The Stonecutter

By Camilla Läckberg

For the first time in English, the third psychological thriller from No 1 bestselling Swedish crime sensation Camilla Läckberg.

The remote resort of Fjällbacka has seen its share of tragedy, though perhaps none worse than that of the little girl found in a fisherman's net. But this was no accidental drowning…

Local detective Patrik Hedström has just become a father. It is his grim task to discover who could be behind the murder of a child both he and his partner Erica knew well.

What he does not know is how the case will reach into the dark heart of Fjällbacka and tear aside its idyllic façade, perhaps forever.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins UK
• Release date: Mar 4, 2010
• ISBN: 9780007351855

Camilla Läckberg

Camilla Läckberg is a worldwide bestseller renowned for her brilliant contemporary psychological thrillers. Her novels have sold 19 million copies in 55 countries with translations into 37 languages.

Reviews for The Stonecutter

[karenduff · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

What I learned from this book is that I will be giving this author a miss from now on.

I really enjoyed The Ice Princess but found The Preacher disappointing although I chalked that up to second book syndrome and so decided that I would read the third book in the series.

This book never grabbed me, the characters were completely unsympathetic and the murderer was obvious.

[linda.a. · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An engaging and intricately plotted story which progresses in two time frames. The characters are credible, the plotting is good, an evocative sense of place and community is impressive and an increasing sense of darkness pervades the story. About half way through I did guess who the murderer probably was but this didn't spoil my enjoyment of the story. This is the third in the series starring the detective, Patrik Hedstrom but was easily read as a stand alone story. However, I will certainly now seek out the earlier - and later- books in the series.

[cbl_tn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It’s tragic when a Fjällbacka fisherman hauls in the body of a drowned child. It’s even more tragic when the medical examiner determines that the drowning wasn’t accidental. The evidence points to murder. The girl’s mother, Charlotte, is a friend of new mother Erica Falck, whose partner Patrik is the police detective assigned to the murder. The present-day murder investigation is interwoven with the story of a stonecutter and his family. The two threads will eventually connect.Although I liked the first two books in the series, they had problems with pacing, or maybe with translation. Läckberg and her translator hit their stride in this third book in the series. The pacing is much improved, with less awkward dialog. I still don’t like Läckberg’s habit of withholding information from the reader for several pages after a character learns of it.The character development and story arcs that span several books in the series make this a series to read in order. Even so, this might be a good place for readers new to the series to start since the writing has improved. Once a reader is hooked on the series, they can always go back to the beginning to fill in the gaps.

[libsue · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fast paced, detailed mystery that had me guessing until a few chapters from the end. Not a literary masterpiece, but not the trash that Patterson puts out. I'll be back for more from Lackberg.

[kathl33n-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I believe this is the fourth book I have read in this series and they have all been excellent. They are very character driven crimes with the deep psychology of the characters behind the motives. The author is really adept at providing the reader with just enough to slowly pull you along throughout the entire story. I was always left wanting to turn the page and read "just a couple more pages".

[magentaflake · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A better story than the Preacher. Detective Hedstrom has just become a father when a young girl is found drowned, murdered. Interwoven is another story which is connect4ed to the murder. Found it all too contrived.

