Dark Music
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- Create Date：2022-08-20 12:17:35
- Update Date：2025-09-23
- Status：finish
- Author：David Lagercrantz
- ISBN：B09SP8JWQV
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Summary
Inspired by Sherlock Holmes， an exhilarating new thriller from the bestselling author of The Girl in the Spider's Web--a murder investigation in which two unlikely allies race to uncover a shadowy international conspiracy。
Professor Hans Rekke is a world authority on interrogation techniques， capable of dizzying feats of logic and observation。 He was born into wealth and power and has a picture-perfect wife and daughter。 But he also has a fragile psyche that falls apart under pressure。
Micaela Vargas is a street-smart police officer， daughter of Chilean political refugees， who grew up in the projects on the outskirts of Stockholm and has two brothers on the wrong side of the law。 She is tenacious and uncompromising， and desperate to prove herself to her fellow cops。
Micaela needs Hans's unique mind to help her solve the case of a murdered asylum-seeker from Afghanistan。 Hans needs Micaela to save him from himself。 Together， they need to find the killer before they're both silenced for good。
Professor Hans Rekke is a world authority on interrogation techniques， capable of dizzying feats of logic and observation。 He was born into wealth and power and has a picture-perfect wife and daughter。 But he also has a fragile psyche that falls apart under pressure。
Micaela Vargas is a street-smart police officer， daughter of Chilean political refugees， who grew up in the projects on the outskirts of Stockholm and has two brothers on the wrong side of the law。 She is tenacious and uncompromising， and desperate to prove herself to her fellow cops。
Micaela needs Hans's unique mind to help her solve the case of a murdered asylum-seeker from Afghanistan。 Hans needs Micaela to save him from himself。 Together， they need to find the killer before they're both silenced for good。
Reviews
Vivienne
，
My thanks to Quercus Books MacLehose Press for an eARC and to Quercus Audio for a review copy of the unabridged audiobook edition， both via NetGalley， of ‘Dark Music’ by David Lagercrantz。 The audiobook was narrated by Matt Bates。This crime thriller was originally published in Sweden as ‘Obscuritas’ （2021）。 It was translated from the Swedish by Ian Giles。 I have read and enjoyed two of David Lagercrantz’s continuations of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series， so was interested in reading more of hi My thanks to Quercus Books MacLehose Press for an eARC and to Quercus Audio for a review copy of the unabridged audiobook edition， both via NetGalley， of ‘Dark Music’ by David Lagercrantz。 The audiobook was narrated by Matt Bates。This crime thriller was originally published in Sweden as ‘Obscuritas’ （2021）。 It was translated from the Swedish by Ian Giles。 I have read and enjoyed two of David Lagercrantz’s continuations of Stieg Larsson’s Millennium series， so was interested in reading more of his work。 ‘Dark Music’ marks the start of a new series of mysteries inspired by Sherlock Holmes。Professor Hans Rekke， a world authority on interrogation techniques， is capable of impressive feats of logic and observation。 In the course of the novel he is paired with Micaela Vargas， a community police officer whose parents are Chilean political refugees。 While Rekke comes from a privileged background， Vargas had grown up in a tough suburb and her two brothers are involved in shady activities; causing problems for her with her supervisors。 I found both leads intriguing and accessible characters。 ‘Dark Music’ is set in 2003 and its central case involves the murder of Jamal Kabir， a refugee from Afghanistan， who has been beaten to death following a junior football match where he was referee。 At first it is believed that he had been attacked by an angry parent， who had objected to a call he had made during the game。However， it soon becomes apparent there is far more going on。 No further details to avoid spoilers。 Some chapters flash back to past events in Kabul during the Russian occupation and later after the Taliban take control。 ‘Dark Music’ was a slow burn with an emphasis upon character development as well as social and political issues， which is very much in keeping with Scandinavian crime fiction。 I have been enjoying ‘Nordic Noir’ in translation for over a decade so was prepared for this type of pacing and themes。As the title suggests， music is an important aspect of the narrative， which highlights the Taliban’s suppression of music and persecution of musicians， especially those trained in classical music by the Russians。 With respect to the audiobook， while this is the first time I have listened to an audiobook narrated by Matt Bates， I was impressed with the confidence， warmth， and depth of his voice。 It was a pleasure to listen to his reading throughout。Overall， I found ‘Dark Music’ an intricately plotted mystery-thriller that incorporates complex themes。 After this promising start I will be interested in reading the future cases for Professor Rekke and Micaela Vargas。 。。。more
Roy Kenagy
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Crime Reads International Thrillers August https://bit。ly/3AyNvE1 Crime Reads International Thrillers August https://bit。ly/3AyNvE1 。。。more
Dimitris Passas （TapTheLine）
