Title: The Mountain King

Author: Anders de la Motte

Release date: Originally released September 28, 2022. English release January 30, 2024

Huge thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for approving me for a digital ARC of this one!

And a huge, huge thanks to my friend Char Cocrane for putting this on my radar!

I was immediately intrigued after reading Char’s review and was so happy to get approved for this one. I love reading about urban exploration and I find there’s very few books out there – whether in the thriller or horror genre’s – that focus on it at all.

This novel is translated from the original Swedish release and with that in mind, you know you’re in for a story with desolate landscapes, dreary atmosphere and a constant feeling of being on edge. That seems to be the trait for almost all of the bigger Swedish novels released over here.

The story follows Detective Inspector Leo Asker. She’s worked hard to put her background behind her – living under a father who became more and more distrusting of society and earned the nickname Prepper Per – and now heads up the Major Crimes Unit in Malmo. The novel really kicks off when a young woman – Smilla, a daughter in a well-connected family – and her boyfriend, MM, seemingly disappear and are presumed kidnapped.

What I liked: It’s from that point where de la Motte really takes off. We learn Leo has a strained relationship with her mother and sister, as well, when a few phone calls are made, Smilla’s family and Leo’s mom (who is a powerful lawyer) conspire to bring in a Detective from higher up – a man whom Smilla previously had a brief fling with, before it ended and he harassed her.

All of this makes for a cat-and-mouse game with Smilla’s disappearance, but also with Leo trying to find the truth, after being jettisoned to a ‘forgotten department,’ and the Major Crimes Unit follows a lead that has nothing to do with the true disappearance.

de la Motte kept the tension high throughout and this was wholly down to the short snappy chapters. It was a great way to create an atmosphere that constantly crackled with energy and makes it tough for readers to catch their breath. The middle half of this book is filled with numerous hints, sleight-of-hands and ‘maybe it’s this guy’ moments, as de la Motte keeps the true identity veiled until the final quarter.

I will add, I loved the quick time jumps back to Leo’s youth, to learn the truth of what happened between her and her father and how he continued to travel down a road that grew ever darker and more distrustful. It also worked to showcase the ‘why’ of her decisions when we arrive at the very end.

Lastly, I will add this as well – there’s a character – Hill – who is imperative as a secondary character. He was friends with Leo as a kid before moving away and now, as an adult, teaches at a University and has written a bestselling book on urban exploration. He was so fully formed, he would’ve even made for a great lead character, but I’m glad it was Leo, as she’s a formidable and strong lead who kicked so much ass, it was awesome.

The ending and discovery of the identity was great and seeing how a lot of minor things were connected was really well done.

What I didn’t like: Two things really. Much like I’ve found with every Thomas Olde Heuvelt novel’s I’ve read – well, I’ve read ‘Hex’ and dnf’d ‘Echo’ – it felt like throughout, and most likely due to it being translated, a lot of areas were bereft of emotions. As though each sentence was written by a robot. I was very worried in chapters one and two that this would be the case of the entire novel, as those first two chapters came across as completely emotionless, but thankfully that changed and it took off. Saying that, there were parts scattered throughout that just felt hollow, and I think that’s due to the nature of translated work.

Secondly, the very ending of this one, after everything is all said and done, sets up the next book. This is book one in the Leo Asker series after all, but I found it incredibly cheesy and almost completely unbelievable. Leo is given a permanent job/post and within two seconds of her sitting at her ‘new’ desk, the phone rings and someone is asking specifically for her? I know we needed a hook for book two, but it felt very forced and comical.

Why you should buy this: If you’re like me and love reading about people going missing in odd places and the frantic search that takes place to find them, ‘The Mountain King’ will be right up your alley. This one was compulsive, entertaining and I can’t even count the number of times I was convinced it was one person who was the mountain king, only to be completely wrong. And while I said the last closing part was comical, I’m completely invested in Leo Asker and want to read all about her adventures and watch her kick ass!

4/5