The Second Deadly Sin
By Asa Larsson
Publisher: MacLehose Press
Published: Aug. 12, 2014
ASIN: B00LSX3W8U
Amazon Synopsis:
Oprah.com raved that Asa Larsson's Rebecka Martinsson is a
crime fighter who has all the needed gut insticts," and listed the series
as "Mysteries Every Thinking Woman Should Read." In The
Second Deadly Sin, dawn breaks in a
forest in northern Sweden. Villagers gather to dispatch a rampaging bear. When
the beast is brought to ground they are horrified to find the remains of a
human hand inside its stomach.
In nearby Kiruna, a woman is found murdered in
her bed, her body a patchwork of vicious wounds, the word WHORE scrawled across
the wall. Her grandson Marcus, already an orphan, is nowhere to be seen.
Grasping for clues, Rebecka Martinsson begins to delve into the victim's tragic
family history. But with doubts over her mental health still
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My Thoughts:
District
Prosecutor Rebecka Martinsson and police dog handler Krister Eriksson are on
the case of a woman who was murdered by being stabbed to death over and over
again, leaving behind her grandson. Traumatized, the young boy Marcus had no
family he could turn to and since he had taken to Eriksson, was allowed to
temporarily remain in his care.
The
Second Deadly Sin was
a fascinating tale of interwoven relationships among a the inhabitants of s
small town over 3 generations. The story moves back and forth between the early
1900's and the present day. It is discovered that Sol-Britt is not the only one
in her family to have been murdered. While the investigative team does not
delve into the murders of her other family members, as readers we go back into
her family history and learn about these individuals, their lives and their
relationships as they all play a part in the murderous affair at hand.
There
were a lot of characters to keep track of in the Second Deadly Sin, and
a lot of unfamiliar names and places as the book takes place in Sweden. The
book was written in Swedish, and this publication is it's translation to
English. It's worth persisting with keeping track of everything though because
the book is excellent.
This
book definitely adult fare only however as there are some graphic adult scenes
in the book. This includes a sexual
predator and the murder he commits. There is also a moderate amount of
profanity to be found as well, although it wasn't enough to turn me away from
reading this book.
The
characters are believable and ones you can identify with. You can feel the
poverty and harsh circumstances of living in the far northern lands where the
sun barely sets in winter in the early 21st century. I felt the sad at the
anguish Martinsson felt when she did what had to be done in order to save
Marcus' life.
I
would definitely re-read this novel, if only to clarify in my mind some of the
things I had a difficult time keeping track of when I read it the first time
through. I gave The Second Deadly Sin 5 stars out of 5. Mystery and crime readers
should love this one!
Thank
you to the publishers via NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in
exchange for a fair and honest review. A positive opinion was not required. All
thoughts are my own.
About the Author:
Åsa Larsson was born
in Uppsala in Sweden in 1966. She grew up in Kiruna in the far north of the
country, before becoming a tax lawyer – two biographical elements she shares
with her heroine, Rebecka Martinsson. She returned to Uppsala to study, and
lived for some years in Stockholm. She is now based lives in Mariefred, outside
Stockholm, preferring the rural life with her husband, two children and several
chickens.
Her first novel
published in the UK (under the title The Savage Altar), was shortlisted for the
Duncan Lawrie International Dagger. Both her second and fifth novels, The Blood
Spilt and The Second Deadly Sin, were awarded the Best Swedish Crime Novel
Award. In 2007 a Swedish film, titled “Solstorm”, was made from The Savage
Altar.
Åsa has now been
published in twenty-three languages, spanning more than thirty countries.
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