This detective thriller had all the elements for an exciting ride—cold climates, grisly murders, and intriguing twists. However, it took on too much, leading to a crowded and confusing plot.

There were multiple storylines at play, like the mutilated boys, the pedophile ring, and delusional characters, but they didn't always connect well. Sofia's storyline, while fascinating, didn't seem essential to the main plot, and Mr. Gao's contribution felt unnecessary.

Though I enjoyed parts of it, the overall experience left me questioning the inclusion of certain elements. A tighter, more focused approach would have made this a more satisfying read.

Three stars for the thrilling moments, but let's aim for clarity and coherence next time. Happy reading, everyone!

I gave it a good go but I really couldn't get into this book at all. Normally, I soldier on but this book is just so long that I didn't think I could. As I didn't finish it I will not be reviewing it. Sorry for any inconvenience caused.

The first thing I’ll say about The Crow Girl is that it is really, really, long! If you like a quick read this won’t be the book for you. It has taken me almost a month to read it! It also deals with some very sensitive and harrowing subject matters such as child sex abuse, so it certainly isn’t for the faint hearted either. Having said that I found it totally compelling. Disturbing, but compelling!
I’m probably not doing a great job of selling it to you, but honestly, it is so brilliantly written it completely drew me in from the very beginning and had my full attention right to the very last page.
It is set in Sweden but has been translated perfectly and despite some difficult to pronounce character and place names I found this an easy to follow story. Told from various characters’ perspectives, I loved the psychological aspects of the story as well as the police procedural. This is a gripping, steady paced, crime thriller with some fascinating characters. It is full of suspense and intrigue and, in my opinion, an excellent read which I would happily recommend. I will be looking out for more by this author to add to my reading list.
Many thanks to the author and publisher for my review copy, via Netgalley.

So Crow Girl is a tricky one for me to rate as there was so much here that I actually liked but also this for me had some real issues that I struggled with slightly.
So first the length I wasn't aware before embarking on this that this story was a trilogy that had been combined into one novel: If I had been I probably would have given The Crow Girl a miss as its quite an undertaking in resilience and endurance to stay steady for the whole nine yards.
I do think this would have been better-served releasing as individual novels: maybe then it wouldnt be such a daunting task to the casual strapped for time reader.
Failing that maybe some editorial work to lose some of the fluff and revamp this into a shorter novel: I feel that this would be an easy task as there was a lot here that in my opinion that didn't need to be included in the finished rereleased novel.
It worked when this was three: but as a single entity, it just made this a trifle long-winded in nature.
I also wasn't aware this was a translation: my bad as the author name listed was really such a clear indication in that regard.
This was for me was the first translation I have managed to stay fully committed throughout and despite the time it took me to get through this, for the most part, I thought that the translator had done a good job in making this lyrical and comprehensive: I did get confused slightly at times but I'm not sure if that was just the writing style or just my own personal comprehensive skills.
This was also written by two different authors working as a whole: I didn't feel this showed at all the two obviously complimented each other's styles very nicely.
I myself would have been oblivious of this fact if this hadn't actually been pointed out to me.
I did also feel that there was so much going on here that it was sometimes hard to keep up with the many separate story threads and directions this seemed to be heading in.
Also, the many names and characters were difficult to keep up with and I found myself getting turned around and having to re-read certain passages to find my place.
This is the main reason I have rated this down slightly but despite the above, it's the cleverly interwoven story itself which made this such a worthwhile endeavour.
I really had no idea at times where this was going: The Crow Girl most certainly in that respect kept me guessing throughout: I was certainly more than entertained with the fast-paced, thrilling suspensful dialogue used here.
This reflects on some harsh and chilling subjects: dipping its toe into extremely murky waters.
Encompassing mental health, child abuse and human trafficking.: also tackling bigoted attitude in a male-dominated profession and workplace: the crow girl really does contend with and explore some hard-hitting and far-reaching subject matter within its many pages.
So in conclusion, though I did enjoy this It wasn't an easy read: partly dues to the subject matter and also because of the length.
I will say this the attention to detail and intricate story-weaving was highly impressive some of the best ive encountered: it just needs, in my opinion, a bit of tightening: there's a danger in losing the readers attention when things go on way too long: just my ten cents though.
The Crow girl is dark psychological crime thriller with a powerful message to impart: it's also deeply disturbing and at times was not easy reading.
I voluntary reviewed an Arc of The Crow Girl.
All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.

