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Thursday, January 18, 2018

Still Waters - Viveca Sten

Still Waters by Viveca Sten

First Paragraph:

Everything was completely still and peaceful as only winter can be, when the archipelago belongs to those who live there, and the raucous summer visitors have not yet taken over the islands.
     The water was dark and shining, the cold of winter lying heavily on the surface.  Odd patches of snow rested on the rocks.  A few mergansers stood out like dots against the sky, and the sun was low on the horizon.
     'Help me,' he yelled.  'Help me, for God's sake!'

My Thoughts:

First of all, if you notice the word 'mergansers' in the above paragraphs and don't know what that is - a 'merganser' is a fish-eating duck.  FYI.  I didn't know what it was and so I looked it up.  The things you learn, right?

I listened to this book on audio and it was narrated by Angela Dawe.  Her narration was good, except for her squeaky voices for children and some women.  This is the first book in Swedish author, Viveca Sten's, Sandhamn Murder series.  It is apparently very popular in Sweden and has been adapted for TV as well.  I liked it very much.  Set on an island, it was interesting to read about Swedish vacation houses, lighthouses, boating, climate and water temperature in 'summer', and a number of other things.  The crime part of the book was well enough done, though I did figure out the solution pretty early on.  This is a first book in a series though and I enjoyed getting to know the main protagonists, Thomas Andreasson and his friend, Nora Linde.  They will appear again in the next book, Closed Circles.  I'll likely read that one soon.  Fun to have a new series set in a part of the world that I find fascinating.  And in case you wondered about my 'read warm books in winter and cold books in summer' - well, this one takes place in Swedish summer - such as it is.  Ha!

Blurb:

On a hot July morning on Sweden’s idyllic vacation island of Sandhamn, a man takes his dog for a walk and makes a gruesome discovery: a body, tangled in fishing net, has washed ashore.

Police detective Thomas Andreasson is the first to arrive on the scene. Before long, he has identified the deceased as Krister Berggren, a bachelor from the mainland who has been missing for months. All signs point to an accident—until another brutalized corpse is found at the local bed-and-breakfast. But this time it is Berggren’s cousin, whom Thomas interviewed in Stockholm just days before.

As the island’s residents reel from the news, Thomas turns to his childhood friend, local lawyer Nora Linde. Together, they attempt to unravel the riddles left behind by these two mysterious outsiders—while trying to make sense of the difficult twists their own lives have taken since the shared summer days of their youth.

30 comments:

  1. Fish-eating ducks, eh?! This sounds like a fun new series. I'll give the print edition a try, if I can get a copy from the library. Not fond of listening to squeaky voices for kids and women.

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    1. I probably shouldn't have said anything about that. It didn't keep me from listening, just rolled my eyes now and then. Ha!

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  2. Interesting word, mergansers. Don't think I've ever heard of it before. This sounds like an enjoyable series. I hope you enjoy the second novel as well as this one.

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    1. I hadn't either, Pat. So, I looked it up. I think I'll like the second one just as well.

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  3. I like this series and love the setting. Thomas and Nora are interesting characters, and Sten manages to create great secondary characters as well!

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    1. Maybe I read about it on your blog. I knew I heard about it somewhere. LOL

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  4. Oooh, I hadn't heard of this one before but you know I love mystery series set in exotic locales! I'm definitely going to look this one up. Thanks for the heads-up, Kay. I'm so glad my favorite mystery-recommending master is back at it :)

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    1. Thanks, Susan! I do love recommending mysteries for others to try. This is not a 'depressing' Nordic noir sort of book. The main characters have had tragedy in their lives, but they are not 'down' all the time. I like that.

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  5. I like the idea of reading warm books in winter. Perfect escapism. I don't think I've ever read a book set in Sweden.

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    1. I follow that with reading cold books in summer - Texas is hot in the summer. LOL

      You mean you haven't read THE GIRL WITH THE DRAGON TATTOO? If you like mysteries at all, that's a good one.

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  6. It has been awhile since I read a mystery set in that part of the world. I love your description of the book's setting. I want to jump right in!

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    1. It was a good, not depressing mystery, Wendy. Unlike some of the ones set in Scandinavia. LOL

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  7. We saw the televised version and it was very, very good. Can't remember where it was for sure. Hulu?

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    1. I'll have to look for it, Nan. We don't have Hulu, but we do have Acorn TV and Amazon Prime and Netflix.

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    2. I checked Hulu and it isn't there anymore. Quite sure that's where I saw it a few years ago.

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    3. Thanks for looking for it. I'll just have to read the books, right?

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  8. Taking dogs for walks is a dangerous business! I'm so glad the cats aren't constantly finding dead bodies... or at least if they do, they don't tell me about it... 😉

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    1. Cats are their own people, aren't they? So very independent. LOL

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  9. I do the opposite. I like to read books that are themed to the season!

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  10. I haven't read any of the books by Vivca Sten but I feel like I may have watched one or two episodes of the Sandham Murders. My husband and I watch a lot of Danish/Swedish crime shows so I think I'm starting to get them confused! haha... Will have to check this one out.

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    1. I think it was available on Hulu at one point, but maybe not now. I'd like to see it if it ever comes to Netflix.

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  11. I don't think I've read anything set in Sweden though I love the idea of this one. The blurb definitely sounds intriguing and who knew mergensers were fish eating ducks - or that there was such a thing as mergensers!

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    1. I think you'd like this book, Katherine. It's not too grim. I decided if I learned about the ducks, everyone should too. Ha!

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  12. I hadn't heard of this one before now but I sure do like the sound of it! I definitely think that it is one that I would enjoy so I'm going to add it to the TBR list. Great review!

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    1. I think you would like it. There are kids and crimes and overwhelmed Moms and Swedish lore. Fun indeed!

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  13. I haven't read anything by this author but, it has my interest. Hope u have a good week Kay.

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  14. Mergansers. Now I've learned a new word. :)

    This one sounds interesting, and I like it that it has a Swedish setting. It's been a while since I've read a book with that setting or by a Swedish author.

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    1. It had been for me too. Now on to book #2. Only 4 of them are available in English, but I think there are 7 in the series at this point.

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Thanks for stopping by! I am so happy to hear your thoughts and will respond as soon as I can. Happy Reading!