En plats i solen (Annika Bengtzon, #8) by Liza Marklund

En plats i solen (Annika Bengtzon, #8) Reviews

• 
  Karen

  Catching Up…
  
  I actually watched the Swedish television series through streaming several years ago. When I had a chance to read the books, I ordered the first book from my local library. It is always interesting when reading a translation. Some things do get lost in translation.
  
  This was recently donated to my Little Free Library Shed, so it gave me an opportunity to read and re-visit the series again.
  
  Annika Bengstzon is a journalist, mother and struggling with her marriage. But mostly she is a journalist. This is the eighth book in the series. So, if you haven’t tackled this series, it is always best to go to the first in the series, so you can understand the characters.
  
  Annika is a tough character, sometimes self-critical and self-centered. But she is also professional and capable.
  
  In this story, she finds herself, works a case and pieces together information that has been perplexing police.
  
  This book is over 500 pages full of detours and rambling conversations that seem unnecessary. The story could have done better with 200+ less pages.
  
  3.5 stars rounded down.
  
  
  
• 
  Bruce Hatton

  If there were a league table of greatest living Scandinavian crime writers then Liza Marklund must surely be somewhere near the top. In Annika Bengtzon she's created a wonderfully engaging and credible everyday heroine. Often vulnerable and always, seemingly, in the midst of a personal crisis
  Annika's steely persistence and integrity always manage to tease out the true story.
  In this novel she's investigating the murder of a Swedish family on the Spanish Costa Del Sol. She's soon drawn into a complex web of drug-smuggling and money-laundering from Morocco via Gibraltar. There's also an historical element involving three young girls growing up on a remote Swedish farm in the 1940s.
  A highly original and well-plotted novel with a thrilling finale.
• 
  Loesje

  Blij dat ik dit verhaal mee had op vakantie!
• 
  Manny

  Aaargh! I loved several of the novels in this series, and I had such high hopes for this one when I was about a quarter of the way through. But rarely have I seen something fall apart at the end in quite such a spectacular fashion as En Plats I Solen. Whatever happened to her?
  
  All the same, there were some wonderfully bitchy conversations. My favourite bit was when Annika's new boss at the newspaper is telling her she needs to sex up her next article.
  
  "Okay," he says, "we want an interview with some attractive young woman who's prepared to say that she bitterly regrets getting dragged into the parties-and-coke scene. If she's got breast implants, all the better."
  
  "How important are the breast implants?" asks Annika.
  
  "What?" says her boss, momentarily off-balance.
  
  "How important are they? I mean, should I prioritise them over the degree of remorse?"
  
  He angrily tells her to use her judgement. A couple of days later, Annika is talking with the local contact in Spain.
  
  "I need a hot former cokehead who can do an interview," she says. "Preferably someone with fake tits."
  
  "How important are the fake tits?" asks the contact.
  
  "Put them at the top of the list," says Annika, deadpan.
  
• 
  Rodica Gavril

  "Un loc sub soare" ("En Plats I Solen") este al optulea roman din seria "Annika Bengtzon", de Liza Marklund, care continuă și clarifică pe cel anterior, "Pe viață" ("Livstid").
  În opinia mea, este unul dintre cele mai bune romane ale seriei (de fapt, singurul care nu m-a impresionat prea mult a fost cel anterior celor două amintitite mai sus, "Lupul roșu"/"Den roda vargen").
  Romanul pornește de la o crimă multiplă - 5 membri ai unei familii uciși într-o vilă din Marbella, Costa de Sol, Spania. Ancheta jurnalistică inițiată de Annika Bengtzon are multe neclarități, pe care ea, perseverentă și intuitivă, este hotărâtă să o ducă până la capăt, ca să găsească adevărul, mai ales pentru că al șaselea membru al acelei familii, o tânără de 16 ani, nu fusese în casă și este considerată dispărută. Annika va descoperi o întreagă rețea de traficanți de droguri, care acționează în Spania și în Europa, folosind ca bază fermele de Cannabis din Maroc și operând prin firmele protejate de legile speciale din Gibraltar.
  Totul se împletește cu poveștile a trei fetițe, persecutate și supuse chinurilor, de la o fermă suedeză, unde erau aduși copii eliberați din lagărele naziste, iar finalul îi dă cititorului răspunsurile la întrebările lăsate în așteptare, încă din cartea anterioară.
  Sunt urmărite, în paralel, și viața profesională și personală a ziaristei, iar alegerile ei par să fie cele potrivite cu firea și nevoia ei de independență, de dorința de a avea mereu dreptate și de iubirea necondiționată pentru cei doi copii. Viitoarele trei cărți din serie (netraduse încă în România) ne vor spune dacă au fost bune sau nu pentru ea, așa că... abia aștept să le citesc!
  
