Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Page turner from Norway, August 8, 2006
This book was given to me recently. Anne Holt has done very good work here, especially in the character development department. I strongly disagree with the editorial review by Publishers Weekly that said less time could have been spent on character descriptions. The plot, a serial killer in Norway develops quickly- Almost too quickly. The interplay between Vik, the psychologist/academic and Stubo, the methodical detective is well done. Getting to know them is a significant part of the story. As stated in prior reviews young children disappear and turn up with no apparent cause of death. We get to meet the psychopath early on but have to wait for the conclusion to get the whole story. I enjoyed the book- Style and story. While sometimes finding translations difficult to get into this one is an exception. Ms Holt had me losing sleep. The only criticism I offer is that the story almost appeared to be rushed towards the end. For this reason alone I would have given it a 4.5 if that was offered. I was enjoying it so much I could have gone another 75 to 100 pages if the story could have continued to be supported. All in all I expect to be reading more Anne Holt.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Thrills Translate into any Language, July 1, 2006
An eight-year-old girl is kidnapped walking home from school, sending the low-crime country of Norway into a tailspin. On the heels of that atrocity, a five-year-old disappears only to be returned to his parents' home days later, dead. A serial child murderer is on the loose and detective Adam Stubo turns to former FBI agent, now lawyer Johanne Vik for a profile of the killer. Together they race against the clock to find the kidnapper before another child turns up dead. Originally written in Norwegian, this book is a fast-pace thriller with a twisting plot and intricate details. In addition to the suspense, Anne Holt fills the pages with well-rounded characters, each with their own personal struggle. Readers will empathize with Adam's loss of his wife and Johanne's attempts to successfully parent a mentally handicapped child. Together they make the pages of this book come to life, and readers will have hard time putting it down until the very end. However, while this is an enjoyable book, there are a few too many convenient coincidences in the final pages to satisfy typical readers of this genre. Perhaps most notable is that, unlike most thrillers, this story lacks graphic violence. While many might be disturbed at the idea of a child serial killer, there is nothing bloody or gory about What Is Mine, which will appeal to a wide cross-section of readers. Reviewed by Joelle Charbonneau-Blanco 6/26/2006
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Suspenseful Norwegian crime thriller, April 2, 2010
I am an ardent fan of Scandinavian crime thrillers and there are many good authors to choose from: Karin Fossum, Arnaldur Indridason, Johan Theorin, Henning Mankell, Mari Jungstedt, and many more. I got "What is Mine" as a Kindle title (though less than what it is currently priced), and enjoyed it. The story centers around the mysterious abductions of several young children, which sparks a frantic police investigation headed by Detective Adam Stubo, a 45-year-old widower. Stubo has a certain feel for the cases he handles, acting as much on his hunches and instincts as he does based on police procedures. His instincts tell him to solicit the services of Johanne Vik, a psychology professor at Oslo University. Vik is a single mom to a young child, Kristiane (who seems to have an undiagnosed psychological/neurological problem),and has a background in profiling, experience which she obtained whilst at school in the United States. Vik also happens to be working on a case to do with a much older crime involving the sexual assault and murder of a young child. The person convicted of the crime, Aksel Seier, was later released after serving nine years behind bars, and has since moved to the United States. The dying woman who has solicited Vik's services is convinced of Seier's innocence and wants Vik to help prove it. Eventually Stubo and Vik's paths cross - partly prompted by the desperate situation as some of the abducted children turn up murdered and delivered to their parents. Apparently, there is a serial killer of children on the loose and Norway is in a panic. What makes the cases even more puzzling is the inability of the pathologist to pinpoint the exact cause of death. To complicate matters, one of the abducted children, nine-year-old Emilie Selbu, may possibly still be alive and it is left to Stubo and an initially reluctant Vik to connect the dots and race against time to solve the case, just as another victim is found. Though the story gets mired in overly detailed descriptions at times, I felt the story was deftly plotted.The story is told from multiple perspectives and makes for a fascinating, if at times uneven read. There is an element of suspense throughout (though I confess I guessed a major revelation halfway through the book). The characters are credibly portrayed and well-developed - Stubo is a hardened cop who relies on his gut instincts to solve cases; Vik is a beautiful yet conflicted mom who struggles to balance her myriad roles; Seier is hard to define, a man who has tried to disconnect from his past yet finds himself haunted by it; and finally, the killer - what are the killer's motives and will the killer be found in time before it's too late? "What is Mine" is a strong debut from Anne Holt and I look forward to reading her follow-up novel featuring Stubo and Vik once again.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews
|
