Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of Dark Music.

I've read one of the author's previous books before, and the premise piqued my interest, so I was excited when my request was granted.

Sadly, this was not what I expected.

First, the characters: Rekke is some kind of a Sherlock Holmes type character, just one of many in so many mystery series I've read. He's smart, observant, and once a gifted musician.

He's also human. He's severely depressed, self medicated, and has suicidal thoughts.

When a soccer referee is brutally murdered, he's asked for his keen observations on the murder suspect the police have brought in. Rekke's immediate conclusion is that the suspect is not a killer.

Micaela Vargas is the lone female on the team investigating the murder, a woman of color with a serious chip on her shoulder. Her colleagues are sexist, misogynistic pigs who make internal comments about her appearance and her body.

They're not the only ones; with the exception of Micaela's brother, nearly every man she encounters is making crude comments about the way she looks.

Micaela is not likable; she lacks empathy and compassion; when she rescues Rekke, she''s callous and insensitive to his feelings and depression (assuming incorrectly), that a wealthy man has no problems.

In fact, she's almost always rude and brusque to people, except her criminal brother, and is in need of therapy as much as Rekke does.

The murder case was neither compelling, suspenseful or interesting.

I could care less about the murderer soccer referee and his ties to the Taliban and the terrible things he did or was done to him.

The writing was okay, though the translation was a bit choppy though that's to be expected. Translations are not easy.

I'm not sure if I'll read the next book in the series but I'm grateful for the opportunity to read Dark Music.

Dark Music by David Lagercrantz is the first in the Rekke and Vargas series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publishers Knopf Doubleday Publishing and Penguin Random House Publishing and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.




Series Information:
Professor Hans Rekke is manic-depressive, and has genius insights into logic and observation.  He is musically gifted.  He was born into a family of wealth and power, but with an over-bearing mother who saw little but his failures. He has a daughter Julia, and his relationship with his wife is "iffy".  He and his brother Magnus do not always see eye-to-eye.

Police Officer Micaela Vargas is the daughter of Chilean refugees, and she grew up in the poor area of Stockholm.  Both of her brothers Simon and Lucas are on the wrong side of the law.  She works with Inspector Jonas Beijor, Chief Inspector Carl Fransson, and Assistant Police Commissioner Martin Falkegren.




My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Jamal Kabir, a soccer referee, is beaten to death.  Suspicions immediately fall on the drunken father of one of the players.  But things are not as they seem.

Assistant Police Commissioner Martin Falkegren takes a few colleagues, including the street-smart Officer Micaela Vargas, to meet with Professor Hans Rekke, who has published some rather amazing articles on interrogation techniques.  But Falkegren isn't impressed, and dismisses everything Rekke says.  Micaela Vargas, however, can't let it go, even after being removed from the murder investigation.

Micaela and Hans end up working together to try and solve the murder, but things are a little more political than either had anticipated, and finding answers may put them both in danger.




My Opinions:
First, kudos to the translator  Ian Giles.

Now, regarding the book.

The character of Rekke seems to be a reproduction of Sherlock Holmes, including his deductive prowess, musical ability and drug use.  Vargas, then would be a female Watson.  They look like they will make a good team.   I like their budding relationship.

Rekke has no problems discussing his mental health issues, which I found wonderful, although other people are quick to blame them for every problem that arises.  Vargas is still having issues at work for being a woman, and she has a family that does not help her spread her wings. Both characters are working through their issues.

I wasn't overly fond of the topics of the Taliban, religion, and terrorism, much less the overall political angles.  However, the story itself was interesting, although a little too drawn out.  The book is a little deep, with plenty of characters, so you have to pay attention.

Bottom line, I will be watching for the next in this series!

An entertaining mystery befitting it's Sherlockian inspiration. A recommended purchase for collections where the genre is popular.

This is from an experience author, and I suspect this isn't his best work, even though I haven't read his others. It's a good thriller, but not great, and it doesn't have the elements of a great thriller. Maybe the next in the series will pick up steam.

Thanks very much for the free ARC for review!!

In Dark Music by David Lagercrantz, we meet Micaela Vargas, a smart Stockholm police officer who is held back within the department because of her family's background as political refugees and her brother's participation in his own criminal activities. She is briefly included in a high profile investigation but is quickly dismissed from the investigation and put back in her position. Enter Hans Rekke, a brilliant psychologist who is battling his own demons, particularly addictions. Rekke and Vargas have a chance meeting that leads to they conducting their own shadow investigation of the original murder case from which Vargas was dismissed. Between Vargas's grit and Rekke's deduction skills, they find themselves involved in a case much bigger than either had imagined.
This book starts slow and scenes are set and characters are introduced, however the last half of the book takes off and I couldn't put it down. The door is open for more books exploring this partnership and I look forward to seeing what Lagercrantz will do.
Many thanks for NetGalley and Knopf Doubleday for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

David Lagercrantz's name will already be familiar to many enthusiasts of Nordic Noir. Following the premature death of legendary Swedish author Stieg Larsson, Lagercrantz was approached to continue Larsson's Millennium series featuring Lisbeth Salander and Mikael Blomkvist. This was a remarkable vote of confidence in an author with only one earlier novel and a cowrite of footballer Zlatan Ibrahimovic's autobiography. Following the writing of The Girl In The Spider's Web and two subsequent stories in the Millennium series, Dark Music is Lagercrantz's first attempt to create a series in his own name.

