I got a copy from the author, in exchange for an honest review. Kristine S. Henningsen used to publish books with the help from different publishers bI got a copy from the author, in exchange for an honest review. Kristine S. Henningsen used to publish books with the help from different publishers before, but now she is a self-published author.
"Den siste festen" is the second book in the Irma Dahl series. Irma is divorced and has two sons with her ex-husband. Many people thinks she is a bit weird and scary. She hardly shows emotions and is very direct when she speaks. And she runs her own funeral home. Instead of feeling sadness for the people who has passed away, she wants to throw a party to celebrate their lives. An alternative funeral home. She also doesn't back off when her oldest son has been robbed. Someone has stolen his cell phone. She can't just sit and don't do anything about it...
This is fiction with some humor. Humor in books and movies is hard 'cause I rarely laugh. I liked some of the humor but not the sex scenes with Irma and some guy. I didn't care much about the bond between them.
Except from that and some writing mistakes here and there, it was a good sequel. Even though I'm not a fan of Irma, I'd like to know what she will do next....more
A Swedish psychological thriller that also can be read as a satire.
Fanny is forty, her boyfriend breaks up with her and her job let her go. During a fA Swedish psychological thriller that also can be read as a satire.
Fanny is forty, her boyfriend breaks up with her and her job let her go. During a family reunion she runs into Ulrika, her cousin. They used to be close but lost touch over the years. Ulrika offers Fanny to come and live with her and Peder, her husband for the summer. While being there, Fanny sees things about Ulrika she doesn't like and something happens that change the bond between them. Will they ever trust each other again?
"Kusinen" is a dark and enjoyable thriller. Ekman is good at describing edgy characters. The ending was a bit predictable and a let down but it was still a dark and entertaining read. Even though I liked his last book "De kapable" better, I want to read more books by Ekman. It'll be fun to see what more he'll come up with....more
The author has always wanted to live in Paris but haven't been able to since it is too expensive. So this book is sort of a love letter to Paris.
All tThe author has always wanted to live in Paris but haven't been able to since it is too expensive. So this book is sort of a love letter to Paris.
All the Flowers in Paris is about two women from different timelines. Caroline is from our time. She is American and she has moved to Paris to start a new life. She gets involved in an accident and she wakes up with memory loss. The other woman we read about is Celine during WW2. She lives with her dad and her daughter Cosette. The fear is building up as the war is getting worse. They plan to escape but something happens and Celine is forced to live with a German officer against her will. The perspectives goes back and forth between these two women. Do they have something in common or is this just a random story?
This book reminded me slightly about Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay which was just ok. I felt the same with All the Flowers in Paris. The book is ok but I would like it better without all the sidestories and if the language was less fluffy. I would also like it more without some of the loveaspects. Because of that, it was kind of hard to take the book seriously....more
Shattered by Dean Koontz was published in 1973 with the pen name K.R. Dwyer. He had many different pen names early in his career, so he could exploreShattered by Dean Koontz was published in 1973 with the pen name K.R. Dwyer. He had many different pen names early in his career, so he could explore different genres.
This horror/suspense novel was published two years after the movie Duel was produced. Even though the plot sounds similar, it really isn't, even though Koontz maybe was inspired by the movie somehow.
Shattered is about Alex and eleven year old Colin. Alex is married to Courtney and Colin is her brother. They are moving from Philadelphia to San Francisco. Courtney is already there to fix things in the house while she waits for them to arrive. She hopes Alex and Colin will bond and get along. Colin is young but is described as a prodigy and being "older" than he is.
Colin discovers they are being chased. Everytime they lose sight of the van, it always finds them. Who is following them and why?
This is a short read and the book has just a few characters. Alex name is Alex Doyle so it was a bit confusing that he sometimes was called Alex and sometimes Doyle. The same thing happens all the time with another character.
Colin is, like mentioned earlier, some sort of a prodigy, but to me I read him as a kid. Nothing told me he was smarter than other kids at his age. He just seemed ordinary.
The phone calls between Alex and Courtney at every stop when Alex and Colin needed to rest from driving, was pretty corny and childish instead of sweet.
But all in all, even though the book didn't have the same tension as the movie Duel, it was enjoyable and fun. Since this is an old book, some words are being used that we are not allowed to use today. But other than that it was a book worth reading. Koontz always manage to keep the interest and is good at creating a certain ambience....more
I got a copy from the author, in exchange for an honest review.
Mørkefall is the third book in the Norwegian crime novel series Liv Eriksson. Liv EriksI got a copy from the author, in exchange for an honest review.
