The Wolf and The Watchman, by Niklas Natt och Dag, is both well researched and beautifully written. Dag does a wonderful job of describing life of the impoverished citizens of Stockholm during the late eighteenth century. The country is experiencing a time of upheaval and the resulting political unrest has a trickle down effect on everyone.

Despite the excellent story telling by och Dag this reviewer was unable to read more than half of the novel. The subject matter was just to dark and wicked for my gentle nature. But if you like realistic tales featuring torture, murder, prostitution, and a variety of other evils found in the dark recesses of humanity I expect you will enjoy this book!

I received a free copy of this ARC in exchange for a honest review.

Thank you NetGalley and Simon & Shuster for this ARC in return for my honest review.

This wasn’t a good read for me. I did not expect such vivid detailed descriptions of mutilations, executions and pure sadism. First Part was slow paced and introduced main characters to the reader and their stories. I didn’t feel connected at any level. I haven’t felt any sympathy towards war veteran Cardell who lost an arm and saw his best friend die and no compassion towards dying Winge.

Second Part did not make any sense at first. Then it was tied up to the plot, but I felt it could have been much shorter. Less drink and depravity.

The more I read the less it all made sense. New characters were introduced, new stories were told. The author did tie them up at the end, but not all of them felt necessary. The book picked up for me about 2/3 of the way through, but the ending did not leave me satisfied.

I didn’t enjoy the flow of the story as well, however, the writing style is hard to judge as I read translation.

Overall, it was just not for me. I wish the publisher would warn its readers about detailed gruesome scenes of violence.

I got about a third of the way into this story before revulsion at the sadism made me abandon it. Since I have to write 100 characters I will also say that the historical portrayal seems to needlessly dwell on how appalling everyday life was back then.

I recieved an ebook ARC from NetGalley for my honest review. Stockholm 1793, and the world is changing and feeling the effects of the French revolution. We meet the Wolf and the Watchman and begin our amazing adventure in what is an honest and realistic telling of life within Stockholm. I was instantly mesmerised by the strong characters and horrific realism, and could not stop turning pages as we plunged into the mystery. Written in three parts the tales comes together to its strong brilliant conclution, but only for those who are willing to wade through the sometimes gruesome reality of what feels like a more honest telling of what life may have been in eighteenth century Stockholm. Well worth every strong review it has been given, a must read.

Wow!

I picked up this book based on the mentioned Perfume by Patrick Suskind in the description. I read it a very long time and I still “smell” it! This book does not disappoint, but quite the opposite. The story does not just have a memorable character to horrify readers’ mind; most of the people in this story turn into villains. Besides smelling the novel, readers feel the story and are quite uncomfortable by some events.

I would recommend this to horror / historical fiction lovers. The late 18th century was a very harsh time to live in. The author does an amazing job transporting its readers to Sweden then.

It is a mystery crime novel, but if you like a fast-paced mystery solving this would not be your cup of tea, in my opinion. If you are into puzzles, slow unwrapping of presents, and not afraid of human darkness you will enjoy it. I absolutely love the ending! Very much worth all the horror readers witness.

Brilliant story! Remarkable characters, effective descriptive writing, rivoting plot that catpured my attention and would not let go. Terrific read!!

What I enjoyed:
The world
The magic system
The flawed characters
The plot

I disliked:
The pacing
The "I hate you but I love you" trope

Overall I felt like the book picked up for me around 2/3 of the way through. I'm still unsure if I will continue on with the series

4.5 stars

In chaos theory, there is something called the butterfly effect. The idea is that one small action can greatly affect the outcome of a later, seemingly unrelated event. This novel is full of little moments that show how one person’s decision can permanently alter the lives of others.

The year is 1793 & Stockholm is a city on edge. Rebellion by lower classes in countries such as France have made the Swedish elite a tad nervous, especially after the murder of King Gustav III. This is the backdrop for a story of 4 people living separate lives until a single event causes their paths to cross. All it takes is the discovery of a mutilated body.

Mickel Cardell returned from the war with shattered nerves & one less arm. Now he’s a watchman….when he can be bothered to get up off his barstool. That’s where 2 youngsters find him one night with news of a floater in the lake. But the body Mickel “rescues” is not exactly what he expected. In fact, it’s not even really a body. Just a torso….no arms, no legs.

Cecil Winge is a lawyer who works as a consultant with the Swedish police. He’s an intelligent & private man who has fought for progressive changes to the legal system. He’s also dying from consumption. So it’s no wonder he feels a sense of urgency about his latest case….to give a name to the unidentified torso & find a killer.

Kristofer Blix is a handsome farm boy who heads to Stockholm with dreams of becoming a doctor. He soon realizes how unprepared he is for life in the big city but could never have imagined where it will lead.

