From the author of Sun Storm comes this disturbing, entrancing, beautifully crafted mystery, winner of Sweden’s Best Crime Novel award and an international sensation.
It’s midsummer in Sweden, when the light lingers through dawn as the long winter finally ends. In this magical time, a brutal killer strikes, and the murder of a female priest sends shock waves through the community.
With no cause to get involved, attorney Rebecka Martinsson cannot help herself. And the further she is drawn into a mystery that will soon claim another victim, the more the dead woman’s world consumes her, a world of hurt and healing, sin and sexuality, and above all, of lethal sacrifice.
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"Loved this one. Sometimes in translation, a book loses something --not in this case. The writing was incredible -- very vivid imagery, evocative. It was as much a psychological drama as it was a mystery -- and one with so many layers. Larsson is an incredibly talented author."
— Laura (5 out of 5 stars)
“Fans of Henning Mankell, Karin Fossum and Arnaldur Indridason will be rewarded.”
— Publishers Weekly“The plot is as dark as a winter solstice. Larsson’s genius is her ability to enter the deranged criminal mind…The bleakness of the Swedish psyche is laid bare, and it is not a pretty thing.”
— AudioFile“Larsson…delivers plenty of suspense, but her real gift lies in her ability to climb inside the minds of her characters, analyzing their motivations for doing damage and good.”
— Booklist (starred review)“A virtuoso mood piece that works endless changes on its unforgiving landscape.”
— Kirkus Reviews" This is the second book in an interesting series by this author, a Swedish crime fiction writer. I enjoyed it in some ways better than the first, maybe due to the poetic inclusion of scenes from the point of view of a wolf who plays a small role in the story. Unfortunately, the primary character of the first book, Rebecka Martinsson, plays a smaller role in this book and seems such a pathetic character, I found myself wishing at times that the author could have been a little kinder to her. The pace of character and relationship development in both books suggest that the author plans to continue the series for some time. I'm in. For now, anyway. "
— Lisa, 2/19/2014" A great use of daylight and latitude as a character. "
— Linnaea, 2/12/2014" I'm a sucker for the northern Swedish locale, but ever more so, this (her second of three translated into English so far)was immediate, has depth and reverberates. Looking forward to the next. My cover (low Scandinavian sun on ice, Bantam/Dell)much better! "
— Julie, 2/9/2014" good story though it had a lot of moving parts. some key people were not developed enough and other bit part players had too much information about them. this made it hard to keep track of everything and when the killer is revealed, you do not feel you know enough about him/her. "
— John, 2/1/2014" This book is well written, I liked the plot and cant wait to start on the next on "
— Afsheen, 1/16/2014" Zzzzzz. Maybe you had to read the first one? The only thing I really liked about this book was that one of the characters had a female dog with the same name as a girl I used to know who was mean to me. "
— Denise, 12/2/2013" Never know what to expect with this series always goes in a direction opposite to what you think is going to happen. "
— Jill, 11/21/2013" Doesn't build up momentum, nor does it have a satisfactory ending. "
— Judith, 11/20/2013" Second book I've read by this author - she's amazing! The reader is right there with the characters in small-town Sweden, and cares about them...and doesn't have a clue who the bad guys are until the very end! A great crime novel series. Can't wait to grab the next one! "
— Laurel, 5/28/2013" Scandinavian - excellent sense of place - characters excellent. Great story. Recommend ! Much better than #1 in the series - and it is not necessary to read the first one before this one at all. "
— Roxanne, 5/27/2013" I was disappointed with this novel. You'd think that if something was translated into another language, that it would be a little bit better. Very anti-climactic at the end. And the whole wolf aspect was very pointless. Not impressed!! "
— Jennifer, 11/29/2012" I enjoyed entering the world of a small town in Sweden. It is a police procedural mystery but full of rich characters and setting. This book is the 2nd of a series and I can't wait to read the 1st book (having already read the 3rd). "
— Suzanne, 7/10/2012" Great Read... Totally captures the reader "
— Chloe40, 12/12/2011" I enjoyed the first book in this series more. This one is a little bizarre. "
— Linda, 9/23/2011" I read "Sun Storm" ( this author's first book) about a month ago and really liked it. This book is better in my opinion. Very Swedish and atmospheric. "
— Elaine, 8/15/2011" It was slow going until I hit the first twist, then it was a who done it, but the motivation was vague, which was a good point because you could draw your own conclusions. It was out of the comfort sone again, with the Sweedish setting, but the wolf flavor was great symbolism. "
— Mary, 6/1/2011" A nice read and a good continuation. "
— Emma, 4/10/2011" I love Krimis! Especially ones written first in another language and that take place in other countries... like this one in Iceland! "
— Carmen, 2/12/2011" I liked the first book better. I found this book pretty slow, only the last few pages were adrenaline-pumped. <br/>Also the ending was very sad but this is not a complain, just an observation. "
— Nataly, 12/7/2010" Swedish summer and murder with a wonderful and very wounded hero. Interesting exploration of how people around react to what has happened to her with lots of blaming the victim. Well filled out secondary characters and relationships. Lovely and deeply-rooted sense of place. "
— Lee, 11/10/2010" It was slow going until I hit the first twist, then it was a who done it, but the motivation was vague, which was a good point because you could draw your own conclusions. It was out of the comfort sone again, with the Sweedish setting, but the wolf flavor was great symbolism. "
— Mary, 10/5/2010" good story though it had a lot of moving parts. some key people were not developed enough and other bit part players had too much information about them. this made it hard to keep track of everything and when the killer is revealed, you do not feel you know enough about him/her. "
— John, 9/27/2010" Another scandinavian thriller. Very slow plot but I like it in the end. <br/> <br/>Otra novela negra escandivava. Argumento lento pero me gusto al final. "
— Glownight, 8/15/2010" You really get to know the lead character in this book "
— Alli, 8/14/2010Åsa Larsson was born in Kiruna, Sweden. Before becoming a full-time writer she worked as a tax lawyer. Her novel The Savage Altar was awarded the Swedish Crime Writers’ Association prize for best debut. The Blood Spilt was chosen as the Best Swedish Crime Novel of 2004. Until Thy Wrath Be Past was a finalist for the 2012 CWA International Dagger Award. Larsson’s novels have sold over 1.5 million copies worldwide.
Hillary Huber, a Los Angeles–based voice talent with hundreds of commercials and promos under her belt, was bitten by the audiobook bug in 2005. She now records books on a regular basis and has been nominated for several Audie Awards and won numerous Earphones Awards.