The Blood Spilt (Rebecka Martinsson Book 2)

You really should read this series in order. That said, Spoiler alert: At the end of the series debut, Sun Storm, attorney Rebecka Martinsson killed three men to protect herself and two young girls. As this novel opens, Martinsson has gone back to work after a lengthy convalescence following those traumatic events. Of course no one treats her the same, and she hates being the subject of gossip and conjecture. She is supported by others to confront her ghosts, to go back to northern Sweden. There is company business she can help with, and it will do her good. She finds some surprising peace there and decides to stay on a few days. She gets to know another intriguing cast of characters: ex-policeman and local power broker Lars-Gunnar and his simple son Nalle, the local friendly waitress and her tattooed boss and dog-loving ditzy mother Lisa. But of course no one is quite who they seem to be, and when a local woman priest is murdered, Rebecka becomes involved, renewing her acquaintance with police detectives Anna-Maria Mella, who has now had her fourth child, and dear Sven-Erik, distraught over a missing cat.I love that our heroine mainly contributes to the murder investigation through mental acuity and document research -- heady stuff for a librarian. I also greatly admire the writing of Asa Larsson as she travels between characters, alternating voice and technique in a narrative patchwork that comes together as the story unfolds. Interspersed with the human story is that of a wolf in the area, and Larsson shows fine writing from that perspective as well. As a matter of fact, there is a strong group of threads involving dogs, as Rebecka remembers past pets, happy canines romp through the snow at her grandmother's house, and several humans are even referred to as puppies and terriers. And there is a chapter where Lisa describes each of her dogs that is just wonderful. Anna-Maria's family woman angst and Sven-Erik's despair round out the series trio's experiences as they try to work out the perpetrator and Rebecka tries to recover from the events of Sun Storm. There is also an appearance by delightfully cranky coroner Lars Pohjanen.This book is intense and brutal, a fitting sequel to Sun Storm. If it seems female-centric to some, I'd say that's inaccurate. There are plenty of interesting male characters, equally complex and nuanced, and Sven-Erik is terrific.Second in a terrific series. Read them in order! They are: Sun Storm (also published as The Savage Altar),The Blood Spilt, The Black Path, Until Thy Wrath Be Past, and The Second Deadly Sin.Highest recommendation.

I also think I should have read Sun Storm before tackling this book.I was impressed with her prose and that is very important to me.The sideline of Yellow Legs I found fascinating enough to read a bitmore about wolf behavior. It was so poignant. But I don't see whyit was in the book, although maybe I should think about it a bit more.The Swedish names make the reading confusing for me. Some of the namesare similar and I do have trouble keeping the characters straight, butthat's my problem. The issue of the Hunt Club went way over my head.Why lisa killed her dogs is repugnant and bewildering to me. I thoughtshe would have killed herself at the same time when the vet went outof the room. I don't know why Rebecka was beat up at the endof the book. I'm exited by Asa Larsson, but I think this book shouldhave been edited more carefully before publication. I wish some authorswould in the front of the book, list the characters by name with asentence about who they are in the book. And at least Yellow Legs hada happy ending.

There is a saying I have heard...I don't care who dies in the movie but don't hurt the dog! I've now read the first two books in the series...and both have very descriptive scenes of animal torture and death. Indeed, I was so afraid that the wolf in the second novel would meet a similarly intensively descriptive end to its life at the hands of an evil human that I simply skipped all the parts about Yellow Legs. Additionally, there are graphic descriptions of abusive relationships between husbands and wives...all connected with conservative Christianity and its belief that women should be seen and not heard and must subject themselves to the whims of their husbands, even to their "punishments" for so called failures. Since the major social custom surrounding Hunt Clubs is totally unfamiliar to me as a non-Swede city dweller, the nuances surrounding that apparently very important social custom escaped me. I didn't hate it, the writing is good, and the story was interesting when it didn't involve animal and female abuse. I will probably at least start the third book...but so much of this story's violence seemed gratuitous and unnecessary that if the third book has similar themes, I may give up on this series.

This author is what my wife calls 'a painter,' as opposed to 'a pointer.' Pointers are main-points, expositorially focused. I am a pointer, struggling to write a memoir. I have much to learn from this author. Painters provide descriptions that make your senses tingle, that put you right into the scene. Descriptions sizzle on the page, whether they have to do with the type of snow being described, office politics in a law firm, a life and death struggle, or the mating rituals of wolves. My Icelandic heritage has me exploring the Nordic Noir genre, and this Swede writes with the best of them!

Larsson is an interesting writer and an excellent stylist. Occasionally the translation in this second Rebecka Martinsson novel falls short in meaning or produces an awkward sentence— e.g., a number of characters are clearly meant to be seen as tanned by long exposure to the sun but are instead described as sunburned, Swedish using the same word for both—but such distractions come rarely and never seem to last more than the momentary phrase. On the whole, the translation conveys Larsson's well-constructed narrative and rich interior voices admirably. One might object that a few of the characters, including portrayal of the Swedish Church, fall into the realm of caricature, but this is still a great read and a more-than-worthy sequel to Larsson's Sun Storm.

I love this series. Rebecca is a strong woman even though she might not know it yet and it will be great to see how she'll get on.

Entretenido

An unusual crime novel, focussing on the interior life of the people affected by the murder victim. The writer obviously adores animals, providing a further dimension of emotional connection.I am not sure how the she-wolf fits into the story, but her knowledge and empathy are impressive. The pace of the novel is slow, but suits the building up of emotional levels. A very talented writer.

Wie schon in der Vergangenheit: Asa Larsson schreibt klasse - besonders die Bücher mit Rebecca Martinsson sind unbedingt empfehlenswert! Hoffentlich gibt es noch viele, die ich noch nicht kenne!

Read the book by Asa Larsson before this and loved it.