Dos cuerpos encontrados brutalmente asesinados. Sus cuerpos están marcados con algunos de los pecados que el asesino parecía conocer. Tan solo una pista es encontrada en ambas escenas del crimen: una foto de clase del año 1982, con dos caras marcadas.
Hay 18 hombres y mujeres de esa foto que aún están vivos y uno de ellos es el detective al frente del caso. Fabian Risk creía que sus días de estudiante habían quedado atrás. Ahora, sus ex compañeros están siendo asesinados por sus pecados del pasado. ¿Quién es el feroz asesino que ha vuelto a proclamar su venganza?

Das ist ein extrem spannender Thriller mit überraschenden Wendungen. Mich hat er sehr mitgenommen, da ich sowohl Mobbing als auch Tierquälerei sehr schwer verkrafte. ( )

Just couldn't get into it. ( )

I have read very little Nordic Noir so for me this was something a little bit different and I really enjoyed it. I was on the edge of my seat for most of the book, trying to read fast but, at the same time, avert my eyes from the horror unfolding on the page. It's pretty gruesome in some parts but so clever the way that each person was killed depending on what offence they committed at school.

I loved Fabian Risk as the main character - Risk by name and risk by nature. He really doesn't care what he needs to do to get the job done, in the same manner as my old favourite, Harry Bosch. He's supposed to be on leave but joins in the hunt for his classmates' killer and not even second degree burns can stop him. This even has an effect on his home life, although he barely notices.

I was reading so fast that at first I was confused by the Swedish and Danish names, but it doesn't take long to get used to who is who. I was intrigued by the rivalry between the two police forces; Swedish and Danish, and it had a great ending to that little part of the story.

Thinking of school photographs, I think it could be true for a lot of us (over a certain age) that we struggle to remember the name of every single person in our class. We're told that school days are happy days but I can't imagine that bullies or their victims would describe themselves as having been happy. Perhaps it's true what they say - the quiet ones are the worst. I'm really looking forward to reading more Fabian Risk - thankfully, Stefan Ahnhem doesn't plan to stop with just this one Risk novel.

With absolutely nothing lost in translation, it's so fast paced, gripping, gruesome and thrilling - I really enjoyed it and I will definitely be looking out for the next Fabian Risk book.

I received this e-book from the publisher, Head of Zeus, via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. ( )

A Scandi-noir serial killer chase that stands out from the crowd. Fabian Risk, detective, is relocating his family from Stockholm to his hometown of Helsingborg after some unspecified incident that has affected his career. A murder on the day of his arrival quickly becomes a frantic search for a serial killer out to kill every member of of Risk’s high school class from 20 years previously.

The premiss is clever and there are lots of red herrings and false clues before we get to the real killer. I think the book is overlong with a few scenes that drag on for no real reason. Also, the whole conflict-with-a-psychopathic-Danish-police-chief section adds nothing to the story and seems to be there just so a Swede can take a poke at the Danes.

Overall, a high class murder mystery, if a little too violent and with a slightly improbable baddie who employs tho most complicated Bond-villain executions imaginable. ( )