The Boy in the Suitcase

A Nina Borg Mystery

By: Lene Kaaberbøl - author/translator, Agnete Friis

Narrated by: Katherine Kellgren

Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Audie Award Nominee, Solo Narration - Female, 2013

Audie Award Nominee, Best Thriller/Suspense Category, 2013

Nina Borg, a Red Cross nurse, wife, and mother of two, is trying to live a quiet life. The last thing her husband wants is for her to go running off on another dangerous mission to help illegal refugees. But when Nina's estranged friend, Karin, leaves her a key to a public locker in the Copenhagen train station, and begs her to take care of its contents, Nina gets suckered into her most dangerous case yet.

Because inside the suitcase is a three-year-old boy: naked and drugged, but alive. Nina's natural instinct is to rescue the boy, but she knows the situation is risky. Is the boy a victim of child trafficking? Can he be turned over to authorities, or will they only return him to whoever sold him? In an increasingly desperate trek across Denmark, Nina tries to figure out who the boy is, where he belongs, and who exactly is hunting him down. When Karin is discovered brutally murdered, Nina realizes that her life and the boy's are in jeopardy, too.

©2011 Lene Kaaberbol and Agnete Friis (P)2011 AudioGO

Critic reviews

"This past-paced, suspenseful thriller intertwines several stories, gradually revealing the motivations of multiple characters and building tremendous suspense." ( Booklist)

"Warning! If you open this book, your life will be on stand-by." ( Elle, Denmark)

"The surprise ending is perfect. You won’t be able to put this down." ( Romantic Times)

Probably better in print...

I found this book difficult to follow on audio, because of the Swedish names. It didn't help that it jumped from one person or place to the next. I had to keep rewinding. Felt like I needed a primer.

Short but great!

Any additional comments?

This is clearly part of a series - I'd definitely listen to more Nina Borg books.

Plot-wise, I didn't think it was a huge mystery, but there were plenty of little details to be surprised by and there was no way to guess what would happen when all of the players get together in one room. Very much worth a credit.

Love this book

I had no idea what this was about when I purchased it but the previous reviews sounded like I wanted to read. Pretty good

Gripping tale

Would you consider the audio edition of The Boy in the Suitcase to be better than the print version?

Better due to the wonderful performance by Kellgren. Gripping story, mystery hard to decipher in the first half of the story, kept my attention awake

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

could have been pursued further in regards to main characters

What does Katherine Kellgren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Makes you able to see characters come alive more

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

Looking for the second installment by the same author

Mixed feelings about this one.

It had a slow start. It was hard to follow with audible until it got further into the story. The actual story line was good and enjoyed the second half of the book.

Slow to get into

It took about 1/3 of the book to get into the story but couldn't stop listening. I was invested in what is going to happen to segita mikas and Nina. The end was kind of weird

Long and Confusing

While the premise is interesting enough, an international kidnapping for hire, the story jumps between groups of characters, and it is difficult to keep them all straight. Part of it , for me at least, might be the European settings, especially the Eastern European locations, not being familiar with them.

The names were a bit difficult at first, but they were not a long-term issue. The number of characters, though, made following the story flow a challenge.

A large part of the story is very slow-paced.and short on exposition.. It isn't until maybe the last 15-20% when the action begins to happen in more than isolated pockets.

The climax is the most exciting part of the book. Even then the author brings the reader to the climax from several different character viewpoints, then backing up after each one and going to another one.

The final section, where commonly the various characters are shown in their environment after the main happenings of the story are complete, is sadly lacking. There is nearly no carry-through of the various characters, which makes for a very weak ending.

The narrator is good, voicing various characters differently, and talking faster and louder during the climax to convey the excitement of that section. Beyond the narrator, though, the book feels like a long march to be endured.

Great thriller read

Don't expect great literature but a wonderful story, well narrated and compelling. Since I exercise when I listen, my books need to capture my attention and this one did. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

worth the wait

I found "The Boy . . ." a little hard to get into - I kept feeling lost, but I stayed with it and it was well worth the wait. Different and interesting. A new sort of thriller. Give it a go and you won't be sorry.

Extreme abuse and exploitation of women & Children

Would you listen to The Boy in the Suitcase again? Why?

probably not because it is about Extreme abuse and exploitation of women & Children. However, it is very well written and demonstrates real abusive situations (although the transplant part of things was not believable AT ALL).

What does Katherine Kellgren bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Her even tone throughout was appreciated because had the narration been "overdone", it would have absolutely been unbearable to listen to the abuse.