Member Reviews
This is the third book in the Jana Berzelius series. I read the first book when it was first published and did not like it at all. Then after years of reading fantastic reviews of the series I gave the second book a chance, and eneded up really liking it. This book opens with Jana's mother dying and Danilo Pena escaping from the hospital. And then follow the horrible killings. I do not particularly like any of the characters, but the story is really thrilling and kept me on the edge of my seat. I did figure out who the killer was rather early, but the chase was exhilarating all the same. Such a great read. I will definitely be continuing with the series.
I took a chance on this book and I am glad I did. Great read. Will go back and read the other titles for this series. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book in return for my honest review. Receiving the book in this manner had no bearing on my review.
Slowly We Die is the third book in a series by this author, Emily Schepp. I highly recommend reading the first 2 books before diving into this one, as the story line would make more sense.
A killer is using scalpels to kill his victims. Jana has to investigate the killings and soon it gets close to home. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to have read this great read.
New author for me but pleasantly surprised. Thank you for the approval and look forward to a book relationship with other reads in the future,
I found this painfully hard to read and hard to follow with all the zipping to and fro very quickly from one person to another without much introduction. Probably due to the fact i only found out this was number 3 in a series just now - i think i missed alot that would have been better explained. Either way, just not the novel for me.
Thank you to the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a part of a series it seems, but even still I didn't feel completely lost as they do a good job of providing background information on the characters. It's a story about a police force dealing with a string of gruesome murders, and two paramedics who come to each of the calls. There a many, many smaller plot lines all tied together to make one storyline, it's a really enjoyable read.
Thank you netgalley for a copy of this book in engage for an honest review.
I found this book started off slow...it went back and forth and I found it at times a difficult read....stick with it, the ending is good!
Choppy with lot so characters vying for attention. The start of the book is slow but does pick up and then moves quickly.
I highly recommend reading the first two in the series before jumping into this one.
I would like to thank Mira Book Publishing and the Netgalley website for this partnership.
I was immediately attracted to the cover and its catchphrase: "A good killer knows how to wait for his time"
When a tragic accident during an operation leaves a patient damaged for life. Except that nowadays a series of murders terrify the medical community with a scalpel as their weapon of choice.
A thriller read in one go, I immediately hooked on the captivating story filled with suspense and twists and turns. My first book by this author, I love her pen.
MIRA and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Slowly We Die. I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.
Slowly We Die is a fast paced crime thriller that includes the best elements of the genre, namely suspense and police investigative skills. There are two distinct plot lines running concurrently throughout the book, with the special prosecutor Jana Berzelius having her own issues while gristly deaths are slowly uncovered. When the clues reveal potential suspects, will the police be able to figure out the perpetrators before more people are killed?
The continuity of the novel is constantly interrupted by the author, shifting gears between the murders and the prosecutor's story. Simply put, the author takes too much time to link the plot lines together, leaving the book a muddled mess to plow through. There is no intricacy to the plot, rather a tangled mess to unravel as the book moves forward. I never felt a connection to any of the characters and had a difficult time finishing the novel. In a genre full of well developed plot lines and interesting characters, Slowly We Die just does not stand out.
Thank you Sweden! Nothing formulaic about this suspense. Page turner yes yet one is inspired to read carefully so as not to miss a clue in the precise scene descriptions. No spoiler here but it does inspire one to try to stay as far away from “the knife” as one can.
Although not usually a thriller reader, I was enticed by the medical aspects of this well written book. Random acts of violence with a surgical scalpel leave the authorities puzzled. This is a new author for me, and this 3rd novel in the series represents a great new find.
A fast paced novel that’s equal parts police procedural and thriller. At first it was a tad bit difficult keeping the many characters separate, but once figured out the story moved smoothly between characters. The third book in a crime trilogy, but reads well as a stand alone. Action packed from start to finish. Schepp does an excellent job of weaving a story together.