Anna-Stina’s young life has been full of poverty & struggle. And it’s about to get worse. If she wants something better she’ll have to be brave, smart & resourceful. Thankfully, she has those things in spades.

At its heart this is an engrossing murder investigation but as we meet & get to know the 4 MC’s, it becomes so much more. Their personal stories add depth & guarantee you become as invested in them as you are in solving the mystery surrounding the torso. The historical setting, political situation, class system & living conditions are so well rendered that sometimes it feels all too real.

I finished this a while ago & have been struggling to write a review that does it justice. Even the rating was a challenge. If I look at it purely as entertainment, I can’t say I enjoyed every part. There are passages that are difficult, even revolting to read. But here’s the thing. Life for many people at that time WAS difficult & revolting to our modern sensibilities. It was about survival. And the reason you feel these emotions so keenly is all down to the author’s skills as a story teller.

He has an extraordinary ability to write prose that completely envelops you. You feel everything as you follow these characters. Fear, anger, frustration, grief & scattered glimmers of hope. All your senses are engaged. Yes, there are scenes that made me want to look away but I couldn’t. I cared deeply for these people & carried the book with me to read every chance I got.

Soooo…by now you probably figured out this will not be found under “Cozies”. Sometimes when I’m asked about my last couple of reads, I struggle to remember names & plot details. This is a visceral & haunting story that has stayed with me. The ability to transport a reader to another time & place is a gift & I look forward to the author’s next book. But maybe I’ll have a wee beverage before cracking the cover 🍷

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety characters in it. It is my first book read by this author. I hope to read more books by this author.

3.5 stars. Thanks to NetGalley and Simon & Schuster for this exciting ARC in return for an honest review. This book sets a Nordic Noir style mystery in the historic setting of Stockholm in the 1790s. The social setting and politics are well described, and the bleak background emphasizes poverty and hopelessness. It has been a short time since the king was assassinated and the powerful men in control are paranoid fearing a revolt. News of the storming of the Bastille and the French Revolution have stirred up rumours of conspiracies. The Russo-Swedish War has impoverished the country, causing more people to be homeless, hungry, cold and barely managing to survive. There is a vivid picture of the poorest sections of the city and its inhabitants. The plot was well constructed and organized.

The mystery begins when a partial body is recovered from a putrid swamp. The corpse has the most gruesome injuries, inflicted over a period of time while he was still alive. Reading about what tortures and mutilations were inflicted on this young man is highly disturbing and cause for revulsion.

The writing is powerful, the historical setting interesting, and the characters fascinating, memorable, and well developed. I was frequently unable to connect with the people, events, and never fully grasped the well-described setting. I wanted to feel more absorbed in the story but often felt remote and detached. I was not connecting emotionally when I should be feeling more suspense.

Two men form an unlikely partnership. They search for the person who committed such a sickening crime, the identity of the victim, and the motive. They are Mikel Cardel, a rough violent man. He was employed as a Watchman whose job was to round up people classified as undesirable. Their fate was a life of drudgery in a workhouse without trial. Mikel spends most of his time getting drunk and fighting in taverns. He lost an arm in the Russo-Swedish War and his mind is haunted by flashbacks. He pulled the body from the swamp. He teams up with Cecil Winge, a brilliant lawyer turned investigator. He is very fragile and is dying from consumption. Their search for truth and justice takes them from police stations, meetings with the elite city officials, to the lowlifes such as brothel madams, whores, money lenders, gamblers, the homeless and beggars.

We see the utter despair and anguish in letters written by a young man, Kristofer Blix, to his late sister. They document his decline into poverty and danger. He was a student of medicine but wasted his time living it up in the city with heavy drinking and gambling. His gambling debts were turned over to a man for his work or enslavement. Through threats on his life, he was forced to mutilate a man. This will always fill his mind with horror.

We also follow the story of Anna-Stine, a respectable young woman selling fruit baskets. She rejected a would-be boyfriend and his family started the accusations that she was promiscuous. As a result, she was forced into a workhouse, spending her waking hours at a spinning wheel. She fears Watchmen who dragged her to the workhouse and has been sexually assaulted by a guard. She longs to escape this imprisonment.

Can Cecil keep Mikel’s temper under control during the investigation? It seems like one tavern brawl after another. Cecil’s sickness is becoming worse. With his rapidly deteriorating health will he live to see a conclusion to this dreadful case? These two very different men work very well together with great diligence and persistence and often put themselves in dangerous situations. They sometimes bend police and legal procedures in their search for justice.

A complex mystery with a historical picture of Stockholm in the 18th century.