The Stonecutter

By: Camilla Läckberg

Narrated by: David Thorn

Length: 16 hrs and 58 mins

Publisher's summary

The remote resort town of Fjällbacka has seen more than its share of tragedies, but a little girl found in a fisherman's net may be the worst yet - especially when the postmortem reveals that this was a methodical murder, not an accidental drowning.

Local detective Patrik Hedstrom has just become a father, and it’s his grim task to discover who could have killed a child both he and his partner Erica knew well. He realizes that the solution lies with finding a motive for this terrible crime. Although Hedstrom is no stranger to the criminal mind, he couldn’t possibly predict how this case will reach into Fjällbacka’s darkest heart, spanning generations and ripping aside its idyllic façade, perhaps forever.

©2012 Camilla Lackberg (Pegasus Books Edition). Translation © 2009 Steven T. Murray. Recorded by arrangement with Pegasus Books. (P)2012 HighBridge Company

Critic reviews

"A perfectly plotted and paced mystery bolstered by strong, realistic characters makes this a must-read for all followers of Scandinavian crime fiction." ( Booklist)

"[Camilla Lackberg] strips conventional veneers from her achingly complex characters." ( Publishers Weekly)

“ The Stonecutter, by Camilla Läckberg . . . continues her excellent series . . . The main narrative is cleverly interspersed with flashbacks from the past, the relevance of which becomes apparent as the novel progresses. Läckberg is particularly good at portraying the claustrophobia of a small community in which everyone knows everyone else and the police may well be friends with killers.” (Marcel Berlins, The Times)

reminded me of Henning Mankell

First time author, Camilla Lackberg, that audible suggested as a good Scandanavian author, this one being from Sweden. The book was a methodical police procedural and actaully reminded me of another Swedish author, Henning Mankell, in how the story was developed. It also reminded me a little bit of Canadian auhor, Louise Penny, who sets all of her stories in the same small town outside of Montreal, Lackberg in a small Swedish town, where everyone knows each other. At times it seemed to plod along as the author builds the story and the characters. It turned into a real "whodunit" novel where over the course of the book there seem to be several people that could have committed the crime and, of course, in the end none of them are it. In fact, the culprit turns out to be someone you wouldn't have guessed. But as the book moves along the story picks up its pace and it is easy to get through. I enjoyed the book and will give the author another go.

Great listen!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I'd recommend this book just to listen to the narrator. Easy story telling intonation. Great fun!

What about David Thorn’s performance did you like?

Loved it!

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

Yes

Any additional comments?

My favorite book in January

my favorite

best one of the three!!!! cant wait to see where we go from here. defiantly worth the listen

So good!

I really enjoy this series and can say Camilla Lackberg is now one of my favorite authors!

Keeps getting better

Any additional comments?

This is a great book. I really love the author's style of weaving stories together to resolve the plot and I really enjoy the characters too. After seeing this on an NPR best of 2012 list I decided to listen to the series and I can't wait for her latest novels to be translated!

Outstanding!

Camilla Lackburg keeps getting better with each novel. Character development is great. Plot keeps me interested and wantng to read on. I saw some complaints about the narrator, but I thought he was perfect for the book. (I see Simon Vance narrates the next one, and I have always liked him a lot. We shall see how he pronounces the Swedish names.)

Intelligent, gripping

Exciting, interwoven narratives continue to unfold. Refreshing humor, imaginative storylines--contemporary/historic characters to cheer and fear.

Extremely enjoyable

This book was a surprise. The narration was well done. I was engrossed and entertained through out. l especially like the writing style of the author. This is well work the time. I highly recommend this to my fellow audio book listeners.

Wow!! What a treasure!

This is the best mystery/suspense I have read all year. Great plot and characters so well defined, I had no trouble keeping up with who was who. I had eyed this book for quite.a while and bought it when Audible put it on sale. Thanks Audible, I owe you one!

Solid storytelling

A bit predictable in a comforting way. That's the only reason for the 4 stars. Compelling characters, entertaining plot, well told.