Nordic Noir at its best!
Excuse me while I take a moment. Reverence! This book was absolutely fantastic and I can't believe I came in on the third in such a series having never heard of this author before (I don't know who to blame for that.) This is simply a great thriller. It has themes of loss, murder, revenge, redemption, and loyalty. It's part mystery, part police procedural, and partly just a darn great story. However, it is NOT a medical thriller (that is very misleading in the blurbs) by my reckoning. But, I'm going to let it go as I loved it anyway.
This suspenseful novel is set in Norrkoping, Sweden. There are so many characters in this novel that it would be impossible, without spoilers, to give a run down of who is who and how they were involved in the plot. The main character is, obviously, meant to be Prosecutor Jana Berzelius (and whoa what a backstory she has) followed by the police team -- there's Gunnar, Mia, Henrik, Anneli, and technician Ola. Then there are the secondary characters about whom the action revolves -- paramedics Philip and Sandra. Then the victims -- murdered in their homes in most gruesome style. At first it's a little hard to keep them all straight. There's also a mystery man with whom Jana has a history -- and it's not the romantic kind. But I won't say more so that you can work it all out for yourself and enjoy it as much as I did. The writing and characterization are top-notch and, even if you guess ahead at what might be going on as I did, you will still enjoy the ride!
What are you waiting for -- get this on your TBR as soon as you can. Best would be if you read #1 and #2 first, I'm sure, though I didn't have that luxury. I can only imagine, given the little dangling morsel at the end, that there is going to be a fourth and I've already got it on my MUST READ list.
Thank you to NetGalley and MIRA Books/Harlequin Enterprises for this e-book ARC to read and review. Don't forget me when I come begging for more Jana Berzelius.
"Slowly We Die" is the final book in a trilogy by Swedish author Emelie Schepp. Although some background information from the first two books is included, this is a series best read in order. Reading this one first will give a way major spoilers from the prior books and won't allow you to get to know the characters well enough. The main character, Special Prosecutor Jana Berzelius, isn't easy to like. Her often cold, aloof manner keeps people away, which is what Jana wants because she is hiding so many dark secrets. Keeping her past hidden from her colleagues and her one friend Per Astrom, rules so many decisions she makes, including allowing herself to be controlled by her one-time friend, now nemesis, Danilo Pena. Danilo is a scary villain who almost seem to have super powers in his ability to come out on top of dangerous situations.
As Jana fights her own demons, she is also assigned to a case of several murders committed with a surgical scalpel that seem to be linked. As she continues to investigate, she discovers a possible personal connection to these brutal murders. Some of the descriptions of these murder scenes are not for the squeamish.
I enjoy many of the side characters, such as DCI Henrik Levin, his partner Mia Bolander, lead investigator Gunnar Ohrn and his on again, off again girlfriend Anneli Lindgren. Not a lot of background is given on these characters in this installment, but for those who have read the first two books, which is recommended, will enjoy catching up with them.
"Slowly We Die" is told from multiple points of view and at times, it's hard to see how some of the storylines are related to the main plots, but everything comes together by the end of the book. This is a suspenseful and satisfying conclusion to this trilogy.
This book was provided to me by NetGalley, through the courtesy of Mira. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.
Thanks to NetGalley and Harlequin Mira for allowing me to read an e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are strictly my own.
I didn't realize this was the third (and last) book in a trilogy. Some writers provide enough "catch-up" material for those readers who have not read the books in order. Ms. Schepp is not one of them, so I really found myself quite behind the eight-ball for awhile while I tried to piece things together. The multitude of characters and Schepp's choppy manner of quickly jumping between different characters and their different storylines didn't help.
But even if I were coming to this book having read the others in the trilogy, the first half of this book is v-e-r-y slow! I almost put it in the DNF pile many times until I looked at several reviews which said the same thing but also said that it picked up the pace in the second half and was quite a good read.
