Anmeldelse: Stefan Ahnhem - Det sidste søm

 

Hvilket ord beskriver hvad jeg mener om denne bog, tænkte jeg da jeg satte mig for at skrive en anmeldelse af “Det sidste søm” af Stefan Ahnhem. Fremragende er ikke helt den rigtige beskrivelse. Så slog jeg op i synonymordbogen og bladrede igennem forslagene … Eminent?, tjaa. Fortrinlig?, naaah. Knippelfin?, ej ik rigtig, men dog lidt svensk-ish. Mesterlig?, nu nærmer vi os. Trestjernet?, overhovedet ikke. Uovertruffet?, jooh måske. Fabelagtigt?, jaarh det kunne det godt være, det minder også lidt om Fabian. Elitær?, soleklart. Megafed?, helt vildt. Overlegen? JA! dét er edderbrodereme helt sikkert - fuldstændig helt og aldeles overlegen … hvad så med alle de ovennævnte på én gang? 100%

Det var med både glæde og vemod, da jeg gik i gang med at læse denne sidste del i serien om Fabian Risk. Vemod selvfølgelig, fordi det er den sidste, glæde fordi jeg har ventet i spænding og er vild med denne serie. Lad mig bare starte med at komme med en opfordring … før du går i gang med at læse, så sørg for at have alt hvad du skal bruge indenfor en radius af armslængde, have god tid og måske også lige huske at tisse af. Når først du er startet, er det faktisk umuligt at stoppe igen! 

Jeg var på den vildeste rutschebanetur - de første mange kapitler var det enten med tilbageholdt åndedræt eller tårer i øjnene. Stille og roligt forsvinder tårerne, men åndedrættet kom der ikke rigtig styr på, før sidste side var vendt. Det er så sindssygt godt skrevet, sådan nærmest helt overvældende. Jeg har egentlig slet ikke ord og roser nok. 

Hvis du ikke har læst denne serie endnu, så start fra begyndelsen. Hvis du som mig har fulgt Fabian Risk, Dunja Hougaard og sidstnævntes jagt på hævn over Kim Fu**ing Sleizner, så lover jeg at det dér sidste søm, bliver banket godt og grundigt fast. Stefan Ahnhem har hele tiden sagt, at han han ønsker at alt skal kunne ske i hans bøger … i “Det sidste søm”, sker alt virkelig og forvent ikke at du kan regne noget som helst ud. Bedst som jeg begyndt at trække vejret normalt igen, gik det amok igen. Der er ingen fald på spændingskurven på noget tidspunkt. Overhovedet. Kæmpe respekt!

Jeg glæder mig helt vanvittigt til at finde ud af, hvad Stefan Ahnhem finder på til os næste gang. 

Fuld plade + det løse 

⭕️⭕️⭕️⭕️⭕️⭕️🔝

 

Anmeldelse: Karen Dionne - Den onde søster

Pyha altså, det er godtnok længe siden jeg har læst en bog der var SÅ spændende fra start til slut som denne!! Jeg har været mere eller mindre ukontaktbar de sidste par dage, for jeg har slet ikke kunnet løsrive mig fra ”Den onde søster”. Jeg læste bogen færdig i går aftes og da jeg vågnede i morges og havde været i bad, glædede jeg mig til at læse videre i den, indtil jeg slukøret kom i tanke om at jeg var færdig med den. En af den slags bøger, som gør det svært at starte på en ny umiddelbart efter. Den skal ligesom lige have lov at synke ind før jeg er klar til at kaste mig over en ny bog.

Normalt er det seriemorderbøger med uhyggelige udspekulerede mordere og twistede plots, som skræmmer mig og får mig til at gyse. Sådan en type bog er ”Den onde søster” ikke. Langtfra faktisk. I stedet møder vi Rachel, som har boet 15 år på et psykiatrisk hospital. Mest som en straf til sig selv, fordi hun er af den fulde overbevisning, at hun har slået sine egne forældre ihjel. Da hun bliver præsenteret for et bevis for at hun ikke kan have gjort det, udskriver hun sig selv, for at vende tilbage til barndomshjemmet, i håbet om at få sin hukommelse tilbage og huske den skæbnesvangre aften. 

Hvorfor har hun så tydelige billeder i hovedet, hvis det ikke er hende der har slået dem ihjel?

