Book review: The Killing, by David Hewson

Reviewed by Richard Beesley.

When I was lucky enough to win the Movember Food Fight with Pan Macmillan, the lovely people at Pan Macmillan saw how much the whole family love books and sent some over to us to review. Here's the first, which I have read and reviewed.
 

Based on the screenplay of the same name by Søren Sveistrup, this is a re-imagining of the crime thriller based in Copenhagen. Detective Sarah Lund is entering her last days as a detective in Copenhagen before leaving the country for a new life with her partner in Sweden. But as the book opens with the horrific murder of 19 year old student Nanna Birk Larsen, Sarah Lund's plans change as she becomes engrossed, obsessed even, with the case and determined to solve the crime.

Set against a backdrop of elections for The Lord Mayor of the city, political pressure helps steer the investigation both towards and away from key players. As Lund's own life changes, we see the different facets of each character emerge, and find out about the hidden worlds they each inhabit, at times longing for one or two the darkest characters to be the guilty party but then disappointed when they were released without charge. 

This is a gritty novel, and although the descriptions of the crime itself are deliberately not graphic, there is more than enough information to fill your mind and create every scene of the book in your head. Having had the pleasure of visiting Copenhagen last year, I really enjoyed spotting the places we visited, albeit in very different circumstances.

Brilliantly paced, and expertly written, this is a gripping read. With twists, turns and revelations throughout, there is no shortage of leads for Lund and her colleagues to follow. As is typical of good detective tales, I genuinely didn't know who was guilty and, when I thought I'd got it all figured out, I was proven wrong again! The final twist was completely unexpected but, I felt, necessary. 

I haven't seen the screenplay that this book is based upon, but it did not matter. This is a standalone novel, and well worth reading.

The Killing, by David Hewson is published by Pan Macmillan and available to purchase from their website.

Disclosure: Pan Macmillan sent me this book to keep for the purposes of review. All opinions are our own.
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