This is book two in the Tommy Bergmann series. I haven’t read the first book, but I didn’t feel lost or as though I was missing something. Unfortunately, this one was just okay. It failed to grip my attention and felt long and boring.

for fans of scandi-noir. This is the second in a series but it's fine as a standalone. Tommy Bergmann is a classic tortured detective and this is a twisty tale.

Set in Norway and translated into English this book was well written but at times hard to follow. I'm not sure if it was due to me not having read the previous book in this series or if it's the way it was translated. The storyline is intriguing and it's interesting to learn some Norwegian culture therefore I would recommend it.

It was a interesting psychological thriller with a twist that I didn't see coming. It makes not what to go to Norway lol.

Even by Nordic standards this book is very dark. Every character is psychologically damaged. Not just the self confessed murderer, but Tommy Bergmann, the lead detective on the case as well as his female sidekick, are deeply flawed and unhappy. As they try to solve the case of a brutal attack on a young prostitute, Tommy's first murder, which he attended as a rookie, has haunted him ever since and this new attack is so similar to that particular case, it's as if his nightmares have come to life to haunt him. But the murderer of the old case confessed, to that one and five others, and as he's in a high security mental institution, how could he be the perpetrator. Does he have an accomplice on the outside? He retracts his confession to the early murder and manages to get his case reopened. We then meet the mother of the first girl who is as totally unhinged. All in all I found the book depressing, as well as confusing, and the ending left me wondering if I had to wait for the next book to figure the whole thing out.
Thank you, Netgalley and the publisher for the eARC in return for an honest review.

Hell Is Open begins with a brutal crime, unfortunately, these crimes happen all too often and are not restricted to any one place. Gard Sveen grabbed my attention with this opening and kept me looking for more.

This is book two in the Tommy Bergmann series. I haven’t read the first book yet, but I didn’t feel lost or as though I was missing something; so, if you haven’t read The Last Pilgrim, no worries, Hell Is Open easily reads as a stand-alone.

The story switches perspectives between the lead investigator, Tommy Bergmann, his assistant, the man who confessed to the crime, his psychiatrist and the victim’s mother. Yes, the book is told from many perspectives. The best way I can put it is that each one is its own freight train, they start out slowly, building the character, gradually letting the reader know who they are and their impact in the whole story. Before you know it, each one has reached full steam and will all arrive at the station simultaneously. What reader could pull him or herself away from that collision?

As far as Nordic Noir goes, I have my favorites. Fair or not (life is never fair), in the back of my mind I always compare the book that I’m reading to my favorites in the genre. Did Sveen do that as well as the other authors? Was the story missing something? Can he replace my number one?

Quite simply, Hell Is Open was a gripping story with a protagonist who has a troubled past. It is dark, exactly what I enjoy. I am looking forward to more of Gard Sveen’s books being translated in the near future. It was just missing the little intangibles that make a 4 star a 5 star.

*4 Stars

Hell is open by Gard Sveen.
Sixteen years ago, rookie cop Tommy Bergmann was on the scene when a teenage girl’s mutilated body was discovered in the woods. Schoolteacher Anders Rask confessed to the murder, along with five others. He was sentenced to live out his days in a mental institution outside of Oslo, and the case appeared closed. That is, until now…
Amid a brutal Norwegian winter, now-detective Bergmann is called to the scene of the assault of a young Lithuanian prostitute. Her injuries bear a shocking resemblance to those of Rask’s victims. Tommy cannot ignore the unsettling questions this crime raises: Is Rask involved or, worse, inspiring a copycat? Or is the real serial killer still out there, roaming the shadowy, frigid streets of Oslo, poised to commit another murder?
This was a good read with good characters. Little slow in places but I read it. 4*. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced copy of this book from netgalley.

I really liked the ending in this book, and all the references to Tommy Bergmann's life as a youth that he has suppressed. We have references to Elisabeth's and Susanne's lives as youngsters, although they were briefly told until each was necessary in the telling of this story, This may turn out to be one of the best in a series. I would recommend this story to my readers.

Thank you.
Enjoyed it.
Will purchase copies for family and friends.

4 Stars

We start our story in 1988 when Tommy Bergman was a young patrol officer, just out of the academy. He and his partner, discover a 15-year young girl’s mutilated body in the woods. Later, Anders Rask is convicted of the crime and five others and now resides in a psychiatric unit.

Now Rask is recanting, but just the first girl, the one in 1988.

It is the 2004 and Tommy comes upon another young prostitute disfigured in the same way, except she is still alive. Could the wrong person be convicted of the 1988 crime? Or is this a copycat? Are they a fan of Rask’s? Is there another serial killer on the loose?

Tommy is also battling his personal demons – his recent domestic abuse case and his forgotten childhood are causing him no end of trouble. He is seeing a therapist and going to the anger management clinic.

The only clue given is that before she died, the prostitute says, “Edle Maria.” Rask’s psychiatrist recalls the name of a psychotic former patient mentioned that “Edle Maria is alive.” Frdperately following very meager clues, Tommy and the others carry on. The case is even threatened to go into the unsolved file. But more murders keep it alive.

This is a very well written book. However, we learn far too much about Tommy Bergman’s personal life. He is an interesting character, but should he, with all his problems, really be a policeman? I really don’t think that Jo Nesbo has anything to worry about – at this time.

The killer is a surprise –at least to me.

I want to thank Netgalley and Amazon Crossing for forwarding to me a copy of this book to read.

Looking into the darkness and sadness of this book, it kept me guessing till the end... twist and turns... well written plot and characters.... I will be looking for more of this author's work!
Could not review in, amazon as it will not allow me to..

It was Tommy Bergmann’s first real case. He was just a rookie when the body a mutilated teenager was discovered in nearby woods. The girl’s teacher, Anders Rask, confessed and was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a locked mental institution in Oslo for the rest of his days. Almost two decades later, Tommy is now a detective and a girl has been found with wounds that are shockingly similar to the wounds found on the teenager sixteen years before. With Anders Rask recanting his conviction, all bets are off. Does Rask have a partner? Is this a copycat? Or did they arrest the wrong man all those years ago? A clever Nordic whodunit