Oh my goodness, this was bleak!

It's suspenseful, thrilling, engaging and so very heartbreaking. You get so engaged in some of the characters and then the author just destroys you.

This was the book I was thinking about when I was working and couldn't read.

I was so sorry that it ended and I want more immediately!

Loved this! I will read anything that Lars Kepler writes. Can’t wait to continue picking up their books.

7th book in the series. I felt lost because I hadn't read the others. The connection to the characters wasn't there for me. I need to go back and read the others bc this was good but I know if I had read the others, it probably would have been great.

I received an ARC of this novel from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I’m not sure why it took me so long to finally read this, it may have been because I struggled a bit with the last book in the series, but regardless, this book blew me away.

Every series has that one book that is pivotal; it encapsulates everything and is just so huge. This is that book for this series, it’s defining moment if you will. This was very, very dark, violent, heart wrenching, shocking and overall just a wild ride. I had a hard time putting this book down because the story was just so good, I needed to know what happened next. It definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat.

I’d highly recommend not only this novel, but this entire series if you’re into good European crime novels. Now I’m off to read the next one in the series.

Another Joona Linna book?!? Yes please!!!

This was a page turner from start to finish, and absolutely got me out of a reading slump.

The character of Joona Linna is very intriguing, but I also find the other characters in this series to be equally engaging! The story lines are woven together perfectly, and you are filled with suspense and anticipation as the book builds.

I don't know how they do it, but Lars Kepler can give me (throughout any of their books) a haunting feeling that surpasses any tv show or movie. They write characters and storylines that keep you turning pages long into the night (if you are brave enough to read this at night), and leave you wanting to read the next book as soon as possible.

I have read other books in this series, but I have not read them in order and (in my view) I think you could read this one without having read all of them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and am sad it is finished. On to the next one!

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Random House for the opportunity to read an advanced copy of the book.

I don’t read a lot of Scandinavian books but when I do it’s always Lars Kepler! Loved the super short chapters and fast pacing, for a longer book this reads fast and is so smart.

Great book as was to be expected. Highly recommend reading previous books in this series to get a good understanding of whats going on!

3.5 stars

Being a first time Lars Kepler reader, I was hoping this was gonna blow me away. I’ve heard such great things about this author and I’m a huge fan or grotesque murders and serial killers. So this should have been a home run for me, but unfortunately wasn’t. Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t not like it. I just wasn’t as impressed as I thought I would be. The murder scenes were fantastic, making me want to try out previous books by this writing duo. But pacing for this one was all over the place and a bit anticlimactic.

I really wanted to enjoy this book. It was my first first Lars Kepler book and honestly I just couldn't get in to it. Trying to figure out who all the characters were and I don't know maybe I'll try it again another time. I didn't finish it.

This is the 7th book in the Joona Linna series and is another fantastic novel from this amazing writing duo, I’m honestly not sure they can do any wrong! I was, as always, hooked right from the start and my interest didn’t wane throughout.

This one is particularly dark, even for them so be prepared it’s not for the faint hearted! I also wouldn’t recommend starting with this book if you’re new to the series as there’s a lot of back references in it which I think would make this difficult to read as a stand-alone.

Wow what a book! This isnt my first book by Lars so I had a feeling to go into this one not expecting what to happen. This author's books are super good and have enjoyed every one that I have read already. I love a good thriller and this one did not disappoint. It was very haunting and dark and left you wanting to keep turning those pages!

Dark and suspenseful, I found myself holding my breath until the very last word.

The 7th in Lars Keplar’s Joona Linna series is a fast-paced thriller. This story could serve as a standalone but is equally as fulfilling as a next chapter in Joona’s story.

Ruthless criminals are suffering horrifying deaths. When two of the victims are found to have connections with Detective Joona Linna, it becomes clear there is one, much darker killer at work. Now targeting those closest to him, Joona must face his past.

Once again, Lars Kepler’s character development is on point. Flawed and broody, Joona Linna is an unlikely hero the reader can connect with. The villain is dark and creepy, lurking just far enough into the shadows, that the reader is captivated to read more. With a strong, intricate plot, Lazarus moves fast right up to the shocking conclusion.

