Armchair travel to Sweden: SOME KIND OF PEACE by Camilla Grebe & Åsa Träff

Title: Some Kind of Peace

Author: Camilla Grebe &  Åsa Träff
Read: January 2019

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟1/2

Book Description (Goodreads):

Siri Bergman is a thirty-four-year-old psychologist who works in central Stockholm and lives alone in an isolated cottage out of the city. She has a troublesome secret in her past and has been trying to move on with her life. Terrified of the dark, she leaves all the lights on when she goes to bed—having a few glasses of wine each night to calm her nerves—but she can't shake the feeling that someone is watching her through the blackened windows at night.


When the lifeless body of Sara Matteus—a young patient of Siri's with a history of drug addiction and sexual abuse—is found floating in the water near the cottage, Siri can no longer deny that someone is out there, watching her and waiting. When her beloved cat goes missing and she receives a photo of herself from a stalker, it becomes clear that Siri is next. Luckily, she can rely on Markus, the young policeman investigating Sara's death; Vijay, an old friend and psychology professor; and Aina, her best friend. Together, they set about profiling Siri's aspiring murderer, hoping to catch him before he kills again.


But as their investigation unfolds, Siri's past and present start to merge and disintegrate so that virtually everyone in her inner circle becomes a potential suspect. With the suspense building toward a dramatic conclusion as surprising as it is horrifying, Siri is forced to relive and reexamine her anguished past, and finally to achieve some kind of peace.

My musings:

I love Scandi crime and Camilla Grebe has been on my TBR list for a long time, so I am very happy that I finally got the chance to pick up one of her books and take the plunge into a new addictive crime series!

Siri Bergman is a psychologist (first big tick of approval – I love psychologists as MCs, they add such a unique perspective to the story) who is still recovering from the death of her husband five years ago. Still reeling from her loss, she now lives alone in their isolated cottage near the coast just out of Stockholm (second tick of approval – a remote, atmospheric setting). Things start spiralling out of control in Siri’s life when one of her patients is found floating in the sea not far from her house, and Siri has the feeling that she is being watched. One night, waking in the dark, she finds a wet footprint just inside her front door – someone has been in her house (third tick of approval – a constant sense of danger and foreboding for our MC). When her cat disappears and Siri receives a threatening note she realises that there is someone out there who wishes her harm. But who is it, and why would they want to hurt her?

You can see that Some Kind of Peace contains all the elements I love about a good thriller: an interesting MC, an old house, a remote atmospheric setting and constant tension that had me turn the pages frantically. The foreshadowing was so well done that I just knew something terrible was about to happen, but there were enough suspects to keep me guessing until the end. Whilst there is a murder, the descriptions weren’t as gruesome as some books in the genre, which suited me fine, as the underlying tension more than made up for it. As Siri’s life started to unravel, I was pulled along with it like in a tidal rip, aided by short, crisp chapters that moved the story along and made it flow. I also really enjoyed the case notes of Siri’s sessions with her patients, which added an interesting element and extra depth to the book, and found out after the fact that Grebe’s sister, who co-authored the novel, is in fact a psychologist. 

Summary:

All in all, I really enjoyed my foray into this new crime series and am very happy that it can now fill the void left by the end of the Frieda Klein series by Nicci French, which also featured a psychologist as a main protagonist and which I have followed for years. I am looking forward to meeting Siri and her colleagues again in future books and can’t wait to find out what the author team have in store for them next.

Book Review: THE SCHOLAR by Dervla McTiernan

Title: The Scholar (Cormac Reilly #2)

Author: Dervla McTiernan
Publisher: HarperCollins Australia
Read: January 2019

Expected publication: 18 February 2019

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2

Book Description:

When DS Cormac Reilly’s girlfriend Emma stumbles across the victim of a hit and run early one morning, he is first on the scene of a murder that would otherwise never have been assigned to him. The dead girl is carrying an ID, that of Carline Darcy, heir apparent to Darcy Therapeutics, Ireland’s most successful pharmaceutical company. Darcy Therapeutics has a finger in every pie, from sponsoring university research facilities to funding political parties to philanthropy – it has funded Emma’s own
ground-breaking research. The investigation into Carline’s death promises to be high profile and high pressure.

