Camilla Lackberg - The Lost Boy

Mats Sverin was Fjällbacka's financial director on a regeneration project worth millions. When he is found murdered, Detective Patrik Hedström must find answers. It seems Mats was a man who everybody liked yet nobody really knew—a man with something to hide...Is it just a coincidence that his high school sweetheart, Nathalie, has returned to the area? What does she know about who Mats really was?
However, Nathalie has her own secret. Something has made her and her five-year-old son flee to their remote family home on the 'Ghost Isle'. And that is where she'll stay and shield her son from the evils of the world. But, as the murder investigation draws a blank, the police have to dig deeper—and before long, everyone's lives will be dragged into the light ...

Comment: This is the 7th book in the Patrick Hedstrom and Erica Falck series by Camilla Lackberg, where we follow the lives of the police officers as well as the crimes they try to solve. I was very eager to read this one because it's one of those you know for sure it will be amazing and more than enjoyable.

This time the main crime revolves around Matts Sverin, a man in charge of the finances of a new enterprise in the city. Then he is killed and the police starts to investigate the who and why. At first there are no clues, but later on too many clues come up and the problem is the links to connect the right reason and guilty people. At the same time, there are the personal challenges everyone has to deal with that affect their state of mind and their relationships to others.

The best thing I love about these books is how normal the main characters are, and that includes the police officers that are the main players in the novels from the beginning. Not one of them is over the top dramatic and making stupid decisions because thy think they can take it. I really hate it when characters, especially police officers, try to everything their own way. Thankfully, the domestic part of these books are wonderfully written and are the biggest attraction for me.

The crime in the book has a solution I didn't see coming. Well usually I never guess who the murder is, much less the exact reasons why. In this case, there are several issues being dealt with, which we find out throughout the story. I think it's ingenious how the author picks several society problems and uses them to create her stories, and all in a way that is perfectly acceptable for the reader to think about those things but not being 100% certain which one is the right reason in each case.

The story has a secondary story line, from the past, always in the beginning of new chapters, sort of, always in italic to be different. These stories are part of all the books and they create some sort of connection to the main, contemporary story. In this book's case, the older story line has power, a slow development and is there to add mystery, for there are ghosts and reference to them on an island. I liked the secondary story and the role it plays. Still, I think the way it developed was a bit forced and could have reached the same intent done differently. Just my opinion.

There is a situation that leaves one bothered how the human psique can completely turn around the reality and force someone to see what's not there. I found this sub plot quite disturbing in terms of how the situation could happen but I admit the solution was appropriate although I did cry over some passages because of it. Truly, life extremes have their own lessons and impact...

In the end, I was once more marveled by the author's talent and imagination to create such a story. I already got the next book and can't wait to read it. I recommend this author and her books to all crime readers out there. This book was great and had many ideas and situations to wonder about and speculate and want to know more of but all done in a clever, witty way. Great!

Grade: 8/10