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David Lagercrantz， one of the most celebrated Swedish journalists and fiction authors， known to the masses from the continuation of the infamous "Millenium" trilogy written by the late Stieg Larsson and the best-selling biography of the legendary Swedish football player Zlatan Ibrahimovic （I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic/2011）， returns with the first installment in a new series of crime novels， featuring detective Micaela Vargas and the mercurial professor Hans Rekke as the protagonists。 The readership David Lagercrantz， one of the most celebrated Swedish journalists and fiction authors， known to the masses from the continuation of the infamous "Millenium" trilogy written by the late Stieg Larsson and the best-selling biography of the legendary Swedish football player Zlatan Ibrahimovic （I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic/2011）， returns with the first installment in a new series of crime novels， featuring detective Micaela Vargas and the mercurial professor Hans Rekke as the protagonists。 The readership had already the chance to assess the author's writing style through the fourth， fifth， and sixth volume of the "Millenium" saga， while those who are older will remember him from his work as a crime journalist in one of the country's biggest newspapers， "Expressen"， during the decades of 1980s and 1990s。 Lagercrantz's experience as a reporter has left a deep imprint on his prose， thus adding plausibility and realism to the text， as it is evident in Dark Music， a novel that transcends genre categorization， incorporating elements from the classic police procedural and political thriller aspects that prompt the reader to make his own inquiry on the book's gloomy main theme， that is the anti-terrorism hysteria that conquered the western countries after the traumatic events of 9/11 in the U。S。 and the establishment of torture prisons in Afghanistan by the CIA， during the years of the American intervention there。 Lagercrantz certainly devoted many hours researching the nightmarish nature of the so-called "Black Spots" or "Black Sites" and the information conveyed to the reader is shocking， making us aware of a reality that we don't want to acknowledge。 The smooth translation by Ian Giles leaves nothing to be desired and guarantees a first-class reading experience， a top rendition of the original source's well-rounded text。Dark Music is a novel that is equally based on the peculiarities and idiosyncrasies of his main protagonists， especially those of Hans Rekke， and its intriguing plot premise that involves corruption in the upper echelons of the Swedish police force and politics and their American counterparts。 Nevertheless， the novel is actually narrating a revenge story， born and bred in the faraway Afghanistan during the terrible days of the Taliban dominance that led to the persecution of musicians， especially those with influences from the west， and the destruction of several musical instruments which were seen as enemies of the religion and distractions destined to lead the folk further away from their one and true God。 I was stricken to read and learn that the Saudis banned music in 1978 and one year later in Iran， Khomeini did the same。 It seems outrageous to us， citizens of the western democracies， that a form of art as potent as music can be outlawed and its practitioners to be treated as common criminals by the state。 The music ban in Afghanistan， established by the Taliban regime began in the late 1990s and the harassment of peaceful musicians became an everyday phenomenon throughout the country。 Smashing of musical instruments in public was practiced by the Talibans extensively and eventually musicians became afraid to perform even within the confines of their home as they were afraid that someone may hear and notify the authorities， something that would definitely lead to serious trouble。Apart from the music ban part， the novel focuses on another hot issue that became the subject of debate internationally during the last two decades， and that is the existence of torture prisons， built by the American state in Afghanistan。 The secret prisons were acknowledged by U。S。 President George W。 Bush during a speech in 2006 and the rumors regarding the employment of torture methods such as cold， darkness， and loud music by the site operators quickly spread and became a controversial issue in the U。S。 as there were many who believed that the war on terror necessitates such actions， while others maintained that a modern state such as the U。S。 cannot be involved in such dark deeds。 Hans Rekke， the Sherlockian ex-Stanford-professor who becomes entangled in the police investigation of the murder of one Jamal Kabir， an Afghanian immigrant who gets killed with a stone after a local match in Grimsta， is an expert in the "enhanced interrogation techiniques" （a euphemism for torture） and when he lived in the U。S。， he was often employed by the American authorities to help with the assessment of interrogation transcripts and decide whether or not the interrogated part knew more than he was letting on or not。 For Rekke。， "torture has its own cultural peculiarities， its own fingerprints。 Not only you can trace the perpetrator， but you can also trace the context he is operating in。 The ideology beihnd it leaves its traces on the tortured body"。 With this method， he will be able to offer his critical help to Micaela and her colleagues who seem to be stuck with the investigation for several months。The story begins with the death of Jamal Kabir， an Afhgani immigrant who is found dead in the woods in Grimsta after the ending of a football match in which he was the referee。 The authorities will quickly apprehend their prime suspect， a local lowlife drunk who has proven to be violent in the past， but soon their case is rejected by the prosecutor as they lack the substantial evidence needed in order to prove the man's guilt。 Micaela Vargas's superiors decide to talk with professor Hans Rekke， a mysterious figure who is an expert in interrogation techniques and his observational skills are only comparable to the one and only Sherlock Holmes。 Rekke's remarks on the case， irritates the top brass as they upend their whole investigation and exonerate their suspect（s）。 As the months pass by， the case becomes a cold one and the investigative officers are at a loss， having nothing to move the case forward and pinpoint the perpetrator。 