Murder

Annika is a journalist who writes at a tabloid. After a journalistic friend is killed Annika is slowly uncovering what could be a serial killer.

This the 5th book in the Annika Bengtzon series. I had not read any of the previous books so I was missing some back story. I enjoyed some of the characters and felt bad for some, I did not care for others.

In most thriller books you can jump in any book in the series and get the gist of what happened in previous books. This book did not do that for me. I was lost until about 50 pages in, then we are reading about Annika and her husband’s relationship problems. Once that scene was over we are then reading about Annika’s friend and her husband's problems. All could think is why should I care about these characters. The friend couple really did not advance the story for me. I was also confused about why Annika would sometimes hear angels. I don’t know if that was supposed to be real or she was off her meds.

This book was hit and miss for me. I was more interested in Annika’s relationships than the mystery/thriller part. I had to really force myself to finish. I will not continue reading this series. ( )

Not too bad, kinda standard ( )

Really enjoyed it. Read it really fast. Good page turner. ( )

Thirty years ago, someone destroyed a plane at a secure military air base in Luleå. Though no one was ever tried for the crime, blame was assigned by the Swedish authorities to an anonymous Russian and the matter forgotten. Journalist Benny Ekland seems to have some new information so crime reporter Annika Bengtson flies to Luleå to meet with him. When she arrives she discovers he has been killed. After talking to a young eyewitness the police have missed, she discovers his death was the result of a deliberate hit and run. Eventually she learns the police did have a main suspect for the bombing back in 1969, a local left-wing activist known as Ragnwald. Annika wonders if Ragnwald has returned and if so, why?

I've never read a book in this series but picked up Red Wolf, which turns out to be the fifth book. I liked Annika. She's a plucky heroine trying to cope with a demanding job, demanding young children, a possible cheating husband, and close friends with similar problems. She is definitely not perfect, and she can be devious and even hysterical at times. This is the type of series I usually enjoy, so when I get a chance I'm going to go back to the first book and see how Annika has held up over the years.
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