This is an ideal read for Halloween although I have to add warnings that there is disturbing and distressing material with child abuse, paedophilia, torture, rape and murder that will be too much for many readers. It is a translated Swedish novel that comes in at nearly 800 pages, so be prepared for this long read. This is a serial killer thriller that begins with the discovery of a mummified boy in Stolkholm, closely followed by other bodies. Detective Superintendent Jeanette Kihlberg has a difficult home life with her stay at home husband, Ake, who aspires to be an artist and her rebellious son, Johan. As she investigates, it becomes clear that the child is not Swedish but a migrant. She faces obstacles such as the prosecutor who do not view the case as important as it does not involve Swedes.

Kihlberg gets involved with psychotherapist, Sofia Zetterlund, who has spent time in Sierra Leone and is instrumental in drawing up a psychological profile which gives insights into the killer. Psychological mental disorders play a big part in the story. This investigation reveals that the case goes back decades and involves powerful figures in Swedish society. I found myself having to read very fast over the darker aspects of the book. It is desperately shocking what parents can do to their own children. The authors draw on numerous real life happenings to children, coalescing it en masse that made for a stressful and grisly narrative. The main characters are women, determined women who want to get to the bottom of the horrors they come across.

Providing you can stomach the unpalatable, traumatic and repulsive subject matter and issues, this is a complex and compelling read. It is fast paced, well plotted and with numerous twists. This is definitely not a book for everyone, but if you are looking for horror at this time of the year, this twisted crime novel fits the bill. Many thanks to Random House Vintage for an ARC.

(I received a free copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.)

It starts with just one body – tortured, mummified and then discarded.
Its discovery reveals a nightmare world of hidden lives. Of lost identities, secret rituals and brutal exploitation, where nobody can be trusted.
This is the darkest, most complex case the police have ever seen.
This is the world of the Crow Girl.

Wow. What an intense read this was. Originally published as a trilogy (you can see why, this book is around the 750 page mark), this story delves right into the heart of human behaviour and the depravities found within.

This is not a story you pick up lightly - it is full of sex crimes, murders, missing people and a whole lot of stuff that will make your hair curl! The mystery side of this book is very well written, keeping the reader on edge for the duration of the story as the detectives keep inching closer to the perpetrator but never quite getting there...

The big highlight for me, as usual, is the setting. Long before Steig Larsson graced our bookshelves, I had been a fan of Scandinavian crime fiction. I just love the atmosphere these authors can create with what seems like just a few words. It is always grim, dark, and claustrophobic...but stunningly beautiful at the same time. This book nails that as well.

Combining that with characters that we care about - including the antagonist, always a good thing in my book - this story carries a lot of positives. I am so very glad to have discovered it.

However, I think I would have preferred to have read it as a trilogy. This was deeply unsettling all the way through and I think three parts may have lessened that burden on the reader somewhat.

Overall, though, a deeply moving, thought-provoking novel and one that I highly recommend!


Paul
ARH

I began this book after a recommendation by a friend.  It's dark and frankly quite disturbing at times, and just when you think you have it all figured out in your head as to what's going on, then 'boom' the author throws you a curveball to shred all of your theories - or at least that is what happened to me anyway!

Let's not beat around the bush here either, this is a very long novel - over 700 pages but actually it doesn't drag and yes, maybe some of the length could be reduced but I didn't mind it too much, it just seemed like I was reading it for a very long time when I normally wizz through books so much more quickly.

Set in Sweden, we follow the lives of cop Jeanette Kihlberg, a working parent who barely sees her son and her stay-at-home husband Ake who is insistent that one day he will become an acclaimed artist, and psychologist Sofia Zetterlund, who has some, shall we say, rather disturbing clients.  When the body of a mummified child is discovered, Jeanette is on the case.  As her workload deepens, her path crosses with that of Zetterlund and the pair strike up a relationship to try to find the perpetrator.  I don't want to reveal too much of the plot here, but let's just say that there are more bodies to be found, more twists to be revealed and sometimes more detail than you might want to know!

If crime/thriller novels float your boat, then The Crow Girl is certainly worth a read.