A gripping Swedish thriller that's a real page turner.
The Rabbit Hunter opens with a chilling attack on a Swedish politician, told through the eyes of a hostess who is in the house at the time, but is spared by the assailant. Given that the victim is the Swedish Foreign Minister and the circumstances around the attack are distinctly odd, the police view the crime as a possible act of terrorism and are brutal in their treatment of the unfortunate female witness.
The story progresses with the ongoing police investigation led by Saga Bauer and Joona Linna, both of whom regularly feature in Lars Kepler novels.
The strange murders continue and Joona finally discovers the link between the victims, which moves the focus of the investigation away from anti-terrorism to personal vendetta.
I thought that this was an entertaining and gripping thriller. The first half of the book was particularly absorbing and it included a clever sub plot around a bungled police operation. However, I started to lose interest towards the end of the book, as the conclusion seemed inevitable.
The Rabbit Hunter is a great book for lovers of thrillers, particularly Scandinavian ones. But it is quite violent so may not be to everyone's taste.
Overall I enjoyed the novel and it made me want to read some of the other books in the series.
This is the 6th in the Joona Linna series, which I hadn’t heard of before I was sent this book to review I thought this was a very good book and I will now have to read the others in the series!
This is the 6th in the Joona Linna series, which I hadn’t heard of before I was sent this book to review, so obviously I hadn’t read any of the previous books.
It took a while to get into it, probably because I wasn’t familiar with the characters, but after a time I couldn’t put it down. I liked the way the plot initially appeared to be political but then was revealed to be an interesting way of getting revenge. I didn’t figure out who the rabbit hunter prior to it being revealed in the book and I liked the way the point of view switched. I also liked the style of writing, which I feels gives an immediacy to the plot.
Couple of things I didn’t like: the translation from Norwegian led to the use of the term ‘spree killer’ instead of ‘serial killer’, which just feels completely wrong to me, and the ending is a bit strange, but I suppose it’s intended to be a teaser for the next book in the series.
I've haven't been as scared reading a book for quite some time and I have to praise the authors for creating such a feeling of fear so early on in a story that seriously gets the adrenaline moving!
"The Rabbit Hunter" is the sixth outing in the series featuring Joona Linna and from what I can tell has been a very highly successful series too. Incredibly written by Lars Kepler - who is actually husband and wife team Alexander and Alexandra Ahndoril - this thriller is one mighty roller coaster of a ride that will guarantee you'll be leaving the lights on at night for sure.
I've haven't been as scared reading a book since 'Intensity' by Dean Koontz and I have to praise the authors for creating such a feeling of fear so early on in a story that seriously gets the adrenaline moving. I was terrified for the young girl at the beginning and could truly sense the fear she was feeling as she ran through the house. We also get straight into meeting the 'rabbit hunter' early on and he is without doubt one cold blooded and heartless killer.
There's a very intelligent and compelling plot running throughout the book too that contains action, emotion and very well developed characters and although this is very much an adult book due to its grisly content I do believe it will be thoroughly enjoyed by a huge audience and already established Lars Kepler fans.
A fabulous and gripping book that I highly recommend and will certainly be looking to backtrack through the series to catch up on the brilliant Joona Linna! A terrifying but well deserved 5 stars!