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Misterioso: A Crime Novel Audiobook
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(3.01) - 777 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
After successfully—but bloodily—dismantling a complicated hostage situation at a bank in the suburbs of Stockholm, Detective Paul Hjelm is faced with the requisite investigation by Internal Affairs. It is a potentially career-ending inquiry, but he is plucked out of it by the National Criminal Police commissioner, who drops him into an elite task force of officers assembled from across the country to find an elusive killer with a sophisticated modus operandi and even more sophisticated tastes. Targeting Sweden’s high-profile business leaders, the killer breaks into their homes at night, waits for his victims, places two bullets in their heads with deadly precision, and removes the bullets from the walls—a ritual enacted to a rare bootleg recording of Thelonious Monk’s jazz classic “Misterioso.” As Hjelm, his young, doggedly energetic partner, Jorge Chavez, and the rest of the team follow one lead after another in their pursuit—navigating the murky underworlds of the Russian Mafia and the secretive members-only society of Sweden’s wealthiest denizens—they must also delve into one of the country’s most persistent ills: a deep-rooted xenophobia that affects both the police and the perpetrator in a small nation that is becoming rapidly internationalized. The first novel in Arne Dahl’s gripping Intercrime series—widely considered to be one of Sweden’s best—Misterioso is a penetrating, dark, and absorbing introduction to this acclaimed author’s world.
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"A really clever offbeat Swedish crime novel, the first of a trilogy by Arne Dahl. The rest of the trilogy doesn't appear to have been translated yet. Alternatively weaving suspense with dry humor, the author gives us a complex story of serial killings and Russian mafia warfare. The major characters who will appear again in the next book are members of an elite Swedish Police unit nicknamed the A-Team. We see all their flaws, which makes this story all the more interesting. Although it helps to know some Swedish geography, it is not necessary for enjoyment of the book. However, there are times when the translation fails. This is perhaps because you would have to be Swedish to understand a particular remark;I am unsure. All in all I was most entertained by this band of misfit detectives, whose personal lives are a mess and whose professional skills are top drawer. A really good read for the genre. Beware, it starts slowly!"
— Corny (4 out of 5 stars)
Misterioso Listener Reviews
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" Good detective mystery. Poor translation. "
— Iulia, 2/12/2014 -
" Read this over the summer and it hasn't really stayed with me. Like many mysteries, the first half is great and the second disappointing. But a lot of crime series that I quite like (Peter Robinson, Ian Rankin) started out pretty limply, and I have a hunch this one gets better. (I gather there a ton of them in Swedish; here's hoping the Scando-crime boom last long enough for them to be translated). "
— Dorian, 2/4/2014 -
" I'm calling it read, but I didn't finish it. This book failed to capture my attention -- well, except in a negative way, with an incident between the protagonist and his wife very early in the book. So, the official police business is boring (the political concerns of a post-Cold War, pre-9/11 world just don't seem to resonate any more), and the domestic scenes are repulsive. It might be a great book in spite of my assessment, but there is nothing here to make me want to continue reading. "
— Kb, 1/22/2014 -
" Too many characters. Especially difficult with all the Swedish and Finnish names. "
— Al, 1/10/2014 -
" A book with a little too much testosteron. "
— Weaverannie, 12/29/2013 -
" About 150 pages into this highly praised book, I gave up on it. Although I liked the character of Paul Hjelm, I found the storyline uninteresting and I couldn't get past that. I may or may not try the next in the series. "
— Vivian, 12/15/2013 -
" This was a fantastic book. Well written, great characters, and enough plot twists and turns to keep the reader deeply engaged in the story. I can't wait for the next one in the series! "
— Grant, 12/13/2013 -
" I'm compiling the Leonard Cohen soundtrack. "
— Mike, 12/10/2013 -
" The writing is decent, but it definitely wasn't a page-turner for me. "
— Sandy, 12/9/2013 -
" This crime drama is very procedural (which slows down the pace). However, I still enjoyed it. You are in the thick of the investigation with all of its ups and downs. The characters are well fleshed out. "
— Cindy, 12/9/2013 -
" Sehr gut geschrieben und packend. Die Charakterbeschreibungen kann man sich sofort bildlich vorstellen. Werde mehr von "Arne Dahl" lesen "
— Damian, 11/23/2013 -
" ... didn't enjoy it enough to finish it. But perhaps I just wasn't in the mood for another damaged-loner-cop-saves-lives-but-not-his-spirit story. It was too unlikely a scenerio, even for me. "
— Jen, 9/1/2013 -
" This was a little rough slogging in the beginning but I found it compelling as I got further in to it. It is translated from the original Swedish and the first of a series about a special crime task force. I am interested in reading more of the books. "
— Dorothy, 8/28/2013 -
" Another set of appealing Scandinavian cops. "
— Jim, 7/18/2013 -
" Scandinavian police procedural. Lots of characters to keep track of, and in the end the motivation of the villain seems thin. Despite these minor quibbles, I found the book quite enjoyable. "
— Harry, 5/20/2013 -
" Interesting, for the most part. There were sections, particularly the sex scenes, that were less than credible, but it was good enough that I'll read the sequel. "
— Judith, 4/2/2013 -
" Excellent characters. Fast moving and hard to put down. "
— Rick, 3/24/2013 -
" This book certainly doesn't grab you. I found the characters lackluster and the plot plodding. "
— Vionna, 2/18/2013 -
" Al op TV gezien, niet uitgelezen "
— Joyce, 1/24/2013 -
" I thought this was a good book. Way to go. You have to wait for the next installment to find out, was it his wife or his new love. "
— Kenneth, 12/7/2012 -
" One of the best detective stories I've ever read. Dahl definitely got it! "
— Strategic, 3/24/2012 -
" 3 1/2 This one is a little different than the other Nordic offerings. Not so much a mystery as a solid police procedural, great development of characters though. Will definitely be reading more from this author. "
— Diane, 10/24/2011
About Arne Dahl
Arne Dahl is an award-winning crime novelist and literary critic. He lives in Sweden.
About John Lee
John Lee is the winner of numerous Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award for Best Narration. He has twice won acclaim as AudioFile’s Best Voice in Fiction & Classics. He also narrates video games, does voice-over work, and writes plays. He is an accomplished stage actor and has written and coproduced the feature films Breathing Hard and Forfeit. He played Alydon in the 1963–64 Doctor Who serial The Daleks.