Mørkefall is the third book in the Norwegian crime novel series Liv Eriksson. Liv Eriksson is a psychologist. A while back she lost her boyfriend in an accident. This time one of her closest friends is found murdered. Her friend was a journalist and Liv get a call from another journalist, telling her about the shocking news about her murdered friend. Her friend was attending a meeting for people who are obsessed with conspiracy theroies and they think someone from that meeting killed her. Liv and journalist Mikael team up to find out who the killer is.
I like crime novels but I'm not that much into conspiracy theories, so the theme in the book wasn't all that exciting. Even though I like Liv sometimes, I don't like it when a main character is trying to be a hero. It is not very convincing. The same thing about Liv and Mikael. I think the bond between them was developing too fast. It was a bit annoying.
I liked the darkness in the book, how depressing the dark web can be and the author has a very easy writing style. But there were parts I wasn't fully invested, mainly due to the theme. Even though conspiracy theories can be scary, the book didn't manage to give me that fear....more
The Travelling Vampire Show was published in 2000, the year before Laymon died on Valentine's Day. It is a bit "unfair" to say that his books are veryThe Travelling Vampire Show was published in 2000, the year before Laymon died on Valentine's Day. It is a bit "unfair" to say that his books are very sexual because most horror and slasher movies back in the day was pretty sexual too. It was a part of the genre. Not saying I support it but that's how the genre was back then.
This book is about three friends; Dwight, Rusty and Slim. They find out about this vampire show that is coming for one night only. There's just only one problem. They are not old enough to watch it. As a reader we follow them through the day and the evening as they run into one challenge after the other. Will they ever reach to the vampire show and is Valeria a real vampire?
This is the 14th book I read by Laymon. Haven't loved them all but some. The beginning was a bit slow and it gets more atmospheric and weird. Not a fan of how things played out towards the end. And I also got fed up with Dwights and his obsession with breasts. If the girls around him was wearing a bra or not.
Some parts of the book was entertaining but mostly dry and annoying. It is not his best book. My fave book by him is still Blood Games....more
Riley Sager is a pen name. His real name is Todd Ritter. He often writes thrillers with supernatural elements. I have read some of his books and likedRiley Sager is a pen name. His real name is Todd Ritter. He often writes thrillers with supernatural elements. I have read some of his books and liked most of them. Many readers doesn't like the way he writes women. I don't care about that. I care more about the story and always hope to find neat undertones.
Home Before Dark is about Maggie Holt who inherinted a house she thought her Dad has sold. Her Dad has died and is giving her the famous house they lived a short time in before they fled. Maggie doesn't remember much of it since she was so young. She decides to stay in the house while she renovates the it before selling it. After a lunch with her Mom she is sure of that her parents has been secretive about something in 25 years. Will Maggie be safe in the house?
Some of the aspects reminded me of The Sundown Motel by Simone St. James. There is mysteries, a guy who is eager to help the new girl and supernatural elements.
Most of Sager's book are engaging but not this one. Not a fan of a book within a book concept. Her Dad wrote a book about the house which made some of the people in the area angry. So the book jumps in present time and the book her Dad wrote. I wanted to read more about the present time than reading parts of the book her Dad wrote.
Not a creepy or fun thriller this time. It was a bit tame and I didn't get to know Maggie a lot. She was being too distant. My fave book by Sager is still Final Girls....more
This is not horror. This is a crime novel trying to be or pretending to be horror...
The Nightmare Man is a book with different timelines from differeThis is not horror. This is a crime novel trying to be or pretending to be horror...
The Nightmare Man is a book with different timelines from different perspectives, but it is mainly about Ben who's an author. He is married, has a daughter and a baby on its way. He also have a problem with drinking. His brother Devon vanished thirteen years ago and their background story is a bit dark.
Detective Mills stays in touch with Ben because a family has been murdered except for the one daughter that survived. It seems like someone is copying his book The Scarecrow. A serial killer who acts like a scarecrow while waiting for their victims. Are they suspecting Ben to be the killer?
The synopsis sounded awesome and a bit disappointed with this to be a crime novel. I read a lot of crime novels and thrillers but when I want horror. I want horror, horror.
I didn't care much about the different timelines or Ben's background story. It didn't add much to the present story. I also found the writing style to be a bit flat. Some of the conversations and the directions the plot took, felt a bit childish. Too family friendly. Which is a shame since the plot seemed to be a bit unique....more
Them was published in 1969 and it is a part of a series of four books, but can also be read as a standalone. My Norwegian copy was 600 pages long andThem was published in 1969 and it is a part of a series of four books, but can also be read as a standalone. My Norwegian copy was 600 pages long and I used over a month to finish this brick. Was it worth it? Not really.
