The Ice Princess (Patrik Hedstrom and Erica Falck - Book 1)

On the basis of recommendation by a fellow crime buff, I tried the first book by Swedish author Camilla Lackberg. The Ice Princess is set in a small fishing village in Sweden and is headed by engaging characters Erica and Patrik with an excellent support cast. I enjoy crime stories with a strong sense of place and characters who feel familiar, are flawed, may be likeable but not all will be. So it's a joy to read a book such as The Ice Princess where setting, characterisation and strong plot are not secondary to action and where the characters' lives continue to carry on whilst the crime story itself moves towards climax.
Amongst books by other Scandinavian authors, I've read The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and stopped at that book in the series. In some ways I enjoyed the book (and movie) but it felt wrong due to the macabre plotting/level of violence against women portrayed. I also believe that book needed stronger editing.
... I will not stop on book one by Camilla Lackberg and will read my way through the series. I recommend you try her books too.

This novel doesn't disappoint. If you've read any of the Lackberg novels you know what to expect, an entertaining ride. If you have not, you can expect interesting, realistic characters with fun and witty dialogue. A good summer read.

Once I started reading this book, I could hardly put it down. I found myself analyzing the characters and events when I wasn't reading. As the plot thickened and became more intriguing, I tried solving the crimes. However, the ending completely took me by surprise. I've already purchased the other books in the series and can't wait to start reading them.

A childhood friend found dead in her unheated house and an aquaintance of hers found hanged shortly afterward. The connection takes our investigator back to unhappy experiences kept secret for decades, and leads us to new secrets to be kept for decades more.

The Stone Cutter was first recommended and I loved that so decided to try more from this author. Excellent read. Is it something in the water up there in Scandinavia? They are producing outstanding mysteries/thrillers.

Well translated (which is always of concern when a novel is written in another language other than your own. The author does well building the story until it reaches its conclusion. Won't disappoint.

Well translated (which is always of concern when a novel is written in another language other than your own. The author does well building the story until it reaches its conclusion. Won't disappoint.

Camilla Lackberg's "The Ice Princess" is a mystery full of mysteries. There's Alex Wijkner, the murder victim, found partially frozen in the bathtub of her childhood-turned-summer home by the caretaker and Erica, Alex's estranged friend from childhood. Why was she there and not at her home in Göteborg with her husband, Henrik, Erica wonders. Why had Alex abandon the close friendship with Erica while they were in grade school and moved away without even saying goodbye? Then there is the Lorentz family: mother Nelly, adopted son Jan, and missing son Nils, who simply vanished on January day in 1977 and was never found. Why had Alex kept an article about Nils' disappearance hidden in a drawer in her childhood bedroom? Why had Nelly Lorentz come to Alex's funeral reception and spent most of her time talking to Alex's sister, Julia? And there's the mystery of a painting Alex kept hidden in her closet at Fjällbacka of herself, naked, painted by her childhood classmate, Anders Nilsson, whose adult life is characterized by frequent extreme drunken binges occasionally interrupted with bouts of creativity.

Other, more domestic mysteries, also wind their way through this complex narrative: Will Erica, who has returned to Fjällbacka after her parents' death in a car accident, keep her childhood home from the greedy hands of her brother-in-law, who she is sure is physically abusing her sister, Anna? What is the issue between Dan, her former lover and still close friend, and his wife, Pernilla? Why does Pernilla, after all these years, suddenly seem to think she and Dan are once again romantically involved? And can Patrik, the Police Detective investigating Alex's death, possibly be "the one" for Erica?

I found "The Ice Princess" a solid whodunit with many interesting side stories. I enjoyed the characters and the setting and found myself hoping Lackberg has written other as equally engaging mysteries. There were, at times, seemingly abrupt shifts of scene but this could be due to the Kindle formatting and not the author's style.

Note: This review is of the Kindle version of this work.

This was a great book. Definitely worth the effort. Twist and turns to keep your interest and enough suspense to make it better. I enjoyed this book very much.Would definitely recommend to my friends.

While the subject matter made me squirm a bit, the plot turns were well played. So well played that I found myself in several occasions gasping out loud when I realized what was going on. A few slow bits and the ending just sort of ended, but I couldn't really see any other way she could have tied up this one in a nice bow. Eager to read the next one.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit, although because there were a few different things going on, I had a hard time deciding what was the main point of the story. I did stick with it and enjoyed mystery as it was uncovered.

Enjoyed enough to immediately buy the next one, it was a good, easy read, perfect for a quiet weekend. Being unfamiliar with Scandinavia i enjoyed the details of the setting, the snow, the driving, the foods they eat. The story is well structured and keeps you interested although there were perhaps too many sub plots, the characters are likable and I look forward to seeing what they do next.

Camilla Lackberg is widely lauded for her crime novels and based on the raves from my two young Swedish friends she is not to be missed.
However, I found the writing to be downright amateurish at times and if all the fuss about her is true in Swedish the fault must lie with the translator.
I read professionally for years, both for film and for possible publication. Reading is like breathing for me, ie necessary for survival. I had to force myself to return to this book again and again.
The plot is excellent as are the characterizations, but the prose that gets the reader from one point to the next can be embarrassing.

As I am presently considering relocating to the southwest coast of Sweden I decided to begin with The Ice Princess.

If all the praise about this author is correct then the fault of

Stock characters stuck in stock predicaments, which the author attempts to liven with a sensational, but wholly predictable, resolution. Molested child becomes suicidal artist. Cop and wanna-be-crime-writer fall in love working the same story. It should be re-classified as a romance novel with self-help themes.

Keeps you entertained but found the pace a little slow. The story flows and seems credible and logical while not revealing to many surprises a head. Would recommend it I will pass on the sequels unless I hear that the next books are better.

Painful and boring. I wanted to like The Ice Princess; here was a female writer whose work was compared to Stieg Larsson. Not even close. I really disliked the book. Initially, I thought it was a translation issue. Lack of sophistication in the dialog, awkward and unnecessary descriptions, redundancy. But no, it was the writer's style. The characters are all cliche and one dimensional. And, for a woman to write female characters so badly is unforgivable! Did she copy them from some chauvinistic male author? The author doesn't seem to know what she wants this book to be: mystery, romance, thriller. Whatever it's supposed to be, it's not written very well. Unlike most of the mysteries that I've read this book did not draw me in and keep me interested. Had a hard time finishing it and was relieved it was a huge bargain find. I will give Ms. Lackberg another chance by reading her 2nd book but I fear for worst.

I thought this book was horrible. I read this book in a day only because it was so bad I just wanted to get it over with. THe story was entirely too slow and the characters really had no depth. The only good part was that I really had no clue who did it till the very end.