Book Review: THE WITCH HUNTER by Max Seeck

 

Title: THE WITCH HUNTER

Author:  Max Seeck

Read: November 2021

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟1/2

 

Book Description:

 

A bestselling author’s wife has been found dead in a gorgeous black evening gown, sitting at the head of a formally set dinner table. Her most chilling feature—her face is frozen in a ghastly smile.

At first it seems as though a deranged psychopath is reenacting the gruesome murders from The Witch Hunter, the bestseller written by the victim’s husband. But investigator Jessica Niemi soon realizes she’s not looking for a single killer but rather for dozens of believers in a sinister form of witchcraft.

They know her every move and are always one step ahead. As the bodies start piling up, Jessica knows they won’t stop until they get what they want. And when her dark past comes to light, Jessica finds herself battling her own demons while desperately trying to catch a coven of killers before they claim their next victim. 

 

My musings:

 

Nordic Noir is my favourite genre, so when I stumbled across Max Seeck’s latest novel, THE ICE COVEN, it appealed to me straight away. But seeing it is part two of a series, I thought I should probably read the first book to get a better background on the characters – and I am glad I did! THE WITCH HUNTER sports a rich cast of characters, from multiple murder victims and perpetrators to a whole squad of detectives, which at times had me frantically scouring previous pages to keep track of who was who. Luckily the puzzle to solve was intriguing enough to keep me glued to the pages. By the end of the book, I finally felt that I had a good grasp of all the members of the detective squad, which should set me up nicely for Book 2 and made this a worthwhile endeavour.

 

With many of the dark elements that make the genre so appealing to me, the story captured me very quickly and I wanted to know the answers. The icy atmospheric setting and the theme of witchcraft inspired murders in a Finnish seaside suburb made this book extra intriguing. I did feel at times that a few details and nuances got lost in translation, though, and I am still not sure if I totally understood the final unravelling of all the threads. However, the character of Jessica Niemi and the delicious armchair travel setting in Finland will definitely make me come back for more and I can see that this is a series I can easily get addicted to.

Book Review: THE CORPSE FLOWER by Anne Mette Hancock

 

Title: THE CORPSE FLOWER

Author:  Anne Mette Hancock

Publisher:  Swift Press

Read: November 2021

Expected publication: 3 March 2022

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟1/2

 

Book Description:

 

It's early September in Copenhagen and 36-year-old journalist Heloise Kaldan is in the middle of a nightmare. One of her sources has been caught lying, and she could lose her job over it. Then she receives the first in a series of cryptic and ominous letters from alleged killer Anna Kiel, who is wanted in connection with the fatal stabbing of a young lawyer three years earlier.

The letters keep coming, and hint at a connection between Anna and Heloise. As Heloise starts digging deeper, she realizes that, to tell Anna's story, she will have to revisit the darkest parts of her own past - confronting someone she swore she'd never see again.

 

My musings:

THE CORPSE FLOWER is Nordic Noir at its finest!

 

I admit that I probably would have passed right by this book had I not heard about it from a friend. It’s a bit misleading, because the “corpse flower” in the title does not refer to actual corpses, but to a large Indonesian plant (Amorphophallus titanium) which emits a stench similar to that of rotting flesh, thus attracting flies and carrion beetles to its flowers to pollinate them. In the book, the flower has a certain significance to one of its characters. So if you were put off by the images of rotting corpses the title evokes, fear not!

 

The story may start off innocently enough, a bit slow even. But don’t be fooled! As with any mystery that involves a whole investigative team – in this case Danish investigative journalist Heloise Kaldan and homicide detective Erik Schäfer – there is a bit of character building to set the scene, as was the case here. We also have an elusive killer, a woman named Anna Kiel, who is on the run after brutally murdering a lawyer in his home. When she contacts Heloise by writing her cryptic letters, she is as much in the dark as we are! Who is Anna Kiel? Why did she kill a man? And what is her connection to Heloise?

