The Chosen

Written by Kristina Ohlsson

Narrated by Maggie Mash

The brand new thriller featuring Investigative Analyst Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht of the Stockholm police.

On a cold winter's day, a pre-school teacher is shot to death in front of parents and children at the Jewish Congregation in Stockholm. Just a few hours later two Jewish boys go missing on their way to tennis practice. A heavy snowstorm hits Stockholm and the traces of the perpetrator are few and far between.

Fredrika Bergman and Alex Recht are faced with one of their toughest challenges ever as they hunt for a killer that seems as merciless as he is effective. The leads in the investigation are many and diverse but in the end they all point to the same place: Israel. Someone or something called the Paper Boy keeps popping up in the police investigation. But who was he really? And could he possibly have resurfaced in Stockholm, now claiming new victims?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio UK
• Release date: Oct 6, 2016
• ISBN: 9781471159855

Kristina Ohlsson

Kristina Ohlsson is a political scientist and until recently held the position of Counter-Terrorism Officer at OSCE (the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe). She has previously worked at the Swedish Security Service, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Swedish National Defense College. Kristina lives in Stockholm.

Reviews for The Chosen

[annbury_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yes, this book is compulsively readable, but no, it doesn't maintain enough contact with reasonable probability. Several reviewers say they think this is the best book in the series, but I found it disappointing compared to the earlier books. That's not because it isn't suspenseful -- it's VERY suspenseful, because of a narrative device that works like a charm. But suspenseful isn't everything, even in a thriller. For me, the plot ran out of credibility about two-thirds of the way through the novel, and also ran out of coherence: too many possible murderers, too many motives, and too much improbability. I finished the book and look forward to the next, but I hope it is a bit more restrained.

[Bo · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great audiobook! I'm really enjoying this series. Looking forward to the next one.

[Lilibeth · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Unfortunately I was unable to finish listening to this book because of the annoying narrators in direct speech. Pity because the main narrator was excellent.

[Alice Grix · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Absolutely fantastic, I hurried to finish, wish I hadn't. Spoiler Alert. I was crying for ages after I finished.

[Sh Kh · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Reading this book, I felt manipulated by the author for the very obvious red herring she introduced and kept coming back to. The conclusion was so complicated and convoluted, it was completely unconvincing. I'm left feeling really annoyed about the time I spent listening to this book. I may also add that the narrator was wierdly OTT melodramatic, and I had to increase the speed to 1.2x to be able to tolerate her. Only reason I'm giving it 3 stars is that the three detectives are very engaging.

[hanneri_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really liked the next installment of the series. I like the way that Kristina Ohlsson keeps you informed but has Fredrika and Alex always guessing. It keeps you in the know while her characters are always guessing whats happening. They come close to what really happens but they will never know the truth. It was an enjoyable read.

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This novel story is one of those you can't say too much about in the review without revealing significant bits of the plot.It is #5 in a series featuring Fredrika Bergman but I haven't read earlier titles. I gather Fredrika is returning to work after an absence and her colleague Alex Recht is constantly worried that he is asking too much of her. Fredrika's talent is that she can connect the dots of a trail in a different way to most of her colleagues - she can envisage different scenarios for them to consider. It is this talent which makes her most useful in an investigation team. She can see connections where others see none.The main story is set in 2012. Among the threads which merge together are why the families of the missing boys emigrated to Sweden from Israel 10 years earlier, involvement by Mossad, MI5 and Sapo, what happened on the West Bank ten years earlier, and secrets.The structure of the book is designed to keep you reading because almost from the beginning we are told part of the ending. The characters in these segments are not named and so working out who they are is part of the "hook".A good suspenseful read

[Stefanie · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

Could not finish, really annoying reading
The way the direct speech was read was really hard, had to stop listening

[Sally de Beer · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brilliantly written, keeps you guessing to the end, love all the characters

[shelleyraec · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Chosen begins a few weeks after the finale of Slayer, in which Nina successfully averted an apocalypse, but accidentally killed her (sort of) boyfriend/watcher, Leo, and was deserted by her twin sister, Artemis. With the castle they call home being repurposed as a Sanctuary for Slayers and demons in need, Nina should be focused on their new mission, instead she’s distracted by grief, and the dark edge she feels to her newly restored powers. But with a new ‘big bad’ rising, Nina hasn’t got time to wallow if she’s going to save the world - again.The storyline feels as if it would fit well within the Buffyverse. It’s nicely paced with a good dose of action and humour. I was delighted by the cameo’s from Clem and Oz, Buffy and Faith make an appearance in Nina’s dreams, and there are references to other characters such as Harmony, Angel and Spike, as well as events from Buffy the Vampire Slayer episodes. As a fan, I love these canonical moments.Unfortunately Nina is no less whiny in Chosen than she was in Slayer, and while she has good reason to be upset, I found the angst a touch too repetitive. Meanwhile Artemis has completely lost the plot as she schemes with Honora, and Nina is about to be blindsided by another betrayal. Cillian, Rhys’s boyfriend, has a larger role in Chosen, as does Coldplay fan demon Doug. There are a handful of new characters introduced too, including a teleporting demon child named Tsip, and refugee Slayer, Maricruz.I’m a little thrown by the Epilogue which could indicate White has decided not to continue the series, I hope that’s not the case though as I’m enjoying it. Chosen is a fun, easy sequel