Lazarus

A Novel

By: Lars Kepler, Neil Smith - translator

Narrated by: Saul Reichlin

Length: 16 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

International Best Seller

“A nonstop roller coaster of suspense, taking us deep into the hearts and minds of perfectly realized characters. And, oh, what a villain! ... The definition of a one-sitting read!” (Jeffery Deaver, New York Times best-selling author of The Goodbye Man)

Sometimes the past won't stay buried.

All across Europe, the most ruthless criminals are suffering gruesome deaths. At first, it seems coincidental that their underworld affiliations are finally catching up to them. But when two of the victims are found to have disturbing connections to Detective Joona Linna, it becomes clear that there’s a single killer at work. Still, police are reluctant to launch an investigation. If a mysterious vigilante is making their jobs easier, why stand in his way? Joona, however, is convinced this is no would-be hero. These deaths serve a much darker purpose. 

Desperate for help, Joona turns to Saga Bauer. If his hunch is correct, she’s one of the few people who stands a chance at bringing this criminal mastermind down. But Saga is fighting her own demons - and the killer knows just how to use them to his advantage. He continues to strike with impunity, and no one, it seems, is safe. When the killer begins targeting those closest to Saga and Joona, it appears more and more likely that Joona has been right all along, and that tracking down the person responsible will force him to confront a ghost from his past ... the most terrifying villain he’s ever had to face.

©2020 Lars Kepler (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“Pulse-pounding. . . . Truly terrifying. . . . Lazarus is not for the faint of heart. . . . If you know you love dark and twisted, sometimes painful, and sometimes disturbing crime fiction, this book will hold you hostage. . . . For fans of Kepler, this is a ride you will not forget.” 

—Marla Warren, The Nerd Daily

“Lazarus is a thriller par excellence, though it’s advisable to read it in small increments, for the accumulation of too much horror at one time will definitely lead to sleepless nights, continuous checking of locks, and an increase in one’s lighting bill.” 

—Toni V. Sweeney, The New York Journal of Books

"The Kepler duo are unmatched in their ability to crank up the tension, murder by murder, to an almost unbearable degree.” 

—Lisa Henricksson, Air Mail 

Lazy plot line

Plot was written with little effort in making it believable. Disappointing as it had so much potential.

Electric Thriller

Joona Linna is back, and he is matched against the only man who scares him to his core, notorious serial killer Jurek Walter. Years ago, Joona sent his wife and daughter into hiding to escape Walter, and now, risen like Lazarus, Walter is back, and death and terror are with him.

This is a Thriller with a capital “T.” Intensely gripping, sometimes even cruel, the dynamic writing duo that is behind Lars Kepler have penned a non-stop action ride to catch one of the most devious killers of all time - Walter makes Hannibal Lecter seem like a lamb.

This book is at the top of its class. And the performance is stupendous. You will be all-in until you realize you don’t want the ride to end.

Great Story. Difficult Narration.

Excellent story--plot, scenic details, engaging characters. I had no idea where the story might be headed which makes for fun listening. BUT FOR THE LOVE OF GOD GET A DIFFERENT NARRATOR. Saul Reichlin makes everyone sound like an old man. Men, women, children, all are a different version of the same elderly person. This is my second Kepler book and I have every intention of getting a third. I like their writing. The narration, however, is difficult to get past.

It contained some errors.

Toward the end I really want to know how the bad guy (I can’t think of his name right now) tracked down Junna’s daughter so quickly after she escaped on foot. That was pretty unbelievable to me, a little plot flaw, you may say.
Now to the authors, ARE YOU LISTENING? Or maybe I should say reading.
You need to be more careful with your research. Before the lady with the nursery was abducted she was sitting in her home having a drink and listening to the Guilty album by Barbra Streisand. Barbra’s huge hit from that album was Woman In Love - not Women In Love.
The lyrics are, “ I am a woman in love......”.
I have always enjoyed this reader in the previous books, but this time I kept thinking he was forgetting and not using the proper voices for the characters we all know. Did anyone else notice that?

predictable but well written

Maybe I have just read too many books in this genre over the years. But I would expect a world class author to do something less predictable with the ending. Still, the writing literally puts you on scene.

Good story with somewhat odd translation

Swedish being my first language and having lived in an English speaking country for over 30 years, I got frustrated at the poor translation throughout the book. I understood exactly what the author had meant to say and felt the translation fell flat or quite honestly - just a Swedish word pronounced in an English manner. Getting the nuances right is a vital part of storytelling, but here the misses were broader than that. Disappointing in an otherwise good read.

Good, but could be shorter

The ending act was too long and breathless, the suspense protracted. A few times I sped ahead. Other than that, excellent tension. I recommend.

Great

Could not put down , intense psychological triller had to restart a couple of times but enjoyed every minute. Thanks

Terror beautifully written

Another great Lars Kepler story. One of the most terrifying villains is back and Joona must stop him. You will be on edge as this battle continues.

Disappointing

I’ve loved the Jonas Linna series, but the authors seem to have phoned this one in. They reused an old villain, with old motivations and backstories, and old threats. It was like reading a 500-page rehash of The Stalker.

I enjoyed the other books enough that I’ll read the next in the series, but I’m really hoping the authors try something new and fresh and more like the earlier books.