Book #25 The Ice Child

The Ice Child by Camilla Läckberg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I need time to recover! Review to follow....

I spotted this book in Waterstones. the blurb on the cover sounded good and so I bought it, not realising that I was jumping into a long running series at number 9. A series featuring Detective Patrik Hedström and his wife Erica Falck, from No. 1 international bestseller and Swedish crime writer Camilla Lackberg. It was of no matter as the book is excellent as a stand alone read. It is a perfect piece of Scandinavian noir, a slow burner, with an horrific plot.

It opens in January, in Fjällbacka. A semi-naked girl wanders through the woods in freezing cold weather. When she finally reaches the road, a car comes out of nowhere. It doesn’t manage to stop. By the time Detective Patrik Hedström receives word of the accident, the girl has already been identified. Four months ago she disappeared on her way home from the local riding school, and no one has seen her since. It quickly becomes clear that she has been subjected to unimaginably brutal treatment. And it’s likely she’s not the only one. It is a harrowing account, what this girl has suffered beggars belief.

Meanwhile, Patrik’s wife, crime writer Erica Falck, is looking into an old case – a family tragedy that led to a man’s death. His wife was convicted of murder, but Erica senses that something isn’t right. What is the woman hiding? As Erica digs deeper, the past starts to cast a shadow over the present and Patrik is forced to see his investigation in a whole new light.

Throughout the story scenes of domestic cosiness are mixed with scenes of intense horror, almost nauseating at times. And at times I wondered if the police would ever make progress with their investigation. I really felt the frustration of Hedström and his colleagues and his wife, who was researching events for her new book. A possible link between the two cases becomes intriguing.

This is a masterclass in crime writing, certainly on a par with Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo. I will certainly read more by Camilla Lackberg.

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