 

As the story unfolds, Heloise will not only put herself in the path of danger, but she will uncover a dark, horrible secret that fits in well with the genre. I really liked Heloise as the lead. She is enigmatic, fearless and suitably flawed herself to give her a good backstory. Ditto with Erik Schäfer – I would love to see them both back in future books. Because Heloise is the person we get to hear most from, this is not your typical police procedural, which perhaps made the path to the final reveal  more relatable as Heloise has to use her own incentive and investigative skills without the privilege of police databases and resources.

 

Summary:

 

All in all, THE CORPSE FLOWER had all the dark elements I love in the Nordic Noir genre, plus two enigmatic lead characters who I would love to see back in future books. Once the story gets rolling, it will lead you into murky waters and topics troubled enough to haunt you in your nightmares. With an overall theme of justice and revenge, the story gradually built tension until I could not tear myself away and had to read late into the night until I had all the answers. A great book from a new voice in Danish crime fiction!

 

 

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

Book Review: BAD APPLES by Will Dean (Tuva Moodyson #4)

 

Title: BAD APPLES

Author:  Will Dean

Publisher:  Oneworld Publications

Read: August 2021

Expected publication: 7 October 2021

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

 

Book Description:

 

It only takes one...

A murder

A resident of small-town Visberg is found decapitated

A festival

A cultish hilltop community ‘celebrates’ Pan Night after the apple harvest

A race against time

As Visberg closes ranks to keep its deadly secrets, there could not be a worse time for Tuva Moodyson to arrive as deputy editor of the local newspaper. Powerful forces are at play and no one dares speak out. But Tuva senses the story of her career, unaware that perhaps she is the story…

 

My musings:

 

If you’re looking for a creepy thriller with a gloomy, atmospheric setting this Halloween, then look no further! Noone writes a creepy forest better than Will Dean.

 

I’ve been a fan of the Tuva Moodyson series since the start and snapped up the book as soon as I could press “request” on Netgalley (thank you so much for granting me my wish!). Tuva, a journalist in a small remote Swedish town, stumbles once again into disaster when she comes across a decapitated corpse in the creepy forest surrounding the town. Even though it’s hard to believe, things go even further downhill from here. I love the way Dean’s mind works, and how he manages to create sinister scenes out of seemingly harmless everyday situations. For example, the image of the child biting into a rotten apple (mind the book’s title) was so creepy I am still thinking about it, and this was nothing compared to Dean’s other creations: the sinister trolls carved by the two creepy sisters, the balloons made out of animal intestines, the stuffed animals with dental work, a forest teeming with slugs and poisonous mushrooms etc etc. Dean writes in a way that brings all these nightmarish images to life like a dark creepy movie, and I loved every minute of it!

 

Dean has run with the Halloween topic and made it firmly his own. Though Halloween is celebrated by the children in Gavrik, the small neighbouring hilltown of Visberg has their own dark tradition: Pan Night. It makes Halloween a candyland paradise in comparison, because the happenings on Pan Night, to which only locals are invited, are very sinister indeed. And of course Tuva, who can never resist putting herself in danger, manages a sneak peak that will almost be her undoing.

 

Tuva is one of my favourite characters in crime fiction. Even though she is one tough cookie, Dean also manages to paint her vulnerable side: the grief for her deceased parents, her addictions, her deafness, her struggles with her sexuality. I was happy to see that she has not only made some great friends in Gavrik, but has also found love with Noora, grounding her somewhat. Being a journalist rather than a detective, Tuva leads us into the murder investigation from a completely different angle, which makes this series extra special to me.

 

Summary:

 

All in all, BAD APPLES is another deliciously dark instalment in Will Dean’s Tuva Moodyson series, and maybe his creepiest yet? And even though he ending was wayyyyy out there, I loved the reel of dark and spooky images the book created in my mind. Coming out just in time for Halloween it’s the perfect spooky read to get into the spirit of the season – if you haven’t discovered this series yet, what are you waiting for?

