Camilla Lackberg's Mina and Vincent triology

A little bit of background📃

First off, I am a huge fan of Scandinavian crime novels and Nordic noir television shows. I love the gritty, macabre and gruesome plotting and the backdrop of the harsh Scandinavian landscapes. Camilla Lackberg is one of Sweden's most popular and successful crime writers, starting her professional life as a marketing director. Her Fjallbacka series (the place of her birth) is a collection of atmospheric tales about the dark side of humanity, set in the small seaside town's police department. I was excited to work my way through a new trilogy from Lackberg, this time in collaboration with Henrik Fexeus, a Swedish mentalist, author and television host. Trapped (2021) sets the scene for the series, introducing Stockholm detective (and germaphobe), Mina Dabiri, and celebrity mentalist, Vincent Walder. The two have all the ingredients of classic crime novel characters: they are quirky and socially awkward yet highly intelligent. They make an odd duo but they are fascinating to read about. Their relationship and collaboration on the homicide cases is one of the strengths of the trilogy that also includes Cult (2024) and Mirage (2025).

Trapped | Mina and Vincent Book 1 | Published January 2021 | Read October 2023

The story📖

In Trapped there's a serial killer murdering seemingly unrelated victims using magic tricks. The victims die in horrific ways, one of them trapped inside a magician's box and pierced with swords. It is discovered that the murder victim has the Roman numeral III engraved on her leg. There are going to be three more murders and Mina and her team are in a race against time to find the killer. Vincent is a mentalist and skilled magician so Mina enlists his help, much to the resistance of her team. Super interesting premise!

My thoughts on the book💭

There's a lot going on in the novel and it's VERY LONG, although that is often the case with Scandi crime novels and psychological thrillers. I actually enjoyed the detailed character set up of all the players although sometimes it did wander a bit. While the novel is long, I found the pacing worked, particularly with the flashbacks to the 1980s story that provides the premise for the murders.

The plot is cleverly contrived and I enjoyed reading about the magic tricks and puzzles and the links to Vincent's past. It helped that I loved Mina and Vincent and was fully immersed in their characterisation as the story unfolded. The ending was super clever and in keeping with the vibe of the book.

In sum📝

I loved getting to know Mina and Vincent in the first book of the trilogy. The story is pretty gruesome, but it's a unique take on the crime genre. It feels authentic, given the input of Henrik Fexeus. I found all the magic stuff fascinating!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Cult | Mina and Vincent Book 2 | Published April 2024 | Read November 2025

The story📖

Mina and Vincent are back together, investigating the kidnapping of a young boy in Stockholm. They find a pattern linked to previous disappearances of young children and uncover a dangerous self-help organisation (cult?), Epicura. Mina’s estranged daughter, Nathalie, who believes her mother is dead, gets involved in Epicura and its charismatic leader.

My thoughts on the book💭

Unfortunately, I read the books out of order, picking up Book 3 (Mirage) before I read Book 2. I would absolutely recommend that you read the Mina and Vincent trilogy in order. The books don't really work as standalones. The ending of Book 3 suggests that the trilogy will remain just that, but I went into Book 2 with all the spoilers that completing a trilogy reveals. This absolutely influenced my reading experience.

All that said, I loved being back with Mina and Vincent. They are compelling characters. Lackberg's collaboration with mentalist, Henrik Fexeus, creates a unique approach to the crime novel. Like Trapped, Cult is extremely dark. Readers of Scandi noir, will be used to this, but others may find the book deeply disturbing. There's some animal cruelty in the story as well that I found hard to read.

Again, the book is super long, but it's worth sticking with to see how the complex plot plays out. It wasn't difficult to guess the perpetrator, but the psychological element to the killings is intriguing, given the whole thing is less about cults and more about trauma responses.

There's a lot going on in the book besides the criminal investigation. Some reviewers have commented on the crowded narrative, not only concerning Mina and Vincent, but also the members of Mina's team. I do agree with this assessment. The book would have benefitted from tighter editing.

In sum📝

Yes, the book is long and yes, it could have been less filled with character development. I still found it a complex and compelling read given the way Lackberg and Fexeus unpack the crimes using numbers and patterns. Also..spoiler ahead...There's a death of one of the members of Mina's team at the end of the book that I already knew about from reading Mirage first. Knowing this took some of the suspense out of my reading journey, but that's on me for reading the books out of order.

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Mirage | Mina and Vincent Book 3 | Published August 2025 | Read October 2025

The story📖

On Christmas Eve, Sweden’s Minister of Justice receives an ominous call. An automated voice tells him he has just fourteen days to live. The same day, a human skeleton is found in the Stockholm subway, belonging to a high-ranking financier. Mina calls in Vincent to help with the case. Then another pile of bones is found underground. The team must work out what the bones and the Swedish underground reveal about the missing financier and how they can find the person behind the threats to the Minister of Justice before it's too late.

My thoughts on the book💭

The books in the Mina and Vincent trilogy were published in 2021, 2024 and 2025. I read Book 1 in 2023 and didn't return to the series until 2025, stupidly reading Book 3 then a few weeks later, Book 2. As noted above, I think it is important to read the books in order, especially given the ending of the trilogy. That said, reading them out of order really only affected my reading experience of Book 2.

Mirage is another long and winding read. All the books in the series are a little clunky at times, with so much going on with the crime and the characters' personal and professional lives. For their length, they are compelling reads, largely due to their complexity, the patterns and numbers element drawn in by Vincent's involvement, and the crime's connection to Mina and Vincent. In Trapped, the crime is connected to Vincent's childhood, in Cult to Mina's daughter and mother. In Mirage, the connection is through Mina's ex-husband, the Minister for Justice.

There's a lot going on in the final book of the trilogy, as is the case with the other books. There are lots of patterns and numbers that frame the case and this is the element of the series I have found the most fascinating. Mina and Vincent make such an odd duo, but it's rather nice to read something unique in a crowded genre. The story does get somewhat convoluted as things roll on, although again it wasn't too difficult to spot the perpetrator. I don't mind that so much as long as the journey to the end holds my attention. I do think that all three books would have benefitted from tighter editing as there is a lot of detail about Mina, Vincent and Mina's team that could have been pared back.

In sum📝

I struggled to rate Mirage. Unlike some of the reviews I've read, I liked the journey that the crime provided in this one. It's the ending I am still workshopping in my head. It's impossible to comment on it without spoiling. Suffice to say, it blows everything out of the water that readers have been led to believe about Vincent. It's also both sad and open-ended. I am not sure whether Lackberg and Fexeus planned to end the trilogy that way, but while it makes sense in some ways, it's also...I don't know...an odd direction to go in. I have to admit, it did affect my overall experience of the trilogy. I'm still not sure how I feel about it!

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