However， Micaela， a single-minded and persistent individual will begin her own personal inquiries after a chance encounter with Hans Rekke who， after a failed suicide attempt in the Tunnelbana rail tracks of Ostermalmstorg station。 Together， and despite Rekke's rapidly deteriorating physical and mental health， they will trace the clues that the police had missed and their team work will be finally appreciated by Micaela's colleagues who were initially suspicious about Hans。 Their inquiries will lead them in Afghanistan's recent dark history and the American response in the terrorist actions in New York in 9/11。Hans Rekke is definitely on the spotlight as he is a compelling character， bearing some unique charismas that render him invaluable in a criminal investigation， but his unbalanced mentality and impulsive actions， such as his suicide attempt in Tunnelbana in the beginning of the novel， put him under a whole different light as the story progresses。 Hans is addicted to a variety of drugs such as benzodiazepines， morphine， ritalin and a whole galaxy of uppers and downers that help him to stabilize his mood and offer him relief from the severe depressive spells that torment him。 While being manic， Hans has the tendency to make a lot of enemies as his insistence to tell the truth despite the consequences often put him on the wrong side of his peers and then a conflict is inevitable。 Lagercrantz discloses his protagonist's background in broad strokes and we learn， mainly through the discussions of Hans's daughter Julia with Micaela in the beginning of the novel， that he was born and raised in a peculiar family and his fraught relationship with his mother defined and still defines his behavior。 Destined to become a piano prodigy from his early childhood， Hans was quickly drawn to the intellectual world and his pathos for order and clarity turned him from an aspiring artist to a dedicated rationalist whose power of perception led him to a brilliant career， that culminated with his appointment as a professor in the respected University of Stanford。 The abandonment of his promising piano course resulted in a bitter dispute with his mother who was， according to Hans's own words "the impresario for hell"， a strict and demanding authoritative figure who oppressed her son in many ways。 His scientific research on torture methods and the interrogation techniques in his book "War and the Art of Telling the Truth" make him the prime candidate to examine Jamal Kabir's case as it becomes apparent in the post-mortem examination that he had been subjected to torture in the past。Micaela Vargas is a young woman from a humble background， "a girl from the hood" as she likes to describe herself， and a competent police officer who， nevertheless， struggles to survive in a man-dominated working environment that often clips her wings and force her to investigate second-rate cases。 Her timid origins contrast with Hans Rekke's aristocratic disposition that is evident in the cliched quotes he often uses in order to communicate with the others， even the people closest to him。 However， it is that comparison that， inexplicably， seems to help in the development of their relationship as Micaela sees in Hans the traits that she longed for herself since she were a child。 Without being the typical pretty girl stereotype， her looks radiate explosivity and indicate her fierce temperament that becomes eventually a trademark for her as a character。 Her sharp intellect urges her to focus on the -many- flaws and inconsistencies in the initial investigation on Jamal Kabir's murder and she seems keen to follow her father's advice that was "always go back to the source- to what preceded the interpretations that laid themselves like a filter over developments"， a quote that became her mantra ever since her early years。 Micaela shares a difficult liaison with her brother， Lucas， who is a prominent member of Stockholm's underbelly and his criminal tendencies put Micaela in crosshairs with her superiors who use Micaela's affinity with Lucas as leverage in the inner machinations of the police force that exclude her from the investigation in the first place。 Furthermore， Micaela becomes invested in the case as her own father had been tortured in his youth while being in Chile。 The chemistry between Micaela and Hans is perhaps the novel's strongest asset as Lagercrantz excels in characterization and creates two protagonists that will remain in the reader's minds for long after finishing reading this book。As I already mentioned in the previous paragraphs， the story is dismal and the motifs of torture and oppression of artists may prove to be too much for the readers who are faint at heart or oblivious of the Nordic crime fiction's tropes and choice of main themes。 However， Lagercrantz reduces the shock effect by weaving a mystery compelling enough to keep the reader hooked from the first page until the last， while at the same time is prudent enough to take his time in the precious character development that results in the introduction of two of the most beguiling protagonists in the genre's works: Hans Rekke and Micaela Vargas。 There are no extensive descriptions of torture within the text， the subject is handled expertly by the author in such a way that supports the overall plot structure without depressing the reader with representations and wordy details of such appalling acts。 Overall， Dark Music is a special type of police procedural that reaches its solution through grand leaps of intuition rather than the old-fashioned solid footwork and the conduct of excruciating interrogations。 It's not the police force that leads the Jamal Kabir investigation but solely Micaela and Hans who collaborate and conclude the case themselves during a short trip to Cologne， Germany。 I would like to thank Netgalley and MacLehose Press for providing a free ARC of this title and also to send my regards to Milly Reid who selected TapTheLine for the blog blast of the novel， even though I couldn't upload my review in the expected date （18 August）。 Please excuse my tardiness。 。。。more
