Blaze Me a Sun by Christoffer Carlsson was a slow build Swedish crime novel.
I didn't think this was a bad book but not as gripping as I had hoped for.
I did enjoy the story and the characters are well written.
I wished it was a bit more fast paced.
Other than that an enjoyable novel with characters that drew me.

"I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own."

Random House & Hogarth,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this eARC!

This book was a bestseller in Sweden, the author’s home country, and I can see why. I was gripped by this tale of the Tiarp Man, a serial killer who became one cop’s tireless pursuit. There is a frame narrative set in 2019, and two other POV characters (father and son cops). It was so refreshing to read a thriller that didn’t follow an expected narrative arc. The narrative was not linear, dipping into various points in the past, changing focus on characters without explanation, which (in my opinion) helped keep me engaged. Without spoiling anything, I appreciated the unexpected ending. I’m interested to read more of this author’s writing.
Thanks to Netgalley and Hogarth/Random House for the advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

The wave of Nordic thrillers that took over the world in the mid aughts is alive and kicking. Some of these have been slow-burners that I enjoyed. The problem is finding a balance between character development and plot propulsion. This novel falls more to the side of descriptions, psychology and historical background, which makes the action slow down to a degree that nothing seems to happen. The author focuses much attention on the characters’ internal monologues, doubts and speculations, as well as actual dialogues about soccer, family histories and everyone’s feelings about Olaf Palmer’s murder and whether each character voted for him. Now, maybe that conveys some kind of information about the kind of person you’re talking to, but it was lost on me. The identity of the killer was predictable and, even if the red herrings were solid enough to make me doubt myself, I ended up figuring it out. Readers who appreciate slow books with much detail will love this novel. It was not my case.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Random House, Hogarth!

The overall framework of this book seemed to me to be a reflection of the assassination of a somewhat unpopular Olaf Palme, the prime minister, in February of 1986. An unheard of event, it shocked the very nature of Swedish society which I fear has had everlasting consequences in today's world. Indeed, Sweden's recent election broke a taboo in Europe. The September election broadcast a narrow mandate to a coalition of right wing parties, as well as one with a neo-fascist history. New Sweden has enmity to politicians and the influx of new immigrants as crime rates have escalated. This sense of disorientation, apprehension but also guilt and atonement filters throughout the book as a sub theme while the overt story is of a father and son, both of whom are police officers. It is one of simple prose with succinct chapters that encompass 448 pages. Sven, the father, is obsessed for ages over a rape and death of a woman found in car. Two more young women fall prey without the killer being apprehended. A writer returns home and begins to write a book about the unsolved murders but uncovers and unravels deeply buried secrets in the probe for the truth. Along the way, the book explores the family unit, accountability, secrets, justice and forgiveness.
The book was not at all what I expected. The Swedish novels I have read have been high octane but this was rather a slow steady burn that did not pick up its pace for me. There is an undercurrent of unease and dread the entire length of the book but no thrilling moments. I even guessed the ending way before the completion. That said, I thought it was very well constructed but devoid of the bustle I was craving. Fans who like their stories methodical and slowly unearthed will be sure to find pleasure.

I read a lot of Scandanavian crime fiction. This is one of my favorite titles. I really enjoyed it and will look for more from Carlsson in the future.

This book started out very strong. Great plot and character development, but the momentum sputtered out a little over half way through. Push through, fellow reader, because it does end well, but beware that there is a slow patch.

The 1986 unsolved murder of then Prime Minister Olaf Palme has remained one of the world's great mysteries. It is the backdrop of Blaze Me A Sun, where the first in a series of murders takes place on the same evening in a small Swedish village. Local police officer Sven Jörgensson is called to the scene when a young woman's body is found in a car at a remote farm. He quickly drives her to the hospital, but she doesn't survive. The murder is overshadowed by the more prominent murder in Stockholm, but Sven does his best to investigate a case that will soon consume him completely.

