Joona Linna's empathy for perpetrators
Kepler explains that Joona Linna's success as an investigator lies in his ability to look past the monstrous image of perpetrators and feel their underlying fear and desperation.
L
Lars Kepler
Lars Kepler is the pseudonym of husband and wife team Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril, authors of the Joona Linna series. With nine installments to date, the series has sold 15 million copies in 40 languages. The Ahndorils were both established writers before they adopted the pen name Lars Kepler, and have each published several acclaimed novels.
On LuvemBooks, we've reviewed The Sandman.
1
Books ReviewedIn Lars Kepler's own words
Authors Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril (Lars Kepler) discuss the psychology behind their recurring protagonists, Joona Linna and Saga Bauer.
Uploaded by Knopfdoubleday, 2018 · Watch on YouTube ·
Linna remains mysterious to his authors
Kepler notes that even though they know Linna well after writing him for so long, he still remains somewhat of an enigma with more to explore.
Saga Bauer's buried inner darkness
Kepler characterizes Saga Bauer as a fierce investigator fleeing a difficult childhood who keeps her own darkness dangerously locked away deep inside.
Ask LuvemBooks about Lars Kepler
Lars Kepler is the shared pen name of Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril, the husband-and-wife team behind the Joona Linna crime novels. We've reviewed 1 of their books so far: The Sandman, in which detective Saga Bauer goes undercover in a psychiatric ward to extract answers from serial killer Jurek Walter. Their hallmark, based on that review, is relentless momentum — short, cliffhanger-driven chapters, though Kirkus found the pacing uneven.
- Where should I start?
- The Sandman is the only Lars Kepler book we've reviewed, so it's our natural recommendation. It's the fourth Joona Linna novel, but its premise is self-contained and gripping: detective Saga Bauer goes undercover in a psychiatric ward to pry answers from serial killer Jurek Walter. If you like high-tension thrillers built on short, cliffhanger chapters, it's a solid entry point.
- What's their writing style?
- Based on our review of The Sandman, Lars Kepler writes in short, cliffhanger-driven chapters that keep the tension ratcheted up. Their thrillers lean on high-stakes undercover scenarios and psychological cat-and-mouse games — in this case, a detective extracting information from a serial killer inside a psychiatric ward. The trade-off, per Kirkus, is pacing that can feel uneven despite the propulsive structure.
- Books we've reviewed
- We've reviewed 1 Lars Kepler book so far. The Sandman, the fourth Joona Linna novel, sends detective Saga Bauer undercover in a psychiatric ward to pry answers from serial killer Jurek Walter — short, cliffhanger chapters drive it, though Kirkus found the pacing uneven.
- What genre do they write?
- Lars Kepler writes thrillers — specifically crime fiction centered on the Joona Linna series. The Sandman, the book we've reviewed, is a thriller built around a serial killer investigation and an undercover operation inside a psychiatric ward.
- What should I read after The Sandman?
- The Sandman is the only Lars Kepler book we've reviewed, so within our coverage there's no direct next recommendation. If you want more of the Joona Linna world, the series has other installments — The Sandman is the fourth — though we haven't reviewed them yet. Check back as our coverage expands.
Who is Lars Kepler?
Where should I start?
What's their writing style?
Books we've reviewed
What genre do they write?
What should I read after The Sandman?
Who is Lars Kepler?
Lars Kepler is the pseudonym of husband-and-wife writing team Alexander Ahndoril and Alexandra Coelho Ahndoril. Together they write the Joona Linna series of crime novels, and their notable works include The Hypnotist. On LuvemBooks we've reviewed 1 of their books, The Sandman.
Follow up
Why do they write under a pseudonym?
What is the Joona Linna series?
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