Miya （pain at a peak， excuse slow responses）
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Rounding up。 Just leaving it at that。
Any Lukášová
，
😻😽
Hans Henecke
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Välskriven， så klart， men känns väldigt överkonstruerad och ganska onödig。 OK förströelselitteratur för min del。
Steve Cripwell
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A professor born to a wealthy Stockholm family seems to have all the skills and expertise but maybe he can't take the pressure when the going gets tough。 A female community police officer with something to prove makes an unlikely team mate to find a killer。 But a murder investigation pulls them together。 I do love Scandinavian murder mysteries and this one is no exception。 Adding the Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson angle made it a particularly interesting read for me。 The story progresses well and A professor born to a wealthy Stockholm family seems to have all the skills and expertise but maybe he can't take the pressure when the going gets tough。 A female community police officer with something to prove makes an unlikely team mate to find a killer。 But a murder investigation pulls them together。 I do love Scandinavian murder mysteries and this one is no exception。 Adding the Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson angle made it a particularly interesting read for me。 The story progresses well and is intriguing。 There is a deep and twisty plot which involves the CIA， Taliban and the police。I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a quirky detective story。 。。。more
Duncan Beattie （Fiction From Afar）
，
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 storie 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。 。。。more
AM SMOLANDER
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Today， I’m taking part in a blog blast organised by Quergus books & Maclehose Press for Dark Music。 This crime novel turned out to be very surprising and not what I expected at all。 It was very intelligent and cleverly written novel about solving a murder case。 The two main characters of this novel were proper underdogs， a young， female police officer who got taken off the case and a professor battling addiction and depression but with a very sharp mind。 What surprised me about this novel was ho Today， I’m taking part in a blog blast organised by Quergus books & Maclehose Press for Dark Music。 This crime novel turned out to be very surprising and not what I expected at all。 It was very intelligent and cleverly written novel about solving a murder case。 The two main characters of this novel were proper underdogs， a young， female police officer who got taken off the case and a professor battling addiction and depression but with a very sharp mind。 What surprised me about this novel was how the case was solved， police failed to find the culprit to the murder by using traditional methods， but the psychology professor solved it by thinking like Sherlock Holmes。 It made fascinating reading。 I loved the location for this novel， namely Sweden。 I like reading Scandinavian crime novels， as these seem to be very popular nowadays。 I also liked the writing style of the author， the plot twists， how action-packed and fast-paced this crime novel was， the character development and having a strong female main character in a novel filled with male characters。 This was the first novel which I’ve read by the author and it was a joy to discover a new author whose writing I like， and I would like to read more books by the author in the future。 I’m giving Dark Musuc 4 stars， and I recommend it to all readers who like cleverly written， and intelligent crime novels/thrillers。 。。。more
Leanne
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This is a great crime， mystery novel。 It starts out slow and jumps around a bit but once you get into the flow， it takes off from there。 Mikaela is my favourite character as she has an edge too her that I love。 Overall an enjoyable read ， this is the first in a new series and I'm looking forward to reading the next book。 Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion。 My rating ⭐⭐⭐3/5A gripping new thriller from the bestselling author of THE GIRL IN THE SPID This is a great crime， mystery novel。 It starts out slow and jumps around a bit but once you get into the flow， it takes off from there。 Mikaela is my favourite character as she has an edge too her that I love。 Overall an enjoyable read ， this is the first in a new series and I'm looking forward to reading the next book。 Thank you netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion。 My rating ⭐⭐⭐3/5A gripping new thriller from the bestselling author of THE GIRL IN THE SPIDER'S WEBThe launch of a new series inspired by Sherlock Holmes。 A murder investigation brings together two unlikely allies in a race to uncover a shadowy international conspiracy。Professor Hans Rekke: born into a wealthy Stockholm family， world authority on interrogation techniques， capable of vertiginous feats of logic and observation 。 。 。 But he might just fall apart when the going gets tough， leading to substance abuse and despair。Micaela Vargas: community police officer， born to Chilean political refugees in a tough suburb， with two brothers on the shady side of the law。#darkmusic 。。。more
Lillian Cummings