As Cormac investigates, evidence mounts that the death is linked to a Darcy laboratory and, increasingly, to Emma herself. Cormac is sure she couldn’t be involved, but how well does he really know her? After all, this isn’t the first time Emma’s been accused of murder...

My musings:

I really loved Dervla McTiernan’s first book, The Ruin, and was a very happy chappy when I received a copy of The Scholar, number two in the Cormac Reilly series. I am pleased to say that I liked it equally as much, and it was great to see all the characters back again and to get to know them a bit better.

In The Scholar, DI Cormac Reilly is finally taken off cold cases and given a caseload of current crimes to solve. However, when one of the cases involves someone close to him, it may test his loyalties. That is really all you need to know about the story– some books are best plunged into with held breath and eyes closed, letting the author take you on a journey.

As soon as the story started, McTiernan transported me seamlessly into Cormac’s world, and I was totally engrossed. He really is one of the best fictional detectives to come along in the last two years! I said it in my review of The Ruin, and I will say it again, the refreshing thing about Cormac is that he is so “normal”. He is neither an alcoholic, nor a tortured cynical soul that lives on take-aways and donuts, neither is he a sad divorcee nor involved in some bizarre workplace romances. Cormac just appears to be an average nice guy, and a damn good investigator to boot. However, all is not totally whole in Cormac’s world. There are some workplace issues that have seen him banished to work cold cases after his transfer to Galway, and even though he is finally granted permission to take on a caseload of fresh cases, his boss seems determined to see him fail. Cormac does not appear bitter or resentful about this, surprisingly, although he will be sorely tested when one of the crimes he is sent to investigate involves his girlfriend Emma. This brings me to his personal life, which may have appeared quite idyllic in The Ruin, but which also has some darker events preceding his move to Galway. I loved getting to know Cormac better as a character, and really look forward to watching him grow in depth and background as the series progresses – which I hope will be a loooong one!

McTiernan writes well, and drew me in with the ease of a skilled author, effortlessly evoking the sights, the sounds and atmosphere of the world her characters inhabit. I found both cases Cormac is trying to solve in The Scholar utterly intriguing, and as in The Ruin, some of the themes pulled on my heartstrings. 

Summary:

With The Scholar, the author has written another intelligent, multi-layered mystery that was pure joy to read and get lost in. Some things may not come as a surprise to a seasoned mystery-lover, but the side stories added a depth that is not often found in other police procedurals. I must also mention that I thoroughly enjoyed the development of the side characters, like Carrie O’Halloran and Peter Fisher, and will look forward to seeing them back in the next book. McTiernan’s Cormac Reilly series has quickly risen to reside amongst my favourites, and I can’t wait to read the next book in the series!

Thank you to Netgalley and HarperCollins Australia for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Book Review: THE AU PAIR by Emma Rous

Title: The Au Pair

Author: Emma Rous
Publisher: Berkley 
Read: January 2019

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Book Description:

Seraphine Mayes and her twin brother Danny were born in the middle of summer at their family’s estate on the Norfolk coast. Within hours of their birth, their mother threw herself from the cliffs, the au pair fled, and the village thrilled with whispers of dark cloaks, changelings, and the aloof couple who drew a young nanny into their inner circle.

Now an adult, Seraphine mourns the recent death of her father. While going through his belongings, she uncovers a family photograph that raises dangerous questions. It was taken on the day the twins were born, and in the photo, their mother, surrounded by her husband and her young son, is beautifully dressed, smiling serenely, and holding just one baby.

Who is the child and what really happened that day?

One person knows the truth, if only Seraphine can find her.

My musings:

Firstly, let me say that this book was so much fun to read! When I came across the premise of dark family secrets and an atmospheric setting in an old English manor with Gothic vibes I knew I had to read this book!

