Title: The Hidden Child (#5 in series)
Author: Camilla Lackberg
Translated into English by: Tina Nunnally
Published by: Harper imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
Released: 2007 (Sweden) and 2011 (USA)
Summary: It's been a year since Erica and Patrik's daughter Maja was born. Erica decides that it's time to get back to writing so Patrik goes on paternity leave to take care of Maja. Motherhood has changed Erica and she starts thinking back on her own reserved and rather cold mother Elsy. Erica searches through her mother's old chest and uncovers a bloodstained baby shirt and an old medal. Curious, and wanting to know what the medal is, Erica takes it to local WWII and Nazi historian Erik Frankel. Months later Erik Frankel's body is discovered in his house, his head had been bashed in. Erica digs deeper into her mother's past and a nicer, sweeter Elsy emerges who was childhood friends with Erik and others. Erica and Patrik must uncover the mystery of why more of Elsy's old friends are dying and what secret the old medal and bloodstained shirt hold.
My Thoughts: This book wasn't too bad. I really should have started with the first book in this series though. I was very confused as to what was going on and who was who at the beginning of the novel. This is another darn good Swedish mystery.
I loved the mystery aspect to the book. It was only at the last 30 pages that everything started coming together and the killer was finally revealed. I also liked how the story jumped into the past and introduced young Elsy and a Sweden that was dealing with WWII. It almost felt like an episode of Cold Case, which is a pretty nifty show. I also kind of liked the sheer multitude of characters. Being able to jump into another person's story was pretty fun. The mystery was really just superb.
I had a couple of things that I didn't like so much about the story. First being the Erica of the beginning and middle of the book. She just wasn't pleasant. She started stupid arguments with Patrik and nagged at him a lot. She was just annoying in the beginning and I didn't feel any sympathy for her. She's a writer who works at home, so why Patrik had to take paternity leave anyway was a little iffy, and then she'd yell at him when he'd ask where things were :/ Erica just got on my nerves, although she did get better farther along in the book.
Another thing that irked me was the lead up to the end. Just when a character had figured something out or had new evidence, it would switch to another scene with different people and left me in the lurch. I wanted so badly to know what had happened and not be left in the dark for 10 extra pages.
I really did like this book. The mystery was great, the conclusion was interesting, and the characters were fun to get to know. I really want to start from the first book in the series to catch up on all that I missed. Very enjoyable and Swedish!
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 3.7/5
A real who-done-it Sweden style!
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