Sideløbende med Rachels nutidige fortælling, kører en historie fortalt af hendes mor fra tidligere tider. En historie om et forældrepar, som kæmper en ulige kamp med en datter, som besidder tydelige psykopatiske træk og som gør både mennesker og dyr fortræd. Hvor langt er man som forældre villig til at gå, for at beskytte sit barn fra at omverdenen skal opdage hendes mørke sider – eller for at beskytte omverdenen fra selv samme. Mere vil jeg ikke fortælle, da jeg vil være ked af at afsløre noget du selv skal have lov at blive overrasket og forfærdet over når du læser.

Jeg er simpelthen blæst bagover af denne fremragende bog. Jeg var skiftevis skræmt og forfærdet og havde konstant ondt i maven over de mange frygtelige hændelser. Vi ved jo fra starten, at forældrene er døde, men vi ved ikke hvordan det virkelig skete. Stille og roligt kommer sandheden frem bid for bid og det bliver mere og mere grufuldt og hjerteskærende. Historien er skrevet så snedigt, at der er lagt flere små hints ud til læseren, så vi kan regne ud at ting kommer til at ske, men vi ved bare ikke hvornår eller hvordan. Genialt simpelthen. Jeg kan slet ikke slippe historien igen. Jeg har tænkt på den flere gange i løbet af dagen i dag og jeg har fortalt om den til kollegaer og veninder.

Både personer og omgivelser er beskrevet, så jeg følte det som om jeg så en film. I øvrigt ville det også være en fremragende bog for filmatisering til en creepy psykologisk thriller.

Karen Dionne har også skrevet ”Dyndkongens datter”. Jeg skal være ærlig og bøje hovedet i skam og tilstå, at jeg skuede bogen, ikke på dens cover, men på dens titel. Derfor har jeg ikke læst den, men det bliver der lavet om på nu.

6 kæmpestore krimiperler til ”Den onde søster” – jeg kan altså simpelthen ikke anbefale den nok!

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Kend din krimiforfatter: Paul Cleave

1. Where were you born and raised?
Christchurch – New Zealand. But not on a farm.

2. May we see a picture of you as a child (or young? – if yes, attach a picture with your answers)
Umm… no. And the reason I say that is because I looked even weirder back then than I do now.

3. How was your family relations (Parents – what does/did they work with, older younger siblings – how many?
Dad worked in a carpet factory, making carpets. Mum was a stay at home mum, to me and my one older brother. We also had a cat… but, sadly, the cat died 25 years ago.

4. Where did you go to school?
Here in Christchurch. I went to Redwood Primary until I was ten, where I met two friends I still have now. Then intermediate for two years, then high school for four years or so until I dropped out a month into my final year. I dropped out because there were too many assholes in my class.

5. What was your favorite subject?
Hmm… I’m not sure. I used to like English, where I’d get to write short stories – I remember one year writing one where Santa had a heroin addiction. I also remember my school report at the end of one of my high school years saying ‘there is a time and a place for Paul’s kind of writing, and it’s not high school’. I guess she was right.

6. What was your worst subject?
Everything. I have to stop counting when I run out of fingers, I can’t spell, the only history I ever learned is that dinosaurs were hunted to extension by man because they tasted great barbecued, and I was no good at gym class on account of me being so tiny.

7. If your friends from back then were to describe you, what would they say?
They would say ‘He is such a cool guy, everybody should give him money’.

8. How was your youth? If you could give your 18 year old self a good advice – what would it be?
Well, I’d give him my plot ideas for the books, so he could write them younger. I’d also say your world views will change. That the man you will be at thirty is different from twenty, considerably so. Also – buy stocks in Apple and Google.

9. Are you in a relationship (fx. married and to whom) or single?
Well, I always have two or three cats living with me. Does that count?

10. Do you have children? (How many, how old, gender)
Again – do the cats count?

11. Do you prefer coffee, tea or something else?
I don’t drink either coffee or tea. I never really liked the taste. I do drink too much Coke, though. I’ve been trying to give it up… but I at least drink the sugar free stuff.

12. What is your favorite dish?
Chicken Pad Thai. Thai food is the best.

13. Which music is your favorite? (song, genre, group, soloist … whatever comes to mind) Do you use music in your books?
I have lots of favourites. Right now as I’m typing this I’m listening to a live Tom Petty concert. I love guys like Bruce Springsteen, Pink Floyd, The Killers – that kind of thing. Live music is my favourite – so if I can find live concerts of those guys, I will buy them and listen to them endlessly. I always listen to music when I write – and it’s up loud too. And I sing along. I also have a stereo in the bathroom so I can sing in there too. A few weeks ago my neighbour next door told me they always hear me singing when I’m in the shower.

