Absolutely loved this book. It was exciting and fast paced. I literally couldn’t put it down. It was an exciting plot that played out well. Very well written

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

I have overall enjoyed this series in the past, but I felt like this one didn’t hold up to it predecessors. As with others in the series it it still entertaining and suspenseful, however I found it difficult to be fully engaged as the plot and actions taken by the characters were just not convincing. Not the worst, but definitely not one of my favourites.

This is a series but it can be read as a standalone. I love the exploration of the previous teen that was kidnapped and killed and interested in the new girls who disappear. I love trying to guess the events and there are moments I was positive I was correct though I never was. It had me hooked the whole book.

"Sixteen-year-old Jenny Lind is kidnapped in broad daylight on her way home from school and thrown into the back of a truck. She’s taken to a dilapidated house, where she and other girls face horrors far beyond their worst nightmares. Though they’re desperate to escape, their captor foils everyone of their attempts.

Five years later, Jenny’s body is found hanging in a playground, strung up with a winch on a rainy night. As the police are scrambling to find a lead in the scant evidence, Detective Joona Linna recognizes an eerie connection between Jenny’s murder and a death declared a suicide years before. And when another teenage girl goes missing, it becomes clear to Joona that they’re dealing with a serial killer—and his murderous rampage may have just begun."

The authors did not wait around to peak your interest. But as the book continues I felt the plot starting to slip. So much untapped potential. I still enjoyed it, but saw many missed opportunities for plot development and payout.

This one was not for me.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I adore Lars Kepler books and have a special love for Joona Linna. I will read anything these authors write! Their books are always dark, gritty, addictive and entertaining and this one was no exception! I I loved this book but I really disliked the dog fighting scenes. Other than that though this was another stellar read!

What a wild ride! I absolutely love all Kepler books, and this was definitely the darkest Kepler book yet. Did not see that ending coming at all! Cannot wait for more books in the Joona Linna series.

I am strangely drawn to Scandi-Noir and have been since I discovered No Nesbo. Lars Kepler's series is pretty solid and I do look forward to the installments. I have read The Hypnotist and The Sandman. I enjoyed this one more than The Sandman. What can I say? I am hooked on the creepy, scandi-noir. Their stories are dark page turners.

Five years ago, a fifteen years old, Alice was lost on a fishing trip together with her stepfather, Martin. He’d fallen through the ice and was hypothermic when he was found. Suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder with elements of paranoid delusion five years have now passed, and Martin still hasn’t been able to accept what happened.

Martin who by chance walking his dog at the park then was being remanded on suspicion of the murder of Jenny Lind. The same girl who had gone missing five years earlier. She had been freeze-branded. Then executed, by hanging. Everything just feels so slow at the moment, but Joona Linna from the National Crime Unit found an older case that seems to be linked to Jenny's case. The eighth book in Joona Linna series. wootwoot😉

Joona Linna reminds me of Harry Hole. Rough and dangerous 😁. Thanks to @netgalley and @aaknopf for providing an earc. I am always keen to know how good Lars Keplers is. This was my first read and will not be my last. Some fun facts about the author. Lars Kepler is the pseudonym for the writing duo, Alexander and Alexandra Ahndoril.

TW: alcohol, drug, rape, mental health

My personal rating is 4 ⭐️. Almost 😶

📚

#donereading #TheMirrorMan #LarsKepler #igreads
#bookstagram #goodreads #emabaca #malaysiamembaca

Me while reading THE MIRROR MAN - 🫣
Me after reading TMM - 🫢🫡

If you didn’t already know, Lars Kepler are two people who are married to each other. They are coupled writers! Isn’t that a life goal 🤩

Moving forward with the story - Jenny is kidnapped to an inescapable house, where she and other kidnapped girls are horrifically tortured. 5 years later, Jenny’s body is found and another girl goes missing. TMM is an intensive dripping dark story with missing girls and a serial killer. If you think you have it all figured out while reading, you’ll be proved wrong. Its also the authors’ talent, always a fresh take -no repetitions- in execution; hence the salute. Scary face because this was bloody insane! A must read for crime fans.

I have only read like 4 books in this 8 book series, so I suppose its safe to say that the story will still make sense if you start with book 8! Pakka Standalone books. FYI The Sandman is a must read followed by Lazarus.

Thank you Knopf via Netgalley for the eARC.

Lars Kepler is back with a chilling installment in the Killer Instinct series—Joona Linna must track down a serial killer who abducts and kills young women.

Sixteen-year-old Jenny Lind was kidnapped and despite the case receiving wide-spread attention, she vanishes without a trace until she’s found hung from a winch in a playground five years later.

Joona is determined to track down the perpetrator, especially as he uncovers new connections with an older case. Worse yet, as more women go missing, it’s clear the killer has no intention of stopping.

