Thursday, June 11, 2009

Review; THE PREACHER - Camilla Lackberg


Puhblisher: Harper Collins
This edition published: 2008
ISBN: 978 0 00 725395 1


Twenty years ago two holiday makers disappeared from the tourist town of Fjällbacka. Now a young boy has discovered the bodies along with a third which seems to be fresh.

Detective Patrik Hedstrom is on vacation. His partner, Erica is expecting their first child in less than a month. Fjällbacka is experiencing a heatwave and Erica is restless and short-tempered so when Patrik receives a phone call cutting short his holiday he isn’t too upset.

Attention focuses on the Hult family. A family divided by the suicide of one member who was the prime suspect in the disappearance of the holiday makers. It is also a family divided by wealth: one branch inherited the estate and has prospered, the other lives in poverty. This is a family of misfits, religious fanatics and criminals. A rich vein of suspects in anyone’s book.

Patrik also has to deal with Erica and the unwanted visitors who keep turning up on their doorstep wanting to take advantage of their hospitality for a cheap holiday during the summer season.

These days translated books are things of quality; it’s seamless. If it wasn’t for the name of the translator in the book you’d never know it wasn’t originally written in English The other upside of translated books is that rarely do the publishers go to the extra cost of hiring a translator if the book is a dud.

THE PREACHER is a first rate detective novel. The mystery really sucks you in, there are clues and red herrings scattered everywhere. I changed my mind about the murderer a number of times while reading the book. I’d think I had it nailed and Lackberg would throw in another twist. I figured it out about the same time as the author revealed whodunit.

8 comments:

Dorte H said...

Good mystery, as you say, and I think it is one of Läckberg´s best.

Reg / Steve said...

Thanks for the nice comments on my translation! Don't miss the next one, The Stonecutter, which I thought was even better. --Steven T. Murray, aka Reg Keeland

Sunnie Gill said...

You're quite welcome, Steven. When is The Stonecutter due to be published? I'll keep my eye on Book Depository. Best way for us Aussies to get UK published books.

Reg / Steve said...

Amazon UK says August 3. That was fast. Guess they're trying to let people know it's a series. They have the title in 3 words though, because that's the way it is on the cover. (Slaves to design.) Enjoy.

Sunnie Gill said...

Thanks for that "Reg: I'll keep an eye out for it.

Reg / Steve said...

And thank you for the tip on the Book Depository -- would also be a good way for us in the States to get UK books without the high Amazon shipping cost. (You might want to consider their affiliate program and make some extra cash.)

Kerrie said...

I haven't read this yet Sunnie - on order from the library!

Sunnie Gill said...

Oh yes, I know lots of people in the US who use Book Depository. To be honest I didn't even realise they had an affilicate progrm. I'll have to look into it. I'm usually so focused when I go to that website that I don't notice what's around me.