I am glad that I stuck with it as it did end up being a good read. But given the other issues, I'm giving this 3-stars.
This is the third book in a series. I haven't read the first two, so there was some backstory that I was clearly missing, which made it a little hard to figure out the characters, even if in the end it was easy to catch up. And what a main character! Jana Berzelius is not the typical heroine, as she has a very, very dark past. Again, I was missing some background info, but it's clear that she had a bad childhood. The action alludes to an incident called "Policegate" and some secondary characters are involved. A side plot is about a bad guy that was caught in that incident, but the main story deals with a series of gruesome killings. The rhythm was a little slow at first, but the last part was very suspenseful. I figured out whodunit from the beginning, but I had no idea where the plot was going and it actually shocked me. I'm curious about this series, it's definitely worth reading.
Slowly We Die by Emelie Schepp is a frightening thriller. Imagine being locked in with an unconscious prisoner only to find him awake...the nurse dropped the needle. Her partner bent down to pick it up only to find her dead and the prisoner alive.
Death hung in the air on every page. The intensity of the increasing violence and the volume of people being murdered by a scalpel made my hair stick up. Then, I found out the main character, a prosecutor, may have a personal attachment to the case at hand. Freaky, deadly, and chilling...Emelie Schepp got the fear factor in full force.
The novel really went into depth on the strictness or lack of strictness in the punishments for prisoners. It also showed how some higher individuals also got lower to no punishment for their crimes. Unjust and quickly spiraling out of control, the justice system is sinking. People are scared. These issues are still a big problem to be dealt with...yet nothing got fixed.
How many people have to die before the justice system is fixed? And who is behind all the killings? Is a less strict policy best for deals with criminals...like our prosecutor thought? Or was she wrong? Overall, I enjoyed reading Slowly We Die by Emelie Schepp. It definitely left me thinking hard on these subjects.
WOW! I can understand why Emelie Schepp won an award! A super great read!!!
Philip and Sandra are paramedics out on a call. Philip had fallen asleep for 10 minutes. Patient had a heart attack and subsequently died. Sandra, "Sorry, Philip, you're the one who messed up - not me." Immediately this book has me hooked.
Prosecutor Jana Berzelius talks on a radio show about an increase in gang activity in Sweden. Also, "Policegate" - where businessmen and police brass are accepting bribes, smuggling narcotics, etc. Danilo Pena is suspected to be mixed up in this and he is currently in the hospital. Supposedly the staff are keeping him comatose; yet he manages to turn the tables and sneak out (regardless of police guard). A child soldier with Jana, Danilo threatens Jana so he can hide out for awhile at her place. He tells her that he knows where her diary, journals and papers as to her identity are. She HAS to have that information, so she lets him stay there.
Jana's adopted father, who earlier had a failed suicide attempt leaving him disabled, was also thought to be involved in shady police efforts.
Philip and Sandy are called out on a case that finds a woman beaten, tied, and hands cut off. The autopsy showed that bruising was due to aggressive violence; DAYS before her hands were severed.
Soon after, another woman is murdered - her tongue cut out. She is Katerina, a former partner of Philip's (and more?) as well as his best friend. Meanwhile, Lina, Phillip's wife, gets suspicious of his actions. Is he on drugs? What went on between Philip and Katerina?
Excitement continues as more suspicious cases are found, Danilo finally leaves Jana's house, Philip goes to Katerina's house to find her - she seems to have disappeared during her time off for illness and eventually Philip is taken into custody and questioned...
So as not to include any spoilers, the "fun" starts now! Twists and turns you would have never guessed with a conclusion that startles!!! A MUST READ !
Many thanks to Harlequin - MIRA and NetGalley for a roller coaster of surprises.
Thank you Net galley. This is shaping up to be an interesting series by Ms. Schepp. I enjoyed the first book and I think this one is even better. I recommend reading them in order as there is a backstory that helps in understanding developments. I look forward to the next one.