The Rabbit Hunter

A Novel

By: Lars Kepler, Neil Smith - translator

Narrated by: Saul Reichlin

Length: 16 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's Summary

One of The New York Times Top Ten Crime Novels of the Year

Ten little rabbits, all dressed in white

Tried to get to heaven on the end of a kite. 

Kite string got broken, down they all fell, 

Instead of going to heaven, they all went to....

It begins with a nursery rhyme. Nineteen minutes later you die. A masked stranger stands in the shadows. He watches his victim through the window. He will kill him slowly - make him pay.

Soon the Rabbit Hunter has claimed another three victims. This predator will stop at nothing to reap his ultimate revenge. It’s up to Joona Linna and Saga Bauer to untangle one of the most complex cases of their career, and follow the killer’s trail of destruction back to one horrific night of violence.

©2020 Lars Kepler; Neil Smith (translation) (P)2020 Random House Audio

Critic Reviews

“Outstanding.... Kepler has never been better at hiding key clues in plain sight.” (Publishers Weekly)

“[The Rabbit Hunter] holds strong appeal for American thriller fans, especially those of Lee Child’s Jack Reacher series.” (Booklist)

“Fast-paced and fluent.... Sure to be a hit.” (Kirkus Reviews)

Ludicrous

This is the book for you if you like 1) ludicrous plots, 2) unbelievable characters and their behavior, 3) cliched writing 4) uneven pacing, 6) animal cruelty, 7) gratuitous violence, and 8) very little of the excellent character Joona Linna. At first, it was just eye-rolling, then open-mouthed incredulity, followed by laugh out loud ridiculousness and finally grave disappointed and puzzlement that this book could ever have been published. I think the previous Joona Linna books are great. But this one is easily one of the most poorly written books I have ever read. And when you add the nasal, plummy voiced narrator that makes every character (except Joona) sound like Basil Rathbone, it is a torturous experience.

Disappointed

I have loved this series before but by incremental deviation from their story-craft, the authors have gone too far into extreme violence and pornographic sex, especially in the first third of the book. Very uncomfortable to listen to and definitely can’t listen in the car with children or even other non-family adults present. I would not recommend this. Hope they get back to storytelling rather than sensationalistic sex and violence.

Very average nordic noir.

It's been a while since I read or listened to a Kepler and was rather let down by this. I sped up the replay speed to just move it along because it seemed rather tedious. I really didn't get fully engaged until the second half and then was mystified by the rather jarring ending. And there was nowhere near enough Saga Bauer in this.