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    Sun Storm
    Sun Storm
    Sun Storm
    Audiobook10 hours

    Sun Storm

    Written by Asa Larsson

    Narrated by Hillary Huber

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    On the floor of a church in northern Sweden, the body of a man lies mutilated and defiled-and in the night sky, the aurora borealis dances as the snow begins to fall . . . So begins Åsa Larsson's spellbinding thriller, winner of Sweden's Best First Crime Novel Award and an international literary sensation.

    Rebecka Martinsson is heading home to Kiruna, the town she'd left in disgrace years before. A Stockholm attorney, Rebecka has a good reason to return: her friend Sanna, whose brother has been horrifically murdered in the revivalist church his charisma helped create. Beautiful and fragile, Sanna needs someone like Rebecka to remove the shadow of guilt that is engulfing her, to forestall an ambitious prosecutor and a dogged policewoman. But to help her friend, and to find the real killer of a man she once adored and is now not sure she ever knew, Rebecka must relive the darkness she left behind in Kiruna, delve into a sordid conspiracy of deceit, and confront a killer whose motives are dark, wrenching, and impossible to guess.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateFeb 29, 2016
    ISBN9781515973294
    Sun Storm

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    Reviews for Sun Storm

    3.5/5

    421 ratings25 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Sun Storm is the debut novel of Swedish author Åsa Larsson; it delivers multi-layered characters who aren't very likeable, and a setting in Swedish Lapland that is ridiculously far north and cold, and which functions almost as another character, so vividly is it described. Although the novel is dark and overflows with unspeakable crimes, this fan of Scandinavian noir enjoyed it very much and will definitely be reading more of Larsson's novels. Rebecca Martinsson is a well-paid lawyer in Stockholm, but was born in the far northern reaches of her country until she was told to leave for reasons that remain a mystery until well into the book. A childhood friend contacts her after the brutal death of her evangelist brother, who is one of the apples of the eyes of the Swedish people, a wildly popular preacher with no known enemies. Rebecca reluctantly flies up north to help her clingy and childish friend Sanna, who is manipulative and incredibly selfish, barely making time for her two young daughters in her life. Things go from unpleasant to worse when Sanna is arrested on suspicion of killing her brother, which leaves Rebecca in the impossible position of caring for two small children and their dog whilst trying to find the evidence to free Sanna from prison. There are layers upon layers of crimes and malfeasance in this novel, which is violent, cruel, and unsettling. The story itself is ingenious and very well told, the denoument elegantly crafted, and the characters interesting and well-rounded. It is a remarkable debut novel, and I look forward to the next in the series (which I will buy if I can find an English copy that is affordable - so far the least expensive edition I can find is over $60 Canadian, which is ridiculous).

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      Synopsis/blurb.........
      On the floor of a church in northern Sweden, the body of a man lies mutilated and defiled - and in the night sky, the aurora borealis dances as the snow begins to fall....So begins Ãsa Larsson's spellbinding thriller, winner of Sweden's Best First Crime Novel Award and an international literary sensation.

      Rebecka Martinsson is heading home to Kiruna, the town she'd left in disgrace years before. A Stockholm attorney, Rebecka has a good reason to return: her friend Sanna, whose brother has been horrifically murdered in the revivalist church his charisma helped create. Beautiful and fragile, Sanna needs someone like Rebecka to remove the shadow of guilt that is engulfing her, to forestall an ambitious prosecutor and a dogged policewoman. But to help her friend, and to find the real killer of a man she once adored and is now not sure she ever knew, Rebecka must relive the darkness she left behind in Kiruna, delve into a sordid conspiracy of deceit, and confront a killer whose motives are dark, wrenching, and impossible to guess...
      Well this was my first taste of another new female author and was my chosen Scandinavian read for the current month. I enjoyed it, though the first part of the book was a bit of a slog. If I’m truthful, I think this is more down to me rather than the author, particularly as the last 160-odd pages only took me a day to cover, as I became more absorbed in the story.
      On a personal level, my reading mojo appears to have deserted me this month. I‘m less driven to read at the minute and more easily distracted, tiredness seems to have over-taken me and whilst I will try and keep at it and read more this month, at the minute is seems to be less of a pleasure and more of a chore. I’m not beating myself up over it and I think I will give myself this month off from all my series reads and choose a bit more randomly for the last half of the month, with the hope of recapturing the elusive feel good factor. I sometimes think that by structuring my reading so rigidly eg next Block, next Crais, next Collins, next Scandinavian, I’ve limited my options and removed too much spontaneity from my selections.
      Anyway, back to Larsson’s book........I was interested in and liked the main character Rebecka, whose admirable loyalty towards Sanna was abused and taken advantage of. Intelligent and tenacious, she was brave enough to confront her past and face her demons in an effort to uncover the motive for Viktor’s death; believing her friend innocent of the crime.
      Larsson’s other characters were engaging and believable; especially Rebecka’s friend Sivving and the two police officers involved in the case. There was the token officious jobs-worth in the form of the prosecutor, but on the whole the characters were convincing.
      Overall, I found it fast-paced and enjoyable with a satisfying conclusion. I’m in two minds whether I will be back for further Martinsson books, mainly because I need to read some of the many already waiting for me. The others are:
      2. The Blood Spilt (2007)
      3. The Black Path (2008)
      4. Until Thy Wrath be Past (2011)
      It might be worth noting that this has been published elsewhere under the title Sun Storm.
      4 stars from 5
      I’m unsure where or when I acquired my copy.

