Lazarus

Starred review from October 1, 2020
How do you escape the wrath of a killer who can attack in two places at once? Legendary Stockholm detective Joona Linna was convinced that Saga Bauer murdered Jurek Walter, the serial killer who was hell-bent on destroying Linna (in The Sandman, 2018). When Linna's late wife's head is found at the scene of a grave robber's murder and Linna's business card is discovered on another criminal's body, Joona recognizes Walter's touch. Walter, he realizes, somehow survived and is training a new accomplice to replace his twin brother, Igor, whom Joona killed. Walter's next targets, Joona believes, will be his own and Saga's loved ones. Failing to convince Saga or his girlfriend, Valeria, of Jurek's return, Joona initiates a plan designed to protect Saga's daughter. Unfortunately, with her Valeria is punished quickly for her refusal to flee, and Saga stares down her worst nightmares. Joona, drawn out of hiding, must play Walter's cat-and-mouse game. As Walter prowls closer, Kepler combines explosive action with masterfully developed tension. Readers already on board with this standout series will find a bar-raising entry here, and reassurance that the door is open for Joona's return. Strongly recommended for fans of Nicci French, Stieg Larrson, and Jussi Adler-Olsen.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

Starred review from October 5, 2020
In Kepler’s relentlessly grim seventh Killer Instinct novel (after 2018’s The Rabbit Hunter), Joona Linna, a superintendent with Sweden’s National Crimes Unit, who has “solved more complex murder cases than anyone else in Scandinavia,” returns to active duty after completing a community service sentence following time in prison for assault. Meanwhile, a suspected grave robber is murdered in Oslo, and in his refrigerator is the skull of Linna’s late wife, which the robber apparently dug up in Sweden and brought home to Norway. The dead man has whip marks on his back, injuries similar to those Linna saw on the brother of his dead Hannibal Lecter–like adversary, Jurek Walter, in a previous outing. In Germany, those same injuries show up on the body of another murdered criminal, who made a call to Linna’s cellphone shortly before his death. Linna becomes convinced that Walter is still alive and recruiting men across Europe to serve as accomplices in his crimes. Kepler (the pen name of a husband-wife writing team) maintains an almost unbearable level of tension throughout and does an outstanding job of making readers fear that anyone could die a horrible death at any time. Fans of serial killer fiction won’t want to miss this one. Agent: Niclas Salomonsson, Salomonsson Agency (Sweden).