[pattylouise_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The StonecutterBy Camilla LackbergMy"in a nutshell"summary...A little girl is found dead in a fishing village...mystery surrounds her death.My thoughts after reading this book...Whew...this book has a ton of issues going on with all of the characters all at the same time. First of all...a little girl...Sara...is found drowned. Within hours what was thought to be an accident is now declared a murder. So now...suddenly...this little village is filled with suspects! There are families feuding, neighbors feuding and lots of mysteries and unexplained actions. Plus the detective on the case has just had a baby with his girl friend and while they are both exhausted...she...Erica...seems to be suffering from a post baby depression that is making everyone miserable. There does not seem to be a likeable or normal person in sight anywhere! Lilian...the little dead girl's grandmother...is atrocious!What I loved about this book...Ok...I truly loved the story...I loved Patrick...frustrated detective. I loved the whackadoodle characters...Lilian...the neighbor you love to hate...Kaj...their ridiculous feuding...there was so much going on!What I did not love about this book... I did not understand the story that was happening in 1923. I was happily reading along and then every now and then...we are in 1923 with a rich man's daughter and a stone cutter and a pregnancy. I am still trying to figure it out! Plus everyone in this book is miserable! Totally thoroughly miserable! And also just when I think I know the members of one family...another member pops in and I have no clue where he/she came from...I did not like this at all. But by the end of the book...it all makes sense.Final thoughts...An interesting mystery...with quite a few confusing parts and quite a few exciting parts... It's a translation so perhaps that added to my confusion...not sure. But fans will love this addition to this series. I am quite certain of that...I had no idea who the murderer was until it was finally spelled out for me at the very end! And...just to add a bit of a teaser...the ending was totally shocking...and brilliant!

[dpappas_25 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I really liked the first two books in this series so I knew that once I was able to read the third book I would. In this book Erica and Patrik have a newly born little girl, Maja. I loved seeing them all as a family, that was one of the bright spots of this book. As far as the rest of the book I found most of it to be predictable. Maybe I just have a screwed-up mind or I have read far too many books with subjects like this but it didn't seem that hard at all to figure out who had killed little Sara, and the other mysteries of the book. Even though it was predictable I did enjoy the book and look forward to reading more of this series.

[jeb5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

When a 7 year old girl's body is found drowned off the coast of Fjallbacka, Patrick Hedstrom is on the case working hard to find out who murdered her. This story weaves the past and the present together while also presenting various aspects of people's lives from home lives to the impact of friends and relatives. Each chapter contains multiple perspectives that in the end result in the criminal being found and brought to justice.

Ms Lackberg does a wonderful job of being able to present everyday life alongside of the horrors of murder, torture, abuse, and neglect. She has made Fjallbacka in all its small town glory come to life on the page. Each book in this series adds to the story that was previously told in the past novels; each book is just the next chapter for Patrick and Erica's lives and the next crime that Patrick must solve. Ms Lackberg is an expert at creating a mystery-horror tale while making it completely realistic. She is a true master of her craft.

[annbury_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Camilla Lackberg's third Fjallbacka novel (in English translation, anyway) and a rattling good read. This one is organizationally more complex, switching back and forth between the present (in which a child has been murdered) and the past, starting more than eighty years ago. The counterpoint between the two stories is effective, with tension growing in each one as we approach the end, where both stories and their relationship are resolved. Patrick and Erica are in fine fettle, with another marvellous look at houseguests.

[brigidsmith · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An excellent story, covering a family over 90 years. The plot was detailed and clever, and the characters were believable. No real insights into human nature or examples of excellent writing, but a really good whodunnit that kept me turning the pages.

[gary10_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting twist on the whodunit genre. Lackberg goes into great detail of the lives of all of the individuals connected to the murder, both at present and far into the past. By expanding the social net to include so many indviduals she provides a whole list of possible suspects. She also runs two plots forward--one contemporary and one historical and as the historical plot moves forward in time, the reader can also think about how the two plots will converge. I would say a defniite cut above the whodunit pack.

[readingwithtea · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another audiobook that it took me most of 2013 to get through (I wasn't a quick audiobook listener - I listened to this on walking commutes and while gardening, but not much of the rest of the time). This wasn't my first bit of Scandicrime, but definitely one of my first.When an 8-year-old girl is found drowned in the harbour, fingers point very quickly at the autistic son of the girl's neighbour; her grandmother and the neighbour have been fighting for years, and Markus saw Sarah on her last day. Local detective Patrik Hedstrom knows it's not that easy, but between the gruesome nature of the crime, his newborn daughter's incessant screaming and his wife's crippling post-natal depression, he's really struggling. Meanwhile in the parallel story, simple stone cutter Anders is forced to marry the spoilt daughter of the local business magnate after a romance gone wrong. No amount of love seems to be able to mellow Agnes.This had all the necessary ingredients for a gripping thriller - plenty of well-developed characters with idiosyncracies, a bleak and cold setting, several turns for the worse, an unexpected death caused by incompetent policing... it really ticks all the boxes.I had no idea this was part of a series and will, in time, look out for the others, but I don't feel a need to go rushing out to find them.I don't really think the alternate story-line was necessary, it really just interrupted things and while it gave some background to the killer's motive, it didn't give enough motive to really justify including it.Shout-out to the translator: it was very well translated. Enough local detail left to give us a very strong sense of setting, without it ever being incomprehensible. Also well narrated - slightly separated voices for the different characters made it much easier to keep track!