Wow this is a big book, although spanning at 500+ pages, I didn’t feel the weight. Why? Like all Kepler novels, this is also gripping and fast paced. In Lazarus, we have a new killer in town. But he is a little different though- he kills notorious criminals. But does that make the killer a good person? Why does these killings keep happening. Its upto Detective Joona Linna to find the killer. Creepy, thrilling and phenomenal.

This is the 7th thriller in the series and it definitely can be read as a standalone. I know this because I haven’t read all the book, but I still could follow through the story and characters. 4.25⭐️

This is my voluntary review for the eARC provided by Knopf & Netgalley.

This book took me a while to read because not only is it huge!!! But I wanted to purchase The Sandman and read that first. I am very glad I did and I recommend the same if you have not read all the books in the series. You need to go buy this now.... Seriously! The ending was perfect. This was such a page turner right up to the very end. This book is so dark but in the best way. One of my friends got me on this series and I am so glad she did. This book is gruesome and gory but this book just reminded me how much I love the Crime / Mystery genre. Highly recommend.

I tried to get into this one. I tried to relate to the characters and understand the background. It was too hard to start with this book. I feel like reading previous books about the serial killer would be a better way to start. I had to DNF about 30% through.

I think this book belongs in a new genre - Nordic ultra noir. It was so very, very dark! This is also book 7 of a series. I haven’t read any of the others. Having heard lots of good things, I really wanted to try this series and I was too confused and couldn't really get into it. May try again in the future, though!

This was a highly suspenseful read and I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. This is a brutal story of revenge and the ending was equally shocking and heartbreaking. Lars Kepler are masterfully at writing complex stories and I'm in desperate need of the next book in this series.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

I read and enjoyed most of Lars Kepler's Joona Linna series. When I read The Rabbit Hunter, the 6th/previous book in the series, I found it lacking. Whether it was due to the story or its translation, I am not sure. Giving Kepler's Joona Linna series another chance was a good choice. Whatever my issue was with The Rabbit Hunter is not a problem in this one.

In Lazarus, ruthless criminals are being murdered. The police are not overly concerned with a vigilante who is making their jobs easier. Joona Luna thinks one killer is behind the murders, and there is a specific, dark reason these criminals are targeted. Joona, with the help of Saga Bauer, tracks down the murderer but puts themselves in his crosshairs. Was that the murderer's intention along?

This book could be read without reading the previous books in the series. However, this book, more than the others, includes characters and details from the rest of the story. You would benefit from reading the others to get the most out of this novel.

As I mentioned in other reviews, Kepler’s books are detailed and gritty. Be warned! There is gore, but the series is worth reading.

This 200-word review will be published on Philomathinphila.com.

LAZARUS is probably the scariest and most thrilling book I’ve read in a long time. The villain is one compared with Hannibal Lector and I love the team of detectives chasing after him. Kepler creates stories that will haunt you in your nightmares. This book can be read as a stand-alone but I feel as if reading the series as a whole helps character build. LAZARUS is a high intensity police procedural that will make you want to sleep with the lights on.

I was excited to receive an ARC of Lazarus by Lars Kepler, as I love Nordic Noir and I had heard so much positive feedback on this husband and wife author team. This was book 7 in the Joona Linna series, and I do believe that not having read the previous books in the series did hamper my enjoyment. The title Lazarus refers to a killer thought dead who rises again with a reign of terror, coming after Joona and those he cares about. Although I could follow the storyline with no problem, I did feel like I missed out on the emotional nuances between characters.
What I liked about the book was nonstop action. It definitely held my interest and I could see this being a good action movie plot because the killer was relentless.
What I didn't like: I found the killer just "too much". He was robotic. People can be evil but they are more interesting if there is some small glimmer of humanity, or some knowledge of what bent them. So many people are killed in this book that it becomes a bit ho hum for me. Eventually one becomes numb to so much violence. I just didn't find the killer an interesting character and his never making a mistake became a bit unbelievable near the end.
I rate this 3.5, but possibly if I had read the other books in the series and been able to connect with the characters more, it would have been a 4.
Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher and the authors for the opportunity to read this book. I do intend to read another, possibly the first book in this series.