Where Monsters Dwell
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Where Monsters Dwell
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Narrated by:
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David Menkin
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Written by:
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Jørgen Brekke
About this listen
A murder at the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond, Virginia, bears a close resemblance to one in Trondheim, Norway. The corpse of the museum curator in Virginia is found flayed in his office by the cleaning staff; the corpse of an archivist at the library in Norway is found inside a locked vault used to store delicate and rare books. Richmond homicide detective Felicia Stone and Trondheim police inspector Odd Singsaker find themselves working on similar murder cases, committed the same way, but half a world away. And both murders are somehow connected to a sixteenth century palimpsest book—The Book of John—which appears to be a journal of a serial murderer back in 1529 Norway, a book bound in human skin.
A runaway bestseller in Norway, Jørgen Brekke's Where Monsters Dwell has since sold to over fourteen countries. Where Monsters Dwell is the most awaited English language crime fiction debut in years.
What the critics say
“History pulses with life and excitement in this chilling and foreboding read. Jorgen Brekke delivers what thriller readers crave, or at least what this thriller reader craves--action, history, secrets, conspiracies, and international settings. Couldn't ask for anything more.” —Steve Berry, New York Times bestselling author of The King's Deception
“With depth of characterization...a narrative pace that's fast but never rushed--and a shattering climax--Brekke creates a novel of startling originality, one that makes some other thrillers look like products of a cookie cutter. Discerning readers will find it spellbinding...Quoth the critic, give us more.” —Richmond Times-Dispatch
“Brekke's big-boned debut thriller, spanning two continents and 500 years, delves into the unholy connections between a pair of monstrous killings in Norway and the U.S…. While the two sorely tried cops toil on unaware of the big break that will bring Felicia to Trondheim, Brekke provides increasingly disturbing flashbacks to the creation of the Johannes Book, a 16th-century collection of aphorisms and medical information bound in human skin, which figures in both murders. The sleuths are sympathetic and the atmosphere suitably sinister...Grim and tense.” —Kirkus
What listeners say about Where Monsters Dwell
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Genevieve Paquette
- 2020-09-08
enjoyable
I liked it. The plotting was very careful and detailed, and it all came together so neatly in the end.
I have a weakness for mysteries featuring Poe, either as a theme or as a fictionalized character, so I couldn't resist this one when I first saw it. It actually has very little to do with Poe, but it did add an interesting extra element.
The story is set both in the past (the 1500s) and the present. I preferred the present sections. The scenes set in the past were straight up upsetting. I'm not a huge fan of stories set pre mid 1800s. I'm not sure why. I either find them impenetrable or unnerving. This was firmly in the unnerving camp- the child molesting barber, the poor young child with an uncertain future (will he or won't he become a monster?), and oh, that scene with the cat! It was affecting. That portion ended in a very satisfying way, though. It had a great twist.
The present-day story was assembled really well, with lots of twists and an enjoyable amount of gore and a great ending. I liked the characters, who, apart from Siri, were well written. Siri as my only gripe. She felt like fan service, even if she "smelled of eggnog, raspberries and a hint of mature cheese." Or so said the detective after he broke into her charmingly filthy flat and sniffed her used black belt martial arts gear... Her scenes had me cringing a little.
But yeah, overall, a satisfying listen, even the second time around.
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