Received via Atria/Emily Bestler Books in exchange for an completely unbiased review.
Also posted on Silk & Serif

MemoRandom is a novel about David Sarac, an informant handler at the Intelligence Unit of the Stockholm Police. His main priorities are to identify, recruit and manage people who can provide information and tips about organized crime in the city. David is one of the best and he's been able to recruit one of the nation's most top-secret and most successful informant, Janus.

When David suffers a stroke and wakes up in the hospital he realizes he doesn't remember anything about his life from before. He can't remember who he is, why he is in the hospital or what secrets he knows. Strangely, he keeps receiving visitors asking about a man named Janus and when his life is threatened David must piece together his life from before in order to save himself.
Down the rabbit hole David falls realizing that his preconceptions of who he is may not be correct: is David the bad guy or the good guy? Who is Janus? And can David remember everything before someone kills him for his secrets? Who can he trust and is he actually a rouge agent?
MemoRandom is a slow burn, with plenty of unique characters, intrigue and dark secrets linked to the subterfuge, lies and corruption running rampant throughout Stockholm's political and law enforcement environments. Everyone has secrets to hide and they will do anything to prevent those secrets from being uncovered. Meanwhile, David struggles to uncover his own dirty secrets while navigating an unknown world of corruption. The stakes are high for David who is walking on a tight rope between salvation and ruin - if he makes the wrong decision his life is over in more ways than one.

I found this novel took a long time to read mostly because it was so slow. Unfortunately, there were so many characters that sometimes I had to stop and think "Wait, who is this? What was his role in all of this?" before continuing on with the dialogue. I think partially overabundance of characters and the slow unraveling of who David actually is made this novel a bit tiresome..
However, once David starts remembering key pieces of information MemoRandom is impossible to put down.
I couldn't wait to learn why David was in the car the night he crashed, who was actually the bad guy and how all the characters seemed to fit into this story. MemoRandom is a tapestry of narratives that all have a reason for being followed, even if they aren't entirely clear until the end. What appears to be a meandering and messy novel in the beginning is actually a story where everything is relevant and related.

Received via Atria/Emily Bestler Books in exchange for an completely unbiased review.
Also posted on Silk & Serif

In the end, I liked MemoRandom more after I reflected on the novel. It's not a short and easy read with straightforward plot lines - its a novel of complex ideas and sleuth craft. Although there's plenty of action, a reader has to work towards being rewarded with car chases, fight fights and psychological warfare between handlers. There's plenty of violence, grit and dark situations to pacify readers who have given the time to get through Anders De La Motte's setup. Honestly, it's worth the patience and book two is going to be awesome.
MemoRandom is a James Bond novel..if James Bond forgot who he was.
This book will appeal to readers who enjoy psychological, cerebral novels that utilize complex plots and a multitude of characters. I definitely recommend this novel to those who enjoy dark, gritty crime novels with focus on corruption and/or criminal undertones. MemoRandom is not for readers looking for a light, fluffy read on a Friday night, but is definitely worth the effort! ( )

The final twist was a little too "random" for my tastes, but the journey there was fun. ( )

When I reviewed the Game sci-fi/tech thriller trilogy by bestselling author Anders de la Motte (review links at the end of this review), it was one of those hold on for dear life roller coaster rides through a tech induced nightmare. I enjoyed every heart-stopping moment of it but it was also mind wrenching. That’s a long story to explain why I was a bit hesitant when I saw that Anders had written Book #1 of a new thriller duology, MemoRandom. At the same time, I find his writing style to be really addictive so I couldn’t resist taking a peek. MemoRandom is pure conspiracy thriller – no sci fi needed. It still runs at warp speed but any mind wrenching aspects are, unfortunately, those due to the real world instead of a tech-gone-awry one. If you’re a thriller fan who’s into heart-racing reads, you’re going to want to check this one out at http://popcornreads.com/?p=8814. ( )

Memo Random – Chilly Scandi Noir

Following on from his highly successful Game Trilogy, Anders de la Motte returns with another excellent high class thriller. Memo Random while being fast paced will leave you guessing throughout the book, and even though the clues are scattered throughout you are only given the answer to the whom at the end of the book.

David Sarac is in a major accident and he has a vivid idea of what is happening around him but he really is not too sure. He can smell petrol and he can see feet running and he can hear sirens and blue lights but he is totally disconnected from it. When he comes round he is in a Stockholm hospital and not sure how he got there, he just knows that he is a Police Officer and he needs to protect someone, but whom?

While recovering from the accident he has many visitors all trying to find our who Janus is, but Sarac does not have any idea. He just cannot remember, he cannot remember anything about the what or the who. His boss is worried as he does not know where the list of Sarac’s informants has gone as it is no longer in the safe. Internal Affairs, the Ministry of Justice, his friend Peter Molner a fellow officer are all looking for Janus. Throwing in to the mix is the underworld are also looking for him and Atif is looking for revenge on the killing of his brother.

As Sarac slowly recovers his memory he has to find his former informants, and he is helped by his carer Natalie Aden, who has been recruited to spy on him. As they slowly put the pieces back together there are some secrets that Sarac needs to keep away from everybody, and especially Natalie. Sarac knows he is not safe at his Stockholm apartment and that he is being watched wherever he goes. He is feeling the pressure, and the question is will he crack first or will he be able to put the pieces together.

As you read Memo Random you are aware that this is not just another police procedural, but with the noir twists you really do ask yourself who are the people telling the truth. You wince every time David Sarac takes yet another blow, and wonder how will he workout who he needs to save if he cannot remember anything.

To add to the darkness he is out at his summer house as well as his apartment, where he is in the depths of winter the snow is all around. There is also the people not afraid to use violence are not just restricted to the bad guys you can see. This is an excellent thriller that brings Swedish noir to life with all its twists and turns, the excitement is piled as high as the snow drifts. ( )