Death Angels

by Åke Edwardson

Book Overview

The debut thriller in the internationally acclaimed series? available for the first time in the United States A long-time number one bestseller in his native Sweden, ke Edwardson?s profile was conspicuously raised when his novel Frozen Tracks was chosen as a finalist for a 2008 Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Until now, however, the novel that launched Edwardson?s critically acclaimed Erik Winter series has never been available in the United States...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0143116096
• ISBN13: 9780143116097
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.61 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.6"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

intriguing swedish thriller

Although I am not your basic mystery reader, I enjoy a good whodunit on television, and applied that interest to the book, the latest contribution from Sweden. I found the vocabulary absolutely rich, a wealth of words that were unexpected and wondered if they were inspired by the Swedish original, or if the translator's creativity brought words I (also a Swedish to English translator) wouldn't have thought of spontaneously. And as a fellow Swedish to English translator, I can only say that the translation was excellent. Nowhere could I see the Swedish skeleton; nowhere could I say, oh yeah, I know what *that* author wrote in Swedish. Together, the author and translator brought to life this chiller that took place, in part, on streets and parks and waterways in Gothenburg that I know so well. Kudos to the author, for a good thriller, and kudos to the translator - for bringing to life, in our English words, a story that doesn't say "foreign" anywhere.

Death Angels by Ake Edwardson

Death Angels is a tight and well constructed police procedural. It's well paced, the more you read, the harder it is to put down. I read Frozen tracks some time ago and think I would have liked it much more if I had read Death Angels first. This is a great introduction to the series. Chief Inspector Erik Winter is the kind of character that I find attracts me to police procedural series. In this story we also meet a London detective, Steve Macdonald. Winter and Macdonald partner up to solve similar murders committed in both England and Sweden. After sizing each other up when they first meet, they hit it off. What's interesting is their immediate connection to each other, one has a thought, the other responds without anything being said. What the book doesn't have is a strong sense of place, it could be set anywhere. That's not a problem for me since my interest is in books that are psychologically motivated and character driven.

Death Angels, by Ake Edwardson

Despite an affinity for Swedish mysteries, I nearly did not get past the first few pages of this one; scenes of brutal physical abuse like the one at the beginning of the book are not to my liking. However, I am glad that I persisted because this is a crime novel worth reading. The author has a wonderful descriptive sense for the atmosphere in both Gothenburg and London, making both venues come alive. Even more interesting are the personal and psychological portraits of Chief Inspector Erik Winter, his British associate Steve Macdonald, and the fascinating set of characters surrounding them. This is what held my attention, above and beyond my desire to learn the perpetrator of the crimes. One further comment: I read a lot of books in translation, some good and some bad. This particular translation is so smooth that I felt as if the original book had been written in English. Well done!

At last... the real Detective Winter!

For those of us given peeks into this amazing writer's character of Detective Winter before, here, at long last (I don't read Sewdish, German or other languages!!!)is the opening story and it does not disappoint, not one line, not one character. It's a thrill ride, intelligent, surprising and, with plenty of twists, keeps you on the edge of your seat. I won't spoil it for you with a precis - just get this and ENJOY! Mankell watch out, there's someone better (or at least as compelling!).