This was a brilliant read. As soon as I started reading this book I just knew I was going to love it. Highly recommended

Watching you by Arnei Dahl.
Sam Berger Series Book 1.
At each abandoned crime scene there's a hidden clue: a tiny metal cog. Someone is sending Detective Sam Berger a message, someone who knows that only he will understand the cryptic trail.
Omg what a read. Brilliant. Kept me guessing. 5*.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy of this book. This was an excellent read.
Thoroughly recommended

I’d personally put this as a suspense, investigator kinda series.

First book in a new series (I’m late reading this and others are already out) it opens well.

Loved the main character and how he was developed with his past demons being brought to the fore, giving him a good realistic 3D personage.

Twisty.
Rounded.
Fast paced.

What more do we want.

Watching You - Arne Dahl

This is a police procedural and I feel that it is the first in a new series involving Detective Sam Berger. I thoroughly enjoyed this, it's my first from this author but it won't be my last. Its written in a Swedish Noir typr style which I found refreshing. I have and will recommend this to my bookworm friends.

Read for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley and Random House UK

Sam Bergen is sure that there is a serial killer of 15-year-old girls here. But this is not what his boss thinks - so Sam runs a kind of secret investigation. Because the life of a last girl missing is on stake. And because there is something on his mind.
And who is a mysterious woman on a bicycle? Might be that she is much more mysterious that she appears to look - and much more connected to the mystery?

This is a fantastic start of a noir Scandinavian mystery with all its beloved (or not, depends on your reading taste) props - one very smart killer around, some cruel parts of human nature and psyche, some (deep and emotional) psychological base line, some violence on children. This I could take or pass, depends on my day. But a very, very smart writing with a lot of unexpected plot twists and well-thought parts of the storyline? Never. So here you have me, hooked on the last pages and trying to find a reading time for the next volume in this smart series.

But be warned - while this is not as partcularly dark and violend as the Nordic crime tends to be, is is not an easy ride and more than a drop of blood/tears/sweat are thrown in. But the vivid intelligence and ability to capture the reader´s attention of this author are very worthy of a scare here and there.

A fantastic thriller, enjoyed it immensely and eagerly anticipate the next instalment. The new Scandi series to watch out for!

A typical twisting, turning Scandi-thriller, Watching You by Arne Dahl is a fast-paced journey through the disturbing crimes of a kidnapper assumed responsible for the abduction of at least two 15-year old girls. With the disappearance of a third 15-year old girl, Sam Berger knows they are looking for a would-be serial killer and will stop at nothing to make sure the third girl will not meet the same fate as the first two.
Watching You twists and turns at every possible moment, uncovering layer upon layer of complicated, disturbing truth and desception, designed to throw the police off the scent. It was so difficult for me to see where and how this book would end and is obviously a first in what will be a Sam Berger series. If future books continue with the pace, mystery and strength of Watching You, they will surely be top sellers among the best in the Scandinavian genre.

Very enjoyable and unpredictable, will keep the reader guessing until the final pages and beyond.

Thank you to Arne Dahl, NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

This the first book in Berger and Blom series, and it was my first encounter with Swedish noir.
At the beginning of this book, I had no idea what was going on and what are they trying to figure out. There were only little clues, that a 15-year-old girl is missing. As the story progressed, I started to see, that Sam Berger, is the main detective, trying to solve this case. The characters in this book are really entwined with each other and very mysterious at the same time. There is a lot of secret work going on, which is uncovered throughout the book, and it was very pleasantly unexpected for me.
The narrative is told from multiple perspectives, and the events keep traveling to the past, to share some of the secrets with a reader. Even though the beginning of this book is quite dull, once it reaches around 40 % it spikes up drastically. The whole narrative gets a different perspective and is way more interesting, so do not give up on this book, wait for those juicy twists ;) The main issue discussed in this book is bullying, and how it can scar people for life.
The setting of this book is very dark and gloomy, giving this book this cold and shadowy feeling. The writing style is pleasant to read, however, it has these Swedish place and street names which were kind of hard to read… (So I just skipped them :D ) The chapters are a decent length and did not bore me. I really liked the suspense in this novel and I really loved the culmination as well. Even though there are clues of where it is headed and who the “Bad guy “ is, the reasoning behind it, was what really got my curiosity. So, to conclude, it was a very dark and intriguing read for me, filled with plot changing turns and very unique events. I do recommend to give this book a try if you have enough patience. It’s worth a wait, I think.

A thrilling read, unique and exciting. Hoping this is the start of a series after the cliffhanger of and ending. Great book.

The following is my review as posted on Goodreads.

I hadn't head of Arne Dahl before this book had been offered to me. Turned to be a really nice surprise.

A young girl disappears and there is no trace of her anywhere. Other 15 year old girls have disappeared also and it's a case that Detective Sam Berger and his team are cased to solve. One night whilst entering a farmhouse it becomes clear that the place is booby trapped and a man goes down. It's a shocking moment that leaves the police officers nervous as the farmhouse is searched for any clues that might lead to the missing girl.

As the investigation goes on events lead to thoughts of a serial killer being on the loose. Berger is convinced that this is the case though he has a tough time convincing his superiors. So much so that Berger, together with a partner, has to move away from the rest of his policing team and effectively work alone in tracking down the killer. Dahl has written a frantically paced, stylish thriller that totally had me hooked. Yes, it was a little over the top at times and well plausibility was somewhat stretched but that didn't matter as I really enjoyed it and couldn't stop reading for the most part. I loved Berger's character and that of his sidekick (I won't say who, find out for yourselves!) and the way they worked together. Second guessing one another's moves and trying to preempt what the other will do. And the tie in with clocks and timepieces was fascinating.

