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The Gingerbread House

Hammarby Book 1

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The Gingerbread House

By: Carin Gerhardsen
Narrated by: Candida Gubbins
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Summary

Penguin presents The Gingerbread House by Carin Gerhardsen, a sensational new crime writing talent from the same Swedish editorial team and publisher as Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy. Read by the actress Candida Gubbins.

Ingrid Olsson returns home from a Stockholm hospital to discover a man in her kitchen. She's never seen the intruder before. But he's no threat - he's dead.

Criminal Investigator Conny Sjöberg takes the call, abandoning his wife Åsa and their five children for the night. His team identify the body as that of a middle-aged family man. But why was he there? And who bludgeoned him to death?

Lacking suspect and motive, Sjöberg's team struggle until they link the case to another - apparently random - killing. And discover they face a serial killer on a terrible vendetta . . .


The Gingerbread House is the first title in The Hammarby Series, novels following Detective Inspector Conny Sjöberg and his murder investigation team - a gripping feast for all fans of Jo Nesbo, Camilla Lackberg and Henning Mankell.

'Carin Gerhardsen writes so vividly, like she is painting with words, gripping your heart and soul in an ever-tightening tourniquet' Peter James

'Gerhardsen brings a timely perspective to the serial killer genre, as her characters are engulfed by the worst possible consequences of their childhood cruelties. The pages turn themselves, right up the final startling twist' John Verdon

Carin Gerhardsen was born in 1962 in Katrineholm, Sweden. Originally a mathematician, she enjoyed a successful career as an IT consultant before turning her hand to writing crime fiction. Carin now lives in Stockholm with her husband and their two children. She is currently working on the seventh title in the series.

Crime Crime Fiction European International Mystery & Crime Literary History & Criticism Mystery Police Procedural World Literature Christmas Fiction Detective Murder Marriage Winter
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Critic reviews

The pages turn themselves, right up to the final startling twist (John Verdon)
Carin Gerhardsen writes so vividly, like she is painting with words, gripping your heart and soul in an ever-tightening tourniquet (Peter James)
The books are fast-paced and addictive: finely tuned pieces that virtually demand to be read in one sitting (Barry Forshaw)
All stars
Most relevant
I don't think the plot is more than average but I think I would have enjoyed this more with a better narration. The reader's use of poorly deployed, bizarre UK regional accents (it's a translation of a Swedish novel) were very off-putting. The vocal characterisations were generally poor and distracting.

Possibly ok story marred by poor narration

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A good story. A good plot that made you not want to stop listening. I would recommend this book to add to your wish list.

The Gingerbread House

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Got this as part of a 2 for 1 offer, which usually include books with a little lower than perfect star score, but I was pleasantly surprised. I would have happily paid full price for this. A very different type of crime story, with excellent narration. One of those stories where you can't wait to hear the next bit. Will probably carry on and purchase the rest of this writer's offerings. The only quibble I have, and I'm niggling here, is that it's a bit gory in places, but I'm stretching to find fault really.

Best Read In A While

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This is an interesting story that invites you to have some compassion for the killer. This works to a degree but the downside in that the plot lacks tension because it is hard to feel a great deal of sympathy with the victims. Naturally they don't deserve to die in such a heinous way but they really are a pretty unpleasant bunch.

The best parts of the book are driven by the various police officers in the case. Each one is an interesting character in their own right, and there is a very good sub plot, plus a clever twist at the end. I am not certain, but this appears to be part of a series, and I would be tempted to carry on reading to find out more about this team.

The narrator does a good job involving multiple accents and characters.

Low on tension but great police characters

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Which character – as performed by Candida Gubbins – was your favourite?

Thomas was such a sad human being, without ever really experiencing love, joy or laughter in his life, nor the feeling of security.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The prologue brought me too tears, I found it exceptionally moving and fatefully truthful even as today our children suffer through this form of abuse

Any additional comments?

This is the first book of Carin Gerhardson's that I have read, found it to be well written, with plenty emotion strewn throughout.

A sad but unfortunately true tale

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