The Friend audiobook

Someone mentioned this espionage thriller had a central gay storyline so I was all over it and I wasn't disappointed. Also, given I'm a big fan of Nordic crime fiction, I figured I'd groove on the atmosphere alone, and I most certainly did. (That said, a fair amount of the story actually takes place in Beirut.) Turns out this is the third in a trilogy, but I didn't realize that until I was more than a third of the way in, and it only became a very minor issue in spots here and there. The story of Jacob and Yassim, two lovers who meet in Beirut and become entangled in a terrifying international conspiracy, is a standalone tale that occupies more than half of the book and it kept the pages flying by. Joakim Zander's prose style is razor sharp, perfect for thrillers. Brisk, present-tense sentences and tightly coiled dialogue. Overall, a great read, and as I note often in my other reviews, I'm always eager to celebrate something genre that's this well written and focuses this much on complex, well-rendered gay characters. The translation felt effortless to me.

I didn't know what to expect in Joakim Zander's novel "The Friend" but he really blew me away with this book. I've read "The Swimmer" I thought that was good but this book has so much more. This has everything you could imagine in an espionage book. A gay man trying to become a diplomat from the ground up going from Sweden to Lebanon. A Syrian gay man who is trying to find a solution to save people from terrorists and thought of as a terrorist. Two women lawyers who were thought of as terrorists and one of them found a man who was switching jobs from Brussels Belgium to Sweden and was interested in him before. We have two groups of Intelligence groups both from Sweden, going two different ways. We have the Russians involved disrupting everybody. Now mix everyone together and make them all interact with each other, have a few twists and turns. Now you have the book to read that will make James Bond look simple. I would definitely give my recommendation to read this book.

Ostin kyseisen kirjan dekkari-intoilija isälleni joululahjaksi vuosi sitten. En ollut tarttunut siihen isäni hieman laimeahkon arvostelun perustella. Olen kuitenkin sitä mieltä, että kirja kannatti lukaista läpi! Juoni oli, vaikkakin aika dramaattiken ja osin hieman epäuskottava, mukaansatempaava. Se poikkesi aiemmin lukemistani dekkareista kansainvälisyydellään sekä terrorismiteemallaan. Suosittelen lukemaan tämän kirjan mikäli kaipaa jotain vauhdiksta ja helposti luettavaa tekstiä.Kaikenkaikkiaan antaisin kirjalle 3.5/5 tähteä, kallistuen kuitenkin 4 tähden puoleen.

