The Girl in the Spider's Web

 The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz, 400 pages.
The fourth book in the "Millennium" series, and the first published since Steig Larsson's death, Spider's Web features the two main characters from this popular Swedish series, Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomquist, and a host of the minor characters. It's been long enough since I read the first three that I can no longer tell exactly how this book matches those in its voice and tone, but it seems familiar. It's always disappointing to see another super-villain pop up to take the place of one who was vanquished in an earlier book, but that is what many of the heroes of modern thrillers face. Is Salander up to the challenge? Of course she is.
Spider's Web is a fun book despite the improbable coincidences, characters, and situations. It's not as violent as the first three, which is nice, though there is still a fair amount of blood. For a 400 page novel, though, it doesn't seem that too much actually happens. Fans of Larrson's series will enjoy this.

The Room

The Room / Jonas Karlsson 190 pgs.

Bjorn is either the best employee in the office or the worst.  It is hard to tell, really.  He thinks he is superior and on the fast track to success but his current job is really just a lateral move from his old job.  He isn't friendly to his co-workers but he does develop a system of work times vs. breaks and starts to get things done.  His co-workers annoy him and he annoys them but things get really weird when he starts making use of the empty office next to the lift.

This book is a quick read and I think the way you interpret Bjorn's actions says a lot about you...what that really is, I'm not sure but I love the psychology at work here.

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An Event in Autumn

An Event in Autumn by Henning Mankell  176 pp.

This short novel was originally published in The Netherlands for a special program to encourage reading. It was written in 2004 and only recently translated into English. There are many differences between this book and the PBS "Wallender" episode by the same name. Swedish homicide detective Kurt Wallender is looking for a home in the country where he can live out his approaching retirement. As he looks over a house that looks promising he literally stumbles over a skeletal hand sticking out of the ground. This begins a search for the identity of the dead woman and a fifty year old mystery. After many dead ends the truth is finally revealed. An interesting afterword by the author reveals how Wallender came to be and places this story chronologically before the last novel in the Wallender series.

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson  384 pp.

I'm not sure what I like best about this book, the senior citizens who manage to outsmart some not very bright criminals and the police, or the not quite accurate historical flashbacks of the life of the main character, Allan Karlsson. Karlsson slips away from his retirement home by crawling out of the window of his room and leaving on the afternoon of his 100th birthday celebration. What follows is a story of crime, unusual deaths, romance, estranged brothers, perplexed police, an over-ambitious prosecutor, and an elephant. That story alternates with Karlsson's life story of improbable and impossible events involving a collection of world leaders from Generalissimo Francisco Franco to Richard Nixon. With all that going on, the author manages to tie up all neatly at the end with everyone living happily ever after, including the elephant.

The 100-year-old man who climbed out the window

The 100-year-old man who climbed out the window and disappeared by Jonas Jonasson (translated by Rod Bradbury)

Allan Karlsson skips out on his hundredth birthday party and goes on an adventure of a lifetime.  Well, it would be the adventure of almost anyone else's lifetime except for Allan who has had a few adventures already.  This story is so much fun to read as Allan tells his life story to his new friends, he has had many brushes with important people in his past including world leaders, nuclear scientists and war heroes.  We also get a bit of his philosophy of life and after 100 years, he has developed quite few opinions about things.  He likes vodka, does not like conversations about religion or politics and he is unfailingly polite. This is a book that I think would make a great movie.

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One Step Behind by Henning Mankell

One Step Behind by Henning Mankell, mystery, 408 pages.

The seventh Kurt Wallender mystery features one of those mysterious serial killers who fancies himself the smartest one around, and impossible to catch because he is so much smarter than the police. Three young adults are killed on Midsummers eve, and then the police are more or less teased and taunted with clues. When one of Wallender's colleagues is killed, Sweden's most well-known detective begins to see the connections. The smartest little serial killer in the world thing feels a little overdone, but Mankell's Wallender adds an extra dimension to the whole thing. Check our catalog.

Dogs of Riga

Dogs of Riga: a Kurt Wallander Mystery/Henning Mankell 326 pg.

This book exposes Kurt Wallander to some political intrigue and some violent action as he travels to Latvia to help solve the murder of a Latvian police major. Of course there is a little time to fall for the major's widow even though the most "action" we get in that arena is a chaste kiss on the cheek. I do enjoy Kurt I guess because we are at similar stages in our lives and he is a bit cynical. I listened to this on audio and I'm glad to know the correct pronunciations of all the Latvian names. Looking forward to the next book in this series and thanks again to Kathleen for turning me onto it. - Christa

The White Lioness by Henning Mankell

The White Lioness by Henning Mankell -500 pages, Mystery.
The third Wallender mystery follows assassins and their handlers from South Africa, to Sweden and back again. Wallender and his colleagues struggle to make sense of the murder of a young real-estate agent and the bizzare clues that surround the crime. Kurt finds his life and his career spinnning out of control as he gets closer to the criminals and tries to understand what exactly is going on.-Patrick

They Pyramid and four other Kurt Wallander mysteries

They Pyramid and four other Kurt Wallander mysteries/Henning Mankell 392 pgs. 15 and a half hours of audio

Kathleen got me going on Kurt Wallander and I did enjoy listening to this book instead of reading it. I know that is the only way I'm going to get close on the pronunciations of names and places. Kurt Wallander is a great character. Someone I can relate to...his life is a bit of a mess but not horrible. He asks the questions that many of us have and wonders if he is on the right track. They mysteries are really secondary for me. In this book there is some great interaction between Kurt and his dad, a crazy old guy who occasionally dumbfounds his son. I will certainly continue with this series. - Christa

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet;'s Nest

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest/Stieg Larsson 566 pg.

The 3rd and tragically last book of the Millenium trilogy begins just minutes after the previous book ended. Lisbeth Salander is located by Mikael Blomkvist but to say she is in bad shape doesn't quite do justice to the 3 gunshot wounds and live burial that she has sustained. Lisbeth is airlifted to the hospital while Blomkvist angers the cops. Now go forward 550 pages of recovery, plotting, planning, investigation and intrigues until we get to some great Salander action. Unfortunately, for me, that is the best part of these books. Luckily, I also like the political intrigue, etc. but man, I wish there was more action.

I recently read that Larsson had talked about this being a 10 book series. I could really go for a few more but instead I've not finished the series and that makes me sad. - Christa
Oh yea, I spent my entire day off reading.

The man from Beijing

The man from Beijing/Henning Mankell 371 pg.

What can we learn from this book? If you are really rich and really crazy, you might feel the need to punish people 100 + years after the fact just because they are related to somebody who wronged your ancestor. Put together with the HIGHLY improbable way discoveries are made and coincidences put people together, if you think too hard about the story, you might be overcome by disbelief. However, it you just take the ride and appreciate the small side stories and characters, Mankell does not disappoint. -Christa

Faceless killers

Faceless killers: a mystery/Henning Mankell 284 pg.

This is my first Kurt Wallander mystery and I now understand what the buzz is all about. I really like Kurt and his middle aged crankiness. The mystery was mysterious enough and the "Swedishness" of it was interesting. Kathleen has read many of these mysteries and I intend to follow her lead. - Christa