I had to wait for my blood pressure and heart rate to calm down before writing a review on this Novel.
A vividly written, unusual, intriguing and atmospheric Scandinavian crime thriller / horror / historical fiction story that made for difficult reading in places due to its very graphic content and yet apparently an accurate portrayal of 1780 Stockholm and I came away from this one with a feeling of gratitude for not having lived in the late 1700s as I don't think I would have lasted 5 minutes in that barbaric squalor, depraved and diseased city. extremely well written and translated and a compelling read, this one kept me up well into the night and haunted my thoughts for a long time after. A real page turner for those who can stomach it. What an intriguing debut novel.

First a warning................This is not an easy read. It is not for readers who find graphic descriptions of injuries, Despicable characters, war or torture upsetting and Niklas Natt Och Dag doesn't shy away from graphic detail.

Stockholm 1793, King Gustav of Sweden has been assassinated, When night watchman Mickel Cardell pulls the remains of a man from a lake, the ex soldier is confronted with a corpse that has been subjected to prolonged torture , his arms and legs cut away, his tongue and eyes removed. What or Who is capable of such depraved torture and why?

Superb writing and vivid descriptions of a city and its inhabitants in the late 1700s. I read this one with my husband and we were completely engrossed in the story and the characters and while it is a little out of my comfort zone, I loved the historical element and mystery to this one, it has a strange eerie feel to it which I loved and the sense of time and place is excellent. The crime element of the story is very well crafted and executed.

I had a hard copy of this novel and the audio version as well and was lucky to be able to switch between the two, the audio was narrated by 3 narrators and their narration of this story was excellent. It was haunting and atmospheric and so much so that while out forest walking and I had to switch off as it was way too scary to listen to in a deserted forest.
This is a book you choose to read and not a book that should be chosen for you.
( )

Never finished listening. It was just too, too, too gross for me. Part I, the introduction to the wolf (Vinge) and the watchman (Cordell), was interesting, but part II lost me completely, drenched as it was in what I'm sure was meant to be (and might actually be) a depiction of the life and times Stockholm,1793. I kept going back to listen to more, hoping for a reason to want to wade through the muck. Gave up trying. ( )

This was a strangely compelling book. It is set in 18 Century Sweden and this book was a translation from the original Swedish. I was pleased to see that this is the first book in a trilogy featuring The Watchman who is named Mickel Cordell. He is a bigger-than -life main character who lost an arm in a war. He pairs up with Cecil Winge who is a genius and a totally incorruptible man who is dying of consumption. The are trying to catch a sadistic killer after a man’s torso turns up in the lake. The man had been horribly tortured before he died. This is a meticulously constructed thriller and the author does not make one misstep as the Wolf and the Watchman stalk their killer. I couldn’t put it down. Highly recommend if you like realistic thrillers with very strong characters. I was enthralled from start to finish. ( )

Primera obra de la trilogia de Niklas Natt Och Dag, ambientada a la Suècia de finals del segle XVIII. L'ambientació històrica és interessant i el relat tot i ser especialment sòrdid, enganxa. La dupla dels personatges de Cardell i Cecil Winge és entranyable, tot i el context escabrós que s'hi perfila. ( )

"The Wolf and the Watchman," by Niklas Natt och Dag (ably translated from the Swedish by Ebba Segerberg), is a work of historical fiction that is set in 1793. Jean Michael (Mickel) Cardell is a hulking wreck who lost his left arm in battle and has terrifying flashbacks that give him little peace. In addition, he has become a belligerent alcoholic who uses his wooden prosthetic to beat his victims senseless. By chance, Mickel forms an unlikely alliance with a consumptive lawyer named Cecil Winge. Although Cecil is pale, emaciated, and likely near death, he is determined to track down the murderer who brutally tortured and mutilated an unidentified young man, and then threw his corpse into a lake.

Natt och Dag is a skilled storyteller who vividly depicts Stockholm and its environs in the late eighteenth century. He portrays it as both a place of beauty and wealth and a cesspool of filth, corruption, and degradation. Disabled war veterans roam the streets along with beggars, prostitutes, and guttersnipes. Sadly, few officials in government and law enforcement make an effort to protect the citizens whom they are paid to serve. Moreover, when people are injured or become seriously ill, their doctors are more likely to finish them off than cure them.

The macabre and dismal plot is so complicated that it is difficult to encapsulate. Suffice it to say that the author follows the fortunes of various troubled individuals. Johan Kristofer Blix is an immature and reckless wastrel who, at seventeen, is already on a downward spiral; a good-hearted young woman named Anna Stina Knapp is confined to a workhouse run by a psychopathic tyrant; and a horrendous childhood helped produce the bestial creature whom Cardell and Winge are trying to bring to justice. The paths of these and other characters (all of whom are portrayed insightfully and poignantly) ultimately converge. "The Wolf and the Watchman" will appeal to fans of Scandinavian noir who have a high tolerance for grotesque scenes in which Natt och Dag describes the sights, sounds, and odors of a society in decay. Tragically, the few decent individuals we encounter struggle to defend themselves against vicious predators who derive pleasure from tormenting the weak and the vulnerable. ( )