Klara musste ihren geliebten Großvater beerdigen, ihre Freundin Gabriella ist wie immer an ihrer Seite. Doch Gabriella ist abgelenkt, irgendetwas belastet sie. Am nächsten Morgen wird sie vor den Augen Klaras in ihrer Kanzlei verhaftet. Diese agiert schnell und kann eine geheime Nachricht der Freundin entdecken: sollte Gabriella etwas geschehen, muss Klara einen geheimen Informanten in Brüssel treffen. Dieser ominöse Mensch ist ein Praktikant der schwedischen Botschaft in Beirut. Jacobs Zeit dort ist geprägt von Langeweile im Büro und umso mehr Aufregung durch seinen Freund und Liebhaber Yassim. Dieser gibt kaum etwas von sich preis, verschwindet immer wieder für Wochen spurlos und trifft sich mit zwielichtigen Personen. Jacob ahnt selbst, dass mit Yassim etwas nicht stimmt, als er von einer mysteriösen Frau kontaktiert wird, die behauptet, dass Yassim ein Terrorist sei, weiß er nicht mehr, was er glauben soll. Doch dass er sich in größte Gefahr begeben hat, wird Jacob nicht erst klar, nachdem seine Wohnung verwüstet wurde und sein Leben bedroht wird. Helfen kann ihm wohl nur die Frau, die er Monate zuvor im Fernsehen bewundert hat: Gabriella. Band drei von Joakim Zanders Reihe um Klara Walldéen knüpft nahtlos an die beiden Vorgänger an und ist in ebensolchem Tempo geschrieben. Auch in der Thematik bleibt sich Zander treu, ohne sich zu wiederholen oder zu langweilen. Einmal mehr dreht sich die Handlung um das Pulverfass Naher Osten und den Terror, der von dort ausgeht. Dieses Mal lehnt er sich an die Attentate von Paris am 13. November 2015 an, die er geschickt in die Geschehnisse rund um Jacob in Beirut und Klara zwischen Stockholm und Brüssel einbaut.Seine Protagonistin entwickelt er hierbei überzeugend weiter. Klara ist nicht die fehlerlose Superheldin, der alles spielend gelingt. Nach den letzten Erlebnissen bekam sie ihr Leben nicht mehr auf die Reihe, trank zu viel, um sich zu betäuben. Auch der Tod des Großvaters wirft sie aus der Bahn und ihre Gefühlswelt hat sie gar nicht unter Kontrolle. Doch merkt man, wie sie geradezu von den Erfahrungen profitiert, dadurch reifer wirkt als in vorherigen Bänden. Ähnlich verhält es sich mit Georg Lööw, ihrem Partner in der Krise und offenbar am Ende auch im Privatleben. Jacob als neue Figur ist ebenfalls vielschichtig und authentisch angelegt. Strebsam und doch verunsichert; einerseits emotionsgeleitet und dann doch wieder rational-zweifelnd. Sich mit ihm zu identifizieren und seine Zwickmühle nachzuvollziehen, macht einem Joakim Zander sehr leicht. Die kurzen Kapitel mit schnellen Ortswechseln sorgen für ein hohes Tempo in der Geschichte. Die zeitversetzte Handlung, die vom Ende und dann wieder vom Anfang an erzählt wird, erhöht die Spannung zudem. Der Roman entbehrt nicht einer gewissen Komplexität, die die Wirklichkeit glaubwürdig widerspiegelt und bestimmte real nicht aufzulösende Spannungen und Verwicklungen in der internationalen Diplomatie und Politik ebenfalls als solche stehenlässt. So erfüllt Joakim Zander einmal mehr voll die Erwartungen an einen anspruchsvollen Thriller und bleibt derzeit einer der besten schwedischen Autoren im Genre.

"Vännen" is na "Simmaren" en "Orten" het derde deel in de Klara Waldéen reeks van Joakim Zander en Zander blijft imponeren. Een derde "spänningsroman" op rij die het genre alle eer aandoet. Een waterdicht plot zonder losse eindjes, geloofwaardige hoofdpersonages, situaties die zowel actueel als plausibel zijn en onverwachte wendingen. En bovenal (!) eens een hoofdpersonage in een Scandinavische reeks dat geen alcoholverslaafde man is, teleurgesteld in het leven die zijn job eigenlijk moe is, zoals Jo Nesbo's Harry Hole of Håkan Nessers Barbarotti, doch een levendige, beloftevolle jongedame. Verfrissend. Begrijp me niet verkeerd, ik ben fan van zowel Nesbo als Nesser, van Hole en Barbarotti, maar het is een verademing eens een auteur te treffen die een minder bewandeld pad durft kiezen. Zoals ik zei. Zander blijft imponeren. Een aanrader. De reeks wel best in volgorde lezen!

This one just came out this summer. Zander is a new author to me! Have you read any of his books yet? I think this one sounds a lot like a Mission Impossible adventure, which I love! His first two novels The Swimmer and The Believer both sound excellent…I love finding new authors! .Here is the synopsis for The Friend, “Jacob Seger arrives in Lebanon eager to make the most of his internship at the Swedish embassy in Beirut. But when he meets the mysterious Yassim at a glamorous party, he is swept up into a passionate, obsessive affair. When terrorist claims against Yassim are brought to light, Jacob must confront his role in a complicated game he is wholly unprepared to play. Unsure who to believe or trust, he knows only that he must flee Beirut—and fast. .Meanwhile in Sweden Klara Walldeen returns to the Stockholm to bury her grandfather, her best friend Gabriella by her side. What should be a trip of mourning and solitude quickly turns perilous, however, when Gabi is arrested under suspicion of terrorist activity. After finding notes in Gabi’s purse about a clandestine meeting with a young Swedish diplomat, Klara springs into action, determined to clear her friend’s name. .Following Gabi’s trail, Klara comes face-to-face with Jacob, as well as with George Loow, a suave lobbyist from her past to whom she finds herself inexorably drawn. Now Klara, George, and Jacob set off on a race across Europe to stop a pending terrorist attack—and get to the bottom of Yassim’s true identity. .

