Stalker (Joona Linna #5) by Lars Kepler (translated from the original Swedish Edition)
Publisher: HarperCollins
Goodreads Summary: The much-anticipated fifth thriller in Lars Kepler's bestselling series featuring Joona Linna. Perfect for fans of Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo. A video-clip is sent to the National Criminal Investigation Department. Someone has secretly filmed a woman through her window from the garden. The next day she is found dead after a frenzied knife-attack. The police receive a second film of another unknown woman. There is no way of identifying her before time runs out. When her husband finds her he is so traumatised that he cleans the whole house and puts her to bed. He may have seen a vital clue, but is in such an extreme state of shock that the police are unable to question him. Psychiatrist Erik Maria Bark is called in to hypnotise him - but what the man tells him under hypnosis leads Erik to start lying to the police. If the lights are on, a stalker can see you from outside. But if the lights are off, you can't see a stalker who is already inside the house.
Rating: 5 Stars
Review: *This is the fifth book in the Joona Linna series but can be read as a stand alone*

Swedish police are sent a video of a woman conducting daily routines. Not long afterward, the body is found. They realise that the murderer is a stalker, and watches his victims before killing them. Margot Silverman, superintendent leads the mission, bringing in many unauthorised helpers.

I didn't realise this book is part of a series until I started reading it. Too late, I was already hooked, and certainly not going to stop reading the only book I had, one of the only things between me and boredom. Told from many perspectives, only when you are well entangled in the web of Stalker do you realise the target of the murders. Subtle hints along the way can often be misread or unnoticed.

Lars Kepler is a great crime writer because only at the end of the novel do you realise who the perpetrator is. Sure, this is the case for all great crime novels but I think the authors of this book are set apart from many others due to their brilliant misleading facts. There's a lure, a hook that keeps readers wondering what is going to happen next. The multitude of perspectives support this by making it harder to see who the killer's focus is.

Stalker is quite a long novel, and in no way did I get bored of reading it. Another plus about this novel is that the ending isn't rushed, Lars Kepler takes their time writing it, almost tormenting their readers. The pace accelerates a little, but this is because of the killer's nature. However, I would've liked it more if a certain two police officers got a little more screen time.
Purchase Location: ~I received a copy from HarperCollins NZ in exchange for an honest review~
Edition:
Paperback
Buy the book:
Book Depository
Recommended for: Fans of mystery novels and thrillers.