Watching You is a high octane thriller that had me ..... well..... thrilled. I'm very much looking forward to the next instalment in what could potentially be a great series. Highly recommend.

Thank to you those for my ARC.

This was the first time of reading this author, however I am a huge Scandi crime lover! Very fast paced book with well developed characters, can’t wait for the second book in the series!
I have posted a review on Amazon UK, sorry not sure how to link to this post?

This was a horrifying and absorbing murder mystery, from beginning to end. A great storyline with strong characters, lots of detail and fast moving. A real brain teaser with the build up to the conclusion really gripping and rapid. When the end came it was like completing a jigsaw puzzle. Great read.

The book started out really well but I was disinterested towards the end.

This is probably one of the worst crime thrillers that I have ever read. Poorly written/translated; gratuitous violence; dull characters; implausible plot!. Don't bother to read this. Such a disappointment, especially when the series shown on BBC4 was so good!

This Crime Thriller encompasses the backlash of bullying which quite frequently occurs in the school playground.

Sam is a detective, working on the disappearance of a fifteen year old girl. He is convinced that this isn't an isolated case and his superiors don't agree with him.

After receiving an anonymous telephone call about the whereabouts of the girl, Sam is sick to his stomach when he arrives at the location. Being very thorough in everything he does, he picks up a clue which might be related to previous disappearances and possibly the perpeprator's identity. He observes other similarities and his investigations lead him to either an accomplice or the guilty party. The twist here is disconcerting and he finds himself reliving the past.

After an interrogation with the suspect, he finds himself on the other end of the stick. The twist here is simply amazing. All of a sudden his past and his present collide. It becomes obvious that the suspect has similar thoughts to his. They are on opposite sides, but succeeding would require trust and a prospective partnership. Doing so would put them on the wrong side of the law. Can they find a way around this problem? The clock is ticking!

I wasn't sure what to make of this story when I started reading, but the twists and additional layers soon pulled me in this intricate plot. Unravelling Molly's true purpose is quite a feat. The partnership between them is gradual and tentative to begin with. Having the same objective strengthens this partnership. They put everything on the line and their uncoveries are horrific, but worthwhile.

The plot is multilayered and brilliantly woven. The characters are strong and believable. The suspense, mystery and twists make it a real page turner. It's a compulsive read and the end is left open to imagination or maybe a sequel! I would recommend to fans of thrillers who like to be kept at the edge of their seats.

I was kindly issued with an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley and the views expressed are my personal opinion.

Sam Berger is a cop who likes watches. He's convinced that a fifteen year old girl who's gone missing has been abducted by a serial killer and that she is at least his third victim but none of his colleagues agree with him. Then a mysterious woman who has appeared at the crime scenes is discovered and Sam's team starts to think he really is on to something. Is this mysterious woman for real though and why does Sam think there is a connection between them. A story of bullying at school, childhood betrayal, secret organisations and revenge. I found the story a bit slow to begin with but it then speeded up and I just had to find out what happened. Hope this is the start of a series as I would like to read more about the two main characters.

Thanks to Netgalley, Random House Vintage Publishing and Arne Dahl for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A book full of complex twists but they are not always entirely convincing, some were banal and others very complicated .The story began with a bang describing the first house and the incident in getting access, but sort of fizzled all the way through with many heart beating emotional scenes followed by downbeat moments. The ending where Sam and Molly return to start their life again as a duo makes it seem like this will be the start of a series. The story is certainly classified as dark and does unfold in very imaginative ways that keep the reader wanting more information to try to evaluate the killer.
The characters were well described and the moments describing the children were fully detailed. The police and Security Service leaders were so clearly described that Dahl pushed the reader into liking or disliking very successfully, to the extent that I did not like Nathalie Freden to start with and took a while to understand her. On the other side Deer came across as an excellent detective. I thought that the significance of the cogs at the scenes was very clever and challenged the reader to try to think outside of the norm here.
I was not keen on reading this book to start with but when I wrote this review I realized how much I did enjoy it and I am looking forward to the follow-up.

Sam Berger is a maverick detective who is convinced that there is a serial killer at large. Following a tip-off his team raids a house and finds evidence that it has been used for torture. However the clues are contrary and when the only lead turns out to be false Berger finds himself a suspect. Yet Sam knows that the killer is leaving clues that only he can interpret and so he finds himself on the run with an unlikely partner and a chase into a past he has tried to forget.

This is a pacy and breathless book. Berger is the typically complex Nordic detective, carrying a past that is about to mesh with the present, and Blom also has issues. What makes this book so great is the number of twists that occur quite early in the narrative. Usually dramatic plot twists happen towards the end of the story but here there are a couple of huge ones in the first half. The writing is so convincing that the reader does wonder if Berger is completely honest. Even the ending, which seems so clear cut, leaves the door open for a next installment.

Firstly thank you to the publisher for an ARC in exchange for a fair review.

This story has a lot of twists and turns, but I feel like it was a bit too stretched out.I liked the characters and thought it was well written.
I enjoyed reading it but felt it didn't quite grip me enough, although the ending has left me wanting to read the next instalment!