Cover Image: Last One Alive

Last One Alive

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I do love a good detective novel and this author ticks all the boxes, love a great dark story to take me away from everything.

I was given a free copy by netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely my own.

Was this review helpful?

WELL!
I got struck right in with this read! I enjoyed how this book was done from a detectives role within the police & home life.
Have to say I have so many questions and hope there's another book to follow!

Was this review helpful?

I as going through a period of trying different genres and hence why I've read this book. I can appreciate how well written it is, but not the genre for me. This is NOT the authors fault, but mine.

Was this review helpful?

It took me a little while to get into this one but I'm glad I stuck with it as it definitely picks up and becomes much more gripping. Great characters and an interesting plot.

Was this review helpful?

This book was everything I look for in a book. It was so exciting. The plot was fantastic. It really had me on the edge of my seat, and my heart racing. It was very well written and flowed well.

Was this review helpful?

This is a book which has captured my interest from the beginning. I love how this is written. It is filled with a mix of characters and has been a book I have been unable to predict.

Was this review helpful?

Book number 2 in the Detective Kjed Nygaard series.

The Detective is shock to us core when he's called out to a body in a burnt house, the house of a serial killer he managed to save Lousia from. He is even more deverstated to find that the body belongs to Lousia.

I found this to be a really great read. First time reading this series and I will be going back to read book 1. The author managers to create a lead that makes the reading feel emotionally invested in the outcome of the case for both the book but for the Detective. Detective Kjed goes on an emotional roller coaster throughout its clear he's feeling guilt and has made it is mission to catch the killer. I loved him and found he is a likable character.

All in all this is a good book and I will be looking forward to reading more in the series. I read the book a while back and completely forgot to review, I remember really enjoying it and being an extremely fast read. I rate it 3.5 stars 🌟 rounded to 4.

Was this review helpful?

An average thriller which started out so well and I was hooked. It kind of dragged on around two thirds of the way in which is when I started to lose interest. Too much time spent developing characters and not near enough suspemse. I didn't care much for the story of either kjeld or the murderer and it also felt like I should have read book 1 and that this is not a stand alone novel.
Generally I thought it was a good story but lacking the wow factor. So 3.5 stars from me.

Was this review helpful?

there were some great things about this book - the characters of Kjeld, Esme for example. Some of the character developement didn't go anywhere and the last 3rd of the book was overly detailed when it should have been picking up pace

Was this review helpful?

This is a new series for me, it has a great story line with believable characters. I look forward to reading more

Was this review helpful?

Last One Alive is a brilliantly excecuted contemporary police procedural with a diverse cast of chartacters and is one of the few crime fiction books out there with a main character form the lGBTQ+ community and that is only one of the many reasons why loved it and I am thrilled to be able to share with you, my review of book 2 in the Kjeld Nygaard series.

In Kjeld Nygaard, Nordin has created a brilliant, believable, relatable and yet flawed character with many complexities. Kjeld has his demons and that makes his communications with his loved ones hard to navigate, particularly as various past events have impacted on his ability to trust. I think it is this vulnerability that makes him so likeable depite his sometimes abrasive nature.

If you're new to the series, then please start with book one, Where Ravens Roost, to get your best sense of the complexities of Kjeld's character. You could read this as a stand alone, but I belive that reading book 1 first will give you a better reading experience.

Last One Alive grips you by the throat from the start, with a thrilling and unexpected opening. It then proceeds at a rate of knots that will leave you breathless. Nordin is a master of creating tension and plotting. Her ability to embroil you into the personal lives of her characters,whilst simultaneoulsy pulling you along the inevitable road to the plot's conclusion is enviable. There were many moments when I found myself groaning at the personal choices made by Kjeld and his side kick Esme. With just the right amount of possible supects and bad guys I was flummoxed right until the last moment when the villain was revealed.

I love stories that bring various strands together over the course of the book, whilst allowing the reader a chance to work out things for themselves and Nordin is a master of this.

This is, so far, my favourite read of 2022 and I have no hesitation in giving it a resoundng 5 *****

<!-- wp:paragraph {"align":"center","fontSize":"large"} -->
<p class="has-text-align-center has-large-font-size">About The Author</p>
<!-- /wp:paragraph -->

Was this review helpful?

