A decent domestic mystery. I liked the mix of a policeman and a lawyer, but I felt like the characters were just starting to develop when the book ended. I'd be willing to continue with the series just to see what happens with their personal lives, but I won't be rushing to get to book #2.

This was a kindle first selection some time ago that's just been laying there waiting to be read. Most of the kindle first selections are just so-so. This was an exception. A mystery set in Sweden, enjoyable with interesting character backgrounds and subplots. I might even check out the series that is evidently on Hulu!

Real Rating: 3.5* of five, rounded up because I'll read moreI downloaded this onto my Kindle when it was a Kindle First offering about three years ago (2015-ish?). It finally snagged my attention. I think it finally got me because, when I opened it, I read this:The department’s coffeemaker produced a liquid that was positively toxic. How Margit could knock it back in such quantities was a mystery. Thomas had switched to drinking tea for the first time in his life because of it.THOMAS!! RUN!! Run...

I should probably start by mentioning I read this book in Swedish, i.e. its original language, and my native tongue. I had seen several movies/TV mini series based on this series of books and enjoyed them very much. Therefore, I knew who the killer was and their motive before I started reading the book. Fortunately for me, I'm horrible at solving mysteries, and my memory is sketchy at best (sorry officer, I can't tell you what I was doing last Wednesday afternoon at 6.05. I can't even tell you w...

3.5 ⭐️ (rounded up to 4) This was book 1 in a Swedish detective series that has recently been translated into English. It happened to be my first Amazon Kindle read, and it wasn’t bad!The writing reminded me a lot of the 80s detectives shows I watched as a kid - Matlock, Colombo, and Murder, She Wrote (where you mainly root for the main characters and then the actual crime is secondary). It had a wholesomeness to it amidst murder and deception. And it was a casual read that’s great for vacations...

Whoa there are EIGHTY books on Goodreads titled "Still Waters." That's not even counting variations such as "Beneath Still Waters" and "By Still Waters," etc. ***The trite title should've served as warning.1 star because this disappointed me so much I became angry.I've been trying to read more books that have been translated into English, running on the theory that a publisher bothered to hire a translator,, it must be really good, cream of the crop. Well. This book proves that rule wrong! This

You know that old adage, "the book is always better". This is a case in point. I picked this up because I recently got Hulu, and the TV series based on these books is something I watched. While I enjoyed the series, I thought Nora was dumb and while she didn't deserve to be smacked, her innocence act was over the top because she was kissing the man her husband accused her of crushing on. The television series (at least the 3 seasons that were up on Hulu), seemed to highlight Nora as damsel in di...

“Anger, resentment and jealousy doesn't change the heart of others-- it only changes yours.” ----Shannon L. AlderViveca Sten, an international best-selling Swedish author, has penned a fast-paced gripping thriller featuring Thomas Andreasson, in her book, Still Waters which is the first book in the Sandhamn Murders series. The story, set in Sandhamn, a small island in the central-peripheral part of the Stockholm Archipelago in central-eastern Sweden, begins with the discovery of a dead body o

A good detective story that was a Kindle First download, I found this Viveca Sten novel to be long on characterizations (they were excellent and believable) even if a bit short (or somewhat predictable) in terms of plot. I also enjoyed the scenic descriptions -- never having been to Sweden, I felt like the author described the settings so that you could really imagine the seaside towns and the archipelago. I also liked the way all of the questions were answered by the end of the book. Thanks for...

The story is very believable with all the people with quirks on the island. I can relate to Nora with diabetes and to Thomas, who was once in the maritime police, I was in the Coast Guard. I like the books that relate to how I live my life, I can relate.

Three and a half starsWhile walking his dog on the island of Sandhamn a man finds a body tangled in a fishing net. Police detective Thomas Andreasson seeks to uncover whether this is an accident, suicide or murder. But then another body turns up. It is the dead man’s cousin. Suddenly, it seems the two deaths are related and there is a murderer on the loose. One of the other main characters is Nora Linde, married to Henrik and a close friend to Thomas. Both these main characters were well develop...

Enjoyed the story.Slow going story, I enjoyed the location and reading about the lighthouses. Googled and learned more about them. Murders in this small island and relationship between husbands and wives. Who and why the murders was shocking.

I found this novel very boring. Deaths were happening, and I found it difficult to care. The narrator Angela Dawe, was about as monotonous as you could possibly think, and only made the audiobook worse, imo. I stopped after the third death, at about most of the way thru chapter 34, and I cannot possibly feel any better by jettisoning this novel to the wayside.2 stars, if that. Not recommended.

An other Swedish writer I haven't heard of.. I moved from Sweden to the US almost 20 years ago so there are a lot of newer writers I've never heard of. The plot was good but there were a lot of unnecessary words, describing all kinds of things. There was way too much text about boats and sailing!In the book it says fishing nets are made of cotton in Sweden. I used to help my dad when he put his nets in. I rowed the boat and he put them in. That was 40-50 years ago and his nets were definitely ny...

Rating 2.4* out of 5. I was going to write a few lines in Swedish about this mediocre murder mystery, but lo' and behold - this has been translated! Perhaps later books in the series will be better. I picked this up fairly reluctantly, but a recommendation together with the constant need of mp3 books sealed the deal. Swedish-Norwegian audio books are in fairly short supply and the English ones are overpriced in addition to being plagued by terrible narrators. So rest assured that I will explore

2.5 rounded to 2 stars.This was a Kindle free book. It is translated from Swedish. Thomas and Nora are lifelong friends. Thomas is a policeman; Nora is a lawyer who works for a bank and is married to Henrich and has two kids. Thomas is recently divorced after he and his wife lost their first child and he is just starting to be able to think clearly. There is no romance between Thomas and Nora, they are just good friends. Nora and Henrich spend their summers on Sandhamn Island.One summer, 3 peopl...

Another Nordic series opener and a blinding one at that. It's not a new series in Sweden but is here. Plus they get a televised version as well so I am hoping that will follow here and NOT only for paying subscribers !!I was lucky enough to spot this in the September Kindle First offer and got it cheap as well so I'm very pleased with my whole experience.I did wonder at Thomas' detecting skills near the beginning when he was confused about someone's tan when he'd only just seen a postcard from G...

kindle first3.5 ★Sandhamn (Sweden’s idyllic vacation island)...Police detective Thomas Andreasson and childhood friend, local lawyer Nora Linde.

3.5 starsIt's summer & everyone in Sweden is dying for their annual holiday break. Some literally.Many will flock to small islands that make up the Stockholm archipelago, eager for long days on the beach. Inspector Thomas Andreasson of the violent crimes unit is impatient to retreat to his cabin on one of the islands. It's been a turbulent year for him personally & he longs to get away from some quiet reflection. Unfortunately, his time there this summer won't exactly be a vacation.It begins whe...

Viveca Sten's Still Waters is the first in a series set on the island of Sandhamn (in the archipelago of islands east of Stockholm). In Still Waters, a pair of cousins die in a short period of time. Maybe murder? Then a third person who knew the second also died. Another murder?Thomas and the rest of the police department begin investigating, but all doesn't easily fall into place – as is probably the case in the real world. While Thomas is the center of the investigative team, it is a true team...