The Preacher

By: Camilla Läckberg

Narrated by: David Thorn

Length: 15 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

In the fishing community of Fjällbacka, life is remote, peaceful—and for some, tragically short. Foul play was always suspected in the disappearance 20 years ago of two young holidaymakers in the area. Now a young boy out playing has confirmed this grim truth. Their remains, discovered with those of a fresh victim, send the town into shock. Local detective Patrik Hedstrom, expecting a baby with his girlfriend Erica, can only imagine what it is like to lose a child. When a second young girl goes missing, Hedstrom’s attention focuses on the Hults, a feuding clan of misfits, religious fanatics and criminals. The suspect list is long but time is short—which of this family’s dark secrets will provide the vital clue?

©2010 Original material © 2010 Camilla Lackberg. Translation © 2009 Steven T. Murray. Recorded by arrangement with Pegasus Books. (P)2011 (p) 2011 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

“Läckberg’s many-layered story features plot twists and turns galore. Especially effective are her flashbacks . . . Highly recommended for readers who like mysteries set in foreign countries.” ( Library Journal)

“[Läckberg] is an expert at mixing scenes of domestic cosiness with blood-curdling horror! A must for white-knuckle junkies.” ( Guardian)

“A welcome addition to the swelling ranks of Scandinavian crime writers!” ( Irish Independent)

Love it!!

Would you listen to The Preacher again? Why?

Possibly, I love the story and the narrator

What other book might you compare The Preacher to and why?

One of Stieg Larsens

What about David Thorn???s performance did you like?

his inflections

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

the visits to Portrick's house and his poor wife

Great story, somewhat diminished by the development of central characters and that narrator!

This is another good story, with interesting twists and turns... However, it is somewhat diminished by the almost patronizing treatment of the the Padraig and Irika...

As for the narrator, he is so annoying! Who says "mamma" or "papa" anymore? And it isn't "orf" it's "off".

Despite those annoyances, I'm on to book 3!

KRD

Great Plot, Narration Needs Work

Where does The Preacher rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I think it's a good book. I was disappointed that Erica wasn't a bigger part of the book since she was pretty front and center in The Ice Princess.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

To a certain extent, the main storyline involving the murders was best. The secondary storylines were a bit silly and beyond belief.

Who would you have cast as narrator instead of David Thorn?

Anyone who can pull off a better Scandinavian accent. David Thorn's reading of Patrick makes him sound unintelligent.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Don't want to be a spoiler here but the death of the girls in the book was needless and very sad.

2nd Book is Good, 1st Book was Excellent

I enjoy Camilla Lackberg's writing a great deal. She reminds me of a Swedish Kate Atkinson ("Case Histories") with the well developed characters, witty dialog, domestic back-stories that combine with an intriguing mystery. It is so hard to believe that this is only Lackberg's second book. At her young age, she is so accomplished with good story telling and pacing for a mystery. I was hooked from the first listen.

The story starts out with a young boy finding a young woman's cadaver -- with 2 older skeletons underneath the body. All are connected with more to come. I will be honest that the mystery, while intriguing, was not as riveting as the first book. But can you blame anyone on expecting the same when the first book in a mystery series is excellent. Everything she writes will now be compared to "The Ice Princess". I am so pleased that Erica and Patrick continue in the series. I loved every scene with both of them.

The narrator seems a strange choice for these books. I am learning to like him, but it seems like a very English proper voice with strange interpretations of how many of the other characters sound.

Looking forward to listening to book # 3 sometime in the near future.

Solid Mystery

This is a good book if not a great one. However...the inconsistency of the recoding is very disruptive.

Love this series

I am really enjoying this series that takes place in Sweden. I feel like I know the main detective and his and his wife's family-the writer gives such vivid descriptions of what they are thinking. The story lines are good and I also like the narrator.

Good, But Not as Good as the First

This is the second book I've listened to by Swedish mystery writer Camilla Lackberg. While not quite as good as her first (The Ice Princess), it was still entertaining. I would read another by her, but would enjoy having more of police detective's Hedstrom's relationship with his wife, the writer Erica Falck, in the next one. She played a much bigger role in the first novel; in fact the series could have been based on her rather than Patrik. So I was a bit surprised at the much smaller role she played in Lackberg's second outing.

Good storyline

Enjoyed the story, the ending could have been better. the book kept your attention, the narrator's performance was excellent and very humorous. the only disappointing part the book with the ending.

Great book. I bought her previous book right away.

I'll be on the lookout for more books by this author - especially if they are narrated by David Thorn. Definitely worth buying and listening to. It held my interest and intrigued me throughout. Interesting characters and a plot that was certainly not run of the mill. Highly recommend (I just rarely give 5 stars to anything).

Camille Lackbergs great Swedish crime books

David Thorn is obviously a very experienced narrated. But I would like to hear a narrator who has a Scandinavian background .Someone who can pronounce the names better and give the characters in Camilla Lachbergs books pleasant voices, several of them have lower class accents. In Scandinavia policemen are well educated and middle to upper middle class.
I've just finished The Preacher and last week I really enjoyed The Ice Princess. As well as being great easy going crime stories they also tell you about living in a village in coastal Scandinavia .
I've listened to some great Scandinavian crime books lately including Asa Larsson who writes from the north of Sweden .