Book Review: Lazarus by Lars Kepler

HOLY COW!!!

I love this series – Joona Linna is incredible, Saga Bauer is amazing, Jurek Walter is a horrifyingly perfect villain, and the investigations, pursuit, evasion, and supporting characters are all immaculate in construction, set up, and execution. The books are DARK, but there is a pathos to the series that has resonated with me from the first book.

In this latest installment, Jurek Walter is back. Or is he? Someone is following very closely in his notorious footsteps and no one believes Joona when he calls the alarm… The story that builds from here is bloody, vicious, devious, and glorious. It is, that is, perfectly Lars Kepler-esque. The husband-wife writing team that produces this series is marvelous. The writing, the pacing, the revelations – all are spot-on. The characters – both heroes and villains – are broken and bent in myriad ways, and watching them navigate their environs – both emotional and physical – provides readers with a delirious trippy experience that is horrible and delightful at the same time.

I can’t say a lot more – it would give stuff away and I wouldn’t spoil this read for anything… Trust me when I say it’s another perfect installment in a fantastic series. And the ending – OH MY GOODNESS, I couldn’t believe it all! It definitely left things open and I’m so very glad it did – this series is too good to end, although I do hope poor Joona gets a well-deserved break one day…

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my obligation-free review copy. The book releases in the U.S. on December 1, 2020. I included both covers I found online – they’re both compelling, for different reasons, so I thought both were worth including.