This was a dark and intense read. It was an immersive read and I enjoyed seeing how the mystery unravel.

Was this review helpful?

It took me a while to get into this book because in some of the first chapters the pace was a bit off. I also found the chapters just switched perspective halfway through which got a bit confusing. Once I got into a rhythm though I really enjoyed it.

Kjeld is a complicated character and I kind of had a love/hate relationship with him. He’s your standard lead detective who is terrible at having a personal life and Tove and Bengt deserve better but I did end up warming to Kjeld. I also loved Esme and thought they made a great team. With regards to the murders, the detectives were slow to work out the motive but I had no idea who the bad guy was which kept me hooked. The only thing that let it down in my opinion is I’m not a fan of the cliffhanger threat endings. I have however already gone and bought book 1.

I received a copy of the ebook via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to netgalley for the chance to read.
This is a first read from this author, and i now know that this is actually book 2 in the series which i wasnt aware of before i started.
A great fast fased detective thriller full of twists and turns. Would definitely consider reading from this author again

Was this review helpful?

A highly accomplished detective story, with plenty of intrigue and twists to keep the reader engaged from start to finish. Like a lot of Nordic thrillers, both the plotting and characterisation is strong and the storyline was compelling from the start. I read this book without reading the first in the series and am now keen to do so. With thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for an advance copy.

Was this review helpful?

Last One Alive by Karin Nordin is a new author to me and is the second book in the Detective Kjeld Nygaard series which is set in Sweden. I really enjoyed this book and will be going back to read the first instalment of this series. Plus, looking forward reading more books from Karin in the future. I loved it especially as its full of great twists and turns throughout with a great storyline! The characters are great as well.

Big Thank you to NetGalley, HQDigital and the author Karin Nordin for my ARC of Last One Alive in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Good thriller/procedural about a police detective inspector based in Gothenburg who is from a small town, a mining village in remote Sweden.
It's quiet slow at first but watch out as it's the quiet ones you have to watch out for. Talk about getting twist after twist and red herrings a plenty.
Karin Nordin is an author to get on board with.

Was this review helpful?

Last One Alive is the second novel in the series about Detective Kjeld Nygaard and his partner Esme Jansson. Det. Nygaard is on the case when a survivor of one of his most horrifying and notorious cases is found murdered. Then two more murder victims are discovered, also previous survivors rescued by Nygaard. The common link between them is that they were the last one alive in the old cases. Does someone have a grudge against Nygaard? Why are they targeting survivors of his old cases? Then the killer makes it personal and abducts Nygaard's child as well. Can he put it all together and find her in time?

This is a tense, fast-paced novel that definitely grabs and holds the reader's interest. It has 72 chapters, but they are short and the action moves quickly. The basis for the crime spree makes sense and the resolution is satisfying. However I will say that I found it difficult to warm to Kjeld's character, as he is so distant and really gives very little away about himself. The most interesting and engaging character by far is Bengt. In addition, I did struggle a bit with keeping all the names from the prior cases straight, however that may just be my challenge with the Scandinavian names!

Altogether a solid detective fiction read! Many thanks to NetGalley and HQ for making this available to enjoy and review.

Was this review helpful?

Karin Nordin rewards the reader with the second instalment in her Detective Kjeld Nygaard series set in Sweden. Kjeld Nygaard, is a troubled police detective inspector based in Gothenburg who has escaped his home town, a mining village in a remote part of western Sweden.

This is a gripping police procedural crime thriller and I was almost immediately immersed in its compelling story. The slow-burning suspense and dizzying misdirection had me in a spin and protagonist Nygaard is a fascinating, sombre and enigmatic character who is easy to root for in his search for justice. I'm looking forward to getting to know him better and seeing him develop and evolve as a character and he already gets my stamp of approval. Last One Alive is a clever, dark, atmospheric read that I can recommend without any hesitation.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel at my request from HQ Digital via NetGalley. This review is my own unbiased opinion.

Was this review helpful?

Detective Kjeld Nygaard is struggling with murder cases, but not any murder, the killing of the victims from another serial killer. This is a well-written thriller. To bad I didn't read the first book.
Thank you Netgalley for this fast pacing book.

Was this review helpful?