    • 4/5
      I read an ARC of the fifth book in Asa Larsson's series about tax-attorney-turned-detective Rebeckah Martinsson a few weeks ago, and decided I needed to read the earlier books to catch up. This first installment introduces Rebeckah and explains how she ended up working in a high-powered law firm in Stockholm after a quiet, rural upbringing in Kiruna, the furthest-north city in Sweden. Many of the characters from the later books are introduced here, including the Marge-Gundersen-like police officer, Anna-Maria Mella; arrogant, limelight-seeking prosecutor Carl Von Post; and Sivving Fjallborg, her late grandmother's kindly, eccentric old neighbor. The plot is a bit predictable, and at times, the flashbacks to Rebeckah's earlier years in Kiruna are a little heavy-handed in their execution. But by the end, it's clear why Rebeckah is both drawn to and repulsed by Kiruna, and why she's haunted by her past. She is a complex, nuanced character, one whose naturak curiosity and sense of moral responsibility makes her a natural (if reluctant) detective figure. A compelling first entry that makes me want to read the other books in the series.
    • 3/5
      In der schwedischen Kleinstadt Kiruna, auf dem Boden einer freien Kirche, liegt ein Priester in seinem Blut. Er wurde grausam verstümmelt, während draußen die Aurora Borealis über den Nachthimmel tanzt und Schneeflocken auf die Erde fallen …Sonnensturm ist der erste Band aus der Rebecka Martinsson Reihe. Ein Schwedenkrimi mit einem Hauch von Mystery und Übersinnlichem.Nach der Ermordung des Priesters wird die Schwester verdächtig, die sich in ihrer Verzweiflung an ihre Freundin aus Jugendtagen, Rebecka Martinsson, wendet. Rebecka ist eigentlich Steueranwältin, lebt inzwischen in Stockholm und hat verschiedene Gründe nie wieder in ihre alte Heimat zurückkehren zu wollen. Trotzdem lässt sie sich überreden und wird immer mehr von ihrer Vergangenheit eingeholt, die zusätzlich mit neuen Gefahren daher kommt.Der Roman ist etwas für Freunde von Schneegestöber und wirklich gestörten Psychopathen, insgesamt ist Sonnensturm aber auch ein recht ambivalentes Leseerlebnis. Eigentlich gut geschrieben und bis zum Ende interessant, mit lebendigen Charakteren und dunklen Geheimnissen. Für mich hat dieser Krimi trotzdem nur zur Hälfte funktioniert was dem religiösen Schwerpunkt geschuldet ist. Als jemand die mit Religionen jedweder Form nichts anfangen kann, war die starke Fixierung auf Kirche, Bibelzitate, religiösem Fanatismus und Co. eher ermüdend, so dass ich irgendwann angefangen habe, manche Passagen nur noch zu überfliegen. Die Autorin rollt zum Ausgleich aber auch viele Ereignisse von hinten auf, die vor allem Rebeckas Vergangenheit betreffen und dem Buch eine zusätzliche Spannung verleihen, die sich abseits des eigentlichen Verbrechens abspielen und dabei fast noch interessanter sind, als die Suche nach dem Mörder. Die Vergangenheit ist stark mit dem aktuellen Mord verknüpft, so dass am Ende eine Runde Sache herauskommt, mit teils ungelösten Fragen und Andeutungen. Gestört hat mich dabei nur Rebeckas inkonsequentes Verhalten. Einerseits versucht die Autorin sie als selbstbewusste Frau darzustellen, die sich gegen alte Widersacher wehrt, die sie vor Jahren aus Kiruna vertrieben haben und dann kuscht Rebecka bei der nächsten Gelegenheit wie ein getretenes Hündchen vor den selben Männern, als hätte sie vergessen, dass sie kein verschüchtertes Mädchen mehr ist. Das passte nicht zusammen und hat mich schlichtweg