My Book Review: The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbol

My Review and Thoughts:

Intriguing. Tight in a believable tension and suspenseful action.

Bleak in the reality of a mystery that unfolds page after page. The mystery is thick because you really have no idea why this is happening, or for what reason has the child been taken and placed in this horrible ordeal. Kidnappers, thugs, murder and a tight tense twists unfold as you read along.

Written in a down to earth way. What I mean by that is, everyone can read without having to rock their brains to figure out what’s happening.

The plot is simple, but mysterious and displays itself as everyday life, with massive twists. Descriptive storytelling, even with its often simple tone and clichéd reality. I found myself not wanting to put the book down, how clichéd is that statement. I needed to know the outcome. It gave you a fix, a high, or a need. Each page you turned you got a little closer to the understanding, the purpose, and the outcome to this crime taking place.

Totally on a side note the cover and story reminded me or a true life mystery that somewhat haunts my dreams. The unsolved true life mystery of the boy in the box. This true crime unsolved mystery has been haunting the Philadelphia Pennsylvania area for well over 50 years. A true cold case that is both sad, and both fascinating. There has been many thoughts and ideas on what and who the boy is. The boy was wrapped in a plaid blanket, naked inside a cardboard box, speculated age 4 or 6 years of age. He had been battered covered in bruises, hair chopped off, he had died a brutal death. No one ever came forward to claim the boy and 58 years later, still has not. Many theories such as kidnapping, foster home abuse and murder. It’s a truly sad case, and for some reason this book reminds me of that case, probably because the boy was in a suitcase in the book, and the shadow of the boy’s face on the cover of the book, resembled the picture the police released of the boy to the public in the case.

Getting back to my point of this post. The Boy in the Suit Case plays out like a good murder mystery with twists and turns. The strongest point of this book is the down to earth way it is written. Its strongest point can also be looked at as its weakest point. The plot is clichéd. It’s unoriginal and has been done many times in different styles. That does not take away from the book, in the end, I still thought it worked. I was entertained and enjoyed the characters even with the rushed mentality. The book is a quick read and does not really have any strong depth to it other than sending you on a mysterious ride.

You got your good guys, bad guys, lack of caring cops, kidnappers and victims. This is written by two writers. Two female writers that come off as believable. This is a foreign Nordic fiction book on the lines of a Noir plot. It could play out like an old black and white Film Noir of Hollywood. Even with its fast story and clichéd moments, that old over used statement, I could not stop reading, turning page after page to finally clutch a conclusion that left me utterly satisfied, and brilliantly entertained.

Would I Return to it again: Once was enough? But I will return to the authors’ further books. Originally published in 2008. Just now really getting the buzz here in America as it’s published. This is a series with the same returning character Nina Borg. As of this writing there are 3 books in this series.

Would I Recommend? Absolutely to those who love an old sense of Pulp fiction and those who are fans of Film Noir.

Four Words: Dramatic, Twisty, Mind Consuming.

My Rating: 3 out of 5