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Camera
On her uncle Jacob's death Johanna discovers a mysterious box of photographs amongst his belongings. Inspired to investigate Jacob's early life in London, where he trained as a photographer, she uncovers a macabre history laced with scandal.
In 1905, Jacob is apprenticed to Herbert Burrows who photographs the séances of the Theosophist Society. Among the members of the society is Reverend Charles Leadbetter, who also employs Burrows for an altogether more sinister task. Intrigued by the possibilities of photography, Leadbetter secretly uses young children in experiments to capture the soul on film as it leaves the body. When Leadbetter's scheme is discovered it leads to further deceit and murder.
The true story is gradually pieced together from Johanna's research and Jacob's own account, leading to a chilling discovery in the Thames...
Camera won The Swedish Detective Novel Academy Award for First Novel, the Poloni Prize for female crime writers and the Flint Axe prize for the best historical crime novel.
In 1905, Jacob is apprenticed to Herbert Burrows who photographs the séances of the Theosophist Society. Among the members of the society is Reverend Charles Leadbetter, who also employs Burrows for an altogether more sinister task. Intrigued by the possibilities of photography, Leadbetter secretly uses young children in experiments to capture the soul on film as it leaves the body. When Leadbetter's scheme is discovered it leads to further deceit and murder.
The true story is gradually pieced together from Johanna's research and Jacob's own account, leading to a chilling discovery in the Thames...
Camera won The Swedish Detective Novel Academy Award for First Novel, the Poloni Prize for female crime writers and the Flint Axe prize for the best historical crime novel.
208 pages, Paperback
First published March 14, 2001
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
January 14, 2022
Eine sehr eigenartige Geschichte. Vieles wird eher in Andeutungen berichtet, als wirklich erzählt. Ich finde die Ansätze nicht schlecht, aber ich hatte die ganze Zeit das Gefühl, nicht wirklich in der Geschichte anzukommen. Die Zeitsprünge sind dabei auch ab und an sehr verwirrend.
December 21, 2017
Liffners debutroman kom ut första gången 2001. Det förflutna gäckar, vad var det som hände? Huvudpersonerna Johanna Hall och Jacob Hall är fotografer. Berättelsen pendlar från år 1998 till åren mellan 1905 och 1939. Det är inte helt lätt att följa med i svängarna. Vem är "jag" som berättar och i vilken tid? Jag följer gärna med i berättelsen och till teosofernas hus i London. Författarinnan är skicklig på att skildra miljöer, vi hör, ser och känner lukter. Rekommenderas för kulturhistoriskt intresserade. Samma lite vemodiga stämning som i "Drömmaren och sorgen".
May 9, 2024
Interesting story and quite creepy. The transitions were odd and jarring, however. Some points were never fully explained, while the author went off on long tangents about minor details not relevant to the story. The result was more like a rambling dream than a coherent narrative. Not bad, but not great either.
August 2, 2024
This was a quick and ok read - I will take responsibility for perhaps not reading with enough focus, but I found that certain parts of the mystery didn't add up, or the explanation for them was too vague and so it didn't really crackle for me.
September 7, 2021
3-4 sterren. Ooit gratis gekregen dus geen hoge verwachtingen, maar ik vond het een interessant verhaal (fotografie en geschiedenis - goede combi) en het las fijn weg.
July 31, 2011
A slim but intriguing mystery about a young Swedish photographer who gets involved in a murderous plot involving the London Theosophical Society in the early 20th century, and whose story is unraveled after his death by his niece, also a photographer, who inherits his belongings. The characters are not developed very well, and the back-and-forth-in-time scheme is a little too strong for such a short book, but generally fun to read. The translator was a little too literal in some regards; translated into correct English, but not quite into British cultural context.
April 10, 2014
I found this book very disappointing, and after several attempts at going back to the beginning and starting again, I could not get further than p50. I think the main problem was that the characters were flat and totally uninteresting. The disjointed and sketchy style also added to the overall detached feeling this book gave me.
July 28, 2011
this is very unusual book but i like it because i love photography, i actually bought it on a sale in city library an decided to explore it on my own, it contains a mixture of mysterious and old, and odd.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews