The Spider - Lars Kepler

Thriller

Rating: 8/10

In the vein of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Series, the books from this author are edgy, grisly, and completely engrossing. As much as you might want to look away from the graphic violence on the page, restraint may escape you. Be warned, should you dive in, it will be all consuming.

Our story launches with a decomposing body being discovered alongside a white bullet casing. Soon the police begin to receive complex riddles from the killer, taunting them with opportunities to stop future planned murders. One down, eight to go.

Joona is a brilliant detective who has caught more than his fair share of sociopathic murderers. He is not unaccustomed to starting off a case playing the killers game, following their rules until he can wrap his head around all the evidence. His partner on this case is Saga, fresh off leave with a connection to more than one of the victims. Each is willing to break whatever rules necessary to solve the crime and catch the killer.

With the unrelenting game of cat and mouse afoot, a sense of desperation pervades the book. Along with an ominous villain who is terrifying and a couple of hero’s who are as shrewd as they are flawed, the author delivers an outstanding read.

Footnote: not for the faint of heart, this is after all a serial killer novel. Also, this is part of a series, although I think you could read them out of order and wouldn’t be lost at all! I read the first two and jumped right to this one, number nine. Didn’t feel like a missed a beat.

Book Pairing(s): The Hypnotist by Lars Kepler, I’ll Find You In The Dark by Nathan Ripley, Girl In The Spiders Web by David Lagercrantz