THE FRIEND, by Joakim Zander, follow two narratives. First is about Jacob Seger, an young and excited new intern at the Swedish embassy in Beirut who wants to make an impact on the world. The second is Klara Walldeen, who recently lost her dear grandfather and returns to Stockholm with her best friend, Gabi, to mourn his death. Both Jacob and Klara quickly become wrapped up in a global conspiracy involving feuding countries, international spying, and looming terrorist attacks. Zander begins the book by getting to know Jacob and Klara, with loads of backstory and well-defined supporting characters. While the beginning of the book take a while to get moving, there is a certain point where the reader sees where the story is going and why we are following these two characters in particular. As any good spy thriller does, there are mysteries and truths that most of the major character's are carrying and Zander strategically doles out those secrets in a pleasing way. There are shocking reveals, character betrayals, and the stakes are constantly building. The climax feels right out of an action movie where at any moment everything could fall apart. A little slow to start, THE FRIEND builds and builds to an exciting conclusion the keep the reader engaged until the very end. A definite read for anyone who enjoys spy thrillers and novels full of international intrigue. I received a copy of this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

Jacob is just starting his internship in the Swedish Embassy in Beirut when he falls in love with Yassim. Concurrently, Klara is reunited with Gabi for her grandfather's funeral only to have Gabi disappear again when she is suddenly arrested by SWAT outside her law firm. The Friend is action packed as Klara and Jacob's story lines soon intertwine. Straight out of a Jason Borne movie, Zander captures the world of international diplomacy and espionage. At times there were traces of missing story line from book 1 & 2 of the series, but the characters and quick paced plot easily kept the reader entertained. *Disclaimer: A review copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All opinions are my own.

This is a thrilling spy, suspense novel. A friend? A lover? A terrorist? That is what Jacob is trying to find out about a man named Yassim. He just met him but felt an instant connection even though he had some misgivings. A friend of Karla's is arrested by the police with a SWAT team. She has to determine why? The journey for the truth connects Jacob and Karla and puts them both in fear for their lives. A very well written and hard-to-put-down novel. I would recommend it.

** spoiler alert ** Turns out to be a better story than I first thought it would. Jacob/Matti is one of the weakest characters I have ever read in a book. His survival is a big part of the story and makes the book quite exceptional even though he's not really that likeable. Klara and George's story is endearing. I do like this author and will read the book written between this one and "The Swimmer", which was excellent.

Hmm okay . So I wasn't overly excited when I started to read this, it didn't really grab my attention or interest straight away but it didn't take long for me to become obsessively reading it whenever I could. It was.. exciting and brutal and very chilling, especially to think this could be someone's story out there right now in the modern world. This author is amazing and I cannot wait to read more from him.A fantastic read and one I will not forget about anytime soon.

V vseh treh knjigah je ogromno akcije, vohunov, teroristov, zapletov in preobratov. In pa Klara Walldéen, dekle, ki se vedno znajde v vlogi žrtve zares neverjetnih okoliščin. V vohunskih igrah nihče nikomur ne zaupa in tudi bralec do konca ne ve, kdo je prijatelj, kdo pa zlobnež. Dobra trilogija, vseeno pa Klari Waldéen nekaj manjka. Morda le to, da je Lisbeth Salander postavila letvico tako visoko.

This book keeps you on your toes. It will have you turning the pages to try and figure out who can be trusted and how everything’s going to end. I caught my eyes trying to skip a few paragraphs at a time trying to see how a suspenseful situation played out.

I enjoyed the third installment of this series. A topical storyline that was well written with intrigue and espionage. I liked to see some of the characters from the previous books back in this one too.

With so many international intrigue books on the market today, it can be hard to stand out in the field. I think Zander does just that with his trilogy, so far, of books featuring Klara Walldéen. Free review copy.