  'A place under sun' ("En Plats I Solen") is the eighths novel from 'Annika Bengtzon' seria, by Liza Marklund, which continues and clarifies the previous one, "Livstid"('Lifetime', maybe).
  In my opinion, it is one of the best novels of the seria (in fact, the only one which didn't impressed me very much was the previous of the two above-mentioned ones, 'The Red Wolf'/"Den roda vargen") .
  The novel starts from a multiple crime - 5 members of a family killed in a villa at Marbella, Costa de Sol, Spain. The jurnalistic enquiry initiated by Annika Bengtzon has a lot of uncertainties, which she, perseverent and intuitive, is determined to finalize, in order to find the truth, especially because rhe sixth member of that family, a 16 years girl, was not in the house and is considered missing. Annika will discover an entire network of drog dealers, which activates in Spain and in Europe, using as a base the Cannabis farms from Maroc, and operating the firms in Gibraltar, protected by special laws.
  Everything is knitted together with the stories of three little girls, persecuted and submitted to ordeals, from a Swedish farm, where children eliberated from german ghettos were brought, and the finally offers the reader the answers to the questions left waiting, since the previous book.
  The profesional and the personal life of the journalist are also followed, in pararel, and her choices seem to be the suitable ones, according to her nature, her need to always be right, and her unconditional love for her two children. The future three books of the seria (not translated yet in Romanian) will tell us if they were good for her, so... I can't wait to read them!
• 
  Christine

  The Long Shadow finds Marklund’s heroine Annika going through a period of change. As she is recovering from what seems to be an irrevocable breakage with her partner and father of her two children, she must also deal with the changing face of the newsroom, including a change in her status as well as a new direct superior. Then there is a murder in Spain that ties into
  
  It’s somewhat upsetting that Marklund isn’t more readily/easily available in the United States (Red Wolf, which is not the first in the series was the first published in the U.S.), especially when one considers the popularity of all other Nordic thrillers. This book seems to be more closely tied with others in the series, though it is not necessary to read the preceding ones before this – I know, I speak from experience. Like the girl with the tattoos, Annika is somewhat disconnected from society, if to a lesser degree. The lesser degree is nice because Annika does actually have a friend or two, a woman she can take to, if not about personal issues, than work issues and they back each other up. Annika also has her children who she loves. Unlike Sandler, Annika does acknowledge her behavior and the effects it has on those around her as well as herself. Whether or not she will actually stick to the small changes, she resolves to try is another matter, but she has a degree of self awareness that few Nordic heroes have as well as a idea or decision to change – not to conform, but to make her life easier. She takes responsibility in a way that though tortured thriller or mystery heroes actually do.
  
  The plot of the novel hinges on more the Swedish community in Costa del Sol but on drugs and money. It is global in scope and the missing daughter is not only half of it, though it is this connection, this missing child, that drives Annika, that arouses her instinct of what a good story it can be, something that her boss in the newsroom disagrees with.
  
  In many ways, the newsroom issues, Annika’s job and her interaction with her co-workers, are some of the most interesting parts of the novel. It reminds one of the final season of the Wire, with its close up at the newspaper industry. It is also depressing. America isn’t the only place with dumb down news, if Marklund’s portrayal is accurate.
  
  Marklund’s novel does have violence; Annika’s life is touched by it in more than one way and several characters outside of the victims also have violent pasts. However, unlike many other mysteries/thrillers where the violence is directed almost elusively towards women and has a sexual undertone to it, the violence in Marklund’s books would occur to the victims (who are both genders) regardless of gender. Annika, for instance, is targeted because she is an investigative reporter and not a woman. Perhaps it is sad that I find such use of violence refreshing, yet there is something nice about a book where women are not the only victims, were they are active and actually interact with each other as equals.
  
  Crossposted at Booklikes.
• 
  Elan Durham

  Initially, I might have had a bit more trouble with this one from Marklund, but on reflection I'm sure it was because I'd seen the Swedish television series adaptation, which I'd also recommend.
  
  That said, I recommend 'The Long Shadow' for this reason: no female crime writer I know of fairly exudes the sense of authenticity that Marklund does - as a journalist and as a woman juggling a career and sharing children with her (philandering but alluring) ex-husband. She never apologizes, she twists her guts up and punches through the obstacles.
  
  The result is refreshing and admirable.
  
