Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

Christian Unge’s first novel of a new series, introduces us to Tekla Berg, a medical doctor working in Stockholm’s Nobel hospital. With a background as medical doctor Unge is certainly qualified to write a character like Tekla, but can he write a convincing crime novel?

Full review: https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2021/09/04/hell-and-high-water-christian-unge/

PS. Something I didn't mention in the review is the fact that much of my criticism might be due to the translation as well. At times the dialogue doesn't feel natural and somewhat cliched.

I picked this story due to the setting and my love for crime series set in Sweden. Tekla Berg a central character who is very flawed but also very relatable. Her photographic memory helps her cope single handed with a nightmare shift in A and E but she also has help from amphetamines. An hospital CEO see’s the light of Tekla making her and the hospital noticed. Tekla is called to a serious fire where a body with 85% burns is familiar enough for Tekla to believe it could be her estranged brother. There is plenty of twists and turns with local mafia and police corruption which keeps you on a very fast and exciting road.
I was given an arc of this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Fantastic. This book has it all - great characters, complex and challenging plot, fast pace and a smooth writing style. There is a lot happening from page one to the last page but the author holds the readers’s interest easily through this very polished effort. If you like such greats as Lackberg and Nesbo, this author is for you.

This was a full on all action thriller with so much going on from the start. The book was exceptionally well written with a lot of interesting characters and has a plot that certainly kept me on toes as I must admit there were times I got confused as to just who was who.
I always enjoy Scandi thrillers they seen to have this dark aspect surrounding them and always make for an interesting read, however I did struggle with this one at times I just felt my attention waning and I was not over enamoured with the main character of Tekla Berg who just seemed very annoying.
Overall it was a good but difficult read for me perhaps over complicated but a 3 star read nevertheless.
My thanks to NetGalley and Quercus Books, MacLehose Press for giving me the chance to read the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Nobel Hospital, Stockholm. CEO Monica Carlsson declares a major incident following an explosion at the Södor Tower. Meanwhile in the pandemonium of the Emergency Department Tekla Berg is juggling several cases at once including a man from the explosion with very extensive burns. The police are determined to question him as they fear a terrorist incident and Tekla is also fearful, does she know the suspect?

This is an action packed, high octane and gritty thriller with a complex plot. At the centre of the considerable drama there are two dysfunctional families, that of pill popping Tekla Berg and her equally flawed brother Simon and the Umanov family. Much of the ensuing drama centres around them with Uzbek Victor being the head of the Russian OCG with strong links to the FSB and the Kremlin. The drug industry and other unsavoury money spinning activities are run by them and in addition there’s sibling rivalry between Umanov’s children, Nina and Sardor. It’s a fast paced plot, possibly a bit overblown but it is interesting. As well as drugs, there’s bribery, corruption and gang warfare added to the mix. It’s violent in places as you would expect and there are a couple of unpleasant scenes.

Although it is a good read, there are a lot of characters to get your head around but you get there in the end. It zips about a bit in time and place which is a bit disconcerting and it takes some piecing of the plot together. There is some repetition too.

However, I do like how the action returns to the hospital throughout and there’s a lot more going on there than you might think! Overall, it’s a good thriller, the central characters are really interesting and certainly flawed. I’m not sure I’d want Tekla too near me in the ED with all those amphetamines in her system!

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Quercus, MacLehose for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of Hell and High Water, the first novel to feature emergency doctor, Tekla Berg, set in Stockholm.

After a fire at an apartment block an unidentified man is brought into A&E with 85% burns and little chance of survival. The police are sure he’s a terrorist, Tekla thinks she might recognise him and someone else wants him dead.

I enjoyed Hell and High Water, which is a tense thriller with an unusual protagonist. It opens with a cast list so the reader gets a good idea of the main players, basically doctors, gangsters and police officers, and what might be involved, like they must interact. There are two main points of view, Tekla and the Umanov family, comprising father, Victor, daughter, Nina and son, Sardor and the novel yo-yos between them with the odd interjection from a couple of police officers. I’m not sure how well it works as it makes the novel appear disjointed and choppy at times, but it’s probably the only way to tie all the threads together.

The plot gets tense at times, especially in the final action scenes, but mostly it’s puzzling as the reader, well, this reader in particular, tries to work out exactly what is going on and who links to whom and how. There are some nice touches in this respect and the author pulls it all together beautifully, but it’s fundamentally a tale of family dysfunction, albeit on a much grander scale than any of us mere mortals will ever experience. I think it’s a well conceived and executed novel.

Tekla Berg is a weird protagonist with her photographic memory and amphetamine addiction, which apparently dulls the effect of her memory. I didn’t get much sense of the memory problems but the amphetamine use is front and centre. I think it detracts from getting to know her properly and hides her brilliance. It also gets a bit boring with her constantly popping “bombs” and the dizzy aftermath.

Hell and High Water is a good read that I can recommend.