The story starts with an old family photograph that sets into motion an avalanche of events that bring a dark family secret out into the open. Twenty-five year old Seraphine is still reeling from her father’s recent accidental death when she comes across an old picture of her mother, taken on the day of her and her twin brother’s birth. The day had ended in tragedy when the young mother plunged to her death off the cliffs behind the family home, which had already claimed the life of her other son. In the photo, the young mother is smiling, holding a sleeping infant. ONE sleeping infant. But Seraphine is a twin, so where is the other baby? Why would anyone take a family photograph with only one baby in it? And which of the twins is it? With both parents dead, there aren’t many people left to ask, and Seraphine’s grandmother Vera is not forthcoming, getting very tight-lipped and distressed whenever Seraphine has any questions about her childhood. However, her older brother remembers that the photo was taken by the family’s au-pair at the time, which gives Seraphine an idea. If she can somehow track down the mysterious Laura, she may finally get the answers that have plagued her for so long. But she may get more that she has bargained for....

If I had thought that my own past experience as an au-pair in England may give me an advantage to work this story out, I was woefully misguided! I am somehow relieved and perhaps a tiny bit disappointed that my host family were boringly normal in comparison, involving none of the drama that Laura experiences in the family’s old home perched atop some cliffs in the English countryside (what a delicious setting, by the way!). Also, I could really relate to Seraphine’s thirst for answers about her origins, since my mother also died when I was a child and some skeletons in the family closet remain firmly locked away, with no one left to explain the truth. Having gone through similar feelings of frustration, wanting answers to my many questions, I firmly rooted for Seraphine to squeeze the truth out of her reluctant grandmother.

Now to the fun bit of the story, which kept me firmly invested until the very end. There is so much going on here, and everybody seems to have their own reasons to hide the truth. I had a thousand theories as to what was really going on, which shifted like sand dunes in the wind as more secrets came to light. In the end, I was reading on in morbid fascination with a WTH expression firmly imprinted on my face, and even though one of my theories came close to the truth, nothing could have prepared me for how dysfunctional this family really turned out to be. I think that this book would make the perfect group read, with a shared goal around the 60% mark at which everyone discusses their theories. I must say that it messed with my mind in the best way! I also really enjoyed the setting, the old mansion Summerbourne set atop ragged cliffs and surrounded by superstitions and rumours.

Ok, so the last quarter of the story may have been slightly over the top, with too many plot twists that stretched credibility a bit far at times, but in the end the entertainment value won out for me. What the heck! This may not have been the most plausible explanation, but it was a great rollercoaster ride. It kept me glued to the pages, eager to find out the answers.

Summary:

All in all The Au Pair was a thoroughly entertaining rollercoaster ride of a thriller, full of dark family secrets, an atmospheric setting and characters who are all less than forthcoming with the truth. It kept me glued to the pages to the very end! Recommended to readers who like mysteries centred around dysfunctional family dynamics and can tolerate some suspension of disbelief for the sake of entertainment.

Thank you to Edelweiss and Berkley Publishing for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Book Review: THE WORD IS MURDER by Anthony Horowitz

Title: The Word is Murder

Author: Anthony Horowitz
Read: January 2019

Published: 2018

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Book Description:

One bright spring morning in London, Diana Cowper – the wealthy mother of a famous actor - enters a funeral parlor. She is there to plan her own service.

Six hours later she is found dead, strangled with a curtain cord in her own home.

Enter disgraced police detective Daniel Hawthorne, a brilliant, eccentric investigator who’s as quick with an insult as he is to crack a case. Hawthorne needs a ghost writer to document his life; a Watson to his Holmes. He chooses Anthony Horowitz.

Drawn in against his will, Horowitz soon finds himself a the center of a story he cannot control. Hawthorne is brusque, temperamental and annoying but even so his latest case with its many twists and turns proves irresistible. The writer and the detective form an unusual partnership. At the same time, it soon becomes clear that Hawthorne is hiding some dark secrets of his own.

A masterful and tricky mystery that springs many surprises, The Word is Murder is Anthony Horowitz at his very best.

My musings:

I had heard a lot of good things about The Word is Murder, and after reading it, I know why! This is one very clever mystery, in which the author inserts himself as a sidekick to his fictional detective solving the murder case. Fictional or not? To be honest, I was never quite sure. Were the people Horowitz describes in his books real life characters, or figments of his imagination? This constant pondering was one of my favourite things whilst reading the novel, the best kind of guessing game.