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Why would someone take your dream away？ When a football referee is killed the police are on the case but there is something else going on here。 Micaela knows that she needs to watch herself if she wants to stay on the team but something is bugging her about the murder。 When she meets Professor Hans Rekke she knows that she is on the right path but no one else wants to listen。So when she is taken off the team for not wanting to spy on her brother she decides to carry on digging。 With the help of Why would someone take your dream away？ When a football referee is killed the police are on the case but there is something else going on here。 Micaela knows that she needs to watch herself if she wants to stay on the team but something is bugging her about the murder。 When she meets Professor Hans Rekke she knows that she is on the right path but no one else wants to listen。So when she is taken off the team for not wanting to spy on her brother she decides to carry on digging。 With the help of Hans she starts putting the pieces all together。 The victim wasn't upstanding citizen as he had a hidden past and could that be what got him killed？ What happened all those years ago on Kabul？ Why did someone that loved music so much turn against his fellow musicians？Can they find out the whole truth and close the case or will there still be secrets that will be left uncovered？ Will Hans be able to get his health back in check as Micaela knows that he really knows his stuff but she does worry about him？A good read。 Took me a while to get into it as it jumped around at times。 I like Micaela as she is trying her best， she doesn't give up and even with her family situation is still tries to keep them safe。 I can see her having a good career in the police。Hans is a strange man that is ill but his brain is brilliant I do wonder if anything will ever happen between them to？Thank you Netgalley & the publisher for the ARC copy。 This is my voluntary review。 。。。more
Steve Cripwell
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A professor born to a wealthy Stockholm family seems to have all the skills and expertise but maybe he can't take the pressure when the going gets tough。 A female community police officer with something to prove makes an unlikely teammate to find a killer。 But a murder investigation pulls them together。 I do love Scandinavian murder mysteries and this one is no exception。 Adding the Sherlock Holmes and Dr。 Watson angle made it a particularly interesting read for me。 The story progresses well and A professor born to a wealthy Stockholm family seems to have all the skills and expertise but maybe he can't take the pressure when the going gets tough。 A female community police officer with something to prove makes an unlikely teammate to find a killer。 But a murder investigation pulls them together。 I do love Scandinavian murder mysteries and this one is no exception。 Adding the Sherlock Holmes and Dr。 Watson angle made it a particularly interesting read for me。 The story progresses well and is intriguing。 There is a deep and twisty plot that involves the CIA， the Taliban， and the police。I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a quirky detective story。 。。。more
Annarella
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I'm not the greatest fan of nordic noir but i was curious to read this story as there's echoes of Sherlock Holmes and Henning Menkel。It's not a fast paced or action packed novel as it's character driven and it takes its sweet time to introduce us to the two main character， Rekke and Vargars， who are from the top and lowest social class。A genius and a woman who needs to prove herself。 We know since the first pages that she's also seen as a political extremist and politics and history plays an imp I'm not the greatest fan of nordic noir but i was curious to read this story as there's echoes of Sherlock Holmes and Henning Menkel。It's not a fast paced or action packed novel as it's character driven and it takes its sweet time to introduce us to the two main character， Rekke and Vargars， who are from the top and lowest social class。A genius and a woman who needs to prove herself。 We know since the first pages that she's also seen as a political extremist and politics and history plays an important role in this story。Rekke is a genius， bipolar and addicted to substances as the Sherlock Holmes。 But he's also a well thought and interesting character。 Vargas' is on the wrong side of the low and she was born in a very poor area。These two unlikely partners work well together and when the action starts this becomes a gripping and twisty story。The author did a good job in mixing social instances， police procedural， and political thriller。 There's a lot of potential in this series。This book requires to be patient and if you can wait ti's an interesting and gripping read。Recommended。Many thanks to MacLehose Press and Netgalley for this ARC， all opinions are mine 。。。more
Hermien
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I was intrigued by the plot， not entirely sure whether I like the main players。
Lain | readingwithpointers
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✨ Review Star rating: 4 ⭐️Pages: 384Genre: thriller Out: Aug 23， 2022Read if you like: ▪️Police procedurals 🚓▪️International politics 🌏▪️Corruption plots 😯▪️Neurodivergent rep 🧠▪️Socioeconomic themes ⚖️▪️Unlikely detective duo 👥I loved the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series， so I jumped at the opportunity to read this one （same author）。 And， no surprise， it didn’t let me down。 It had a very similar feel to the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series， with the international politics and corruption， bu ✨ Review Star rating: 4 ⭐️Pages: 384Genre: thriller Out: Aug 23， 2022Read if you like: ▪️Police procedurals 🚓▪️International politics 🌏▪️Corruption plots 😯▪️Neurodivergent rep 🧠▪️Socioeconomic themes ⚖️▪️Unlikely detective duo 👥I loved the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series， so I jumped at the opportunity to read this one （same author）。 And， no surprise， it didn’t let me down。 It had a very similar feel to the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series， with the international politics and corruption， but with more of a Sherlock Holmes vibe to it。 I really enjoyed the unlikely duo of lead characters and the twist ending surprised me。 Overall， I really enjoyed this one and think it is the start of what is sure to be an awesome series。 Be sure to pick it up on Aug 23！ Similar: Girl with the Dragon Tattoo， Sherlock Holmes， Hercule Poirot Thank you @aaknopf for a finished copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Peter