 

 

 

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

Book Review: WINTERKILL by Ragnar Jónasson

 

Title: WINTERKILL

Author:  Ragnar Jónasson

Publisher:  Orenda Publishing

Read: March 2021

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

Easter weekend is approaching, and snow is gently falling in Siglufjörður, the northernmost town in Iceland, as crowds of tourists arrive to visit the majestic ski slopes.

Ari Thór Arason is now a police inspector, but he’s separated from his girlfriend, who lives in Sweden with their three-year-old son. A family reunion is planned for the holiday, but a violent blizzard is threatening and there is an unsettling chill in the air.

Three days before Easter, a nineteen-year-old local girl falls to her death from the balcony of a house on the main street. A perplexing entry in her diary suggests that this may not be an accident, and when an old man in a local nursing home writes ‘She was murdered’ again and again on the wall of his room, there is every suggestion that something more sinister lies at the heart of her death…

As the extreme weather closes in, cutting the power and access to Siglufjörður, Ari Thór must piece together the puzzle to reveal a horrible truth … one that will leave no one unscathed.

Chilling, claustrophobic and disturbing, Winterkill marks the startling conclusion to the million-copy bestselling Dark Iceland series and cements Ragnar Jónasson as one of the most exciting authors in crime fiction.

What attracted me to this book:

 

I love Icelandic crime thrillers, and the Dark Iceland series has been a great joy to read right from the start. I was excited to get back to Siglufjörður and read about Ari Thór Arason’s latest case, which involves the apparent suicide of a nineteen-year-old local girl who jumped to her death from a balcony.

My musings:

 

Ari Thór’s estranged partner and son are visiting over Easter, and again he struggles to find time for both family and his job, a battle that is only to real for police or emergency workers, especially in a place as remote as  Siglufjörður. I really felt for Ari Thór, who is only too keen to write the girl’s death off as the suicide it appears to be and enjoy spending time with his son, and yet also hears his inner warning bells chime that all is not as it seems.

 

After travelling to Iceland two years ago, I can vividly picture the small remote town of Siglufjörður, now made slightly more accessible by a new road and tunnel. Jonasson is a master at creating atmosphere and tension through his setting, and this latest instalment in the series is no exception. As the mystery slowly unravels and all its layers are being stripped to reveal the tragic truth, I was thoroughly hooked.

 

All in all, WINTERKILL is a slow-burning, character driven and highly atmospheric read from a master of Iceland noir. It contains all the elements that make this genre so irresistible for me, and I was hoping for many more books in the series, but found out that this may be the last one. I will miss visiting Siglufjörður! Whilst WINTERKILL can be read as a standalone, I would recommend starting the series from book one, as Ari Thór’s backstory adds a lot of depth to the mystery. Highly recommend the whole series!

 

 

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

Book Review: THE GIRL WHO DIED by Ragnar Jónasson

 

Title: THE GIRL WHO DIED

Author:  Ragnar Jonasson

Publisher:  Penguin Michael Joseph UK

Read: January 2021

Expected publication: 29 April 2021

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

 

Book Description:

 

Una is struggling to deal with her father's sudden, tragic suicide. She spends her nights drinking alone in Reykjavik, stricken with thoughts that she might one day follow in his footsteps.

So when she sees an advert seeking a teacher for two girls in the tiny village of Skálar - population of ten - on the storm-battered north coast of the island, she sees it as a chance to escape.

But once she arrives, Una quickly realises nothing in city life has prepared her for this. The villagers are unfriendly. The weather is bleak. And, from the creaky attic bedroom of the old house where she's living, she's convinced she hears the ghostly sound of singing.

Una worries that she's losing her mind. And then, just before Christmas, there's a murder... 