verärgert.Beim Stichwort Hündchen sollte auch eine Warnung hinterher geschickt werden. Wem es an die Substanz geht, dass Tiere gequält werden nur um die Grausamkeit des Killers noch deutlicher darzustellen, der hat hier zwischendurch eine harte Zeit vor sich, auch wenn es sich auf wenige Seiten beschränkt. Die Wirkung ist dafür sehr intensiv und unangenehm zu ertragen.Als erster Teil einer Reihe kann das Buch letztlich überzeugen und bietet einen soliden Krimi. Aber da ist noch genug Luft nach oben und es gibt genügend Ansätze, die sich verbessern dürfen.
    • 4/5
      Oh, Lordy, some screwed up Churchy people in the frozen north. Yikes. Pretty good, great characters, but goodness.
    • 4/5
      Rebecka Martinsson had fled her small town of Kiruna many years ago to become a successful tax attorney in Stockholm. She attempted to escape scandal involving sex and the church and hasn't been back since. You can fill in details between the lines, but readers will not know the exact reason why she disappeared all those years ago until much later in the book. They only know Rebecka reluctantly returns only after being called by an old friend needing legal advice and emotional support. Sanna has been accused of murdering her much beloved evangelical brother, Viktor Strandgard. When all of the obvious evidence, including motive, points to Sanna as the killer Rebecka must dig deep to uncover the truth. Probably the best part of Larsson's writing is how descriptive she is with people and places. I especially liked how flawed and broken most of her characters were.
    • 1/5
      Nope. A woman has been so badly abused as a child that she barely functions as an adult. She and her two daughters adopt a little dog who has also been terribly abused but is extremely loving and happy with his new family, so the abuser kidnaps the dog and kills it. I like a book that disparages religion, but I draw the line at animal abuse. They eat lots of sandwiches.
    • 5/5
      Absolutely loved this book. Love the main character. So glad I have found a new author to follow. Although this is a mystery, the Swedish people and culture feature prominently in the novel. I am of Finnish descent and can relate to the many parallels with between us and the Swedes. What a joy to read. Can't wait to read the next book in the series! Warning for those who prefer cozy mysteries, you may not enjoy the book as much, as there are some really grusome scenes in this story, including the main murder. But for others, I have no hesitation in recomming this read.
    • 4/5
      dark but very good
    • 4/5
      Sun Storm opens with Viktor Strandgard dying for the second time in his life, this time on the floor of a church and later discovered by his peculiar sister, Sanna. After she discovers the mutilated body of the revivalist preacher and her brother laid out in ritualistic style on the floor of The Source of All Our Strength Church, Sanna turns to her old friend Rebecka Martinsson for support. Despite her onerous work schedule as a tax lawyer in a large, very demanding law practice in Stockholm, and her reservations about her own past in connection with the church, Rebecka heads back to the small town and community to help. The chief prosecutor on the case seems to have already decided that Sanna is guilty and she is charged after vital evidence is found hidden in her home. Rebecka reluctantly finds herself trying to provide legal and emotional support to the emotionally fragile Sanna.