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A brilliantly engaging new detective duo， Rekke - from upper class society， a self-destructive manic depressive who sees so much and can’t keep quiet about it and Vargas - an observant， looked over， young police Detective from the wrong side of the colour and social class divide， but fiery， compassionate and bullish with her search for the truth。 Add in Afghanistan， music and a major brush with the Swedish and American authority and you get a wonderfully intricate mystery thriler。 I look forward A brilliantly engaging new detective duo， Rekke - from upper class society， a self-destructive manic depressive who sees so much and can’t keep quiet about it and Vargas - an observant， looked over， young police Detective from the wrong side of the colour and social class divide， but fiery， compassionate and bullish with her search for the truth。 Add in Afghanistan， music and a major brush with the Swedish and American authority and you get a wonderfully intricate mystery thriler。 I look forward to see where the author takes the duo next！ Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC。 The views expressed are all mine freely given。 。。。more
Laura
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Micaela Vargas is a young police officer desperate to prove herself。 She's got two brothers on the wrong side of the law， but she's determined not to let that hold her back， despite her fellow officers trying to put her down。 Hans Rekke is a world reknowned expert on interrogation techniques， but also suffers with severe mental health issues that see him struggle to face the world。 The two must work together to try and uncover the truth behind the murder of an asylum seeker from Afghanistan， a c Micaela Vargas is a young police officer desperate to prove herself。 She's got two brothers on the wrong side of the law， but she's determined not to let that hold her back， despite her fellow officers trying to put her down。 Hans Rekke is a world reknowned expert on interrogation techniques， but also suffers with severe mental health issues that see him struggle to face the world。 The two must work together to try and uncover the truth behind the murder of an asylum seeker from Afghanistan， a case that turns out to be much more complicated and far reaching than either of them anticipated。 I've read and enjoyed David Lagercrantz's additions to the Millenium trilogy series， so was excited to see he had a stand alone novel out。 Unfortunately this one fell short of the mark for me， and I ended up being glad to get to the end of it。 the main thing that bothered me with this one was that I often found myself feeling like I was missing information。 All the way through the book there was instances of the narrator referring to events or memories that had not been mentioned previously， as if the reader should know what was being talked about。 It left me feeling like there was a lot of gaps， and although I could generally make assumptions to fill in the blanks that's not something I feel I should need to do in the first book in a series。 The story jumped around a lot， between different characters and towards the end also with times and places， which made it hard to follow at times。 There is a great storyline in here， Lagercrantz has got a complex mystery with several different facets to it。 I also liked the idea of Vargas and Rekke as an unlikely team， and although they need a little work I think they could become a great pair for an ongoing series。 In the end this one was just too disjointed for me to really get into it。 。。。more
Jay Dwight
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It's the two lead characters that are the strength of this novel。Michaela Vargas， a community police officer with a brother on the wrong side of the law。 And Professor Han Rekke， a brilliant man with amazing observation skills， but psychologically damaged。 A soccer referee is killed after a match and the initial investigation yields a straightforward result。 But Vargas and Rekke both feel there is much more to this case。 They continue to investigate and find political and terrorist links。 It's the two lead characters that are the strength of this novel。Michaela Vargas， a community police officer with a brother on the wrong side of the law。 And Professor Han Rekke， a brilliant man with amazing observation skills， but psychologically damaged。 A soccer referee is killed after a match and the initial investigation yields a straightforward result。 But Vargas and Rekke both feel there is much more to this case。 They continue to investigate and find political and terrorist links。 。。。more
Lovisa Flyman
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Bra skriven， gillar huvudkaraktärerna， framförallt sättet Rekke uttrycker sig。 Gick snabbt att läsa under solens sken i Gullholmens hamn ☀️
Craig Reid
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Having enjoyed the author’s additions to the Millennium series I was keen to read the starting point of a new series。I thoroughly enjoyed this， the interplay between the two main characters was great！ Hans is written well as the troubled genius and at point you want to slap him， as is the design I’d imagine！I’m keen to see what unfolds in Vargas’ background that will no doubt give the author plenty of material in the remainder of the series。 Well worth checking out
