Adele

Roslund-Hellström 's Box 21 is a very gritty and dark tale of the sex slave industry in Sweden. It tells the story of two girls from Lithuania who come to Sweden for the promise of better jobs only to find out that they must repay their debt in a Stockholm brothel. Eventually, they find a chance for freedom and the opportunity to exact revenge on their keepers. Their story begins at this point, as Lydia and Alena embark on their plan to expose their captors and demand justice. 

Police officers Sundkvist and Grens are on the trail of their enslavers and Jochum Lang, a nortorious mob enforcer, and Hilding Oldeus, a junkie on what may be his last bender. At the Soder Hospital all the characters' lives start to converge. It is a complicated story with a cast of intriguing characters which come together in unexpected and explosive ways.

    This book is not for the faint of heart but it is gripping and very well written. I was a bit depressed when I finished it due to the subject matter but look forward to trying their next book, 3 Seconds.
 
   

 Biographer Erica Falck travels back to her tiny hometown of Fjallbacka after her parents have died only to find that her childhood best friend was found with her wrists slashed and her body in a bathtub of frozen water. Erica is haunted by why her friend would kill herself and, as she investigates, she begins to uncover a decades-old mystery long hidden in the idyllic little town. 

She teams up with local police detective Patrik Hedstom to investigate and, as they uncover clues, it becomes apparent there is someone out there who would risk everything to hide the secret. The Ice Princess kept me guessing until the very end. This is one of the most accessable Swedish authors I have read and she reminded me of both Louise Penny and Ann Cleeves, two writers I never miss.

Alafair Burke’s new stand-alone novel, Long Gone, kept me in suspense all the way through. I learned a lot about the character, which I always like, and I never saw the ending coming.

Ok, I read Gone Baby Gone followed by the new book, but it wasn't enough so I went back to the beginning. I have now reread the whole series beginning with A Drink Before the War.

I remember why I love those books so much. They are very dark but always with such emphasis on the relationships between Patrick, Angie, their friends, and their neighborhood in Boston. If you haven't read Dennis, I recommend you start. They are GREAT books. They are intense but always in some way leave me with a feeling of redemption. That may not be the right word -- I am a reader not a writer! Just take my word that you should read Dennis Lehane.

Fran here: Let me just echo what Adele said. It was great being back in Patrick and Angie's world. Briefly, the girl they'd gone to such desperate lengths to find in Gone Baby Gone is missing again, and this time finding her is pretty much an all-or-nothing situation, especially for Patrick.

As much as I've enjoyed his stand-alones, Dennis Lehane's “Patrick and Angie” series will always be the one I love best. Adele's right, if you haven't read them, start with A Drink Before The War and enjoy!