Holger Munch and Mia Kruger #4

‘It’s a full moon tomorrow. I’m scared of the wolf’

In 1993, in Fagerhult, Sweden, two boys are brutally murdered and arranged with the white hare between them. Despite an extensive investigation, the case is never solved. In Norway in 2001, a father and son are flying a kite when the son finds two bodies remarkably similarly posed to the Swedish murders. Oslo homicide detective Holger Munch assembles his team, which includes Police Academy trainee Mia Kruger full brought in for her outstanding incisive profiler abilities. The disparate but driven team work incredibly hard to try to solve this seemingly impossible case.

First of all, I love this series and this prequel can easily be read as a standalone before reading “I travel alone“. The cast of characters are fascinating especially Mia, whose insights often lead to progress. She has a lot of baggage but this just makes her more interesting. Munch is a workaholic which must try his wife’s patience and that of his boss with whom it’s fair to say he doesn’t see eye to eye. The rest of the team are all well fleshed out as lawyer Anette Goli smooth paths, sartorially elegant and bit of a ladies man, Fredrik Riis and not forgetting “Sporty Spice” Katja van den Burg who work diligently to try to catch a break.

The plot is complex and contains multiple layers, with mystery piling on mystery deepening the puzzle and eventually intertwining the various strands. It does feel a bit disjointed at times but via these threads you do often get a little nugget to piece together to eventually form the big picture. The team are really up against it here as suspect after suspect is ruled out.

The psychology/profiling part of the story is especially compelling. There’s plenty of tension, the pace builds and there are some good suspenseful chapter endings to keep you reading on. The atmosphere feels brooding and claustrophobic at times, especially in the deeply forested areas outside of Oslo, which adds to the intensity of the storytelling. The ending is a tad abrupt, but all the strands come together well.

Overall, this another good addition to the excellent series and I look forward to reading number five.

With thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld, for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

A twisty thrill ride of a book that I found difficult to put down.
There was an equal mix of inspiring male and female characters throughout which is something I usually find lacking within this genre, especially by male authors. There were no awful descriptions of men judged by their clothing and age compared to women judged by their physical attributes and how attractive they are or were in the past, such a breath of fresh air!
I will definitely be reading more by this author and his balanced and intelligent writing.

Two crime scenes, eight years apart, in two different countries. At each scene, the bodies of two eleven year old boys. The only clue;- the diary entry of one boy, the night before he disappeared; ‘I’m scared of The Wolf’.
Mia Kruger, an ambitious and unconventional police trainee, is plucked from her studies to assist the team handling the homicides in Oslo. As she gets drawn deeper into each crime scene through the study of the police photographs, can she spot the link between each murder scene which help them identify the killer? And what if the killer is about to strike again?

I started this book, convinced that I’d already read ‘I’m Travelling Alone’ by the same author. It turns out that I haven’t – I believe it’s one of those books that there was so much buzz about at the time that I feel like I’ve read it. If you’re like me, and this is the first Samuel Bjork novel that you actually have read (rather than have imagined so), don’t worry – although this is the third in the Mia Kruger series, it’s actually a prequel and therefore can easily be read in its own right.

The Wolf is a great piece of crime writing. One of its strengths is the intertwining elements of the plot which succeed in not being too complex, but just complex enough to be clever and engaging. It also creates an excellent sense of place, bringing an overall unease and unsettling feel to the storyline.
Having said that, there were a couple of small moments in an otherwise strongly plotted story which felt, to me, that they could have benefitted from a little more context. Notably, the scene where Mia is given an apartment by her grandmother – from out of nowhere - feels slightly forced for the benefit of the plot; an intro and outro to the rationale behind the gift would have added authenticity. However, I can’t fault the detail the author has gone into on the actual flat – if you check it out on Google Maps, it’s actually a real place!

I really enjoyed this book; it’s a recommended read. And yes, I am going to go back and actually read I’m Travelling Alone, as soon as I can.

This is the third book in the Kruger and Munch series, however it can be and I did read this as a stand-alone. I really liked that this featured more on the psychological aspects of crime and there is loads of twists making this an interesting and unique mystery. I did find this hard to keep up with at times and slightly confusing but overall I enjoyed this.

I really enjoyed the three other books in this series that have been translated to English, so I was desperate to read this one. Unfortunately I found the plot a bit mixed up, it was hard to follow the time line. The was a clear beginning, middle and ending, but it flipped about a lot. I do like the psychological side to these books. The use of a psychologist and an insightful detective. There was lots to enjoy- I just found myself having to reread bits to make it make sense.

The Wolf is the first book I've read by Samuel Bjork. Only after finishing it did I find out that there are already 3 books in the Kruger and Munch series, but this one seems to be a prequel to them so it didn't affect my enjoyment. It can definitely be read as a standalone novel. I really enjoyed reading this. Lots of interesting characters and a good storyline. The ending felt a bit rushed with a lot crammed into the final chapter but overall it was a good read.

Have previously read a couple of books by Samuel Bjork featuring the main characters Kruger and Munch so pretty much knew what to expect. If I'm brutally frank, this one didn't quite hit the heights for me of "I'm Travelling Alone" or "The Boy In The Headlights and I found it to be just average. I felt that the story jumped about too much, even in the middle of chapters and that at times it was hard to follow which character was which. This may in part be down to me reading this as an ARC and I am grateful to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity.
Has it put me off reading more by this author and relating to the two main characters.....absolutely not.

Munch has been given his own serious crime unit, but his boss doesn't like him and he's going to have to prove himself. Two boys are found murdered outside Oslo and there is a ritual-like quality to the scene that mirrors an unsolved case from Sweden some years before. The head of the police academy recommends a new recruit, Mia, who has an uncanny ability to read crime scenes and Munch takes a chance on her in case she can help to solve this difficult case. There follows misdirection, blind alleys, a good deal of violence and mayhem - a ripping good yarn.