4.5 stars

The Spider by Lars Kepler is the 9th In the Detective Joona Linna series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Penguin Random House/McClelland and Stewart, and the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.  Sorry for the long delay....it sllipped through a giant crack.



Series Background:    (Warning – Contains spoilers from previous books)
Homicide Detective Joona Linna once worked for the National Criminal Investigation Department in Sweden. He is highly trained in mixed close combat, innovative weaponry, and urban guerrilla warfare, but often stretched the rules.  He, his wife, and their daughter Lumi had stayed hidden in a remote area while hiding from serial killer Jurek Walter.  His wife died of cancer during that time.  He and Lumi re-appeared when Saga Bauer (who worked with the Security Police) killed Jurek. Joona spent 23 months in prison for helping a convict escape.  But he is released when Jurek Walter re-surfaced, with an accomplice (Beaver).  Saga lost both her father and her sister to Jurek, and she blamed herself. She spent a few years in a rehab center for mental health issues. 




My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Saga has been on leave after losing both her father and sister in the case where Jurek Walter returned.  Since Saga had been sure she had killed him years before, she blamed herself for the deaths of her family.  Saga has now applied for a position with the National Crime Unit, as she doesn't want to return to the Security Police.  She is waiting for the psychologists approval.

But then Joona's boss is killed, and a white bullet casing is found.  Saga had received a postcard 3 years ago with a message which talked about a specific gun, and nine white bullets, one reserved for Joona.  The message also stated that Saga was the only one who could save him.  Joona convinces the NCU to allow Saga to help them.

The team will be trying to solve riddles left by the killer.  Even though clues are provided which include a small tin figure replicating the target, wrapped in something that signifies the location where they will be killed, the team is finding it difficult to act soon enough to save them.  People they know are brutally losing their lives.

The rest of the team start wondering if Saga may be involved, as she seems to have had problems with all the victims.  Joona refuses to accept this possibility, but with each passing day, Saga is looking more guilty of being involved.




My Opinions:
This is another great addition to this series.  Again, this book looked at mental health, including that of Saga and Joona.  With everything that the pair have endured over the years, it would be natural that they would look for coping methods, and not always immediately finding the right path forward.  This was really well done.

There were a lot of characters, and with the unfamiliar place and people names, this Canadian sometimes struggled.  This has nothing to do with the books translation to English - which was flawless.    These authors definitely take chances, and often a well-liked character dies, or at least gets put in grave danger.

Again, please read these books in order to get the full impact of the individual story-lines.  These books are fast-paced and action-packed.  They are also fairly graphic.  They definitely hook you from start and keep you holding on til the last page.  It was an edge-of-your-seat thriller, with very little time to take a breath.  I loved it.

Unbelievably, I'm now one away from being caught up with the series....

As many times before., constant adrenalin and mystery. Not for the faint hearted. And looks like the story is not over yet.

This book was quite a ride.
Some parts left me utterly speechless, like, seriously, do they really treat women like that? It had me wondering. And wow, there were way more sex scenes than I was expecting! Not that I’m complaining, but it was a bit surprising. Despite all that, I found it a solid read. It managed to keep me hooked and entertained throughout. The storyline had its twists and turns, and even though some moments made me question things, it added to the intrigue. Overall, I’d say it was an interesting and worthwhile read.

So this is the ninth book in the Joona Linna series and I’ve read every single one. If my dedication to this series doesn’t already speak volumes about how great it is let me say it - this series is so great! For this book in particular though, you don’t need to read the previous books. You can jump right in with this one, but it would definitely help to read the others. There are some points that maybe wouldn’t make complete sense, but you could infer from context. The short chapters combined with the dark and gruesome content had me flying through it. A great addition to this already fantastic series.

If you have read and enjoyed other scandinavian crime novels or others in this series you will love this book. Much like other stories i have read in this genre but yet still as gripping and exciting to read. Highly recommend. I look forward to searching out and reading others in the series .

AI do enjoy Lars Kepler's books and am a fan of Scandinavian crime literature, particularly of the character of Joona Linna.. Having said that I found this particular book disturbing for the amount of graphic violence. The book was a fast paced thriller. The Spider is a serial killer who kills in a very gruesome manner. There were lots of victims in this book and I was getting stressed at how many! That was maybe the point, trying to stop him when he is one step ahead all the time. It helps with the characters if you have read the previous books in the series but can be read as a stand alone too. Rated down a star for the gratuitous violence for me. For me the storyline was enough to keep me engrossed without that and I struggled to finish.

As always, another great book in the series. Saga has always been one of my favourite characters and I liked how this book focused more on her. It was dark and twisty like the others. It was never dull and held your interest to the end. I like how each book slowly unravels to the end. Each book reaffirms why this is one of my favourite series.

In Sweden, Detective Superintendent Joona Linna and Saga Bauer investigate a series of gruesome murders with links back to serial killer Jurek Walter, whose own vicious spree was ended by Joona.

After she comes under suspicion herself, Saga must evade the authorities while trying to save Joona from entanglement in a monstrous spider web - but who is the ultimate target?

I found this book a bit slow to start, but by the end I could not put it down. It involves a series of riddles and watching the team get faster at solving them, yet still too late was very sad. This is my first time reading this author, and will very likely be reading more of his books.

