‘Geiger’ by Gustaf Skördeman (trs by @ioagiles) | @ZaffreBooks @Tr4cyF3nt0n | #blogtour

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for Geiger by Gustaf Skördeman. My thanks to Tracy Fenton for the invitation to join and to the publisher for my review copy.

Author : Gustaf Skördeman (trs by Ian Giles)
Title : Geiger
Pages : 430
Publisher : Zaffre UK
Publication date : April 29, 2021

| ABOUT THE BOOK |

The landline rings as Agneta is waving off her grandchildren. Just one word comes out of the receiver: ‘Geiger’. For decades, Agneta has always known that this moment would come, but she is shaken. She knows what it means. 

Retrieving her weapon from its hiding place, she attaches the silencer and creeps up behind her husband before pressing the barrel to his temple. 

Then she squeezes the trigger and disappears – leaving behind her wallet and keys. 

The extraordinary murder is not Sara Nowak’s case. But she was once close to those affected and, defying regulations, she joins the investigation. What Sara doesn’t know is that the mysterious codeword is just the first piece in the puzzle of an intricate and devastating plot fifty years in the making. 

| MY THOUGHTS |

As Agneta waves off her grandchildren, the landline rings. The voice at the other end utters merely one word. Geiger. Agneta knew this moment would come and though shaken, she knows exactly what to do. Retrieving a weapon from its hiding place, she creeps up behind her husband and shoots him in the head without even blinking or flinching.

How is that for an opening chapter?! As the reader, I suddenly found my head full of a multitude of questions. What the heck is Geiger? Who was that person on the other end of the phone? Why does Agneta have a gun? What did her husband do that she would kill him in cold blood? Who still even has a landline? (Totally a legitimate question.)

I immediately wanted to find out much more. As it turns out, Agneta’s work isn’t done. She’s on a mission. Although what that mission entails is a bit of a mystery. Before I knew it, a tense game of cat-and-mouse was unfolding right before my eyes and I had the hardest time figuring out who was what. There are secrets to discover. Some that have been hidden for decades, its roots buried deep underneath layers of history. Nothing, or nobody, is what it seems.

Geiger is incredibly well plotted. The pace is spot on and there are plenty of twists and turns to keep the reader interested. I must admit I wasn’t quite sure about Sara Nowak’s part in all of this. She felt to me as an unnecessary character in a cast that was already plenty big enough and sometimes slightly confusing to keep straight. That could have been just me. My concentration wasn’t all there and it really should be when you’re reading this thriller. That said, Sara’s point-of-view did end up being important so I was able to appreciate her part in the story after all.

With Geiger, Gustaf Skördeman has written an intelligent spy thriller full of historical context. The kind that makes you want to hit the internet to find out more about. The Cold War may be over, its players are not. Sure, they’re all that bit older but once a spy, always a spy, right? Intriguing characters, cloak-and-dagger games and a mystery to solve … there is definitely quite a bit to sink your teeth into here. I especially enjoyed the setting, reminiscent of that Scandi-Noir that’s so popular, and the old-school spy vibes. For fans of political (spy) thrillers, conspiracies and a nice chunk of history, Geiger is a solid debut from Gustaf Skördeman.

Geiger is available to buy!

Amazon UK | Bookshop UK | Hive UK | Kobo | Waterstones

| ABOUT THE AUTHOR |

Gustaf Skördeman was born in 1965 in Sweden and is a screenwriter, director and producer. Geiger, his thriller debut, is published in 24 countries, and film rights have been optioned by Monumental Pictures.