What Is Mine

By Anne Holt

Book Overview

One afternoon after school, nine-year-old Emilie doesn't come home. After a frantic search, her father finds her backpack in a deserted alley. it is the backpack her deceased mother had given her a month before she died. Emilie would never leave that backpack behind voluntarily. A week later, a five-year-old boy goes missing. And then another. Meanwhile, Johanna Vik, a former FBI profiler with a troubled past and a difficult young daughter, is buried in crimes of the past, trying to overturn a decades-old false murder conviction. Police Commissioner Stubo has personal reasons for wanting to solve the case of the missing children: not long ago he lost his wife and only daughter in a terrible accident, and now all he has left is his young grandson. But when he tries to enlist Johanna to help him crack the case, she's resistant. However, when the bodies of the missing children start appearing in their family's homes with notes that say, You got what you deserved, Johanna decides to help Stubo. While the rest of the Norwegian media is out hunting pedophiles, Stubo and Johanna manage to uncover a complex story of revenge. A singularly clever crime story combined with a serious discussion of children and our responsibilities towards them, What is Mine is the first installment in the the Stubo/Johanna crime series. Stubo and Johanna from one of the most original crime-solving teams ever.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0446178187
• ISBN13: 9780446178181
• Release Date: January 2008
• Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
• Length: 400 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.0" x 1.0" x 5.3"

Customer Reviews

Exciting

I'm a huge fan of Scandinavian literature but it's difficult to find many books translated into english. I was thrilled to find a new author to read and was not disappointed after reading this book. The book starts in the voice of what appears to be an ordinary father, the next chapter is from the point of view of a former FBI profiler, then the voice of a child who has been kidnapped, etc. I think it's very difficult to write this way and do it well, but Anne Holt not only manages to succeed, she comes up with an unusual and intriguing storyline that makes you want to finish the book in one sitting. I'm looking forward to reading more books by this author!

Great story!

Wow! Great Characters! depth and feeling! I loved it. I cannot wait for more. A fantastic Tale from Mrs. Holt

not your usual crime novel

I just finished reading the German translation of this book and was completely sucked in right from the beginning. The characters and storyline had a lot of depth. The characters seemed real and there were short, little details in the story that would keep you guessing as to how they played into the plot. Really a fantastic book.

Page turner from Norway

This book was given to me recently. Anne Holt has done very good work here, especially in the character development department. I strongly disagree with the editorial review by Publishers Weekly that said less time could have been spent on character descriptions. The plot, a serial killer in Norway develops quickly- Almost too quickly. The interplay between Vik, the psychologist/academic and Stubo, the methodical detective is well done. Getting to know them is a significant part of the story. As stated in prior reviews young children disappear and turn up with no apparent cause of death. We get to meet the psychopath early on but have to wait for the conclusion to get the whole story. I enjoyed the book- Style and story. While sometimes finding translations difficult to get into this one is an exception. Ms Holt had me losing sleep. The only criticism I offer is that the story almost appeared to be rushed towards the end. For this reason alone I would have given it a 4.5 if that was offered. I was enjoying it so much I could have gone another 75 to 100 pages if the story could have continued to be supported. All in all I expect to be reading more Anne Holt.

the real deal

European crime fiction fans have been able to enjoy the works of Anne Holt for years. Now, it's our turn. Her first novel to be translated into English, WHAT IS MINE, just came out. Wow! What an incredible talent. This is the first book in a trilogy and I can't wait for the rest of them. A serial killer is murdering children. He abducts them and returns their bodies with the same gruesome note attached. Who is doing this horrible stuff in peaceful Norway? Police inspector Adam Stubo wants to know. He recruits the reluctant academic (former FBI profiler) Johanne Vik to help him to solve the crimes. Are those sparks flashing between this unlikely pair? Holt does an amazing job of creating mystery layers that seem totally unconnected. She pulls off dazzling twists. Then she ties the whole thing together. Shockingly good stuff! No loose ends. Reading is believing. Holt is a force.