The Sandman
""'The Sandman'... in my opinion, is undoubtedly the best of the bunch so far." "
Synopsis:
During a cold winter night in Stockholm a young man is found walking alongside a railway bridge. The hospital declares he is suffering from hypothermia and legionella. They also discover a death certificate stating the man has been dead for over seven years.
Mikael knows him as 'The Sandman'. Thirteen years ago, he was taken from his bed along with his sister, victims of Jurek Walter, Sweden's most prolific serial killer. Walter is currently serving a life sentence, kept in solitary confinement, and still considered extremely dangerous by psychiatric staff.
Following Mikael's discovery, the hunt is on to find his sister, and to get to the truth Detective Inspector Joona Linna will need to get closer than ever to the man who stripped him of his family. The man who wants Linna dead.
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Review:
'The Sandman' is the fourth book in Lars Keppler's series about Inspector Joona Linna and in my opinion, is undoubtedly the best of the bunch so far. For existing readers it's a great next step and because the first part of the book overlaps somewhat with the end of the previous novel, 'The Fire Witness', it provides just enough detail to leave the previous novels a mystery, but allows new readers to have enough knowledge of Joona to enjoy 'The Sandman' as a great standalone novel. Thanks to a story being set over a small period of time, due mainly to the time-limited race to locate Mikael's sister, 'The Sandman' is a real page turner, and very difficult to put down. With its short sharp chapters that move the story on quickly it is also very easy to find time to read even on the busiest of days. What I enjoyed the most about this book is that it felt a far more character driven tale than previous outings, with much more being uncovered about both Joona Linna and Saga Bauer, along with the evil Jurek Walter. This does not however come at the cost of the plot, which is dark, twisted and will keep you engaged in the chase from beginning to end. You will not be able to put this book down, and with an explosive and emotional ending I guarantee you'll be keen for the next in the series.