What attracted me to this book:

 

I love Icelandic noir, and Ragnar Jonasson is one of my favourite Icelandic authors – with good reason. I was thrilled to be able to read and review his latest stand-alone novel, which delivered the same kind of atmospheric setting as his Ari Thor Arason books. With the added bonus of a spooky element! 

My musings:

 

Let’s talk a bit more about setting, which was my favourite element of the novel. A hostile little village – both in its isolation, the harsh weather and the suspicious and outwardly unfriendly villagers – made for the perfect claustrophobic setting. Very cleverly, Jonasson chose a 1980’s timeline for his story, which completed the sense of utter isolation. No cell phones, no internet, not even TV to keep in touch with the news. Can we even still imagine such a life? This is the situation Una, a city girl through and through, finds herself in when she takes on a remote teaching post in the far East of Iceland. I have been to the area Jonasson describes in his novel, and even though I found it breathtakingly beautiful, I could imagine that the long nights and harsh weather would soon wear a bit thin, and the lack of human kindness would soon get to you.

 

Not only has Una discovered that most of the locals are not very friendly, and don’t want her here, but she is also aware of some supernatural happenings in the house she is staying in. I give credit to Jonasson for striking just the right balance with his paranormal element to make it just the perfect degree of creepy without going over the top. I also loved the way he employed the setting to ratchet up the creep factor.

 

I found myself very involved in Una’s narrative but thought that the 2^nd POV didn’t marry well with the overall story and didn’t add much for me. I would even go as far as saying that it was superfluous and could easily have been merged into Una’s POV by letting Una discover the “secret”, which would have given the ending a much bigger impact. As it was, I wasn’t invested in those chapters at all.

  

Summary:

 

All in all, THE GIRL WHO DIED was an atmospheric and slightly creepy mystery with that sense of claustrophobia and darkness that makes Icelandic noir so compelling for me. It’s a slow burning mystery which will appeal to readers who value atmosphere, setting and an underlying sense of unease over action and plot. I thoroughly enjoyed it and loved reading a standalone novel by one of my favourite Icelandic authors!

 

 

 

Thank you to Netgalley and Penguin Michael Joseph UK for the free electronic copy of this novel and for giving me the opportunity to provide an honest review.

Book Review: THE GILDED CAGE by Camilla Lackberg

 

Title:  THE GILDED CAGE

Author:  Camilla Läckberg

Publisher:  HarperCollins Australia

Read: October 2020

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟1/2

 

Book Description:

 

People would kill to have Faye von Essen’s life. She lives in an ultra-swanky apartment in the most exclusive area of Stockholm, she has a gorgeous husband who gives her everything she’s ever wanted, and she has an adorable daughter who lights up her world. Faye’s life is perfect.

So how is it, then, that she now finds herself in a police station?

The truth is that Faye’s life is far from what it seems. The truth is that Faye isn’t even her real name. And now she’s been caught out. There’s no way she’s going to go down without a fight. The only question is – who will escape with their life?

 

My musings:

 

WTH??? What a thoroughly twisted, evil little tale this was! Some of the revelations made me rejoice in the sisterhood, others sent shivers down my spine, and some made me want to have a shower. This book is definitely not for the faint hearted.

 

THE GILDED CAGE was my first book by Camilla Lackberg, but it won’t be my last. With a penchant for dark, Nordic noir, I am wondering why it has taken me so long to pick up her books?

 

The reference to the gilded cage relates to Faye, our main protagonist, as she finds herself trapped living the life of a rich man’s wife – she may have all the money she can possibly want at her disposal, but her marriage is far from healthy. As Faye’s confidence is slowly being eroded by her husband’s emotional abuse, she is also harbouring suspicions that he is cheating on her.

 

If the theme of rich arrogant men trading in their wives for younger models (and making a point of mentioning to their wives that they have become too old, fat and boring to be worthy of their love) makes you wild, then you will have steam coming out of your ears like the Hogwarts Express reading the first half of the book. Do not despair, because vindication is nigh. Although I must say that it is more twisted than sweet, and I felt slightly sullied by each and every character in this book. That doesn’t mean I didn’t enjoy the ride though, and it was truly a crazy journey.

