Thank you Simon & Schuster Audio for the ALC and Atria Books #partner, for the finished copy of The Mountain King in exchange for my honest review.
Publisher: Atria Books / Simon & Schuster ALC
Published: January 30, 2024
Summary:
This atmospheric and sinister mystery, perfect for fans of the Nordic thrillers of Jo Nesbo and Stieg Larsson, follows an overachieving female inspector investigating the darkest side of humanity.
Criminal inspector Leonore Asker seems to have the leading position at Malmö’s Major Crime Division within reach. But things go awry when, in the middle of a high-profile kidnapping case, management relegates her to the so-called Department of Lost Souls—the unit for odd, cold cases banished to the basement of the police station.
Despite the humiliation, Asker is drawn into one of the more peculiar cases. Someone is placing small ominous figures in town and one of them seems to represent the missing woman from the kidnapping case. As Asker’s investigation takes her to abandoned buildings, she reaches out to a local architecture expert and together they explore the sinister recesses of the city and discover that an unusual kind of evil lurks in the shadows.
My thoughts
As soon as I heard about this book, I knew I had to read it. I love NordicNoir and finding new authors in the genre is always a plus! But then to find out this is the start of a new series is even better!
This book completely captivated me right from the start. It had one of the most terrifying opening scenes I’ve read in a while – seriously, think The Chestnut Man! But I was hooked and as unsettling and dark as this book was, I loved it! We find out from that opening scene that two young people have gone missing, and days later, police office Leo Asker finds herself on the case. However, she is quickly demoted to the Department of Lost Souls, the team responsible for the cold cases. Not willing to let the missing persons case go, she keeps investigating on her own.
I loved Leo. She is my favorite type of protagonist – determined, headstrong and not willing to take no for an answer. I also loved that we learn quite a bit about her backstory in this first book of the series. Not only is the story told from her point of view in the present, but we get snippets of her childhood with her doomsday prepper father. There is also a few other interesting points of view, including the Mountain King, himself. I always love when the author chooses to do this. These tend to be very insightful, yet chilling chapters and try as I do, I can never figure out who they are until the author makes the reveal.
This is a fast-paced book, aided by the short chapters. It is atmospheric and chilling and with the serial killer storyline, it kept me fully invested and wondering what would happen next. I am so glad I discovered this series and cannot wait for the next book to be translated into English!
Audio thoughts:
Once I saw the Cassandra Campbell was narrating this, I had to listen. She did such an amazing job bringing this story to life, giving all the characters their own unique voice and personality. I hope she continues to narrate this as I am such a stickler for consistency with narrators in series.
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