The book begins in 2019, when the writer "Moth" comes back to his hometown after a bitter divorce. He's living in his old familial home, next door to elderly retired police officer Evy Carlén. Thirty-three years earlier, there had been three murders and an attempted murder that were never solved in the village of Tiarp. Now the perpetrator has been found and the writer knows this will be the story to break through his writer's block. He begins talking to people in the area to hear their memories of the time of the events thirty years before. He also talks to Vidar, the now deceased policeman Sven's son, who also worked for a time on the police force. Sven died with the murders still unresolved and his failure to find the killer contributed to his early death (so many of the townspeople believe).

The story goes from the present, back to the events surrounding the murder, then on to Vidar's time on the force, before coming back to the present. One thing that was somewhat annoying in the book was the way so many town names were thrown around. For instance, the first page of chapter 43 talks about Halmstad (the city where the story takes place) but then mentions Tiarp, Ringenäs, Villshärad, Valläs, Åled, Kvibille, Haverdal, and Tylösand. All of these various place names add nothing to the story and the overall impression is that the author is trying to work in every town name in Sweden into the narrative. Every chapter threw around all these place names -- people living in one but working or going to school in another; the bus passing through this town and then that one, and then another one before turning around at a different one and passing back through; cops studying maps and feeling compelled to point out various towns where the killer might be from or have passed through . . . why??? It made for an alphabet soup of town names that were meaningless. I even asked my Swedish husband if he knew what this or that town meant (in case it had some significance that a non-Swede would miss) but he didn't know most of them either. Other than that, the story was interesting and contained enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing how it would all turn out in the end.

When I began this book the first thing that caught my attention was the fact there were 117 chapters. No way a book that long would hold my interest! Oh I was so wrong again.

This book will suck you in like a high powered vacuum, spin you around like an industrial dryer, and once you think that all the pieces have fallen into place….think again. I love these kinds of stories and the characters are highly believable. The setting is perfect for the atmospheric balance and anguish of the main character as he tries to solve this horrid crime and is felt throughout the story. How far will Sven Jorgensson go to uncover the truth?

Highly recommended!

This book was slow but not boring. The way it's written is almost lyrical. We follow an author who writes about a crime, then we get into the book he's writing (which feels like reading a "true crime" non-fiction) then we get back into the author's investigation and his conclusion about the murder. I didn't get into it until about 30% of the book but then got slowly sucked in and enjoyed the remainder of the book -though the end left me a bit hesitant about my rating. Overall 3.5 stars. Slow burn, enjoyable, but not necessarily a page-turner.

“Lies have their time; the truth has its own.”

Blaze me a Sun is Christoffer Carlsson’s American debut – a twisty tale about a small town in Sweden in the 1980s. After two women are killed and another survives, a serial killed labelled the Tiarp Man is now the main focus of Police Officer Sven Jorgensson. Sven begins a downward spiral, with his health and his obsessive behavior of settling this case. In 1991 his son, Vidar, embarks on a career with the Police Department and can’t help but feel some responsibility to follow through with his dad’s footsteps even though the two have grown apart.

In 2019, our narrator – a novelist – returns home to Halland County, and in a shocking plot line, will inadvertently open all of the old emotions, wounds, and potentially solve the Tiarp Man murders.
This novel is filled with an undercurrent of tension and unease that keeps building in the background until the very end. The book had a good pace, with linear plot lines; the short chapters easily led you into the next segment or gave you a good stopping point if needed.

All the characters had their place and were interwoven into each other’s stories perfectly. We learn that the people we set on pedestals have their own inner demons, and that “[e]ven heroes can make mistakes.” And when we are searching for answers, sometimes in life, sadly, there is no meaning to what happens.

This book sets up layers upon layers that then have to be dissected and was so much more than a crime mystery. In addition, I love how some of the facts that arise in 2019 were mentioned in the beginning of the story in the late 80s, and intertwined seamlessly years later. Also, even though I do not know how to read Swedish or know any of the landmarks, I didn’t find the names/cities etc. to be distracting.

My only criticism is that at time I felt the book dragged on a little bit and was a tad longer than I felt it needed to be, but it was detailed and precise that maybe this build up was necessary! It may just be me, but this book definitely took me longer to read than most.