This one was a struggle to get into and very, very long. It featured a lot of distressing and disturbing content: child abuse, rape, torture, paedophilia and murder and would not recommend for everyone.

I struggled to get into this one; can appreciate the great writing but felt it just wasn't for me so couldn't finish it - really sorry!

I have taken my time getting to this book, because although I really wanted to read it, I knew it was going to be full of dark and difficult themes and as it is a long read, not one that I was lightly going to recover from.
The Crow Girl is a chunky, meaty and very dark read. It takes a while to get into, but once you do, you are transfixed.
A mummified body of a mutilated, tortured boy is found in Stockholm, and the case is assigned to Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg. Jeanette has struggles of her own as a woman in a predominantly male workforce and she faces sexism and pejoratives at work, though her relationship with her colleague Hurtig, is sound.
At home, Jeanette is the breadwinner while her husband Ake looks after Johan, their son and has spent the last twenty years striving to become an artist whilst refusing ever to actually exhibit anything.
As Jeanette begins her investigation her job is immediately made more difficult because the child is clearly an immigrant and therefore her bosses do not see themselves under the same political pressure to solve this case as they would have done had the child been a Swedish national.
This child’s body is the first of many that will be found and Jeanette will find herself facing the worst kind of evil and depravity, some of it closer to home than she could ever have imagined.
Jeanette enlists the help of psychotherapist, Sofia Zetterlund, to help her draw up a psychological profile which will be used to help identify the characteristics of the killer.
The early part of the book centres on the crimes and investigation; the middle is predominantly concerned with the impact of psychological trauma on the injured and abused, and last part of the book deals the purging and release of repressed emotions and the cost of reconciling the trauma in order to deal with it and move forward.
This is a multi-layered, complex book and in order to get to the truth, the reader has to follow the silkworm’s threads of clues, thoughts and emotions until the thin, gossamer strands slowly unfurl to reveal the truth.
What Jeanette and Hurtig uncover means their lives will never be quite the same again.
Paedophilia, violence, rape, child abuse and mental and psychiatric illness all feature very heavily. This is corruption and vileness at the heart of Swedish life unveiling the immense depravity and inhuman behaviour that will strike heavily at the reader’s heart.
So it is altogether right that leading the investigation are two strong women who know what it is to have to face their demons.
Nicely paced, intricately plotted and with a complex narrative structure, there are so many twists and nuances that it takes quite a while to truly understand what is going on. This is a dark and exceptionally strong story told without gratuitous gore or violence, but with sufficient detail to understand how repellent these crimes really are.
Never less than compelling, this is not a book for the faint hearted, but it is a superb example of the best of Scandi Noir.

Despite the 3 star rating, I have to say this book is definitely worth a read. Sund keeps you guessing almost the entire way through the trilogy, and expertly led me astray with my suspicions as to who the murderer was until the final book of the series. I thoroughly enjoyed the characters of Jeannette and Hurtig and found their growing friendship charming. I also like the relationship that developed between Jeanette and Victoria/Sofia and was disappointed that it couldn't end happily for them. However, I did find the narrative to be quite convoluted at times and quite slow paced. I did like the way Sund led you to think Victoria was behind the murders, and the unraveling of her psyche was very clever - but - I found the story to be a little long winded at times and felt there wasn't enough thrill or action involved. To me the novels seem to be stuck between trying to be thrillers and psychological dramas, ultimately failing to exceed in either department. While I did find the uncovering of Viggo's murders and his backstory to be intriguing and extremely gruesome, I do think the trilogy could've benefited from not being a trilogy at all, becoming a lot shorter and focusing on the murders and Viggo instead of going off on tangents constantly to try and un-muddle Victoria's psychological struggles. This would have made the story much more exciting in my opinion and a more enjoyable read. Nonetheless, a good narrative with some good characters told by an excellent writer that has clearly mastered the skill of keeping his readers guessing until the very end.

*thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Vintage Publishing for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

4 stars.

Woah! This took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting alot from it even though I've read many excellent reviews on it but I think I was just keeping an open mind that not every book is for everyone. I am so glad that I decided to request this as the story was excellent! I just loved it the whole way through. Im definitely adding this to my re-read list and im even going to be buying a paperback copy because it was just that good! Highly recommended.

“The Crow Girl” was originally three books that have been combined so it’s a lengthy read. Written in short easy to digest chapters it meant it was easier to keep track of who was who.

The story is very dark and violent read with in-depth descriptions of suffering, abuse and rape, and a many shocking scenes. This most certainly won't be a book for everyone, and definitely not for those upset by such scenes.

I enjoyed the book. It is well written and the characters are well described. I would happily read another book by the authors.

Fair warning, this is fair bit of a slog at over 780 pages, however it helps to know that originally this was published as a trilogy. So The Crow Girl (2010), Hunger Fire (2011) and Pythia’s Instructions (2012) have now been republished as one volume called The Crow Girl.

Interesting tidbit of info, Erik Axl Sund is a nom de plume used by writer duo Hakan Sundquist and Jerker Eriksson.

I think banging it together as one volume, as opposed to the trilogy it was before, was perhaps detrimental to the plot and original intention of the writers. It is quite simply so long that it often appears disjointed and without focus. I can however see how it worked as a trilogy. There is so much going on, during which the reader is pulled in a multitude of directions. So many in fact that there are just too many cooks in the kitchen trying to create the perfect dish. The end result is a lack of structure and a lack of a definitive voice.

It is dark. Actually don’t expect any lightness whatsoever. Erik Axl Sund pulls the reader into a bottomless pit of depravity, which includes some of the truly inhumane moments of the 20th century and quite a few equally deplorable 21st century crimes.

We are talking child and sex trafficking, paedophilia, child abuse, bestiality, child pornography, corruption and torture. There is no fluffy unicorn to balance this out, instead the rest of the time the authors venture into the world of mental health problems and psychological disorders. I admit there are a few tender moments, however they are overpowered by the fact the reader knows what is really going on with the characters.

The real question throughout is who Sofia really is, and what is she guilty of.or rather what does she think she is guilty of? In a story full of death and pain how much of the narrative, in regards to Sofia, is a reaction to the trauma and just her imagination, and how much of it is based in reality?

The Crow Girl is, despite its bleakness and the harsh reality of the crimes within, an attempt to show the devastation and implications of deep-set trauma, especially when experienced in childhood. It is also an attempt to shine a light on the exploitation of children, the corruption and general apathy towards crimes against children, which in turn has led to neglect and a burying of heads in sand on a major scale.

I really didn't enjoy this book. It was too long, badly edited and bodies seemed to pile up willy nilly without the police being in the least bothered.I didn't finish.

I enjoyed The Crow Girl though felt it was over-long at times and quite a lot could have been cut. I didn’t realise until after I’d read the book it had originally been released as a trilogy. This would have worked a lot better.

The book is immersive, easy to get lost in. The book is very dark at times, evident from the start when the first body is found. The book has a lot of violence in it and deals with murder, torture and abuse. This is hard-going and off-putting at times. I read The Crow Girl in shorter chunks than usual because it was so intense at times.

The characters are excellent, feisty, strong and well-written. I loved Sofia. She was so complex and has aspects of light and dark in her nature which I found compelling.

The Crow Girl is worth a read even if it’s a little intense at times.