Apart from Horowitz starring in his own novel, the story is written very much in the vein of an old-fashioned whodunit. If you like classic detective and sidekick pairings, like Christie’s Captain Hastings and Detective Poirot or Sherlock Homes and Dr Watson, then you will most likely appreciate Horowitz’ love-hate partnership with Hawthorne. He is as prickly as he is smart, and his observation skills are second to none. There are plenty of clues strewn into the story that will please any die-hard armchair detective, and the absence of “the killer twist you will never see coming” was quite a refreshing change from my recent fare of psychological thriller that all tried to outdo each other in that department. I’m not saying that there weren’t any red herrings or surprises, just that we could generally trust the narrator to tell the truth and let us in on the clues as they come his way and allow us to do some sleuthing. I love that, and I admire the skill with which Horowitz has carved himself a unique niche in a genre oversaturated with books that follow a similar pattern.

The prickly Hawthorne is so elusive with information about his personal life that he is setting himself up as the perfect character to lead many more mysteries, in which we will hopefully get to unpeel a few layers and find out some juicy facts about the man. I for one am thoroughly intrigued by him, and very curious! Horowitz, on the other hand, was refreshingly forthcoming with facts about his life as a writer, though of course the line between fact and fiction was never properly drawn, so I’m not sure about his actual reality. His writing style flows well with the ease of the seasoned writer he is, and his wicked sense of humour shines through the pages in his characters and small puns strewn in amongst the mystery’s clues, often just as cleverly disguised that I guffawed when my own dull wit finally caught on. 

Summary:

All in all, this was a thoroughly entertaining read disguised as a classical whodunit  that will test your own sleuthing skills. I must admit that I miserably failed in that department and would have evoked a scornful snort by  from Hawthorne, if he would be gracious enough to acknowledge my presence at all. Probably not.

Very highly recommended! I look forward to picking up the next book in the series, The Sentence is Death.

Book Review: THE SUSPECT by Fiona Barton

Title: The Suspect

Author: Fiona Barton
Publisher: Random House UK, Transworld Publishers
Read: January 2019

Expected publication: 24 January 2019

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Book Description:

When two eighteen-year-old girls go missing on their gap year in Thailand, their families are thrust into the international spotlight: desperate, bereft and frantic with worry.

Journalist Kate Waters always does everything she can to be first to the story, first with the exclusive, first to discover the truth – and this time is no exception. But she can’t help but think of her own son, who she hasn’t seen in two years since he left home to go traveling. This time it’s personal.

And as the case of the missing girls unfolds, they will all find that even this far away, danger can lie closer to home than you might think . . .

My musings:

The Suspect was my first book by Fiona Barton, and I’m hooked! I really enjoyed the story, the characters and the way the author managed to engage not only my interest, but also my emotional connection to events playing out on the pages.

The Suspect tackles one of a parent’s worst nightmares: for two families, it means the death of their teenage daughters in tragic circumstances whilst on an overseas trip to Thailand. For another, it means facing up to the fact that their son could be linked to the girls’ final moments. How well do we really know our children? This is a theme that dominates this latest offering by Barton, who doesn’t shy away from addressing some dark and scary premises that made me shudder! Like Alex and Rosie, I packed my bags and went travelling in my gap year between school and university, hitchhiking with barely a thought to any potential dangers out there. It wasn’t until my own children embarked on their own independent travel that I visualised all the disasters that could befall them, from minor catastrophes like lost luggage to missed planes, illness or accidents in faraway lands.  The helpless feeling of not being able to protect your children is beautifully portrayed here, in the tragic aftermath of the two girls’ deaths, when their parents have to travel to Thailand to claim their daughters’ bodies, looking for answers how they died – all of which was not easy reading.

Barton uses several POVs to tell the story, which worked very well for me here. One (heartbreaking) aspect is told through the eyes of Lesley, Alex’s mother, who has just found out that her daughter has died in a fire in a Bangkok hostel. We also hear from Kate, a journalist covering  the story, and DI Sparkes, the detective sent to investigate. One thread, which starts when the girls first set off for Thailand, tells of the events leading up to the girls’ deaths, containing some of Alex’s reflections and emails to her best friend. I found the dynamics between Alex and Rosie particularly interesting, as they reflected some of my own experiences of backpacking in my youth, when you first discover that your travel companion may not be as compatible as you originally thought. I will not go any further into the story for fear of giving something away, other than to say that journalist Kate soon finds herself drawn into the story in a very personal manner that will also push a lot of buttons for parent readers.

