Authors have hit the jackpot

Trapped by Camilla Lackberg and Henrik Fexeus, Harper Collins, $35

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As a longtime and serious fan of Nordic noir, Camilla Lackberg holds a special place on my bookcases. With Trapped I reckon Camilla and associate writer Henrik Fexeus just may have hit the jackpot. Even with the arrival of winter I wasn’t able to tackle Trapped in one sitting which is my usual modus operandi. In fact it took me around a week to reach page 679 and to let out a very satisfied breath. Camilla Lackberg had me spellbound from the get-go.

This is a powerful, compelling, and sometimes complex (in a reader-friendly way) thriller. You get seriously engaged with the characters Vincent and Mina. When three deaths turn out to be the work of a serial killer who seems to be creating an illusionist theme the Swedish police are initially unable to understand the crimes. They then decide to seek the advice of mentalist Vincent Walder and he joins a small team trying to unravel the brutal crimes.

Camilla Lackberg has brought the renowned celebrity mentalist on to her team and his expert knowledge certainly commands authenticity to the plot. Vincent and Mina are both unusual characters with an anti social aspect to their personalities which evolves into a empathy for each other and which really helps their abilities to uncover the background to the serial killer’s activities. This is a big read with plenty of action and it takes time and intuition to make progress. Trapped is another blinder from Camilla Lackberg.

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