 

THE GILDED CAGE is as steamy as it is dark. I soon felt myself swept away by this tale of love, betrayal, revenge and the force of a woman scorned. Lackberg has a unique writing style that fits well with the Nordic noir theme I love, and I am very eager now to read some of her other novels.

 

 

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: BLACK RIVER by Will Dean

Title: BLACK RIVER

Author: Will Dean
Publisher: Oneworld Publications
Read: March 2020

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Book Description:

Black River is an electrifying return for relentless reporter Tuva Moodyson, from the author of Dark Pines and Red Snow.

FEAR

Tuva’s been living clean in southern Sweden for four months when she receives horrifying news. Her best friend Tammy Yamnim has gone missing.

SECRETS

Racing back to Gavrik at the height of Midsommar, Tuva fears for Tammy’s life. Who has taken her, and why? And who is sabotaging the small-town search efforts?

LIES

Surrounded by dark pine forest, the sinister residents of Snake River are suspicious of outsiders. Unfortunately, they also hold all the answers. On the shortest night of the year, Tuva must fight to save her friend. The only question is who will be there to save Tuva?

What attracted me to this book:

Will Dean’s Tuva Moodyson series has been one of my favourite series since Tuva first made her appearance in DARK PINES, making BLACK RIVER one of my most anticipated books this year!

My musings:

Dean knows how to write an atmospheric, dark and claustrophobic thriller, and whilst each one of his books is set in the same place, he manages to bring a new perspective into his setting with every story. So whilst we first met Tuva in a wintry Gavrik, which was chilling in every way, the events in BLACK RIVER are taking part around midsommar, the time of 24 hour daylight around the Nordic summer solstice. It’s a credit to Dean’s skill as a crime writer to make this happy, light and summery period as dark and chilling as his wintry settings!

The best thing about a good series is the ability to get closer to your characters with every instalment, and I have enjoyed finding out more about Tuva’s life as she embarks on yet another adventure. This time Tuva has a lot more emotional involvement in her investigation, as it’s her best friend Tami who has disappeared into the dark and sinister forest around Gavrik. Apparently Dean lives in a cabin in the woods, where he writes his books – and his intimate knowledge of the dark Swedish forest really shows. Fans of the series will be pleased (or terrified) to see some of the forest’s more sinister inhabitants back, such as the creepy wood carving sisters and the sleazy paramedic who once locked Tuva in his car. There are many more odd characters that make an appearance here, ranging from slightly off-centre to downright scary. You will even find some other forest critters here that may haunt your nightmares long after you have turned the last page. To put it simply: I loved it!

Whilst Dean relies heavily on his claustrophobic setting and his characters to set a scene that is loaded with an undercurrent of danger and menace which never totally lets up, I also found his observations of Swedish culture and custom that pepper the story interesting. Tuva, with her eye for detail and her sharp, often cynical sense of humour, gives a good social commentary that added a lot more depth to the story than found in many other contemporary crime novels.

Summary:

In summary, BLACK RIVER is another unputdownable instalment in the Tuva Moodyson series. Unsettling, dark and tense, it makes for a perfect crime read with a protagonist who does not fit any stereotype. With her indestructible sense of justice, her courage and her determination, Tuva is one of my favourite fictional amateur detectives. Complimented by a rich cast of characters ranging from oddball to downright creepy, and the type of dark atmospheric setting that has become Dean’s hallmark, this series remains one of my all-time favourite Nordic crime series. I can’t wait to see more of Tuva in future!

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

Book Review: THE CHESTNUT MAN by Søren Sveistrup

Title: THE CHESTNUT MAN

Author: Søren Sveistrup
Publisher: Harper
Read: February 2020

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟

Book Description:

A psychopath is terrorizing Copenhagen.

