"Painful Winter" by Aaron Sander - Why the thriller Jussi Adler-Olsen is equal

Created: 10/17/2022, 6:00 p.m

By: Sven Trautwein

Two horribly disfigured bodies of women are discovered in Hamburg.

As if they had become puppets.

Aaron Sander's "Winter in Pain" is a visually stunning thriller.

My book tip.

First of all: Readers who like to read a classic detective novel and refrain from detailed descriptions should not read this thriller by Aaron Sander.

Everyone else who has already had gasps from authors such as Jussi Adler-Olsen can look forward to a great thriller that really gets under your skin.

Aaron Sander "Winter of Pain": About the Book

Thriller "Painful Winter" by Aaron Sander © Lübbe

In Hamburg, the snow releases two women's bodies - hands and feet are pierced.

Both wear a watch instead of the heart.

The Swedish investigator Jan Nygård stumbles upon the previous case of the puppet maker, who tried to create puppets out of his female victims in a bestial way.

Nygård and his new partner Anna Wasmuth quickly realize that they are not dealing with a simple free rider.

Here is a student at work who wants to surpass his master - and he already has a new puppet up his sleeve...

Lubbe

What immediately strikes you when you pick up the book “Schmerzwinter”: the edge of the book is grass green.

He calls straight from the table, "Take me in your hands and read!".

I felt the same way.

I couldn't put it back either.

Rarely have I devoured a thriller so quickly.

In the last few months, books have repeatedly landed on my desk that had a colored book edge: "Devil's Net" and "Enemy Sacrifice" by Max Seeck or AM Ollikainen's "The Dead in the Container".

It's almost a shame to let the book edge get lost on the bookshelf.

In terms of the speed of the scenes, he beats Arno Strobel's "Fake" a good deal.

If you look at the author information about Aaron Sander, he studied film and television dramaturgy, which is very positive for his writing style.

Here he reminds me of the books by Hjorth and Rosenfeldt.

No lengthy scene descriptions.

Rather short but concise sentences that stick in the memory and together let a film run in front of the inner eye.

Sometimes almost too real.

Jan Nygård: main character with personal problems

The Swedish investigator Jan Nygård has accumulated many problems in the professional field due to his quick-tempered nature.

When he breaks the prosecutor's son's nose while trying to get his daughter back from his hands, his boss's last strand of patience breaks.

There is a risk of disciplinary proceedings if he cannot be helped.

He is assigned the police psychiatrist Anna Wasmuth, who also helps him with information and assessments as the current case progresses.

Nygård is a man full of inner pain who has not yet gotten over the death of his beloved wife.

A not too talkative Swede with rough edges.

I liked this from the first moment.

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The setting in wintry Hamburg, where even some snow remains, immediately conquered my North German self.

With the brutal detailed descriptions, however, Sander goes to the pain threshold.

It is the fascination just before you close your eyes and close the book.

But then curiosity wins.

As with the puppet maker, who makes bizarre marionettes out of living women.

This also always goes one step further.

The two main characters, Nygård and Wasmuth, are not all told.

Marginal comments make you sit up and take notice of what further developments will come to light in the event of a possible sequel.

Aaron Sander "Pain Winter": My conclusion

Aaron Sander sets the chapter boundaries precisely, as if drawn with a scalpel.

As a reader, I had to keep reading.

I wanted to find out what lead Jan Nygård is following with his colleague.

I couldn't stop reading the thriller.

Hats off and more of this please.

The age recommendation from 16 years, which is given on the publisher's website, should be observed.

Aaron Sander "Pain Winter"

2022 Lübbe, ISBN-13 978-3-404-18807-9

Price: paperback €12, e-book €4.99, 350 pages (different format) – Order now (promotional link)

Aaron Sanders

Aaron Sander, born in 1973, studied film and television dramaturgy.

He grew up in northern Germany.

From an early age he learned to love the sea, the Hanseatic city of Hamburg and the forests of Sweden.

He creates his thrillers on long hikes through nature.

He often takes his laptop with him and writes deep in the forest.