14. What are you passionate about other than being a crime fiction writer?
Travel. I love travelling, and meeting new people in new countries. It’s the best thing about being a writer.

15. What were you working with before becoming an author?
I used to renovate property. I would buy a house and do it up, then sell it.

16. What got you started on writing crime fiction?
I used to want to write horror – and when I was 19, that’s what I started trying to write. But I switched to crime fiction when I read those Mindhunter books (what the Netflix show is based on). It made me realise that real life crime is actually horror.

17. How did it make you feel when you published your first book? How did you celebrate?
Damn good. I took all my friends out for breakfast the morning the book came out.

18. Something that everyone seems to like, but not you (music, food, books … anything that comes to mind)
Dogs.

19. Something that everyone seems to hate, but not you?
Eating bread with nothing on it – no butter, no jam or anything. Just plain bread.

20. When has life hurt you the most?
It’s hurting now. But I guess the two worst days in my life are the day Christchurch has the huge earthquake, and the day Christchurch has the massacre. They are days I will always remember in detail.

21. When has life made you happy?
When I’m travelling. When people contact me to say they’ve enjoyed the books. Going to book festivals and catching up with friends. When the gin and tonics are free.

22. Do you read books yourself? If yes, what genre and do you have a favorite book and/or favorite author?
Crime and horror – that’s pretty much it. So many favourites – Michael Connelly, Stephen King, Sara Blaedel, Michael Robotham…

23. Is there anything in your authorship that you wish to try forces with, but not yet have done or had the nerve to?
A couple of things. I still would love to write a horror novel. And I’d love to be able to write a screenplay.

24. Do you have a bad habit?
Coke. I drink too much. I also nap too much during the day when I should be writing.

25. What do you think that you are crazy good at? (other than writing)
Crazy good? Nothing really. But I’m pretty good at playing pool. I used to be reasonably good at playing Halo on the Xbox. And I’m a good traveller – I have so much experience travelling that I know how to get things down.

26. What do you do when you have to relax and pamper yourself?
Usually I read, or watch stuff on Netflix. I don’t really pamper myself, I guess.

27. Which one of your books are you most happy about/proud off? Why?
All of them for various reasons. The book that’s the most personal one for me is Trust No One – as it’s about a crime writer.

28. What’s the best part about writing crime fiction and what’s important for you in your books?
I like to put people into the shoes of the main character, and have them think ‘I would do the same thing’ no matter how bad it gets. And, if I can make them laugh along the way, then that’s great too.

29. Name a fun fact or more about yourself.
I’m stronger than I look, I can solve a Rubik’s cube within a few minutes, and I know a handful of pretty cool card tricks.

30. How do you keep track of the ideas you get for your books, once you are not by your computer writing?
I have a few notebooks that I use.

31. If the people closest to you, were to describe you today, what would they say?
They would say ‘He is such a cool guy, everybody should give him money’.

32. What surprises people the most about you, once they get to know you better?
That I’m not a psychopath. People tend to think that after reading my books. In fact, when I first got signed up by Random House back in 2005, they sent somebody down to meet me to make sure I wasn’t insane. True story.

33. Where do you work the best and the most focused when you write?
I have an office upstairs in my house. I love it. It’s got north and west facing windows, so it gets sun almost all day long. I have cool posters on the wall, and my stereo, and a couch to nap on – it’s a great space.

34. May we see a picture of your desk/workspace? (if yes, please attach a picture with your answers)
Sure.

35. Is there a sport that you like and/or a team or more that you are chearing for?
I watch a lot of cricket.

36. What would you never write about in your books?
True crime. I never base things on real things that have happened, or use people from history who have been murdered to tell a story.

37. Where would you prefer to go on a vacation?
I was meant to go to Machu Picchu and then the Caribbean this year – that’s all been cancelled, but I’d love to go at some point.

38. If you could meet a character from your books, who would it be and what would you tell them?
Hopefully it wouldn’t be Joe, from The Cleaner. If it were, I would say ‘hey, Joe, put down the knife.’

39. What are you working on at the moment? Can you give us a bit of a teaser?
Two books, actually, that both have completed first drafts. It’s a little too soon to say too much… but one is about a sheriff looking for a missing boy, and the other one is about a husband and wife crime writing duo.