Barton vividly evokes not only the atmosphere of the Bangkok hotel the girls find themselves stranded in, but also of the nightmare of parents trying to find answers to their questions in a foreign country and a culture very different to their own. I found all her characters authentic and believable, and particularly enjoyed Kate, who I discovered has featured in two previous novels (which I will certainly read now). Whilst some aspects of the mystery did not come as a total surprise, the final reveal still packed some punch and gave a lot of food for thought. I read this book as a group read with the Traveling Friends group and found that it made for a great discussion and further enhanced my reading experience. Even though this is part 3 of a series featuring Kate Waters and DI Sparkes, it can easily be read as a stand-alone novel. Highly recommended to lovers of mysteries, and those looking for a new book club read that will raise some great talking points.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Book Review: WHY DID YOU LIE by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

Title: Why Did You Lie

Author: Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
Read: December 2018

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 all the stars!

Book Description:

A journalist on the track of an old case attempts suicide.

An ordinary couple return from a house swap in the states to find their home in disarray and their guests seemingly missing.

Four strangers struggle to find shelter on a windswept spike of rock in the middle of a raging sea.

They have one thing in common: they all lied.

And someone is determined to punish them...

WHY DID YOU LIE is a terrifying tale of long-delayed retribution from Iceland's Queen of Suspense.

My musings:

Yrsa S has done it again – I just can’t get enough of her books! thank you for letting me finish off 2018 with another five-star read! Why Did You Lie delivered exactly the right balance of mystery, suspense and spooky vibes, with an irresistible cast of engaging characters. I think what makes these people so relatable are the small details Sigurdardottir includes in the narrative –habits, gestures or actions of daily living that make them really leap from the pages, without slowing down the story. A very fine art indeed, and one that not many writers can pull off.

Why Did You Lie consists of three separate storylines, which at first seem completely unrelated. There are the four people who are stranded on a small island in the sea repairing lighthouse equipment, who come into strive when inclement weather prevents their evacuation from this hostile place. Then we learn of the ordinary couple who have just come back from a holiday in the US only to discover that their house swap may have had some unpleasant repercussions as their American houseguests seem to have vanished into thin air. And last but not least we get to know Nina, a policewoman who comes across some old case files whilst banished to tidy up the police headquarters’ basement. I was utterly engaged with each and every storyline, even though for ages I had no idea whatsoever how the author would bring them all together. But she did – and she did it masterfully.

Fans of Sigurdardottir’s writing will appreciate her eye for detail and her skill of recreating the cold, hostile atmosphere of an Icelandic winter that lends itself so perfectly as the setting for a mystery. Whilst there is no supernatural element as such in this book, the eerie setting was enough to raise some goosebumps for me, and the characters’ fears provide an ever-present air of menace and danger. It was the perfect book to chill out to on my commute in a dark car, making my dash to the front door a bit hastier than normal, which is always a good sign that the story has gotten under my skin.

I can sum up my review by saying that – apart from the title – I loved everything about this book. Hmm, yes, the title: not very catchy I thought, and one that plagues the translation only, as in Icelandic it seems to consist of just one mysterious word (mysterious considering I don’t speak Icelandic – lol). To be honest, I probably wouldn’t have picked up the title if I hadn’t known that the author always delivers a great story. If you have thought the same, I must urge you to reconsider and pick this book up today. It is one of the finest examples of Iceland Noir, and one I thoroughly enjoyed. I am especially saddened to farewell Nina, whose character I felt very close to, and whose fate I felt particularly invested in. As usual, Sigurdardottir doesn’t shy away from including dark and serious themes into her novel, such as suicide, sexual discrimination, child abuse, bereavement and more, which gives the story a very contemporary feel and a depth lacking in many other books in the genre. Anyone looking for an intelligent, well-written and utterly addictive psychological thriller with an atmospheric setting, then this is the perfect book for you!

