The Long Shadow

By: Liza Marklund

Narrated by: India Fisher

Length: 14 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's Summary

A violent robbery has taken place in an affluent area of the Costa Del Sol, in which an entire family are killed. Annika Bengtzon is assigned to the story, and when she arrives in Spain and gains access to the crime scene, she is horrified to discover there was a third child - a teenage daughter - who is unaccounted for. Annika makes it her mission to find the missing girl. But as she delves into the mystery she becomes embroiled in a far darker side of Spanish life than she’d envisioned, as she begins to piece together a terrifying story of violence, abuse and murder.

©2013 Liza Marklund. English language translation © Neil Smith (P)2013 Random House AudioGo

Better if I'd listened to earlier books first

This is the first book I’ve listened to by the author and I didn’t realise that it was well into a series based around the investigative journalist Annika. I was a bit confused during the early chapters as there was obviously a lot of back story for the characters and I was also trying to keep tabs on all the unfamiliar Swedish names of people coming and going from places I’ve never heard of. I think I would have enjoyed the book more if I’d listened to the previous book, ‘Lifetime’, in the same series as I eventually worked out that what happened in the latter was further investigated in The Long Shadow.

I eventually got into the story which is complex but kept me listening as Annika doggedly followed up leads to piece together a series of murders among Swedes living on the Costa del Sol. Like many detectives in crime fiction, Annika has the seemingly necessary attributes of being divorced with a complicated personal life and in perpetual friction with her boss. I suppose it’s more interesting than wedded bliss and happy working relationships for authors to write about.

The reader has a rather monotonous delivery, not bad, but not among the best.

3 of 4 people found this review helpful

A good thriller

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

Yes, I would. It was well written, if a little confusing at times. The story was fast paced and quite engrossing.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

I liked that it was based in the Costa del Sol and I was was interested to learn that there is a large community of Swedish people who have settled there. I don't think there is a "least interesting".

What about India Fisher’s performance did you like?

I think she read the book very well. She made voice distinctions between the characters that worked because they were not over the top and she didn't use accents - thankfully. A very well narrated book.

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

No.

Any additional comments?

It was an original thriller.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The further into the book you read the deeper you

I always think the best compliment for a book is to tell you that after reading it I went and bought all her other books. The story start off light and the further you read the more engrossed I became. You get to know Annika aswell as progressing with the story. Perhaps not the cleverest story line but it drags you along so very nicely