This is a coming - of - age novel. Loretta escapes and moves to another place to get away from violence. Her kids Maureen and Jules grows up in their turbulent lives. There are other family members too but it is mostly about Maureen and her brother Jules. Maureen tries to make things right but still ends up in trouble. Jules often fall for women and let the emotions get to him. Will they ever find their place in life? As a reader we watch them grow up and getting older, since it is mostly a characterdriven book. There wasn't much plot.
The writing style is a bit dated since there are words being used that we are not allowed to use today, but sadly we see the problem still exist. I have read some books by Oates and liked them but her writing style was less punchy this time. I was mostly annoyed of boredom, but if you like to read about sex that goes on page after page or about thoughts and feelings, this one is for you. Not for me....more
I rarely reread books because I prefer to remember them the way they are. This is one of my fave books from my childhood and it must be like thirty yeI rarely reread books because I prefer to remember them the way they are. This is one of my fave books from my childhood and it must be like thirty years since I read it. But still I remembered every part of the story and the atmosphere.
It is about Anton who is home alone. When he goes back to his room, someone is sitting by the window, which is strange since he lives in an apartment complex. The figure is Rydiger (in the Norwegian edition they have changed his name from Rudiger to Rydiger) and he is a vampire. Even though he seems scary, they become friends.
After a few incidents, Anton's parents has noticed Anton has been acting strange lately. Is he hiding something from them? And will they ever believe he is friends wirh a vampire?
This is a witty and nostalgic read. Love the friendship between Anton and Rydiger. It is funny they come from very different worlds. And I also like how confused Anton's parents are about his new friend.
This is the first book in a series and a Norwegian publisher has reprinted the first two in the series. I hope they will reprint them all cause when I was a kid I only read five of them. They were hard to get because they were popular books back then and at that time I couldn't order books online like we do today. So hoping to collect every book in these series someday. Cause I still enjoyed the atmosphere and the story as a grown up....more
This is the seventh book in the Fabian Risk series and I've only read two of them. This time there's a new main character: Malin Rehnberg which is FabThis is the seventh book in the Fabian Risk series and I've only read two of them. This time there's a new main character: Malin Rehnberg which is Fabian Risk's former co-worker. Her new boss is busy with another case, so she is the one who needs to look into the dead blogger's case. A famous blogger has been found dead in a hotel room. Was the murder scene planned or was it an erotic game that went too far?
While Malin is investigating, she is being stalked by a man who is a person of interest. And at home, she is having problems with her man and they have a son together.
I don't like it when people are being replaced or there comes a new main character in the middle of a series. It won't be the same. I liked Fabian Risk better than Malin Rehnberg. I found her to be cold and a bit grumpy. Not in a funny way.
The murder case wasn't all that interesting either. My edition is 268 pages and should be an easy read but I wasn't all that invested in the characters or the case. Not sure if I will read more from this series, which is a shame because I enoyed the other book I read....more
I have read a lot of crime novels by Scandinavian authors over the years but not many from Denmark, just a few. I'm more familiar with their movies thI have read a lot of crime novels by Scandinavian authors over the years but not many from Denmark, just a few. I'm more familiar with their movies than their books. They're good at it too.
This book is the first one in the Nina Portland series and this one is about one of her first cases she can't seem to let go of. A ship was found. Everyone on it was killed with an axe and thrown in the sea. A suspect got away. Nina decides to take the case alone in the search for this guy which leads her on a very dangerous path. She has her own son to think about and will she risk herself and him to solve this case?
This was pretty dry. Crime novels usually is somehow dry and adding a lot of history wasn't helping. I like history but I don't need it in my crime books. And Nina was hard to take seriously since she was acting like MacGyver or something. Not very realistic. And the plot was just uninteresting and there wasn't many characters to like. So this was very dull....more
I don't like to use the word boring when describing a book. But can't come up with a better word at the moment.
The Survivors is about Kieran, his girlI don't like to use the word boring when describing a book. But can't come up with a better word at the moment.
The Survivors is about Kieran, his girlfriend and their baby daughter Audrey. They are visitting his parents since his parents are moving and they meet up with some old friends. Twelve years ago, Kieran lost his brother Finn when Finn and a friend tried to save Kieran's life. He has been feeling guilty ever since. While Kieran and his family is staying a while in his childhood home with his parents, a friend of them is found dead. In the small place, everyone looks at everyone as a suspect. Will they find the killer and will Kieran ever find piece in his life?
I don't mind slow going plots but this was very slow and not a lot happened. I would enjoy it more if there was less about Kieran's and Mia's daughter. Their life with a little one. I know it is a natural part of life but not interested in reading about parents raising thir little kid. It was kind of taking over the plot and I lost interest. The characters was a bit flat and stiff too. They didn't have much personality.
An easy read but not very exciting. I was bored most of the time....more
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