[skraft001 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An extremely well written book. The author introduced a number of characters -- which generally is needed in a good mystery -- but they were all so distinct that it wasn't difficult keeping tabs on them as the story shifted about. As the pieces came together in the end, it was in a well crafted fashion, not rushed or hurried that can often be the case. First title read by this author and plan to try others.

[martinhughharvey_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Another Swedish thriller author.Decent enough detective story with a plot twist that did take me near to the end of the book to figure out. Enjoyable reading and not too complex. Most detective stories seem to have a protagonist detective that has quirks that add to the book - this didn't which I missed.Thanks to my sister for lending it to me.

[chasidar_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Disappointing. Another of these Swedish crime novels. Too many threads and took a while until they come together. Some storylines are not developed enough to hold you and take away from the main story.

[petrichor8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

excellent book, right up until the end, would love to see this as a movie

[neverlistless · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book immensely. It continues to follow Erica, Patrik and the small town of Fjallbacka. Lackberg does a great job weaving characters' stories together - even stories that span nearly 70 years! The murder in this book is of a small girl, Sara, who is found floating in the ocean. At first the police believe that her death is an accident, but investigative discoveries cause them to change their minds. Meanwhile, the story flashes back to Sweden in the 1920s to the life of Agnes, a spoiled rich girl who believes that she has a right to anything she wants, and how her choices and deeds have affected lives to this day.

[pidgeon92_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The third in the series, and definitely a cut above the first two. Looking forward to the rest of the series being available in ebook format.

[twink_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I do a rotating display at the library on genres and authors. This last month I featured Scandinavian authors. I've read many of the authors I featured, but Camilla Lackberg was new to me.The Stonecutter is the third book in her series set in Fjallbacka, Sweden that features Detective Patrik Hedstrom. A local fisherman hauling in his nets draws up an unexpected and grisly catch - the body of a young girl. When Patrik is called to the scene, he is horrified to realize he knows the girl. Further investigation reveals that the drowning was no accident. The present day chapters dealing with Patrik's investigation are alternated with chapters detailing a story beginning in 1923, set in the same village. The two narratives seemed to have no connection to each other whatsoever in the beginning, but I was fascinated by the older story as well. More and more of the past is revealed with every chapter and I started to get an inkling of where the two narratives might meet. I quite enjoyed having the story slowly but deliciously pieced together. Lackberg has done an excellent job with her plotting - it's intriguing and inventive.Although Patrik is the lead protagonist, there are other recurring characters that are just as well drawn and developed. Patrik's girlfriend Erica has just given birth to their first child and is having great difficulty coping. His colleagues at the station run the gamut - from keen to lazy to dangerous. The townsfolk are a mixed bunch - all with secrets it seems. I enjoy a series that lets us 'know' the characters and see their lives evolve from book to book.Lackberg's mystery is excellent, but I also appreciated the depth with which she explored the psyches of all involved - both police and suspects. The theme of relationships is explored in many forms - especially that of parent/child. These explorations were the most frightening parts of the book. There are sub plots never fully wrapped up as well, which was okay - the ending has only left me eager to read the next in the series - The Gallows Bird. A great read and a new addition to my list of must read mystery authors.