      The detectives investigating Victor's murder are the heavily pregnant Anna-Maria Mella, who is supposed to be on desk duty until the birth of her child, Sven-Erik Stalnacke, her deputy who will be covering for her maternity leave, and their obnoxious, publicity seeking boss, Carl von Post. The empathy of Anna-Maria and Sven-Erik for Rebecka and Sanna allows the truth of Victor's death gradually to be realized, rather than being brushed under the carpet by the church officials and von Post. To find out what really happened, Rebecka has to come to terms with her own past and the hypocrisy of the pastors.

      The story shifts between past and present, rural and city values, old times and modern relationships, are are told in a very compelling way. The story that emerges is well told, believable and intriguing throughout. I plan to pick up the next in the series, The Blood Spilt.
    • 3/5
      The frost lay like icing on the birch trees, and right at the top of the hill the mighty Crystal Church soared up into the night sky, surrounded by stars and planets. It stood there like a gigantic illuminated ice cube, shimmering with the Aurora Borealis.I didn't really like this book very much and I don't think I'll read any more of the series. The protagonist, Rebecka Martinsson, is bad-tempered and unlikeable and is furious at herself for allowing herself to be dragged back to her home town of Kiruna by her needy friend Sanna, and I just don't want to read any more books about her.As for the police, Sven-Erik supposedly resented Anna-Maria when she got the job he wanted, but now that she is about to go on maternity leave he is ridiculously clingy and reluctant to take charge. Not that the police do much investigating, allowing all and sundry to get away with refusing to be questioned, and they are apparently unsure of the law, asking each other whether it would be possible to get a conviction if they can't find the murder weapon.
    • 3/5
      Attorney Rebecka Martinsson returns home to Kiruna to support an old friend when her brother is found murdered and mutilated in his own church. This is clearly a debut novel and has quite a few clunky plotlines and some of the characters seem to be caricatures more than anything else. I picked it up because a friend who is from this area of northern Sweden told me the voices are pitch-perfect and I'd agree with that, but the story is a little forced and it reads like the author needed to exorcise a few personal demons. Also, if you are of the evangelical church ilk, beware that there's not much good said about those in this one. I'm putting the next one in the series on my wishlist, though, because the main characters have a lot of potential to become really interesting.
    • 4/5
      A really creepy, psychologically thrilling debut. Martinsson is a great heroine and the story was dark, twisted and complex - everything people have come to expect and love about Scandinavian crime.
    • 4/5
      I can’t be certain (I don’t have a list of everything I’ve ever read) but I don’t recall reading any Swedish crime fiction before. Which, if this book is anything to judge by is my loss.

      Savage Altar features a young tax lawyer, Rebecka Martinsson, who returns to her home town when a man she knew there is murdered and his sister, her old friend, seeks Rebecka’s help. The story features a particularly gruesome killing, cult-like religious folk, tenacious detectives and a fascinating array of minor characters. In fact the characters are the stars of this book as they all slowly reveal their secrets and true natures.

      Larsson has a great eye for descriptive detail which made it easy to sink into the unfamiliar environment, weather and culture. She’s also a dab hand at building a level of suspense with both the present day murder and the story of Rebecka’s past and the reason she left the town years earlier. The book is deliciously unpredictable: I don’t think there’s anyone I didn’t suspect of being the killer at some point or other, and totally un-putdownable which is evidenced by the fact I barely saved it from a dunking as I tried to read while washing the dishes.