Book Review: THE BONE KEEPER by Luca Veste

Title: The Bone Keeper

Author: Luca Veste
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Read: December 2018

Expected publication: 1 February 2018

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

Warning - there may be slight spoilers ahead - read at your own risk!

Book Description:

He'll slice your flesh.
Your bones he'll keep.

Twenty years ago, four teenagers went exploring in the local woods, trying to find to the supposed home of The Bone Keeper. Only three returned.

Now, a woman is found wandering the streets of Liverpool, horrifically injured, claiming to have fled the Bone Keeper. Investigating officer DC Louise Henderson must convince skeptical colleagues that this urban myth might be flesh and blood. But when a body is unearthed in the woodland the woman has fled from, the case takes on a much darker tone. The disappeared have been found. And their killer is watching every move the police make.

The brilliant new police procedural from Luca Veste, featuring series characters Murphy and Rossi - a guaranteed page-turner.

My musings:

I love the theme of including urban myths in contemporary mysteries, so as soon as I read the premise of The Bone Keeper, I knew I had to read it! The Bone Keeper refers to a sinister presence in a local woodland near Liverpool, who is rumoured to steal children, kill them and keep their bones: “He’ll slice your flesh. Your bones he’ll keep.” Creepy or what???? I remember similar legends in our area that had us utterly terrified but were a good deterrent to keep us out of certain places in the neighbourhood. Like the old lady next door, who repeatedly had to tell us off for climbing her fence, until the rumour spread that she was a witch who would poke out children’s eyes – and no one ever climbed that fence again. *clap, clap, good thinking 99* But I digress ....

Urban myth meets real life when a horrifically injured woman is found wandering near the woods, claiming to have been attacked by a horrible “presence”, only just escaping with her life. DC Louise Henderson, who seems to have a personal connection to the belief that something evil is prowling these woods, relating to a secret in her past we are not privy to, takes the woman’s claims seriously, even if the other officers scoff at the whole story of the “bone keeper”. Until other disappearances and deaths are suddenly being linked to the same area ....

I must say that the story started off very strong for me, and the image of the children daring each other to enter the dark dank tunnel in the woods to prove how brave they are set a terrifying scene. Perhaps because even as an adult it still touches on our most primeval fears of something evil coming to get us. It gave me the chills!

However, I admit that after the strong start, the book did not fully deliver for me. Firstly, I thought Louise to be a difficult, obstructive character I found hard to relate to, and her constant lies and omissions somewhat went against her role as investigative officer. The story also lost a lot of steam for me when multiple POVs were introduced, including that of the killer, which oddly served to take away some of the chill factor. Perhaps because it de-mystified the paranormal aspect that had made it so scary for me? I have read a lot of spooky mysteries lately, and the ones keeping the myth alive and somewhat “vague” in explaining the events were the ones that worked best for me, messing with my mind just the way I like.

About 2/3 into the book it all went a bit overboard for me and there was so much suspension of disbelief that I nearly abandoned the book, because everyone knows that I am very, very bad at doing that. But that’s just my personal preferences, and I am sure that the book will work well for other readers, who will enjoy the mounting body count, the unreliable narrators and the evil thoughts of the killer loose in the woods. Personally, I would have liked a more pronounced and relatable main character to lead the story, and fewer other POVs. I also think that the mystery had all the spooky elements that made The Chalk Man so creepy for me, but that they somehow got lost in translation with too many other side stories happening that took away a lot of suspense. It was almost as if the author tried to add more and more elements that ended up working against one another – a simpler plot with more mystery would have worked better for me. Again, my own personal view only, and I’m sure others will disagree.

Summary:

With a strong start and an ultimately disappointing latter half, I’m finding this book difficult to rate. Personally, I struggled in parts to keep my interest but was invested enough in the story to be curious to find out the answers. It’s one of those stories you will have to read and judge for yourself – if you like a mystery that includes an urban myth and don’t mind several plotlines and a mounting body count, then you should definitely read it – you may find it works a lot better for you! For overall enjoyment, probably only 2.5 stars for me, but I will round it up to 3 for the creepy beginning which set a terrifying scene and got me hooked immediately.

Thank you to Netgalley and Sourcebooks Landmark for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.