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)

Not as good as I'd hoped

An interesting story that held my attention. I think it would have made a better "read" than "listen" since it took awhile to keep the character's straight. Pacing of the story was not to my taste and I'm not sure if I'll do others by this author. Having said that, Ms. Kaaberbøl is a very accomplished author with more than 30 novels to her credit and I'm glad I gave this one a try.

Great story, great narration, easy to listen to.

I recommend! Intriguing story. Just the right length for an audiobook. I enjoyed and will look for more by this author.

Enjoyable Twists and Turns

Yes, I would recommend this story, but wish there had been more. I plan on reading more Nina Borg mysteries.

Does a Dumb Protagonist Make for Suspense?

No doubt about it. The protagonist here is a ditz. She cannot seem to take an obvious next right action even when her life depends on it. So she makes a mess around her. If you think watching someone suffer through a self-fabricated disaster is suspenseful, this is the novel for you.

That said, I didn't give up on it before it was done. If something is really not to my liking after about an hour of listening, I always trade it in. I generally cared about the characters, even though I was never really on the edge of my seat. I think the author is probably stronger at creating characters than she is at constructing plot.

It's kind of a woman's novel. Even the mess the protagonist makes has the feeling of mothering-instincts gone awry. I'd bet some female readers would enjoy this more than most men would.

A suspenseful thriller

Nina has agreed to help her friend, Karin, by picking up something for her from a Copenhagen train station’s public locker. She has no idea what awaits her. What she discovers will change her life: A three year old boy, naked and drugged, is found inside a suitcase. When her friend, Karin, is murdered Nina realizes she’s gotten herself into something way more serious than she bargained for. Fearing that she and the boy might be next on the murderer’s hit list, Nina takes the boy and goes into hiding. But who is this boy? And, who is after him - and why?

Meanwhile, in Lithuania, a mother is frantically searching for her missing child. She has gone to the police for assistance but she is reluctant to tell them the whole story. The third story in the novel follows that of the killer.

A tale of 3 intertwined stories, told from 3 points of view. The story’s characters are strong and believable. The book is well paced. It does take a while to take off as the author has a lot of groundwork to lay before the reader can fully understand what is happening. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

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Excellent Story

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

Yes, it's well-written and suspenseful.

What did you like best about this story?

The whole concept. It was different.

Which scene was your favorite?

The woman trying to cope with a young, frightened boy who couldn't speak her language.

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

Yes, but that wasn't possible.

Well woven threads

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

I enjoyed the way the lives of each character seemed at first to be unrelated threads that slowy drew together a complete patchwork quilt. What first seemed confusing fragments resulted in a well crafted story that kept me guessing and second guessing. It was a surprise ending in which good people held the moral high ground.

Would you be willing to try another book from Lene Kaaberbøl (author and translator) and Agnete Friis ? Why or why not?

I would enjoy another story and look forward to the next one when it becomes available.

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

Just enjoyed the story and her slight accent.

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

No not extreme, it kept me guessing and I was pleased to have a happy ending.

Fascinating story but the reader....

Would you try another book from Lene Kaaberbøl (author and translator) and Agnete Friis and/or Katherine Kellgren?

Lene Kaaberbøl wrote a fascinating, intricate, well constructed story. I would be very interested to read other books by her.

Who was your favorite character and why?

The characters were complex and multidimensional, and in the context of a great thriller, created a deeply human enquiry into the tensions between what people value.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Sadly (big sigh), the reader attempted to deliver a regional accent that was inauthentic, inappropriate and VERY INCONSISTENT. There were occasions when I stopped listening because it was so gratingly bad. I think it would have been far better if she had used her normal speaking voice. It would then have been a foreign story read by an American, rather then a fascinating European story read by someone who had no authentic knowledge of a Danish accent and badly mangled imagined English accents by way of substitution. Katherine Kellgren may perform an American story well, but on the basis of this performance I would avoid listening to another book read by her.

Unexpected

If you could sum up The Boy in the Suitcase in three words, what would they be?

Very unexpected plot

What other book might you compare The Boy in the Suitcase to and why?

The Shack . The devotion of the parent in getting answers to what happened the their child.

What about Katherine Kellgren’s performance did you like?

Her performance was wonderful ,she made the story come alive. I'd like to hear more from her.

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

Once I understood what was happening, yes it was emotional.

Any additional comments?

This is a must read .hope to read more from this author.

terrible narration

Is there anything you would change about this book?

Hands down, this woman's voice is the most unpleasant one I've been subjected to by any book on tape. Her accent and excessive emotionality are like fingernails on a chalkboard. Thank god Simon Vance narrated Larsson's books, Katherine Kellgren's voice would probably have ruined even those page-turners.

How did the narrator detract from the book?

Ruined it. Too much emotionality.

Was The Boy in the Suitcase worth the listening time?

no