      Apparently there’s a second book in this series being published this year and I can’t wait for it to be translated into English.
    • 2/5
      I had mixed feelings about this. It's not badly written, and I might read other books by her. But while I enjoy detective fiction and thrillers I'm really not into reading more detailed descriptions of deprived crazy killers. And I'm really sick of the literary device wherein the sweet little dog gets tortured to show you how depraved the killer is. I started skimming towards the end because it was just too much for me.
    • 4/5
      Popular evangelist is found murdered in his church. An old friend must come back to defend his sister and face her own past.
    • 3/5
      I have just finished reading The Savage Altar and would have quite enjoyed it except for the pregnant detective's constant need for a pee (been there and done that, but ... an unnecessary distraction) and the little dog. Anyone who loves animals should not read this book!!I had great hopes for this book written by another Larsson but, for the most part, I was disappointed and in places the translation annoyed me but I know that I am rather pedantic about grammar.
    • 4/5
      Lately I'm on a kick reading Scandavian mysteries. This book does not disappoint. A gruesome murder and mutilation of living church icon in northern Sweden has Inspector Mella off maternity leave and onto the case. Rebecka Martinsson, a tax attorney, and old friend of the victim's sister and chief suspect in the murder is compelled to leave Stockholm and help her old friend in her hometown of Kiruna. I found this story quite compelling, well told and translated.
    • 4/5
      The first in the Rebecka Martinsson series, this is a great read. A young lawyer in Stockholm, Rebecka returns to the northern town of Kiruna where she grew up to help an old friend whose brother has been horrifically murdered in a revivalist church. Sinister , dark and obsessive with an explosive ending.
    • 1/5
      A charismatic religious leader is found brutally murdered and mutilated inside the modern church of a thriving fundamentalist congregation in a town in northern Sweden. The sister of the murdered man calls her former close friend, Rebecka Martinsson, in Stockholm, pleading for help. Reluctantly, Rebecka takes time off from the law firm for which she works to head north, just for a few days, to help out her distraught friend. Unwittingly she is drawn into the investigation for the killer.The ambience of the story--northern Sweden in winter--is very well done, but that’s about the extent of what I found good about the book. The plot--involving fundamentalist fanatics, is adequate but the resolution is hardly believable. The writing does not help, consisting as it does of flat, declarative statements for the most part. The characters are stick figures and basically uninteresting. And to top it all of, there is a gratuitous animal killing that does nothing for the plot except add to the horror; I am rather tired of authors who seem to know no other way for upping tension besides animal torture and/or murder. The good ones know how to do it without using that device.This is the first of a series that I intend to avoid.
    • 5/5
      Excellent characters and story. Starts in Stockholm but moves to small town in the north. Very compelling. Characters have issues which keep reader interested and wanting more.
    • 4/5
      Very good.
    • 5/5
      First published in Swedish 2003Translated by Marlaine Delargy, 2007, 307 pagesOriginally published as SUN STORM in the USAA body lies on the floor of the Crystal Church in Kiruna in Northern Sweden. The church is the home of the pentecostal cult The Source of All Our Strength, and the handless, sightless body is that of its principal inspiration, the Paradise Boy, Viktor Strandgard.Stockholm tax lawyer Rebecka Martinsson gets a pleading phone call from the victim's sister Sanna, and she hurries home to Kiruna. Rebecka is very familiar with The Source of All Our Strength: she was once a member, and knew Viktor well. Rebecka's boss is not best pleased by her decision to fly to Sanna's help, but she has misunderstood his motives.The police investigating team consists of the newly appointed Inspector Sven-Erik Stalnacke, the woman he is replacing, the very heavily pregnant, near-term Anna-Maria Mella, and pompous Assistant Chief Prosecutor Carl van Post.Rebecka Martinnson left Kiruna under a cloud, the reasons for which are gradually revealed as the investigation unfolds. The management of the pentecostal church is not all it should be, and the dynamics that brought it growth and fame are also part of the factors undermining it.I enjoyed this book immensely. There are many things that I could mention: excellent characterisation, and feeling of place; the human interest element provided by Mella's approaching confinement; a skilful interlacing of back-story and story advancement.Read an extract and an interview on the Penguin site.On the final page of the book the author promises that "Rebecka Martinsson will be back, she's not that easy to get rid of. Just give her time." THE SAVAGE ALTAR has been announced as the first of a series of six, featuring Martinsson.Due out on 1 May 2008 THE BLOOD SPILT.
    • 4/5
      Very minimalistic crime novel taking place in the very north of Sweden, in Kiruna.The language is understated, and the portrayed characters and their complex relationships very cleanly presented, without any extraneous telling needed.Rebecka Martinsson is a hardworking tax attorney in Stockholm who has left a norrowminded religious society behind in Kiruna. When the charismatic religious leader Viktor is violently murdered in his church, she returns to support his bereft sister.Rebeckas return to Kiruna dredges up old sorrows and conflicts. The reader is shown bits and pieces of them and put together they paint a depressing and accurate picture of the people surrounding the murder and the society it takes place in.The 'investigation' Rebecka does is more akin to the noir PI style of poking anything that moves and wait for the explosion, than any sophisticated detecting and collection of clues and development of theories.The language is sparse, yet it soars and is at turns poetic and concise. The writing has a delicate touch, and with a few wellchosen words the people and their relationships spring to life.The novel reminds me of the movie Frago, with the desolate countryside covered in snow, and the heavily pregnant police officer.
    • 4/5
      Mystery set in Kiruna, Sweden that also gives an interesting portrait of life in northern Sweden.