Title: The Rabbit Hunter
Author: Lars Kepler
Series: Joona Linna, #6
Published: January 2020, Knopf Publishing Group
Format: ARC Paperback, 528 pages
Source: Publisher
Summary:
The latest internationally best-selling installment in the Joona Linna series sees him temporarily called back to the police force to solve a series of bizarre and increasingly horrifying murders.
Detective Joona Linna is finishing out a sentence at Kumla prison for assaulting an officer in the course of his last investigation when he is summoned to a meeting with the Swedish Prime Minister. The Foreign Minister has been brutally murdered. There’s a chance more political figures could be targeted. The police need Linna to find the
killer and neutralize the threat, so he’s granted a temporary release from prison. But when another murder occurs, Linna realizes he’s dealing with something far more complex, and far more terrifying, than anyone imagined. As the body count grows, Linna begins to understand that he can’t do this alone and he reaches out to Saga Bauer, the young Security Police detective, for help. Now, together, the two race against time to unravel the killer’s intricate plan before he can take his ultimate revenge.
My thoughts:
This has become one of my favorite series, ever since reading book 4, The Sandman. These are the types of books that once you start reading them, you find yourself completely consumed by them, despite the fact that they are incredibly dark, haunting, and disturbing. They are completely addicting and binge-worthy books and with this latest one, I found myself reading it in two sittings – it was that good!
If you’re just coming into this series, you might be a little confused as to why Joona is in jail at the beginning of this book. I have read all the books up to this point and actually had to skim the previous book, Stalker, to remind myself of exactly what had happened – I read the book back in January – and I’m glad I did. It helped put me back in the right mindset for reading this book. Now, that’s not to say that if you are just picking this one up, you will be totally lost, but there are times when references are made to incidents from previous books that might be considered spoilers. Just saying. And all these books are so good – you won’t regret reading them!
I will say that this book in particular is incredibly gruesome in parts. More so than the previous books. And the use of the children’s rhyme adds a chilling dimension that will leave you more than a little unsettled. It adds to the overall creepiness of the book. It is a brutal, violent story, and this is what these authors excel in writing – their scenes come alive on the pages whether they are writing these dark ones or exploring the characters themselves.
One of the aspects I love about this series is just how vivid the characters are. The killer is not one-dimensional, but rather is given depth. We come to learn the motivations behind all the killings, to the point where you almost have a bit of sympathy. And of course, I love that we are given chapters told from the killer’s point of view…as chilling as these sections are, I always find them incredibly fascinating.
This book grips you and does not let up. It’s a complex, intricately plotted story that kept me flipping the pages as I tried to figure out just what was going on. I could not read this book fast enough, especially towards the end, where things were finally coming together. And let’s talk about that ending…what’s with that cliffhanger? Why??? Why would you do that to us? I know there’s another book coming out, but still…it’s a long wait and to leave us with that? You know I will be desperately counting down the days until book 7 comes out in the US – and to think as I write this review, this book isn’t even out yet!I think this series just gets better and better with each book and I’m so glad I have been introduced to it…it’s that good and I totally urge you to give it a try – you won’t be sorry!
Books in this series:
- The Hypnotist
- The Nightmare
- The Fire Witness
- The Sandman
- Stalker
- The Rabbit Hunter – due out January 14, 2020
- Lazarus – due out ???
