all that time there's never been a hint of a trace of her. 

Everyone assumed she was dead. But that wasn't the case. Until now. 

When her body is found hanging in a playground, Joona Linna immediately recognizes the girl. But while everyone admits Linna is an amazing detective, his new boss has told him to step aside. Something he's unwilling to do. And it's Linna who draws a connection between the Lind murder and another, older case. 

When another girl goes missing, Linna is convinced they're dealing with a serial killer. But he doesn't know the whole story. He doesn't know what Jenny Lind lived through for five years. He doesn't know how meticulously she planned her escape. All he knows is that whoever killed her is going to do it again if they can't stop him. 

I do so love this series. It's equal parts dark and creepy—packed with atmosphere and truly disturbing plots. But also characters you want to continue following from book to book. And, admittedly, I've read them out of order, so do be aware that's possible :) However, if you're a true stickler for reading series IN ORDER, here's the full list:

The Hypnotist

The Nightmare

The Fire Witness

The Sandman

Stalker

The Rabbit Hunter

Lazarus

The Mirror Man

Having said that, I will say that The Mirror Man works fine as a bit of a standalone. There are mentions of past cases, which could prove to be somewhat spoiler-y if you go back to the beginning, but otherwise you can dive in with this installment as an easy introduction to the series. 

The plot revolves around sex trafficking, so that's something to know going in. If you're a longtime fan of the husband and wife team that make up Lars Kepler, you know they don't shy away from things. If you're new to them, however, you've been warned. 

It's hard to call this a fun read, given the subject matter. But I am a huge fan and I look forward to each new installment with great anticipation. Linna is brilliant and quirky. And the books follow suit. The writing is amazing—like any great cowriting team, it reads seamlessly, with no obvious indication there are two separate writers involved. And the plotting is always purposeful and intricate with unpredictable twists along the way. 

Like I said, I'm a huge fan! If you're looking for a fantastic blend of psychological thriller and police procedural, this series is one of the absolute best!

The Mirror Man is out now in both the UK and the US. 

Stalker by Lars Kepler

Alright, readers. I've tried to write a blurb for this book so many times and it's just not happening. I'll defer to the very vague one that appears on Goodreads:

The police receive a video of a woman in her home. Hours later, they discover her mutilated body. Soon after, the killer sends another tape, taunting the police. He knows there's nothing they can do.

Only Joona Linna and his old friend Erik Maria Bark can stop this cunning predator. But Bark is hiding secrets of his own--secrets the killer knows.

This is a twisted and dark mystery! I'm not kidding. The book opens with one of the victims. She's having a normal night at home, waiting for her husband to get back from a business trip, and there's a killer in her house. You can probably imagine where that's going.

The book offers quite a few different perspectives throughout the book: the main investigator on the case, Margot (who's massively pregnant), Erik, Joona, and various others all offer up bits of the story. In some cases this might adversely affect the flow of the narrative, but that wasn't the case here.

In fact, the story moves rather quickly. Which is good because this is a bit of a doorstopper for a thriller!

The plot is interesting and seriously quirky. I haven't read any of the previous books in the series, so I assume this is a style thing for the authors. Yep, authors. Lars Kepler are a husband and wife writing duo who, as an aside, tried their damnedest to stay anonymous. There was serious fervor in their native Sweden to find out just who was behind the pseudonym!

This should give you a sense of just how mad people are for Lars Kepler! I can't say that I was quite that impressed with the book. I did like it, I just didn't LOVE it. I'll be reading more—I've got The Hypnotist queued up from the library and I am looking forward to it. For me, though, there was something missing in the reading and I think it likely is the fact that this is the fifth book in the series.

Ok, so like I said, I've never read Lars Kepler. This one was the first pick for a new online book club that I joined on Instagram. And it's Scandi-crime. And I was certain that I had the first book in my TBR (I was wrong about that last one, or I just can't find it in the mess of my bookshelves).

Also, the folks who picked it were clear about the fact that it's the fifth book in a series and I can confirm that it's ok to read on its own. For the most part. I personally think I would have had a stronger connection to the characters had I read the other books first. Also, there are two spoilery issues: First, Erik is actually in the first book of the series The Hypnotist. Second, Joona Linna doesn't actually appear until about halfway (maybe not quite that far) into the book because he's in hiding thanks to things that happen in The Sandman (which I actually did already have in my TBR).

Stalker is out now in paperback and the sixth book in the series is out now in hardcover. The full series order, if you're interested, is:

The Hypnotist
The Nightmare
The Fire Witness
The Sandman
Stalker
The Rabbit Hunter

If you're into Scandi-crime, you should definitely check this series out. My recommendation, though, would be to start at the beginning.