I loved this one – it was just the kind of twisty story I love with a couple of smartly drawn main protagonists, plenty of mystery, completely gripping and really right up my street.

It is a “serial killer thriller” that also sets up what I hope will be a long running series as I am at this point very attached to Sam as a character – and just as attached to his erstwhile partner in crime who’s name I won’t give you right now so as not to spoil the plot – but individually they allow for a lot of fun reading and together even more so.

The underneath mystery of it is shadowy and dangerous, I loved how the various strands came together slowly over the course of it, especially within the setting which was clearly drawn and atmospheric. It fairly raced along, perfectly paced, until those final fairly horrifying moments. A big bang of an end which made me crazy (in a good way) means that I will actually be willing to kill for the next novel…

This doesn’t have that usual feel that you get from Nordic crime, it has a quite individual tone that sits well between Nordic Noir and British based crime thrillers – this served to make me feel all the more at home with it, not sure how much kudos for that sits with the translator ( Neil Smith) but I’d guess it’s at least a bit so he deserves a shout out.

Overall an excellent thriller that will have me reading the back catalogue and indeed looking forward to all future books. Gripping, clever and unexpected.

Recommended.

I don't know why there are so many good crime writers from Scandinavia but Arne Dahl has added himself to that list.
There is of course the usual difficulty of the place names being hard to pronounce but I hardly seemed to notice it in this book perhaps helped because the character names were all easy. The story is so engrossing and like the characters well thought through. The plot was very original and at times I thought it was never going to pull together but I was proved wrong.
Looking forward to more books featuring Sam who was my favourite and I do hope Deer makes it into the next offering too.

This book has all the darkness and dire psycho I associate with Swedish crime books and television programmes. Starting off as a straightforward murder investigation, it is soon apparent that that is a cover for something deeper and more complex. There are many twists to the story, all unpredictable. The ending has its moments too. As crime fiction goes, this hits the high spots. If the plot is complex, it is not half as complex as the lives and minds of the lead detectives! The book has been well translated too and is likely to be very popular.

This review is written with thanks to Vintage Publishing and Netgalley for my copy of Watching You.
A fifteen year old girl is missing and Sam Berger is convinced that he and his team should be searching for a serial killer, although his superior officer does not agree. As he investigates, Berger realises that the perpetrator is leaving clues behind that only he will understand, and in order to find him, he must confront his own past.
Prior to reading Watching You, I had never read any Scandinavian crime and was slightly apprehensive that I would struggle to connect with it. These fears were entirely unfounded, as from the outset, Dahl's descriptions created an environment in which I could become completely enraptured. It helped that the majority of the novel is set against adverse weather conditions, as the extremes made it easier to picture the circumstances in which the officers were working.
Watching You is the first novel featuring Sam Berger and his team, and I enjoyed my introduction to them. They each possess characteristics that I admire in a fictional police officer: determination, an ability to think outside the box and a sense of humour. Berger often keeps his personal life private, and as further information about his past is revealed quite slowly, it felt at first as though I might be approaching this series from a later point. This made it difficult to connect with him at the beginning of the novel. However, as the novel progressed, I was able to warm to him and this was made easier as the case he was investigating touched upon events from his past.
I love a novel with a twist, and Watching You has plenty of them. Everything I thought I had learnt about the characters and the crime they were investigating was turned upside down on a regular basis. Although this made the novel rather complicated in places, it meant that I was enthralled by it, unable to wait to see what happened next.
Overall I enjoyed Watching You, and I am pleased that the ending remains open, allowing Sam Berger to return in a future instalment.

I enjoyed this book to a point but I did find it over complicated and a bit drawn out because of this it didn't hold my interest as I would have liked.

A clever plot but a cliff hanger ending. Is there to be a follow-on book?

Not my favourite Arne Dahl I'm afraid but it does have a lot of the good hallmarks of other works. The gruesome nature of the crimes, the chilling surprises and the sharp writing. The plot and characters however were not my favourite and seemed lacking in depth. I do think the book would have read better had it been a bit shorter and more compact as the tension did flag in the middle because of this.

I do love Arne Dahl's books though and whilst this wasn't my favourite, I'm still pleased I read it and would definately be reading his next! And the setting as ever is top notch - I'm now looking at various places in Stockholm in a very new light - or should that be dark shadow?

I couldn’t finish this book, I like the author’s writing and have enjoyed many of their books before but this one wasn’t one I could get into. I will try again when the author’s next book is released as I am a fan of theirs.

WOW, WOW and triple WOW! This book has more twists, turns and heart stopping moments than a downhill ski slalom! I loved it and devoured it in almost one sitting. It's intricately plotted and perfectly pitched. I hope there is more to come from Berger and Blom. It would make an excellent film too - just saying......

An absolutely brilliant book! Kidnap and torture given the Scandi Noir treatment, blood thirsty and gruesome, these long dark Swedish nights have a lot to answer for. Full of suspense and entirely enthralling. Full of red herrings and blind bends, every time you thought you had guessed the killer, then they were exonerated. Sam Berger is an extremely competent Police officer and Nathalie Freden / Molly Bloom is a very good match for Sam, being both deceptive, cunning, and also fully capable of killing and revenge.
The reader quickly realises that the key to the killings and kidnaps of young schoolgirls concern both these characters. Sam is racked with guilt over an incident in which he betrayed a school friend and abandoned another due to fear. Molly/ Nathalie was betrayed and subjected to abuse and together they must make amends by confronting the bully and murderer.
A fast paced and totally engrossing book, I can't wait for the second instalment as it would be too cruel to leave the ending as it stands now. A typical offering from Arne Dahl, I am a big fan and eagerly watch all his televised dramas. A highly rated book which will be a runaway success.