His calling card is a “chestnut man”—a handmade doll made of matchsticks and two chestnuts—which he leaves at each bloody crime scene.

Examining the dolls, forensics makes a shocking discovery—a fingerprint belonging to a young girl, a government minister’s daughter who had been kidnapped and murdered a year ago.

A tragic coincidence—or something more twisted?

To save innocent lives, a pair of detectives must put aside their differences to piece together the Chestnut Man’s gruesome clues.

Because it’s clear that the madman is on a mission that is far from over.

And no one is safe.

What attracted me to this book:

I am always in the market for a Nordic Noir read, and THE CHESTNUT MAN certainly promised the best the genre has to offer: gruesome murders, a dark atmospheric setting and detectives on the hunt for a ruthless killer. After reading THE KILLING, I knew that this would be another intelligent, contemporary and multi-layered story, and you won’t find any plot holes here. I was not disappointed!

My musings:

If you have read THE KILLING, then you will know that Søren Sveistrup writes intelligent, multi-layered and well plotted thrillers that contain scenes that will haunt your worst nightmares! THE CHESTNUT MAN follows this pattern exactly, right from its horrific opening chapter, and I still shiver at the thought of some of the imagery the book conjured up for me. I’m just glad that I read this as a group read, because believe me, you will need to have a debrief regularly, especially when reading this before bed!

The book involves a series of horrific murders on women that all have several things in common: they are mothers, their hands have been amputated, and a chestnut man has been found on the scene.

Some of the characters of THE CHESTNUT MAN reminded me of the author’s previous book: here we have Thulin, a young clever detective who is raising her daughter as a single mother and encountering all the problems Sarah Lund was up against working long hours on solving murder cases. Her reluctant partner on the case is Hess, a troubled soul who has been temporarily suspended from Europol and banished to Copenhagen on a kind of sabbatical. Hess is antisocial, secretive and a loner, but he is also clever and able to think outside the box. I liked both main characters immensely, and they had a good dynamic going that kept the story interesting.

Sveistrup is a screenwriter, and his writing style is quite unique, which will work for some readers and not so well for others. For me, the book always had a certain movie like quality, intent on showing us scenes rather than allowing an emotional connection to any of the characters. In a police procedural, especially one as dark and brutal as this one, this worked well, even though it may have taken out some of the emotional involvement felt with other crime books. Short, crisp chapters from various POVs moved the story along at a decent pace, and their cliffhanger endings made it hard to put down. Which was just as well, as it’s a hefty book of over 500 pages! As with THE KILLING, we also get a political thread here, although I was happy to see it wasn’t as dominant as in the author’s previous book. Be aware that there are A LOT of characters, who are often referred to by their surnames only (which is a bit alien for us Australians) – I was forever mixing people up and having to flick back and forth to remind myself who is who.

Our group had multiple theories as to who was the killer, and only one person managed to guess correctly, whether fluke or not. Comparing notes was a great part of the enjoyment here, and also allowed us to air some of our emotions concerning the darker elements of the story. If your triggers include descriptions of domestic violence, child abuse and torture, then you may want to steer clear. I am no  shrinking violet, but some of the descriptions made my stomach somersault.

I used to make chestnut man as a child, but thanks to this book will never quite look at a chestnut the same way again. With a constant undercurrent of menace and danger, and an atmospheric setting, these innocent little figurines took on a whole sinister role of their own.

Summary:

In summary, THE CHESTNUT MAN is a gruesome, multi-layered and well plotted Nordic Noir thriller that will appeal to fans of the genre who don’t mind some gruesome scenes that will haunt the nightmares of the fainter- at-heart. With an atmospheric Nordic setting and contemporary themes, it makes a worthy addition to your mystery shelf.