Anna
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Review to follow。
Northern Rose
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As a fan of Lagercrantz's follow on from Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy I was delighted to be offered the chance to read an advance ebook of Dark Music in exchange for an honest review。 This is a much less violent book， more of a traditional detective story which brings together a young police detective， from a poor immigrant family with a hoodlum brother， and a privileged professor with his own problems。 The story is set shortly after the Iraq war and provides an interesting reminder of the As a fan of Lagercrantz's follow on from Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy I was delighted to be offered the chance to read an advance ebook of Dark Music in exchange for an honest review。 This is a much less violent book， more of a traditional detective story which brings together a young police detective， from a poor immigrant family with a hoodlum brother， and a privileged professor with his own problems。 The story is set shortly after the Iraq war and provides an interesting reminder of the politics and behaviours of Western governments at that time。 It also provided me with information I didn't previously know - about the Taliban's destruction of instruments and response to music - both relevant to understanding this story。 The influence of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes books are obvious， increasingly so as the book progresses， but fortunately I am a fan of Sherlock Holmes。 As a result I thoroughly enjoyed this book。 I found it easy to read and overall well written。 I'd be very happy to read more in the series。 。。。more
Nataša
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Thank you Quercus Audio， MacLehose Press and Netgalley for this audio copy。It waa a mix of mystery and action， fighting against others and specially your self。 Maybe a little too mucg for me but certanly great for people that like going deep inside of the soul。 Overall I liked this music vibes and will be reading or listening the next book， I think there will be a sequel。
Lovely Loveday
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Dark Music is the first book in the Rekke & Vargas series by David Lagercrantz （ Ian Giles as Translator）。 This suspenseful mystery thriller will keep you on the edge of your seat。 I was drawn in from the beginning and was pulled in with each page I read。 The story is mostly made by its two main protagonists - a Holmes-like Professor who fights his personal demons daily and a detective with a criminally minded brother。 Overall very good。 Hopefully， more to come。
Karen Hammond
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A good series starter。 We are introduced to the main characters and given enough information to keep us interested and wanting to know more。 Very Sherlock and Watson but well done with interesting twists。
Julie Friar
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Professor Hans Rekke may have insight into people but right now he needs help to function and come back from despair。 Micaela Vargas is just what he needs but she also needs him to help solve a murder when external powers do not want her to succeed。 Loved this thrilling book with great characters and good pace。 Enjoy finding out the truth。
Elaine Tomasso
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I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of Dark Music， a thriller set in Stockholm in 2003 that features police officer Micaela Vargas and psychologist Hans Rekke。An Afghan immigrant is murdered in Stockholm and the police are quick to identify a suspect， but with no direct proof they need a confession and think that Professor Rekke， an expert in interrogation techniques， is the man to help them get it。 He doesn’t believe they have the right man， nor does Micaela Va I would like to thank Netgalley and Quercus Books for an advance copy of Dark Music， a thriller set in Stockholm in 2003 that features police officer Micaela Vargas and psychologist Hans Rekke。An Afghan immigrant is murdered in Stockholm and the police are quick to identify a suspect， but with no direct proof they need a confession and think that Professor Rekke， an expert in interrogation techniques， is the man to help them get it。 He doesn’t believe they have the right man， nor does Micaela Vargas who has been seconded to the investigation。 Rekke and Vargas team up to uncover something more sinister than a simple murder。I enjoyed Dark Murder， which has an interesting tale to tell and some unusual protagonists。 Having read it I would definitely like to read more about Rekke and Vargas and am glad to have got in at the start of a new series。The novel is told from various points of view on the investigative side and later on， when more information is available there are flashbacks to events a few years earlier。 It sort of turns the standard in the genre upside down and asks the question of when is a victim not a victim。 I know that this is vague， but I would suggest reading the novel to find out why， because it’s well done。 It is also a slow burner with much of the novel concerned with introducing the characters and their various tics and foibles。 I think it’s overdone with Rekke a total mess of bi-polar and drug addiction， while Vargas is the “goody two shoes” in an extremely shady immigrant family。 It distracts from the main event and is low on the credibility meter。 I understand that the inspiration for their characters is Holmes and Watson， but I don’t really see it as Vargas has much to contribute， unlike Watson， Rekke maybe as Holmes。The novel is firmly set in its turn of the century setting， where what they uncover is shocking， but no so much now when we have 20 years of knowledge and disgust。 Still， it packs a punch in what it has to say， how it says it and the abject cynicism of the politicians （nothing ever changes） in lying to cover up their misdeeds。I don’t know how to describe Dark Music， perhaps as a meaty， strangely compulsive read with a difficult subject matter。 However I describe it I have no hesitation in recommending it as a good read。 。。。more