From the outset, it is very clear that he has opted to provide a contrast to his earlier novels. Dark Music is a character driven novel which follows a slower pace than the preceding novels, although one similarity it does share is having two main characters, one of each gender who might be considered outsiders in society who form an unexpected investigative relationship.

Set in Stockholm in 2003 the reader first encounters Micaela Vargas who was born in Sweden to Chilean political refugees. Despite coming from the wrong side of town and having two brothers with dubious earnings, she has become a community police officer who is unexpectedly pulled into a murder investigation. Afghan refugee and football referee Jamal Kabir is murdered, his skull crushed by a rock following a heavily contested football match that he has officiated where he denied an obvious penalty. The clear suspect for the murder is Costa, the father of a promising football player. Vargas is brought in as she knows this man who was drunk and apoplectic at Kabir's on-field decisions and later seem staggering off with a heavily stained t-shirt. Yet Costa fails to admit his guilt. In a surprise and left field move, the Stockholm police commander urges Vargas and the other investigating officers to meet renowned Stanford psychology professor Hans Rekke to assist. He stuns them by showing remarkable insight into the lives of the police officers demonstrating his incredible powers of deduction. Yet then he angers them with his clear dismissal of the case against Costa through reasoned argument.

Unlike her colleagues Vargas is in awe of Rekke’s abilities yet as the investigation flounders and she is removed from it back to her routine work she meets another side of him shortly afterwards.

As Professor Hans Rekke’s character is filled out we learn he was born into a wealthy Stockholm family and was once a world touring classic pianist before a severe bout of depression brought this career to an end. Owing to his intelligence he has since become a world-renowned authority on interrogation techniques yet it is his remarkable skills of logic and observation that truly make him stand out. Lagercrantz confirms that Rekke is heavily influenced by Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes and comes across as very unique.

Vargas feels driven to try to solve the investigation into Kabir's death requesting help from Rekke in order to prove her abilities to her colleagues, yet she finds that keeping Rekke on the straight and narrow is a challenge due to his bipolar disorder and resultant substance abuse. Yet as they start to work together and particularly after Rekke identifies certain characteristics from the torture scars photographed on Kabir’s body, it becomes clear that there are other parties who do not wish their probing to continue.

Set the immediate aftermath of the 9/11 bombings and invasion of Afghanistan, Dark Music explores from afar the life that Kabir lived and experiences that he encountered before arriving in Sweden in a climate where music was banned but football just about tolerated. More broadly the novel considers the changes that occurred in the country from the Taliban’s original takeover of the country following the Soviet retreat to the CIA’s involvement in the interrogation of its members following their downfall after the US led invasion.

I found the appeal of the book was particularly on the characters of Rekke and Vargas, their interaction with each other and those that they encounter. At times the connections Rekke was able to foster and contacts that Vargas succeeded in making largely from the former’s apartment did occasionally appear a little implausible. It is actually quite unusual to have an internationally focused story which is almost exclusively set in one place, particularly one set twenty years ago. There are also some flashback scenes that fill in the reader on some historical events.

Lagercrantz does continue the theme of Swedish neutrality which was common to many of the country’s writers such as Mankell during the cold war to the more modern “war on terror.” Yet it is the distinctiveness of the main protagonists in particular that make Dark Music an essential read for those fond on either Scandinavian crime fiction or political thrillers. The English language interpretation of the original Swedish novel was completely superbly by experienced and prolific Ian Giles providing a smooth narrative without any ambiguities.

It is apparent David Lagercrantz intends to continue to develop his new creations. I believe that there is plenty of further scope for both characters to develop their own personal storylines, in particular with their respective brothers. The novel tees up another story for the pair in the closing chapter so it seems inevitable that there will be at least one more story featuring Rekke & Vargas. Therefore, I would definitely recommend that you ensure you commence this with Dark Music.

I've enjoyed David Lagenkrantz's earlier books enough to at least finish them. Such was not the case with "Dark Magic." This novel introduces new characters and struck me as stiff and awkward. I struggled with it twice before giving up. Is this an issue with translation, or writing? Somethign to explore.

I am always on the lookout for a new series, especially ones set in the Scandinavian countries. I also have enjoyed books by this author whom was chosen by the estate of Stieg Larsson to carry on the Lisbeth Salander story after the writer passed away. I was not disappointed in this introduction of 2 new characters brought together to solve a murder and the development of their relationship. I cannot wait for the next addition because the way this one ended, well ,there better be a next one!

Highly recommended!

So excited to read a new book by David Lagercrantz! Loved Dark Music. Cozy thriller, conspiracies, killers, and great characters! I really enjoyed both Professor Hans Rekke and Micaela Vargas. Both really great characters separately and together.