I’m sorry but I couldn’t get into this book and therefore didn’t finish it. Thanks for giving me the opportunity to read this book.

Don’t know how he does it, but Niklas Natt och Dag invariably manages to wrench my guts. The feeling of dread and unease he creates will make you cast many furtive glances over your shoulder. Be that on scene of a “forgotten” mental asylum, a slave ship, a hide-out in the woods or a dismal workhouse.

Erik Three Roses tells us about his growing up in late 18th century Sweden with an unloving resentful father, his childhood sweetheart Linnea Charlotta Colling and the events that ultimately brought him to be a long-term resident in a hospital. His time in Bartélemy, a slave trading post in the Lesser Antilles both shaped and damaged him.
Emil Winge and Watchman Mickel Cardell, loosely attached to the Stockholm police, are called on to unravel a gruesome murder case. Any more would be a spoiler, so I’ll stop. Suffice to say: a great piece of reading. Niklas Natt och Dag is on the best way to become one of my favourite authors.

From Good Reads:

Better than first I thought.

Dark, dirty, violent, atmospheric, original - but elegantly written.
Historical crime fiction at its best - transporting us to a time and place unknown

Looking forward to third

*Many thanks to Niklas Natt och Dag, John Murray Press, and Netgalley for arc in exchange fo rmy honest review.*
I found this second book even more engaging than the first offering by the Author.Of life in Sweden in the 18th century I know little although I knew of the historic events presented in the backgound of the story.
The first part, the memoir, read like written in the style of English classics and remined me of the voice of Daniel Dafoe himself. The novel is dark and some descriptions more than gory, however, I believe it is the convention and such a mystery cannot avoid some disturbing moments.
The innocence against pure evil is the main theme.

The second book of Niklas Natt och Dag's trilogy 1793-1794-1795, and even though you can read it as a standalone novel, it is strongly recommended to read "1793: The Wolf and the Watchman" first.

This is such a disturbing and dark series that I literally had nightmares while reading the first book. The story is mostly set in Stockholm, and I enjoyed the description of the town, its people and their way of living in those years. This second book is somewhat slower than the first one, but a great sequel nevertheless. It gives a more detailed look into politics of the time, and the twists and turns of the events leave room for a third book which I cannot wait.

This is mystery, drama, horror but at the same time a literary gem. Kudos to the English translator who did an great job with this extraordinary book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and John Murrey Press for an Advance Reading Copy.

Niklas Natt Och Dag is brilliant! I absolutely loved The Wolf and the Watchman and have been impatiently waiting for the next book in the trilogy. This does not disappoint. Still incredibly dark (if not even more so), this is a masterful tale. An uncomfortable but fantastic read that will stay with you. Best book I've read in a very long time. Please release 1795 in English soon!!!

If you want nightmares, then read this….

Honestly, I should have known what to expect. After all, I had read the first in this Swedish mystery series, The Wolf and The Watchman. If you, too, have read the first volume, be warned, this one goes much, much further. It is not for the faint hearted, and I can think of at least half a dozen specific scenes which have caused me extreme disquiet and even nightmares.

The one-armed watchman from the earlier novel, Mickel Cardell, accepts the investigation of the death of a young woman on the night of her wedding to a naïve young nobleman, Erik Three Roses. Mickel no longer has the intelligence of Cecil Winge to aid him following his death from consumption, but when Cecil’s brother Emil makes himself known, Mickel sees him as a possible replacement. Emil, However, has problems, nay demons, of his own, and his ability and reliability are soon in question.

This is an Eighteenth Century Sweden where gruesomeness abounds. From the slave colony of Saint-Bartelemy to the poverty stricken and rundown environs of Stockholm, from a political system on the point of collapse to a society without care for the poor and over-tolerant of the guilty, the investigation of Cardell and Winge appears doomed to failure. But as in the first novel, a sort of justice is arrived at in the final few pages. Is it worth it? I found this resolution fiendishly clever and almost unbearably painful to read. Will I read the final volume when it is published? I will think long and hard.

Dark, grim, depressing at time, well plotted and fascinating. I don't know if I loved or hated this book, I just know it's an interesting reading experience and the author delivers a riveting story.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I enjoyed the first novel, but found this just too unrelentingly miserable. Not a moment of light in the darkness, pain everywhere you look, and everybody just swamped in despair. No thank you, life's challenging enough.

The late 18th century and younger son Erik Three Roses has fallen in love with the daughter of a tenant. Despairing his father sends the boy to the Caribbean, far away from Sweden. Erik is horrified by slavery but falls into friendship with a plantation owner called Tyrcho. Called back to Sweden on the death of his father and brother, suddenly Erik is a rich man and able to marry his love. Supported by Tyrcho the wedding occurs but then things go very badly wrong
I loved the first novel in the series and this is no exception. Peopled by a vast range of characters from all walks of life the plot is satisfyingly dense. We all know who has done it but whether or not they can be brought to justice is another matter. A clever and satifying read!

1794 is a brilliant and breath-taking book, yet strangely enough I’m unable to say if I enjoyed it or not.

Much like its predecessor, this is a very dark and grim book. The writing is so evocative, and clearly paints a picture of misery and darkness in both Sweden and the Caribbean in the late 18th Century. And herein lies my major issue with the book, if anything I found it too dark, too grim, too draining. I love a dark book, but I cant remember ever reading a book that left me feeling so drained, so…without hope. The book ends with the misery the author has painted at its worse, and left me feeling somewhat lost.

Now this isn’t too say it’s a bad book. Hell, if I read this during the height of summer, I may have enjoyed it. But reading during the darkness of a pandemic affected winter, I found it too much. But the writing is great, the characterisation is spot on, and the story itself is fascinating and gripping.

Ill definitely read the final book in the trilogy, but ill make sure I’m prepared!

Sorry, I was unable to copy text! I have posted a review on my bookstagram account. Please see link below . Hope this is acceptable
Kind regards
Jayne 😊

A breathtaking & haunting historical novel, a sinister and sulphurous thriller, cleverly plotted with a very tortuous investigation full of highly twisted political shenanigans & murderous threats taking place inside a cold & cruel Kingdom of Sweden in the throes of a very dangerous and devilishly conceived authoritarian drift at the tail-end of an 18th century that is still in the grip of the contagious and still unabated fever originally initiated by the French and their violent Revolution in 1789.

Colorful characters & crisp
dialogues help also create a really gorgeous fictional tapestry that offers us an adventuresome and adrenaline-fueled swedish
literary treat that deserves to be savored and enjoyed without any moderation whatsoever 👍👍

Many thanks to Netgalley and John Murray for this terrific ARC