Zé Carlos
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3，3Pouco surpreendente。Diálogos muito simples。Personagens com pouca profundidade。Talvez melhore no seguinte romance， ou não！Algumas gralhas （que não voam como as outras）。
Pile By the Bed
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Swedish author David Lagercrantz is probably best known for taking the mantel of Stieg Larsson to follow up the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Books to deliver a follow up trilogy （The Girl in the Spiders Web， The Girl Who Takes and Eye for an Eye and The Girl Who Lived Twice）。 So perhaps it is no surprise that his next series （because the ending leaves readers in no doubt that a series is intended） is not entirely original but rather a riff on Sherlock Holmes。 Dark Music sees an eccentric， trouble Swedish author David Lagercrantz is probably best known for taking the mantel of Stieg Larsson to follow up the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Books to deliver a follow up trilogy （The Girl in the Spiders Web， The Girl Who Takes and Eye for an Eye and The Girl Who Lived Twice）。 So perhaps it is no surprise that his next series （because the ending leaves readers in no doubt that a series is intended） is not entirely original but rather a riff on Sherlock Holmes。 Dark Music sees an eccentric， troubled but gifted hyper-observational professor and a young policewoman joining forces to solve a puzzling crime。 Dark Music opens in media res for reasons that are unclear。 It is 2003， and the Swedish police have been directed to seek out a professor Hans Rekke to help them。 The narrative then drops back a few days and finds young detective Micaela Vargas as part of a team investigating the murder of a soccer referee。 The man was an Afghani reportedly tortured by the Taliban and the prime suspect is a passionate local who was seen drunkenly threatening the victim during the game。 Suffice to say that there is much more to the story， but in getting there Micaela is dropped from the case and only manages to get back on it when she reconnects with Rekke and the two start making some startling discoveries about the victim and his past in Afghanistan。Crime fiction is a careful balance between character， plot and narrative and in Dark Music Lagercrantz has got this balance all wrong。 He spends almost half of the novel introducing Vargas and Rekke， giving little reason for the reader to care about the victim and the crime itself。 As the mystery unfolds it does so in a static way with Vargas and Rekke sitting in an apartment surfing the internet， making phonecalls and drawing deductions。 There is little tension and less drive。 The only thing that keeps the enterprise afloat at all is the central conceit of the plot which is connected to the actions of the Taliban and the American response to 9/11。Hans Rekke is a wealthy， super intelligent dilettante who is addicted to drugs and plays a musical instrument （the piano）， he cannot help making detailed and surprisingly correct observations about people he meets based on the slimmest of evidence and he has a brother who is just as frighteningly competent who is high up in the government。 He is so much a Sherlock Holmes clone that one of the characters actually calls him out on it at one point。 In the way of modern Holmesian pastcihes his offsider Vargas has a little more agency than a traditional Doctor Watson。 She is a dogged investigator in her own right， unappreciated in the police force as she is young and a woman but also has a troubled past and potentially criminal family。The background of religious extremism， American terrorist response and the role of presumably neutral countries， a couple of interesting characters and a murder investigation sound like an interesting set up for a crime book。 But not this one。 Dark Music is for the most part a slog， with most of the mystery solved by flashbacks and exposition that ends with a whimper rather than bang。 The last few pages set up future cases for Rekke and Vargas but there is little here to invite readers to return。 。。。more
Anae
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No sé si ha sido por la manera de narrar la historia， por la manera de ser de los protagonistas o por la manera de traducir la historia。。。 o por las tres maneras juntas pero la verdad es que me ha resultado una novela muy plana， sin vida， sin alma。En las notas finales， el autor aclara que se ha inspirado en Sherlock Holmes de sir Arthur Conan Doyle。。。 supongo que para crear un personaje muy especial， carismático y drogodependiente con un colaborador como Holmes que le ayuda en las investigacione No sé si ha sido por la manera de narrar la historia， por la manera de ser de los protagonistas o por la manera de traducir la historia。。。 o por las tres maneras juntas pero la verdad es que me ha resultado una novela muy plana， sin vida， sin alma。En las notas finales， el autor aclara que se ha inspirado en Sherlock Holmes de sir Arthur Conan Doyle。。。 supongo que para crear un personaje muy especial， carismático y drogodependiente con un colaborador como Holmes que le ayuda en las investigaciones。 Personalmente， estoy un poco saturada de tanto protagonista traumatizado y dependiente。 Habrá que esperar a la segunda novela， que se vislumbra al final de ésta， para ver hacia dónde evoluciona。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Dark Music
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Dark Music&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Dark Music&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0