  Annika Bengtzon is not a feminist crusader or anything as tiresome as that. Liza Marklund acts through Annika in ways that make you confident of her knowledge of how to go about the business of life, while investigating and solving major crime stories.
  
  She's every bit as interesting as Wallander. I think the author is very close to Annika, in the same way Manning is close to Wallander. There is an alter-ego relationship (I suspect) that draws the reader in - looking for more.
• 
  JudithAnn

  I’ve read several books by Liza Marklund and this is quite a typical Marklund book, I think. So, if you enjoyed her previous books, you’ll like this one too.
  
  I loved it that a lot of the story took place in Spain. We’ve had enough Scandinavian settings from Marklund and her fellow Nordic crime writers. It’s good to see that outside of this somewhat exotic setting for many English-speaking readers, the story still holds up.
  
  While the story generally seemed realistic, some story lines merged together into one story, where a few too many coincidences came
  together. Both unnecessary and unlikely. There were a few love interests, and these were not over-romanticised but very real-world.
  The story becomes quite exciting towards the end, to the point that you can’t believe Annika will be able to escape her precarious situation.
  
  Another enjoyable thriller from Liza Marklund.
• 
  Carrie

  Too Long. This is the first book I've read from this author. It seems that it is a continuation of a previous story in another book. There were a lot of characters and sometimes it was hard to get them straight. It was also a bit too convenient that characters from the previous crime somehow are involved with the plot in the current story, when it didn't start out that way.
• 
  Cynthia

  I probably should've started with the first book in her series, because I found it hard to follow what was going on. The storyline sounded really good, but it jumped around to other 'stories' that the main plot got lost at one point. She did do a good job tying it all together at the end, but I still felt lost with all the characters names & who was with who.
• 
  Kay

  Did not finish this book. Just could not get into it
• 
  Ulla

  The more I read, the more I like Annika Begtzon. Thank you Liza Marklund and Katarina Ewerlöf!!
• 
  Carolina Imhof

  As I have not read the whole series, this story was very confusing, so it is probably necessary to read them in order. Too many coincidences to sound true.
• 
  Hans Brienesse

  Another great tale from Liza Marklund. Once again Annika is her usual intrusive, nosy self, and once again her persistence leads her to be at the centre of solving a crime. A well crafted tale that made good reading due in part to the exhaustive research of the subject of the author. Another typical Scandi novel but perhaps not as deep and devious as some.
• 
  Johanna Ilen

  Guaranteed Annika Bengtsson quality!
• 
  Raluca Daniela

  3.5/5
• 
  Leah

  Series...or serial?
  
  When the family of a Swedish sport star is gassed to death during a robbery on the Costa del Sol, the Evening Post sends reporter Annika Bengtzon to cover the story. Meanwhile a reorganisation at the newspaper means that Annika’s colleague Patrik has been promoted to be her new boss. And the appeal is about to be heard for Filip Andersson, a man convicted of murder, apparently in a previous book.
  
  This is a very well written slowburn thriller that takes Nordic crime away from the cold of the north to the sunshine of Spain. Marklund gives a real feel for these ex-pats living in the brash world of the Costa Cocaine, as Patrik wishes to dub it. The story lets us see how the police are failing to stop the drug route through Spain from the hash farms in Morocco and on to the rest of Europe. Annika’s character is well developed and she’s a likeable lead although with the usual confused personal life. She’s not superwoman, thankfully – just a hard-working, professional journalist with a well-defined set of ethics. And we see her as a caring mother to her two young children and struggling to come to terms with the break-up of her marriage.
  
  Many crime novels are part of a series where each book can be read on its own merits. However, this one is very much part of a serial – i.e. the main plot clearly runs on from book to book and this is an instalment rather than a distinct story. Unfortunately this means the book doesn’t work as a standalone. I spent most of my time baffled about characters whose story had obviously begun in the previous books, which I haven’t read; and as all the threads began to come together my lack of knowledge of who had done what and why in previous books meant I hadn’t a clue what was going on. And unfortunately that confusion continued right through to the end. And yet, so much of the book was given over to retelling bits of previous instalments I am left with little desire to backtrack, especially since I now know what has happened to many of the recurring characters. Of course, it’s quite normal for there to be a running story arc in the background, but I’ve never come across another crime novel where the main plot was so dependant on a thorough knowledge of the previous books.
  
