Stalker

Joona Linna, Book 5

By: Lars Kepler, Neil Smith - translator

Narrated by: Saul Reichlin

Length: 19 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

“Lars Kepler … [has] a taste for the macabre and a surefire recipe for the lurid serial-killer thriller. … This is not a book for anyone on heart medication. Kepler is a virtuoso at delivering scenes of suspense.” —Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review

The internationally bestselling authors of The Sandman and The Hypnotist return with a terrifying new thriller: Detective Joona Linna—recently returned from compassionate leave—reunites with hypnotist Erik Maria Bark in a search for a seemingly unassailable sadistic killer.

The Swedish National Crime Unit receives a video of a young woman in her home, clearly unaware that she's being watched. Soon after the tape is received, the woman's body is found horrifically mutilated. With the arrival of the next, similar video, the police understand that the killer is toying with them, warning of a new victim, knowing there's nothing they can do. Detective Margot Silverman is put in charge of the investigation, and soon asks Detective Joona Linna for help. Linna, in turn, recruits Erik Maria Bark, the hypnotist and expert in trauma, with whom Linna's worked before. Bark is leery of forcing people to give up their secrets. But this time, Bark is the one hiding things.

Years before, he had put a man away for an eerily similar crime, and now he's beginning to think that an innocent man may be behind bars—and a serial killer still on the loose....

©2019 Lars Kepler (P)2019 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“[G]ripping . . . the fast-paced chapters and devious plot twists left me hypnotized and eager to find out the stalker’s identity.” —Associated Press

“This is fast-paced, readable fare—the type of writing that makes the hours disappear. Clean and consumable, Kepler’s unflinching prose gives lucid rendering to scenes of suspense, graphic violence, and hand-to-hand combat, elevating the sense of unease or excitement they produce.” —Mystery Tribune

"As in the other books in the superb Joona Linna series, credited to Lars Kepler, a pseudonym of the wife-and-husband team Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril, there's not an ounce of flab on Stalker despite its heft, which accommodates both scrupulous character development and elaborate scenes of derring-do." —Shelf Awareness

their best yet!

I wasn't a true fan of these authors until this book in the series! still lots of long descriptions that I might cheat and skip over in a bound book, but this time I found myself thinking "Stalker" was written with the care and attention to detail you'd find in a screenplay. not that I know anything about screenplays, just that's the impression the writing gave me, and it's meant as a compliment to the authors. hats off and this book is a must read for fans of this genre.

gripping to the end

the best book yet! the duo have outdone themselves. with Lars you never know whodunnit until the end

This is the best Joona so far

This is the best Joona Linna so far. Almost stopped reading the series after the last one but will continue now

Maybe better if read

The voice of some of the characters did not match what I thought they should sound like. I know the book is translated but it was just off. I think it would be an awesome book read but who has time to read a book, meal prep, and eat candy while googling how to lose weight.

Just phenomenal

I reaaaaally enjoyed this book. Such a nice build up and although you might be clever enough to figure out who’s did it, you may not. I definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a good book.

Whew!

You know that feeling when you’re a kid and you stand up to signal to the bus driver that your stop is next but for some reason the bus just speeds by your stop? You feel that little ball of panic in your stomach, and now you shout from the back of the bus “next stop!” so the driver is sure to know you want off on the next available stop.

That’s the feeling I felt thru most of this book! That little ball of worry. Panic. Excitement. Keplar has a way of writing that effortlessly puts you right next to the detectives every step of the way. He also did that thing I like in these type of novels where he takes a second and has one of the characters sum up where we’re all at in the story together (Lol) so you don’t have to fret that you forgot why they’re talking about something like cucumbers all of a sudden! I bit long but def not long-winded. Big difference! And very creepy at times. Let’s face it, it takes a lot of detailed, descriptive, and exceptional writing to scare a 47yr old, self-described tough guy-construction worker from Boston to wiggle in the seat a little bit, but Keplar managed to pull it off. It was a little scary. Good scary tho of course!

This book is just as advertised except even better. If your in the market for this type of adventure look no further. Use the credit, strap on(I mean “in”), and enjoy the ride. Really cool book!

I love this series, including this book!

Don't let a couple of negative reviews dissuade you from listening to this book... it's a great book. Great story and I really liked the complexity of Eric Maria Bark's character. This book is really unique and the ending is not predictable at all! The character development is superb. I highly recommend it!

Excellent book

As a natural born Swede living in the US I must admit I got a few good laughs out of the narrator trying to pronounce places and street names in Stockholm. But I did enjoy the book. At one point I did suspect the killer of being the killer, but I disregarded my suspicions and felt I was kept in the dark as to who the perpetrator was.

Well written

skipping the endless salacious details helps

I'm working my way through the series but this one is the most pulpy of them so far. Someone's likely told the writers that forensic detailing of sex and violence will sell. Well it probably does (!) but it's BORING as hell to wade through. I delight in the development of complex characters and their relationships under stressful situations. But this couple chose to jettison their character of Linna in (I'm guessing) a failed attempt to compete for Harry Hole fans? What a godawful mess. I actually managed more than half of the story then chucked it in. I never give up on books, but this one . . . Simply ridiculous trash. Ir you like your police procedurals to at least seem likely then avoid this book.

Love Joona!

Not quite as good as The Sandman but good none the less. Not a fan of Erik Maria Bark character. Hope this is is last appearance.