[cameling_2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the most masterful Scandicrime fiction authors presents us with a thriller that has all the makings of a movie that will keep viewers at the edge of their seat until the ending credits flash on the screen. The 3rd in the series, Detective Patrik Hedstrom and his team are tasked with finding the murderer of a young child, found in the water by a local fisherman. The investigation is blurred by secrets held by the family of the young child and by their feuding neighbors. But why is there ash in the young victim's lungs? When 2 more babies are found with ash on their clothings or in their mouths but thankfully otherwise unharmed and one of the babies is Hedstrom's daughter, the investigators step up in their interviewing techniques with a suspect they have in custody. Alternating with the investigation is the unfolding story set more than 50 years ago of a young woman who believes herself betrayed by all the men in her life. The author's skill in tying all the different individuals, their past and their hidden secrets together so smoothly and with escalating tension deserves a standing ovation.

[chrissterry_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A skilful plot which kept me wanting to read on. The gradual convergenece of the historical story, beginning in the 1920s with the present day time line was well done, and added to the suspense. I did work out who did it just before the end. But the desire to rush on to the end was tempered by the sheer, untempered misery and unhappiness of every character in the book. The bleak, rainswept lanscape of a Scandinavian autumn was a good metaphor for the book as a whole. I enjoyed the book enormously, but I am going off now to read the Biblical book of Ecclesiastes to cheer myself up!

[bookbets50 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Stonecutter was very readable-the primary mystery being who killed the little girl found in the ocean with bathwater in her lungs. There were some random subplots (the neighbors and the chief with his new son) but overall, I liked it.

[tracycampbell-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the first novel I have read by this author, and it won't be the last. It is a bit hard to follow at first with many characters and changes in time periods, but it is well worth it to stick it out. It is a great murder mystery with endless suspects that will have you guessing right until the end.

[busyreadin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Excellent mystery combining the past and present

[jeanfeldeisen · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A clever collection of stories about peoople in a little Swedish town that comes together more and more as it nears the end. A thrilling build up to the conclusion and the bad guy is unsuspected. I enjoyed it enough to get two more by the author.

[smik_3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I haven't read anything by this author before and quite happily read THE STONE-CUTTER as a stand alone. It only occurred to me towards the end that it might be part of a series, as indeed it is. The series are police procedurals set the small seaside town of Fjallbacka, Sweden.The opening hook of the story is the death of Sara, an 8 year old, the daughter of Patrik Hedstrom's wife's friend. The tragedy seems to become deeper when the police learn that Sara's death is in fact murder and there seems to be no lack of suspects including the girl's own father.The plot is made all the more complex by the introduction of a historical thread. While this thread is actually essential to the story and to the eventual resolution of the murder, it does seem to take a long time to unfold.The narrated version has a few consistency problems, first of all with pronunciation of names, and also with the differentiation between voices. The narrator seemed to me to at first decide to use a number of British accents, which felt a bit strange in a Swedish novel, and then to abandon that scheme.Murder, evil, and damaged personalities lie at the heart of this novel. There is a twist at the end that I really didn't see coming.I will be looking to read more from Camilla Lackberg.

[thecrow2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The best book in he Fjallbacka series IMHO. Great, detailed character and moving fates shown in the context of an unusual crime. Ine of the best skandinavian crime story I've ever read.

[tangledthread · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is the third in a series of Patrick Hedsrom detective stories by Camilla Lackberg. The author is very good at building suspense through the chapters and carries different threads through out the story line. She also avoids the very dark, depressive atmosphere that is often found in of Swedish mysteries.I highly recommend this series for those who like mysteries.

[anais_nin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

My favourite in the series so far. I started reading The Ice Princess a few weeks ago with mild curiosity, not really knowing what to expect but soon became hooked on Lackberg's writing style and story ideas. Now I am devouring the whole series, one book at a time.After Louise Penny this is probably my favourite contemporary female mystery writer. The stories are so intricately woven, the characters seem almost real, I have a feeling I'd recognize them if I ran into them on the street. In each book there is always more than one mystery to be unraveled, especially in the Stonecutter. Can't wait to start The Stranger.