  I’m reluctant to mark it down because I’m sure that for people who’ve been following the serial this will be an interesting and enjoyable read. Even with my problems with understanding the plot, there was much that I enjoyed – the quality of the dialogue, the characterisation, the sense of place, Annika’s family life. So 4 stars from me, but I doubt I’ll be reading the past books, since this book contains so many spoilers about them. And while this instalment felt as if it had come to a proper, if rather incomprehensible, conclusion, I wouldn’t be willing to read any future books unless I could be sure that major plot points didn’t rely on the reader knowing about things that happened in the previous books. Shame.
  
  NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, Random House.
  
  
  www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
  
• 
  Luanne Ollivier

  The Long Shadow is the eighth North American release in Liza Marklund's Annika Bengtzon series.
  
  The Long Shadow picks right up from the last book, Lifetime. Annika's personal life is in shambles - her husband has left her for another woman, he has custody of their children and her home has burned down. She's just learned that she'll now be reporting to a man who used to be her subordinate at the Swedish newspaper she works at.
  
  She's sent to Spain to report on the death of a former Swedish national. It looks like they were originally just targets of the latest European crime wave - pumping gas into the victim's home until they pass out, then robbing them. (This is frighteningly true!) But something went wrong this time - he and his family have been killed. Or was it deliberate?
  
  Annika is a tireless reporter. Or perhaps obsessive is a more apt description. She's headstrong, impulsive and plunges headlong into her stories, often to her own detriment. But, she trusts her own instincts and follows them regardless. It often pays off - she saved the life a young boy in the last book. And this time is no exception. Annika knows this current story is much deeper than her editor thinks. When he wants her to move on to other pieces, she lets him believe she has - then pursues her own leads.
  
  Marklund's plots are quite detailed and intricate. I do enjoy her style as it really keeps the reader engaged and on their toes. Having followed the series, I was easily able to keep up with the players and past references. But new readers might find the number of characters, established relationships and connections a mite confusing. Much of this book's plot is tied to previous cases. An interesting twist is slowly revealed through flashbacks to someone's childhood.
  
  Woven throughout is the secondary storyline of Annika's personal life. I think Marklund has handled and written this very well throughout the series. . Although I've heard some other readers remark that this secondary storyline muddies the waters of the main plot, I disagree. I quite like seeing the two sides of Annika's life - personal and professional. For me, it makes the character more realistic and believable when we see vulnerability in such strong personality.
  
  The setting was brought to life with detailed descriptions of ex-pats and luxury. And corruption and crime.
  
  This is an excellent series with a character I quite like, even though she's not always likable. Definitely recommended. I'll be watching for the next in the series. And on a side note, I was thrilled to discover that the Annika books have been made into films. And my library carries them!
• 
  G.G.

  Review of Liza Marklund's Annika Bengtzon Crime Reporter Series
  
  Many characters solve mysteries, but reporter protagonists can make their own headlines. One I’ve come across lately is Swedish writer Liza Marklund who created Annika Bengtzon. Bengtzon works for the Stockholm publication Kvällspressen where she covers the crime beat.
  
  Bengtzon, who is haunted by her past, is only comfortable as she unremittingly pursues her assignments, often risking her own life to get the story. At home where she is the mother of two young children and the wife of an impatient husband, she is much less confident. It is this juxtaposition that makes this series so interesting. She obviously loves her children, but doesn’t seem quite sure how to fulfill two full-time jobs; that of parent and reporter. Annika can’t seem to please her husband regardless. Her job is just too consuming for him.
  
  At work, although the editor in chief Anders Schyman can be gruff, Annika is in her element. The work, however grim, nourishes her fragile ego. The reasons for this unfold as the series continues. But her pursuit of a story is engrossing. There is another question around every bend in the plot and questions are the best tool of a reporter. Unfortunately, sometimes the answers are dangerous, even deadly.
  
  Liza Marklund is a journalist turned author and goodwill ambassador for UNICEF. Her books have been translated into some 30 languages. It is reported that ABC-TV in the States will debut a series based on her novels starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead of A Good Day to Die Hard. But until then check out the excellent movies starring Malin Crépin as Annika. They are available at Amazon, in Swedish with English subtitles.
  