Wow what can I say. This book is really hard to read, there was some really horrific moments and some put the book down have 5 minutes and go back to it but overall I really, really enjoyed it.
I really liked the characters of Jeanette and Hurtig. I thought they both brought different emotions but the same feelings of absolute horror and helplessness a real police officer would feel. The breakdown of Jeanette's marriage and her problems with her son were a good side topic and showed the realities of life. This book was such a hard read and treated a horrible subject with just enough insight into the abuse and your own imagination. I would definetly read more by these authors. An utterly brilliant read and definetly one of my top books of the year!

Firstly this is a huge book, in fact it was originally three books which have now been brought together to create the whole story containing almost 800 pages in one place. The second thing is there are some subjects throughout the story that some readers would find difficult, such as child abuse, incest, beatings and murder, just to mention a few topics.
The story is set in Denmark and Sweden and on different time lines where the most brutal people in society take pleasure in the most perverse ways. When the body of a mummified boy is discovered it begins the investigation by Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg that will uncover decades of horror and take her to the brink of insanity to find the truth. Kihlberg soon turns to psychotherapist Sofia Zetterlund and one of her patients where there is definitely a dark side to her past.
This is a story that you really have to concentrate on as at times it does seem very complex with the characters and time zones. The descriptions of these horrors are very detailed and cruelly heart breaking but I had to keep reading the story made me feel that these children could not be abandoned and forgotten. Even in the story the investigation team are greatly affected and sickened by what they find. The third section of the book, it is in three sections that represents the three books, I found to be the most harrowing but where everything finally comes together of course.
This is a dark depraved and violent Scandinavian story that really does not let you go even when it ends so do be prepared. It won’t be for everyone but I was totally engrossed. This really is a master piece of writing, one I will never forget……………

I enjoyed this longish book from start to end. The narrative was tight and very descriptive. The characters were explored at length. There were plenty of twists and turns in the plot and it remained mysterious throughout the book.
Set in Sweden and Denmark, the places always have intriguing names.
The author provided an understanding for the basis and practice of deviant forms of sexual behaviour, the relationship between powerful, wealthy men and their appetite for young girls.
The methods described for killing and mutilation were gasping eyeopeners.
I read this during a beach holiday and it kept me well entertained.

This is Scandanavian noir at its very blackest. DS Jeanette Kihlberg is a detective who just never gives up even though the murder trail she follows seems to go in circles. She refuses to back off even though her marriage is disintegrating and senor colleagues seem to lack her conviction in pursuing those involved. Brilliantly and gruesomely written this isn't a book for the faint hearted. The plot is convoluted, the damage caused to people, both psychologically and physically, is seemingly unending and the body count staggering. But somehow you keep reading and are drawn into an evil underworld of paedophilia and torture. What's even stranger is how one's loathing for the killers and their actions is somehow softened by the disasters they in turn are shown to have suffered in their respective pasts. Since damaged children invariably become damaged adults who are we to blame for their crimes - them or society?

Thank you Penguin and Vintage publishing for a copy of this book.
This is a hefty, very long book. Set in Sweden, a body is found, hands bound and skin covered in marks. Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg leads the investigation and is set out to find who the killer is, when two more bodies turn up.
This story is about Child sex abuse, body mutilation and paedophiles. Such a tough subject. That when I read it, I felt a little uncomfortable. As this is a review copy, it is not a book I would actually buy myself due to the sensitive nature it is. I just thought although I thought the basic story line was good. But, I thought that the story went into too much depth. I got confused as it was like a few stories was going along at once and I didn’t think the whole thing clued together. I give this 3 stars

A multi layered crime novel which deals with the horrific abuse of children and women. At moments it wears you down but there is enough within this novel to keep you reading. There are times where it feels disjointed yet the characters draw you in and you need to see the twists and turns within this huge novel. Disturbing, dark, violent novel which does contain glimpses of redemption and hope within it.

I will not be reviewing this book. I have contacted the publisher.