40. The last question is yours. Is there anything you would like to say or to tell us about yourself or anything else? Here you can write whatever comes to mind.
Just that I’m really bummed out I didn’t get to come to Denmark this year like I wanted – I was really looking forward to catching up with you guys…

Kend din krimiforfatter: Chris Carter

KEND DIN KRIMIFORFATTER: Chris Carter

1.    Where were you born and raised?

Brasilia, Brazil

2.    May we see a picture of you as a child (or young? – if yes, attach a picture with your answers)

I really don’t have one.  No jokes

3.    How was your family relations (Parents – what does/did they work with, older younger siblings – how many?

My dad was a doctor.  My mom a housewife.  I had an older brother who passed when I was 3 years old.  After that - an younger brother and a younger sister.

4.    Where did you go to school?

The American School in Brasilia

5.    What was your favorite subject?

Physical education and Biology.

6.    What was your worst subject?

Physics.

7.    If your friends from back then were to describe you, what would they say?

Loser.

8.    How was your youth? If you could give your 18 year old self a good advice – what would it be?

Don’t ever fall in love.

9.    Are you in a relationship (fx. married and to whom) or single?

Not anymore.  No.

10.  Do you have children? (How many, how old, gender)

No. None

11.  Do you prefer coffee, tea or something else?

Whisky, but in this question – coffee for sure.

12.  What is your favorite dish?

Steak.

13.  Which music is your favorite? (song, genre, group, soloist … whatever comes to mind) Do you use music in your books?

Metal, several different kinds.  Yes, I do use music n my novels.

14.  What are you passionate about other than being a crime fiction writer?

Music.

15.  What were you working with before becoming an author?

I was unemployed.

16.  What got you started on writing crime fiction?

A dream.

17.  How did it make you feel when you published your first book? How did you celebrate?

I felt great and quite scared at the same time.  My agent took me out for dinner.

18.  Something that everyone seems to like, but not you (music, food, books … anything that comes to mind)

TV series.  I hate watching series, but I guess it became a thing.

19.  Something that everyone seems to hate, but not you?

In the UK – peanut butter and Jelly sandwiches

20.  When has life hurt you the most?

September 1^st 2019.

21.  When has life made you happy?

June 1^st 2014, I started dating Kara.

22.  Do you read books yourself? If yes, what genre and do you have a favorite book and/or favorite author?

I do read, but very little.  One of my favourite books of late is I Am Pilgrim.  I don’t have a favourite author.

23.  Is there anything in your authorship that you wish to try forces with, but not yet have done or had the nerve to?

No.  Nothing.

24.  Do you have a bad habit?

I do everything that is bad.  Trust me.

25.  What do you think that you are crazy good at? (other than writing)

Partying.

26.  What do you do when you have to relax and pamper yourself?

Listen to music.

27.  Which one of your books are you most happy about/proud off? Why?

I’m proud of them all, but the first one, The Crucifix killer has a special place because it was the book that started my career and saved me from poverty.

28.  What’s the best part about writing crime fiction and what’s important for you in your books?

I love everything about being a writer.  It’s hard to pick just one thing.  Everything is important to me in my books – the characters, the plot, the twists, the revelations...  I give everything the exact same importance.

29.  Name a fun fact or more about yourself.

I’m terrified of spiders.

30.  How do you keep track of the ideas you get for your books, once you are not by your computer writing?

In my head.  I don’t have any notes, ever.  Not before or during writing a book.  I keep everything in my head.

31.  If the people closest to you, were to describe you today, what would they say?

Idiot.

32.  What surprises people the most about you, once they get to know you better?

I guess people say that I am generous.

33.  Where do you work the best and the most focused when you write?

In my office.  In my house.

34.  May we see a picture of your desk/workspace? (if yes, please attach a picture with your answers)

Sure. 

35.  Is there a sport that you like and/or a team that you support?

Not really. I don’t follow any sports or support any teams.

36.  What would you never write about in your books?

Paedophilia.

37.  Where would you prefer to go on a vacation?

Right now, anywhere would do.

38.  If you could meet a character from your books, who would it be and what would you tell them?

I wouldn’t. 

39.  What are you working on at the moment? Can you give us a bit of a teaser?

Nothing.  I have just finished "Written in Blood" and I was supposed to take some time off for myself, but Covid happened.

40.  The last question is yours. Is there anything you would like to say or to tell us about yourself or anything else? Here you can write whatever comes to mind.

Stay safe everyone.