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

Book Review: THE GIRL WITHOUT SKIN by Mads Peder Nordbo

Title: THE GIRL WITHOUT SKIN

Author: Mads Peder Nordbo
Publisher: Text Publishing
Read: August 2019

Expected publication: out now

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Book Description:

When a mummified Viking corpse is discovered in a crevasse out on the edge of an ice sheet, journalist Matthew Cave is sent to cover the story. The next day the mummy is gone, and the body of the policeman who was keeping watch is found naked and flayed—exactly like the victims in a gruesome series of murders that terrified the remote town of Nuuk in the 1970s.

As Matt investigates, he is shocked by the deprivation and brutal violence the locals take for granted. Unable to trust the police, he begins to suspect a cover-up. It’s only when he meets a young Inuit woman, Tupaarnaq, convicted of killing her parents and two small sisters, that Matt starts to realise how deep this story goes—and how much danger he is in.

My musings:

As the title suggests – this book is not for the faint of heart! I love a good Nordic thriller, and THE GIRL WITHOUT SKIN has every element that characterises the genre: a haunting atmospheric setting, a somewhat bleak atmosphere, gruesome crimes and two main characters scarred by their tragic back stories.

This is the first book set in Greenland for me, and though I thought that the setting was fantastic and starred as a character in its own right, it is no travel brochure. Nordbo, who has lived in Nuuk for many years, gives a chilling account of life in this remote place. There are many trigger warnings here, so if you are sensitive to topics of domestic violence, rape, incest and child abuse you should enter this one cautiously. For me, novels that are not afraid to expose the sinister side of society and offer some social criticism add some depth and meaning to my reading experience, and I feel that I learned something about life on one of the most remote places on earth.

Nordbo tells his story through the eyes of two main characters and two separate timelines 40 or so years apart. When the unsolved crimes of the past rear their ugly heads again in the present, troubled journalist Matt Cave becomes entangled in the investigation. Matt is an enigmatic, genuine and tragic character I warmed to immediately. Having lost his wife and unborn child in a terrible car accident, he is haunted by demons and the hopelessness that follows grief. Perhaps it is this that makes him somewhat fearless to expose crimes and corruption even if it comes at great risk to his own personal safety. And be assured, the people in this novel who want the past to stay hidden are ruthless in their pursuit! Seeing how people with demons tend to gravitate towards each other, it is no surprise that Matthew feels drawn to a young woman, Tupaarnaq, whose tragic childhood and past abuse have made her determined in the way that people who have little to lose sometimes become. Tupaarnaq, who is on a similar mission to seek justice for past wrongs, soon becomes a valuable ally to Matt. As other reviewers have mentioned, Tupaarnaq, who is tough on the outside but also strangely vulnerable, reminded me of Stieg Larsson’s Lisbeth Salander, and she added much to the story for me.

The second main character is Jacob, who is a police officer in Nuuk in the 1970’s, following up on reports of alleged incest and child abuse that is rife in society at the time, and which everyone is eager to ignore. A spade of horrific murders seems to follow his investigation, and the hierarchy are determined to shut him down. But Jacob has become close to one of the victims, and is determined to help her at all cost – which will put him right in the path of the killer.

When a body is found in an ice crevasse that bears the same MO as the murders in the 1970’s the two timelines connect, and we are being taken on a chilling and spine tingling story of corruption, murder and survival in the one of the harshest landscapes on Earth.

Summary:

All in all, THE GIRL WITHOUT SKIN was an honestly brutal, chilling and yet utterly captivating book set against the haunting backdrop of one of the bleakest and most remote landscapes on Earth. It features everything I have come to expect in a good Nordic thriller, and swiftly drew me into its world like only very skilled writers accomplish with such ease. I very much look forward to the next book in the series, which I believe will be published later this year.

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

Book Review: THE ICE BENEATH HER by Camilla Grebe

Title: THE ICE BENEATH HER

Author: Camilla Grebe
Read: March 2019

My Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟

Book Description (Goodreads):

Winter’s chill has descended on Stockholm as police arrive at the scene of a shocking murder. An unidentified woman lies beheaded in a posh suburban home—a brutal crime made all the more disturbing by its uncanny resemblance to an unsolved killing ten years earlier. But this time there’s a suspect: the charismatic and controversial chain-store CEO Jesper Orre, who owns the home but is nowhere to be found.