If you are a fan of Stieg Larsson, you will love Carlsson! This was a clever novel, and I was pleasantly pleased. I give this 4 stars – it’s obvious Carlsson knows about crimes and investigations!

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC; all opinions are my own!

Nordic noir at it's best!
In Sweden in the 19080's a serial killer gets their start while at the same time as the prime minister is assassinated. A young police officer thinks they may be connected. As the body count rises, the officer is haunted by his inability to close the case.

Years later a defeated novelist revisits the murders. What he finds may shock you. If you love nordic thrillers, police procedurals and slow burns, Blaze Me a Sun is for you!
#RandomHouse #Hogarth #Blazemeasun #ChrisofferCarlsson

This already has lots of helpful ratings and reviews, so I'll just recommend it to mystery and crime fans. This is a good read!

I really appreciate the free ARC for review!!

I've been trying to scratch my Nordic murder mystery itch for a while now since I've finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series and The Chestnut Man, so I was really excited about this one. I loved this book and the descriptions make you feel like you are there. I'll definitely be reading the author's next book!

Anyone mourning the lack of new police procedurals from Menkell will delight in Christoffer Carlsson's BLAZE ME A SUN--a wonderfully crafted suspense work with all the hallmarks of a splendid series.

Many thanks to Hogarth and to Netgalley for the pleasure of an early read.

This was really interesting! My one qualm is that the pace was a tad slow. Thanks NetGalley & the publisher for the ARC!

This book was recommended to me by Netgalley and I am so glad they did!

A new-to-me author and his debut novel in the US... but this is not his first book and I am wishing I read Swedish so I could read more of his writing! This book has the faintest of hints of Mankell in the writing style, but even more... the writing is so smart.

This is a mystery and so much more. It is about relationships, betrayal, and coming back home to start over.

I highly recommend this book!

I would like to thank Random House Publishing Group - Random House and Hogarth for this ARC!

The story begins with a phone call to the police from a man who states he has raped a woman and that he is going to do it again. The call comes in on the same night that the Prime Minister has been murdered, and Sweden is in a state of shock and anger. What comes after will change the life of policeman Sven and his son Vidar forever. This is a wonderful police procedural, and all the way through you will be thinking, Is it true?? Has the right man been found?? Very suspenseful, with many twists and turns before you reach the end. Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this clever novel.

Wow. At first I didn’t think I would finish this book. I was confused and somewhat overwhelmed by a beginning that wasn’t clearly related to the story that was unfolding. About a third of the way in, I went back to reread the opening chapters. But then, it all took off, and I couldn’t put it down. The story is fascinating, the writing superb. The author puts you in the moment and in the place—Sweden, of which I knew nothing—and provides solid characters with believable lives and behaviors. Well-written and satisfying.

3.5 rounded up. It was a well-written story and although it kept me wanting to find out who the killer was, I felt that it took way too long to get there. Overall I enjoyed the characters and the different family dynamics that we learned about throughout the course of the story. I just wish that the pace had been a bit quicker.

Thank you to #netgalley for this ARC of #blazemeasun

After seeing a five-star recommendation from a friend (thanks, Kat!) I decided to request Blaze Me a Sun from Netgalley myself. I don't read mysteries very often, and the last Scandinavian author I read was Stieg Larsson more than a decade ago, but I have been missing out. In 1986, Sven Jorgensson, a small town police officer, gets a call from a man who says he has raped a woman and claims he will do it again. I won't recount the rest of the plot, but this book is a page-turner and thoughtful at the same time. Christoffer Carlsson subtitled this A Novel About a Crime, and it is that but also so much more. There are layers with well-developed characters, decades of police work, the tolls it takes on some of the families involved, and one of the best fictional endings I've read in a long time. Real-life Swedish poet Elsa Grave and her poem "Darkness" is also used in the story; this is where the title comes from:

"blaze me a sun tonight
you who shall bring me the dark"

This is a stunning American debut from Christoffer Carlsson, and I will happily read whatever he writes next. Thank you to Netgalley and Random House, Hogarth Press for providing me with a copy of this exceptional book.