  Marklund is a deft writer who tells a taut entertaining story with believable characters. She divides her time between Stockholm and Marbella, Spain. The first book in the series is Studio 69 (Studio Sex in the US).
• 
  Mike Cuthbert

  This may be the most energetic Marklund novel yet. She spends much of her life in Marbella, Spain, and utilizes that experience with the story of Annika Bengtzon, star reporter, who follows leads to Spain where most of the novel takes place. A family has been wiped out with poison gas, the father a former NHL hockey player. One of his children escapes the gas by her absence and Annika goes on the hunt for her. Suzette proves to be an elusive target but cooperates when found because she retains some sense of family loyalty. The novel turns on the drug culture of Costa del Sol, however, and the complicated routes created by the drug lords to get their product from Morocco and other remote locations to Scandinavia. Of particular interest is Annika’s travel to Gibraltar, dominated by the famous Rock of same. It sometimes seems as if Annika will never come back to Sweden, especially when she hooks up with ravishingly handsome Niklas, with whom she has several very sweaty sessions of lovemaking, desiring more. In the meantime, Annika’s paper is undergoing drastic changes and the incompetent nincompoop Patrik is put in charge of news. His idea of news, the paper being a tabloid, is big breasts and celebrity gossip, He has little interest in serial murders or the drug traffic that is ravishing Scandinavia. He is a thoroughly unlikeable character and Marklund uses him with great emotional effect throughout the novel, especially when the rest of the story seems to bottom out. Marklund is one of my favorite Nordic Noir writers and she must have had a terrific time writing this one. I look forward to more explorations of her mind with her when I find them. You will, too.
• 
  Chris

  Another Scandi-crime series -- this time it's a news journalist - Annika Bengtzon who is doing the crime solving. She is Swedish but much of this story takes place in Spain along the coast of Costa del Sol where a Swedish family has been gassed, robbed and killed. She's a renegade reporter trying to dig deeper into the story than her newsroom expects - they are after catchy headlines - Annika is trying to find a missing girl and figure out the connections between the murdered family, the thieves, a former police detective all in the land of sun and tax-free enterprise. This is a big thick book and I've been hauling it around all week -- feel like I've gotten to know Annika in the process -- now I gotta look for more of the series.
• 
  Verena

  All in all this was a suspenseful read with some twists and turns that I really enjoyed. I only rated it 3 stars because the story felt very constructed and I couldn‘t find motive for many of the crimes described. At some point it felt as if everyone in this story is just evil - except for Annika maybe but towards the end she did this stupid crimebook-cliché where she runs off to a place she expects to be dangerous without telling anyone where she‘s going and I was kind of annoyed by that. This wasn‘t a typical nordic noir but it was a fun read nonetheless.
• 
  Andrei Bădică

  Așa cum afirmă și Patricia Cornwell, "Nu-i o întâmplare că Liza Marklund este una dintre cele mai dinamice și mai populare autoare de romane crime ale timpurilor noastre.", romanul este bun, are o intrigă alambicată și mister din belșug. Dacă autoarea nu s-ar fi întins prea mult (cartea are 603 pagini), aș fi considerat că este un roman polițist de 5 stele.
  
  "- Nu le poți avea pe toate, nu-i așa? răspunse Patrik."
  
  "- Pe undeva, cred în bunătatea înnăscută a oamenilor, continuă Nina cu o voce ceva mai fermă. Cred că oricine se poate schimba, dacă i se acordă această șansă."
• 
  Candace

  I definitely believe that if there's a previous story to this book I recommend reading that one first. I got this book at a Half Price Books so I didn't really realize it was a bit of a series. Thankfully though it kept my interest and even dare I say helped me cope with my cousin's death. It helped by keeping my mind from thinking so many scenarios and going back and forth between thoughts. So I have to say it was pretty good.
• 
  Janet

  Part of a longer series, but still easy enough to follow. The story centers around a Swedish reporter who flies to Spain to investigate the murder of a family of four, killed by poison gas during a robbery. If the author had stuck to that story line, the book would have been engaging. However, there were soooo many sub-plots that the story seemed 'all over the place' and felt about two hundred pages too long. Don't think I'd read another by this author.
• 
  Mary

  This is an excellent series. The characters are great and the dialogue is extremely well done. The plot, though, was really complicated and on several occasions I wished I’d kept notes on the characters - who was related to whom, who did what to whom. Luckily I had read (listened to) the previous book, which was pretty important to this plot.
  
  The setting is Sweden, Gibraltar and Morocco - all fascinating.
  
  The narrator of this audio book was perfect.
• 
  Reetta Saine

  Rankasti edeltävään kirjaan perustuva dekkari, joka ei yllä Marklundin parhaimpiin. Juonessa on aikamoisia hyppäyksiä ja ennen kaikkea - eikö siitä nilkistä aviomiehestä päästäkään eroon?!?! Edelleen nautin toimittajan työn kuvauksista, ja tahtoisin kuulla ammattilaisilta, onko se oikeasti tuollaista :).
• 
  Magnus

  Another good crime story by Liza Marklund (not the best one of hers but still very enjoyable).
  I continue to be amazed by the amount of travelling Annika does. Is that how journalists really work (and live)?