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“The new trend is Scandanavian mysteries on the heels of the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Missing is quite a bit different, but is the intersting story of Sibylla who is homeless at 35 and lives on the streets of Stockholm. She is accused of murdering a man in a hotel where she was seen eating dinner witht the man earilir in the evening. Sibylla has no idea why she was accused, but tries to clear herself. Bit by bit her story unfolds and the reader is given a glimpse of why she is homeless. Along the way she befriends a teenaged boy who finds the idea of being homeless fascinating and he begins aiding Sybilla in her quest to clear her name. Rather interesting...”
Ann P wrote this review Monday, October 31, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“Missing - Karin Alvtegen
harryknuckles wrote this review Friday, March 4, 2011. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Over recent years, Scandinavian crime writers have produced some of the most exciting and fresh contributions to the genre. And Karin Alvtegen's Missing seems to fit right in. Put aside two or three hours and read this book from beginning to end. It's a tense and involving read, and you won't want to be distracted. This novel gives us an in-depth portrait of the life of Sibylla Forsenström, a homeless Swedish woman.
Sibylla is the daughter of a rich but insensitive merchant and his wife. After a depression and an unwanted pregnancy she escapes her family and the institution where she is kept and starts to live as a homeless person. She has been taking rather good care of herself for 15 years.
Sybilla is an outcast, living off the radar of the authorities in Stockholm. She has various safe places and strategies for surviving each month until her meagre payment from her mother arrives at a PO Box. Her ambition is someday to have a sanctuary, a home of her own, and she is assiduously saving money to reach this goal. Her plans for the future are thrown into disarray when she is framed for a murder that she didn't commit. With the help of a schoolboy, Patrik, who becomes her friend when he discovers her sleeping in the attics of his school, Sibylla turns detective and solves the crimes.
The author sensitively handles the traumas in Sibylla's background, and it is refreshing to find a crime novel that doesn't automatically relegate a homeless person to the role of murder victim.The story of Sybilla's childhood leading up to her eighteenth birthday, is equally as harrowing as that of Lisbeth Salander, the main character of the Millennium Trilogy by Stieg Larsson, and Sybilla's solution, of living "off the grid", is remarkably similar to Lisbeth's.
Missing is a tensely exciting book with an extremely sympathetic and capable main character. Despite the sometimes rather clunky translation, there are some truly gripping scenes - when Sibylla meets one of her homeless friends, for example, whose psychotic antics attract the attention of two police officers; or when she is attacked by a former partner who turns into a brutal bully and rapist whenever he's drunk. These moments convincingly show the dark side of Sibylla's precious freedom.
This is a very entertaining introduction to the work of yet another excellent Swedish writer. Ultimately, the strength of this book is the way the past unwraps itself. If you are a patient reader who can live without car chases and explosions, you will be well rewarded. It’s definitely worth a read.”
“Scores many points for being a page turner, but became a bit far fetched at the end, which was a bit disappointing. Not as strong a storyline as "Betrayed". That said, still rate her as one of the best Nordic writers. ”
irwin l wrote this review Sunday, December 19, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This is the book I am currently reading. The girl that is missing about my age, 13- 14 years old. Everyone in the town is looking for her. I don't think they will find there because the people that took her put her in a cell. She hasn't eaten for about a week and is starving. The cell she is being kept in is cold and wet.”
sierra c wrote this review Thursday, November 4, 2010. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“it is a great mystery that will keep you reading”
MaryJo K wrote this review Thursday, September 30, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Actually, I only read this about halfway through, I just couldn't get interested in the story and felt it was rather predictable. I knew that she was going to get pregnant at some point in the story. I don't know it just didn't appeal to me. Maybe it was the translation?”
ryfinskibooknut wrote this review Friday, August 20, 2010. ( reply | view 1 replies | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Not bad. ”
Karen M wrote this review Monday, July 12, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Four and a half. ”
Candice wrote this review Wednesday, June 30, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“This was my first Karin Alvtegen novel. Wow! What a pleasant surprise to come across such a talented and skillful writer. The protagonist Sybilla is well-drawn and her motives are understandable. A very interesting glimpse into the homeless of Sweden and how they ingeniously manage to survive. ”
Susan Pembroke wrote this review Monday, January 18, 2010. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
