★ 10/16/2017
Roslund and Hellström’s blistering sixth series novel to be published in the U.S. (after Three Minutes) opens with the vicious rape and murder of two nine-year-old girls by a psychopath, Bernt Lund, who has escaped from custody. The authors explore the ramifications of Lund’s crime from multiple viewpoints, including those of 60ish Det. Sgt. Ewert Grens, who’s disillusioned and cynical; Grens’s 40-year-old assistant, Sven Sundkvist, who’s burning out; and Fredrik Steffansson, the father of one of the victims. Steffansson, who was abused as a child, kills Lund and is put on trial for murder. In one of Sweden’s most high-profile trials, ambitious prosecutor Lars Ågestam feels he must demand life imprisonment for Steffansson, even though doing so will likely end his career. In addition to subjecting readers to the stomach-wrenching minutiae of prison life, Roslund and Hellström force them to consider who in this denunciation of governmental policies and practices are the victims and who are the criminals. The authors’ most chilling observation: these characters “are all somewhere among us.” Hellström, an ex-convict, died earlier this year. (Dec.)
Pen 33
Narrated by Saul Reichlin
Anders RoslundUnabridged — 10 hours, 6 minutes
Pen 33
Narrated by Saul Reichlin
Anders RoslundUnabridged — 10 hours, 6 minutes
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Overview
Detective Superintendent Ewert Grens is about to encounter the most profoundly appalling case in his career, and perhaps in Stockholm's history. During the course of one long, hot summer, Sweden will face an explosive series of events that spread across the country like wildfire, events that call into question the very nature of humanity, duty, forgiveness, and self-defense. And justice.
Editorial Reviews
"Blistering . . . Roslund and Hellström force [readers] to consider who in this denunciation of governmental policies and practices are the victims and who are the criminals."—Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
"Provocative . . . The masterful writing and cleverly constructed layers make a handsome reward for those who can bear the graphic, first-person descriptions of murders."—Booklist (Starred Review)
"Gritty and frequently chilling . . . Pen 33 is a disturbing novel as it indicates that events cannot always be seen in black-and-white."
—New York Journal of Books
"Known for the social consciousness they bring to their [books], Roslund and Hellström depict a world riddled by abuse . . . This is no standard thriller. [They] chill the bone with their account of a monstrous pedophile."
—Kirkus Reviews
Winner of The Glass Key 2005 for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year
Praise for Roslund & Hellstrom
"A thrill-a-minute cat and mouse game . . . A grimly amoral tale."—Marilyn Stasio, The New York Times Book Review
"A sprawling and often gripping thriller . . . The gritty details of drug dealing, of prison life, and of the relations between cops and informants are all rendered with convincing authority in Three Seconds."—Tom Nolan, Wall Street Journal
"The twisty plot makes for propulsive reading."—Entertainment Weekly
"It's like Traffic on the Swedish-Polish border, but everything from the weather to the criminals' hearts is a little colder."—People Magazine
"Of all the books in the series, this is arguably the most important and controversial one . . . Roslund and Hellström's brutal collaboration provides stark and unforgettable imagery, and raises questions that aren't easily answered to anyone's satisfaction."
—Joe Hartlaub, The Bookreporter
2017-09-18
A serial killer convicted of unthinkable crimes against little girls escapes during a prison transfer and wastes no time targeting his next nursery school victim in this novel first published in Sweden in 2004.For veteran Detective Superintendent Ewert Grens, an oddball with little control over his anger impulse, having the monstrous Bernt Lund on the loose only ramps up his temper. But it's the quieter rage of Fredrik Steffansson, the father of Lund's latest victim, 5-year-old Marie, that poses a much greater threat. Taking the law into his own hands, he is determined to stop Lund from victimizing more girls. Are his efforts to prevent certain killings morally, and legally, defensible? Or is he no better than a murderer in assuming the power to take another person's life? Known for the social consciousness they bring to their thrillers, Roslund and Hellström depict a world riddled by abuse. The divorced Fredrik was viciously beaten as a boy by his father, as was his older brother, Frans, who threw himself in front of a moving train. For better and worse, this is no standard thriller in which the cops pursue the evil villain and take him down. A key scene is tossed off in matter-of-fact fashion. Grens figures surprisingly little in the narrative. While the co-authors can be admired for the risks they take, there's a nagging sense that we're reading highlights from a larger, more penetrating novel—one that comes to terms with their very nearly unreadable descriptions of Lund's savage acts.Roslund and Hellström (Three Minutes, 2017, etc.) chill the bone with their account of a monstrous pedophile but fail to put the pieces of this ambitious thriller together in a fully satisfying or rewarding way.
Product Details
| BN ID: | 2940170090778 |
|---|---|
| Publisher: | Hachette Audio |
| Publication date: | 12/05/2017 |
| Series: | Ewert Grens Series , #1 |
| Edition description: | Unabridged |
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