The Spider is book 9 in the Joona Linna series and when I say these books just keep getting better and better, I truly mean they keep getting better and BETTER.

It's been 3 years since Saga received the postcard that mentioned 9 white bullets and threatened Joona's life. After 3 years they believed the threat had passed, until Saga received another one in the mail and a body turned up dead with a white bullet left behind. Postcards keep turning up, white bullets are being left behind, and people closed to Saga keep turning up dead. The killer is leaving clues but he is one step ahead of Joona and his team every single time. This was a super gory, cat and mouse, action-packed read

Another amazing installment in the series. Saga returns to duty, but becomes a prime suspect in a serial killing. She and Joona have many puzzles to solve to find the real killer. Strongly recommended.

This was the first of the series I had read. I’m sure if I had read the first 8 in the series it would have tied up a bunch of loose ends for me. But honestly you can read it without. I enjoyed the twist and turns. A good thriller that keeps you wanting to read more. I would definitely recommend this book

My first Lars Kepler book and I found it a good read. It starts off with a bang and keeps on moving. Joona and Saga are interesting characters and because this is the 9th book in the series it has history behind it. In fact, the author warns that "certain details from Lazarus and The Sandman are revealed in The Spider". So jumping into the series late in the game here I found it pretty straightforward to keep up with insights & revelations about what happened in those earlier books. However I don't know if I'll have the interest to look into those 2 earlier books just because of the reveals in the Spider re: the infamous Jurek Walter. 3 stars.

I really wanted to give this book a 4 or 5 star review but found some the graphic crime descriptions to be far too salacious. Generally, I really enjoy these Scandinavian mystery/thrillers and this one excellent, otherwise.

I really enjoyed this book.

It kept me riveted until the end.

I had never read a book from this series before but I will sure get started on the previous books in this series.

The book is full of twists and turns as the police is looking for a serial killer who dissolved the bodies of their kill. As hints are solved, the police gets closer to identifying, understanding and catching the killer, but can they so it before the next person is killed.

The Spider by Lars Kepler is written by a husband-wife duo (yep, Kepler is their pseudonym), and it’s the ninth book in the Joona Linna series. The series itself is about a police detective in the National Crime Unit who handles violent crimes. I haven’t read any of the books previously, and honestly, I won’t be.

HUGE TRIGGER WARNING: there is a graphic (and I mean graphic) rape scene that was much too explicit. It was horrible to read and considering the rest of the story, I feel like it didn’t need to be told.

I really did not like this book. I get that it’s a Swedish noir-thriller, but I really was not a fan. The graphicness in this book was overly done and if it was put there for shock effect, nailed it. Consider me SHOCKED. I also really hated how mental illness was vilified in this story.

There were too many POV’s that took me out of the story, and the characters felt more told than developed. Do yourself a favour and pass on this one (unless extreme depictions of some of the most heinous \ crimes committed are your jam).

Thank you NetGalley, Lars Kepler and Penguin Random House Canada for my advanced readers copy to read and review.

The latest in the Joona Linna series is as good as the duo’s latest works. Action packed and a bit on the gory side, as it is the writing couple’s signature style, the Spider follows Joona and Saga Bauer to a next adventure.

In this installment, as per usual, the book starts with a murder. Several other people end up dead before the team manages to solve the riddle the killer sent to them. But Saga and Joona seem to be at the center of the killer’s focus once again.

I will not spoil it for any of you who are not up to date in the series, but know that it will keep you on your toes.

Honestly, I’m not sure if I like this book or the Mirror Man more. It’s a toss-up. They’re both equally engaging and easy to read despite being over 400 pages. The couple’s books are all pretty hefty, be forewarned. But the action-packed plots, short chapters and fluid writing style makes you forget the books are really long.

I was blown away with this story - not just with the plot but also with the way I was drawn into the characters and felt invested in their story. The writing style was mesmerizing and the pacing had me turning page after page.
It was crazy how close the killer was at all times, how the hurt and pain kept going deeper and the twists and turns were truly unexpected, even though you were always warned.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read and would definitely recommend it!

It’s all in the details and the authors delivered! Almost too much at times!

This winding maze takes us through the troubled lives of Joona and Saga as they work to track down a serial killer using riddles as clues to who is next.

The story was well thought out and engaging. The details were there and at times …. Gut wrenching!

A great read for those that love a gory detective thriller.

Do you like to read a book where you have a sense of foreboding, almost from the start? Where you can feel the answer on the tip of your tongue but it just won’t quite come? Where you think you know exactly what is happening, only to be completely surprised when you turn the page? Then Lars Kepler’s latest, The Spider, is for you.
This is the further adventures of Joona Linna and Saga Bauer, the police who had tracked and eliminated serial killer Jurek Walter but continue to be haunted by him. Another murderer, apparently a Jurek disciple, has vowed to kill nine targets, the ninth being Linna himself and has designated Bauer as the only person who can stop the killings and save Linna.
Well-paced and taut, this book is for all fans of the Joona Linna series yet would stand alone for any fan of the Nordic Noir genre.. The translation from the original Swedish to English is well done as well, with none of the awkward phrasing that often results.
This is a thoroughly enjoyable although not bloodless read for any fan of the murder mystery/ police procedural novel. Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Random House for the advance read.