Alternating point of views proffer perspectives from key players including Joona and the victims, whose harrowing experiences intensify the dark and sinister tone of the novel. Kepler (the pen name of Alexander and Alexandra Ahndoril) masterfully builds tension throughout, as they lead us toward a mind-blowing culmination.

Avid readers of the series will delight in seeing Psychiatrist Erik Maria Bark and former Detective Superintendent Saga Bauer appear on the page. Meanwhile, in the aftermath of Lazarus/Jurek Walter, Joona descends on an internal exploration of ‘the monster within’ as he grapples with the trajectory of his life and relationships.

As expected, I absolutely loved THE MIRROR MAN. Kepler’s books are not for the faint of heart—they’re dark, intense, and utterly terrifying, but time and time again, theirs are the thrillers I can’t stop thinking about. They have the extraordinary ability to sustain edge-of-your-seat pacing while thoughtfully drawing out nuance of situations, atmosphere, and characters. The result is always an immersive, cinematic, unrelenting nail-biter that leaves you breathless.

I can’t wait until their next one…

Kepler’s A Killer Instinct series is one of my favorite crime fiction series. They’re fast paced, dark, and suspenseful. THE MIRROR MAN was not my favorite of the series but it definitely did not disappoint! I love following Detective Joona Linna while he tries to catch the bad guy and navigate his own life. These crime novels are always so complex and exciting and I definitely would recommend reading this series.

A horrifying read that got under my skin from the best of the best in Nordic noir. The shocking twist left me gut punched and the whole thing was a wild ride.

Loved, loved, LOVED. I just discovered Lars Kepler recently, and every book is better than the last. This latest installment of this series is amazing, and I can't wait for the next one!

Another exciting thriller in the Joona Linna series. An evil, violent man kidnaps young women, keeps them prisoners in cages, and along with an accomplice, does despicable things to them. Joona grapples with personal dilemmas regarding his job but is unable to let it go. A good thing as he is definitely a hero in this one. A well written villain and a red herring threw me off at first. Contains graphic violence that may be disturbing for some readers.

I have been a big fan of this writer and series since the first book. This one did not disappoint. I liked the different points of view throughout the story, the characters and their backstories, the suspense, mystery, and tense storyline. This was very engrossing.

Joona Linna is BACK! Installment 8 in the series brings us more bloodshed and horror - more action over suspense and I am here for every single bloody drop. I was lucky enough to be able to speak with the authors (if you didn't already know, there are two authors that write this series and they're married!) earlier today on Knopf Publishing's IG Live - head over to their page and check it out if you like!

One of the things discussed was the way Linna finds a connection with the villains in the stories - that there is that humanity we get a glimpse of that makes these killers relatable to some extent... like a balance to the flaws in Linna as well. These are my favorite things about this series honestly. So... welcome to THE MIRROR MAN. He's kidnapping teenage girls and keeping them in cages. Any punishment doled out is extreme, graphic and brutal (personally I live for these kinds of things so yay!). Just wait til you understand the full meaning of.... haha, almost fooled you eh? No spoilers here!

The only thing that stopped me from the full 5 stars is I'm not entirely sure how I feel about the reveal re the villain. I absolutely cannot say more as I don't want to ruin anything but I'd like to see a character like this just NOT be a villain for once. However, keep in mind that it's just my own personal preference and maybe a source of reading so many thrillers and is absolutely not a slight on the authors.

Fast paced and bloody brilliant, if you're a fan of nordic noir, crime fiction and amazing heroes/villains, then I absolutely recommend this series. If you're like me and like to read series books in order, fear not - these can definitely be read as standalones. So go get your thrill on. You know you want to.

Joona Linna is back in the eighth installment in the Killer Instinct series, The Mirror Man. When 16 year old Jenny Lind is kidnapped on her way home from school and thrown into the back of a truck, Joona is called to investigate her kidnapping. Five years later, she is found hanging in a park. Since there have been several other kidnappings of teenage girls during the five years after Jenny’s kidnapping, Joona is bothered about not solving the crimes and puts extra diligence into solving these. The girls are taken to a run-down home and horribly abused.

One of the trademarks of bestselling author Lars Kepler (the pseudonym of a husband and wife writing team, Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril and Alexander Ahndoril) is that their books include an abundance of graphic violence (over-the-to- for some) which is difficult for some readers. The writing style is unique, and different from many bestselling authors. The authors are from Sweden, and the books in this series take place in Sweden, giving readers a taste of Swedish culture. The storytelling abilities of The characters are well-developed, but very unique – Joona marches to a different drum and it is hard to get into his head. Nevertheless, he is an accomplished detective and is fascinating to follow.

The Mirror Man is definitely and edge-of-seat thriller with constant building suspense. Readers who don’t mind violence, or who can overlook violence, will appreciate the excellent writing and storyline. The European influence is definitely in these novels, making them interesting and different from mainstream American authors.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

A fantastic mystery/ police procedural. Felt super fresh & original. A little long but overall a great story. 4.5 stars rounded up.