A video-clip is sent to the National Criminal Investigation Department. Someone has secretly filmed a woman through her window from the garden. The next day she is found dead after a frenzied knife-attack. The police receive a second film of another unknown woman. There is no way of identifying her before time runs out. As more victims are uncovered, the past is revisited to stop future murders.
I went into this not realising it was the 5th in a series, but that didn’t matter as Kepler did well introducing his characters for Stalker. I did feel a bit lost at first because of the multiple characters but once I got into it I was fine and the story is mostly self-enclosed. There’s some brief instances where the past is mentioned but I personally don’t think this negatively impacts the reading experience.
I enjoyed that the case was truly difficult and I wasn’t sat rolling my eyes at inept police officers who don’t pick up on the clues and evidence. I was shocked and really excited when reading the plot twists. It really interested me as there’s a psychological element which we get told about by the psychiatrist character.
One problem was that at times I felt it was dragging on a bit. I read this as an e-book so I didn’t go into it thinking it was a large book, and it surprised me when I realised I was only halfway through it. Plus, it’s not really an action book, a lot of the time we’re in very slow paced situations, finding clues and witnesses rather than fighting and chasing (Although it does have some of this too). Not that I don’t enjoy long books but I wasn’t in the mood for it at this time.
I don’t have much to actually say about this book because it wasn’t a bad book, but it also wasn’t a book I would normally read. This isn’t a genre I’m particularly fond of, although I did enjoy reading this book. But, it isn’t a book I’m going to be remembering next January because of it being amazing or mindblowing. It was a very planned out and well written crime novel.
Positives
+ Plot twist near end kept me going
+ Case was truly difficult
Negatives
– Slightly long
I received Stalker* by Lars Kepler from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an unbiased and honest review.
Comments
11 responses to “Uptown Oracle Reads… Stalker”
This actually sounds like something I would enjoy – I completely get what you mean about rolling your eyes about inept police officers and things, so a book where the case is actually difficult sounds good. I’m going to have to add it to my TBR, I think.
If you’re into crime and thrillers then I would for sure recommend! My biggest issues was that I’m not usually a crime reader and I was underestimated how long it was 😂 Nothing actually wrong with the book – it was really good!
Oh I can’t seem to focus on books that drag on a bit. I will lose my attention and never finish it haha. The plot sounds really nice though! Good review.
Maud
My Passion Projects
I think a lot of people are the same and I need to be in a ‘long book head space’ before I start one usually! x
This sounds like something I’d love – I’ve been looking for a good book with some plot twists! Thanks for sharing
I definitely would recommend this book for some nice twists and also Lars Kepler in general has written some great books from what I’ve heard!
I am not really into murder mysteries but they can be fun as a break from more serious literature.
I read Lars Kepler books in the past and had a similar experience like you, the book can feel long in places… It still sounds like this is worth a read. Thank you for the review.
Never actually read a murder mystery book before, shame to hear this one wasn’t super memorable but I’ll still consider checking it out sometime!
Do you have any other books from this genre you’d recommend? 🙂
– Milli
http://www.milliberman.com
I’m not really a big crime reader but my parents are – we have a large collection of Lee Child, Kathy Reichs and Peter James. I’ve read Kathy Reichs quite a few years a go now but I enjoyed her books a lot! 🙂
Murder mysteries are great. 🙂 I love a good plot twist.