Excellent book. Great main characters and plot. I would recommend this book.

Watching You

I have to be honest, I'm not usually into Scandinavian fiction, but that said, I really enjoyed this one!

Watching You is a fast paced thriller that will grip you from the start. Teenage girls are disappearing at an alarming rate and Detective Sam Berger is on the hunt. With past demons and cryptic trails to deal with, it's no easy journey but it makes for a great read!

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher, 4*!

I'm a huge lover of Scandinavian crime so I was thrilled to be approved to read Watching You. I had no expectation as I've not read anything by him before, so I was hoping to be blown away. Sadly, this one didn't quite hit the mark for me. It started out really well, with a solid and gruesome premise. There were plenty of twists and turns along the was too, some that were more shocking than others. I found that towards the end I was less interested though, It seemed to become detail-heavy and lost its way a little for me personally. In saying that though, it's an enjoyable read. Nothing new in the Scandinavian crime genre, but still a good read,

A very good thriller for fans of the genre from Sweden, promising much for a new series. Our hero is determined that he's found the pattern that makes up Sweden's first serial killer, as several fifteen year old girls have vanished, never to be seen again. Convinced he's up against the clock he leads his team to where the latest possible victim has definitely been held, but she alludes him. Someone else female doesn't, however – his unconventional methods and unconventional thinking leads him to suspect a female involvement in the perpetration of the crimes. But perhaps his own unconventionality is going to be a threat to his success… Needless to say there's so much more to this, but it on the whole is on the money. The title is different from a straight translation of the Swedish, and is a bit of a naff pun in the end, but you can only shave off a slither of a mark here, a limb of a mark there. Some dialogue is too much exposition, some of the psychology might not quite work if you stop reading to only think about it, but the drama and engagement is there. We also find our characters through action and not the narrator waffling on about them being different, damaged, etc. So while it's no earth-shattering must-read, it is definitely one for the airport shopping list.

A typically dark and complex Nordic crime novel, impossibly unrealistic but perfectly readable.

How did I not see that coming? This is a very well written and fast paced Scandinavian thriller which will not disappoint lovers of this genre. A bit confusing to start with but it is filled with twists. A very good read. Thank you Net Galley for my copy. I reviewed on Goodreads.

Arne Dahl's gritty novel is the type of twist-filled crime thriller that should have you hanging on the edge of your seat. But it never quite gets there.
A solid page-turner packed full of double-blind turns, its a complex story of kidnapping and murder let down by slabs of dialogue and exposition that limp the story forward when it should be sprinting.
There's a great story in here. But after bursting out the blocks it just takes far too long to get there.
One for genre purists only.

Arne Dahl is one of the kings of crime writing. His prose is always compelling. His mind is exquisite - I loved the way that he used watches and clocks both to leave clues and as instruments of mental and physical torture.
Watching You is a study in masterful, fast paced and intelligent prose. This is a book which launches straight into the action, leaving the reader breathlessly running to catch up with our protagonist, Detective Sam Berger and his intuitive and always reliable sidekick, Deer.
From the beginning we know that Sam is not a straightforward policeman. The fact that he is taking one small piece of evidence from each crime scene tells us that there is more to these crimes than we yet understand.
Sam Berger is looking for a missing schoolgirl, Ellen Savinger. She is one of at least three teenage girls that have gone missing. When the police receive a phone call about strange goings on in a house in the forest, they are sure they have their first real lead, but what they fine when they get there is a trap laid for them.
Looking through photographs and TV footage from the similar crime scenes they have identified, Sam spots a face that is common to more than one scene. Who is Nathalie Freden and what is her connection to the killer?
But first Sam has to convince his bosses that they are looking for a serial killer; something they are very reluctant to acknowledge.
With the clock ticking, Sam has to use every tool at his disposal to advance the search for Ellen Savinger if he has any hope of finding her alive.
I really enjoyed Watching You, because although it has all the intense, adrenalin fuelled moments you expect from a great crime novel, it is also a deeply thoughtful and insightful look at how a serial killer comes into being.
There are some sad and revealing moments in this book, which offers an understanding, if not a forgiveness, of what can lead a human being to commit such gross and callous acts.
There are lots of unexpected twists and turns, not least a pretty massive revelation fairly early in the book. It also has quite a cliffhanger of an ending – paving the way for more with Dahl’s characters from this novel.
Highly enjoyable, thought provoking, crime fiction from a Scandi- noir master at the top of his game.

A very intense complex tale of the search for a serial killer or so it seems. The thread twists and turns so many times one could get dizzy but ultimately builds to a rip roaring satisfying conclusion. Well worth a look.

Thank you NetGalley for this advance copy.
I’m a long time fan of Scandinavian thrillers and of course Arne Dahl is one of my favorites. His books are not suitable for people who like an easy read. No, from page one on, you are thrown into the story and only slowly you will get a grasp of what is really going on. This story has almost as much layers as there are pages in the book, with the layers becoming more and more intriguing.
What’s so clever with Dahl’s writing is that you have to fill out part of the story for yourself. It’s not that every little part is explained in detail and most of all, Sam doesn’t rely completely on computers and other technical stuff. He uses his own instincts, his own brain, and he needs both in this story. It is fast-paced but yet not the sort of pace that leaves you thinking ‘was this it’?
I really loved the very tiny pieces of information the author feeds us which so neatly lead us to the big story behind it.
And yes, there is a cliffhanger… So please Mr Dahl, I hope to find your next book soon!