To homicide detectives Peter Lindgren and Manfred Olsson, nothing about the suave, high-profile businessman—including a playboy reputation and rumors of financial misdeeds—suggests he conceals the dark heart and twisted mind of a cold-blooded killer. In search of a motive, Lindgren and Olsson turn to the brilliant criminal profiler Hanne Lagerlind-Schön. Once a valued police asset, now marooned in unhappy retirement and a crumbling marriage, she’s eager to exercise her keen skills again—and offer the detectives a window into the secret soul of Jesper Orre.

But they’re not the only ones searching. Two months before, Emma Bohman, a young clerk at Orre’s company, chanced to meet the charming chief executive, and romance swiftly bloomed. Almost as quickly as the passionate affair ignited, it was over when Orre inexplicably disappeared. One staggering misfortune after another followed, leaving Emma certain that her runaway lover was to blame and transforming her confusion and heartbreak into anger.

Now, pursuing the same mysterious man for different reasons, Emma and the police are destined to cross paths in a chilling dance of obsession, vengeance, madness, and love gone hellishly wrong. 

My musings:

I really love a slow, character driven psychological thriller that focuses on the human mind, which is what attracted me immediately to Camilla Grebe’s writing when I picked up SOME KIND OF PEACE earlier in the year. Since then, I have been eager to read more of her books, and am happy to report that I liked this one equally as much!

THE ICE BENEATH HER starts with a gruesome murder, like any good Scandinavian thriller should ;) A beheaded woman is found in the home prominent Stockholm businessman Jesper Orre. Her identity is unknown, and the homeowner is nowhere to be found. What makes it even more puzzling is that the murder bears an uncanny resemblance to another killing ten years ago, which has never been solved. Could these two murders be related? But what could possibly link the two victims? Without a motive and a suspect who has vanished off the face of the earth, homicide detectives are at a loss of where to start.

Grebe tells her story through three different POVs: there is homicide detective Peter Lindgren, who is a somewhat tormented soul with a bad track record of ill-fated relationships; criminal profiler Hanne Lagerlind-Schön, who is trapped in an unhappy marriage and an illness-enforced early retirement; and Emma Bohman, a store clerk whose romance with the murder suspect Jesper Orre has gone terribly wrong. As Peter and Hanne work together in the present to solve the murder, we first meet Emma in the weeks leading up to the killing, in which she tells her personal story. What unfolds is a simply brilliant story of love, madness and the dark corners of the human psyche.

With an uncanny insight into what makes people tick, and not afraid to showcase a bunch of flawed but enigmatic characters, Grebe has delivered an irresistible and compelling mystery that immediately drew me in and kept me interested to the end. I found myself drawn to each character equally, which is a difficult balance to achieve, but Grebe managed to bring so much backstory to her characters by just including snippets of memories and reflection that they all seemed like flesh and blood people to me. Each one of the three main players appears wounded and vulnerable in some way, which immediately made me warm to them despite their failings.

The mystery unravelled slowly, and each time a layer was peeled away, there was a new revelation that brought a new depth to the story, like a stack of intricately painted Russian dolls. And when you get right to the last one – BAM! Here it was, the totally unexpected. I loved it! There are a lot of thrillers out there, and it’s difficult to find one that totally surprises me, but Grebe not only pulled it off but also made me question my own sanity by the end of it, as I was coming up with wild and wonderful theories as to how this would all come together. And come together it did – beautifully.

I am happy to see that there are two more books to come in this series, as I was so taken by these characters that I would love to see what happens to them from here. There’s nothing better than discovering a book you love and finding out it’s the start of a series. If you love Scandinavian crime fiction as much as I do, then I urge you to give this one a go!

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!