I have never read any Scandinavian crime fiction before, but with this book getting so many rave reviews I decided maybe this would be a good place to start. I can certainly see why Anne Holt is so popular - her writing is great, very dark and atmospheric, and I really enjoyed reading a book set in Norway, which sounds beautiful.
However, I have to be honest, I'm not sure the style of this one was for me. There are a lot of characters introduced very quickly, and I struggled to keep up with who was who at first. Even after I got a handle on who was who (around the half way mark) I still wasn't as engaged as I should have been. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I just didn't find myself wanting to pick it up as much as I usually do when I'm into a book.
I'm still awarding it three stars, because I'm fairly sure that the problems lie with me here rather than the book itself. The writing is beautiful and the plot is clever - so if you already know you like this kind of book (and you're good with handling many characters!) then I would still recommend it.
However, I have to be honest, I'm not sure the style of this one was for me. There are a lot of characters introduced very quickly, and I struggled to keep up with who was who at first. Even after I got a handle on who was who (around the half way mark) I still wasn't as engaged as I should have been. I'm not sure exactly what it was, but I just didn't find myself wanting to pick it up as much as I usually do when I'm into a book.
I'm still awarding it three stars, because I'm fairly sure that the problems lie with me here rather than the book itself. The writing is beautiful and the plot is clever - so if you already know you like this kind of book (and you're good with handling many characters!) then I would still recommend it.