Holy Moly what a wild ride! I’m drawn like a moth to a flame to a well-written Nordic thriller. This hypnotic, all-consuming read ticked all the rightHoly Moly what a wild ride! I’m drawn like a moth to a flame to a well-written Nordic thriller. This hypnotic, all-consuming read ticked all the right boxes for me…suspenseful anticipation; good character development and emotional and moral appeal. If you were a fan of the Scandinavian crime novels of Stieg Larsson, then this one is for you.
The setting is mostly in the rugged Nordic country of Finnmark, northern Norway where a young couple’s mountain expedition changes into a nightmare when they become human targets stalked to their death by a well-organized hunting club of elite Danish businessmen.
The two main characters include Michael Sander, a private investigator and a police detective, Lene Jenesen. Their seemingly disparate storylines eventually interlink to create a complicated plot that never loses the reader’s interest throughout the novel. Even if you figure out the mystery, you will want to see how Lene and Michael handle the answers they uncover.
The vivid descriptions of the rugged mountains, steep cliffs and barren landscape add another dimension to this frosty tale. [image] The river Børselva at Silfarfossen in Finnmark, Norway ~ Photograph made by Cheran
I’m looking forward to the next installment of this series. So far, this is the only novel translated into English by this author. I found this mystery riveting and unputdownable and I highly recommend!
I won a free ARC of this book through Goodreads Giveaways. Thank you to Goodreads and to Skyhorse Publishing!...more
What a beautiful, glittering book cover for this novel! It’s reminiscent of the gold leaf painting by Gustav Klimt that immortalized Adele Bloch-BauerWhat a beautiful, glittering book cover for this novel! It’s reminiscent of the gold leaf painting by Gustav Klimt that immortalized Adele Bloch-Bauer, one of two central characters within this historical fiction and the real life model for his 1907 painting, “Woman in Gold”. The author weaves together Adele’s story (told mostly during the beginning of 20th century Vienna) and an interconnected account of the life of her niece, Maria Altmann, who courageously survived the rise of anti-Semitism following the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938.
The story is fictional, yet meticulously researched by the author…especially the descriptions of early 20th century Vienna. Adele Bloch-Bauer was a beguiling and head-strong woman from a prominent, Jewish family. She was denied a formal education yet well read, a patron of the arts and hostess of a renowned Viennese Salon, where she would often hold court for musicians, artists and writers. I was fascinated with her personal story as a muse to Gustav Klimt and inspiration for his most famous painting. The story gradually builds an undercurrent of menace during this period as political intrigue begins to lay the groundwork for anti-Semitic rhetoric.
Equally absorbing is the pre-WWII experiences of Adele’s niece, Maria Altmann, the second narrative within this novel. By this time, the anti-Semitism had reached a point where Jews were forced to flee Austria to avoid persecution. Similar to her aunt Adele in an earlier generation, Maria also summoned courage and determination in order to survive the Nazi invasion of Austria.
The novel is a beautifully written, captivating story, rich in authentic details. I highly recommend for readers of historical fiction and art lovers.
I won a free ARC of this book through Suzy Approved Book Reviews on Facebook. Thank you to Suzanne! ...more
I thoroughly enjoyed this disturbing, young adult story and atypical suspense novel. I was engrossed in the novel from beginning to end. The unreliablI thoroughly enjoyed this disturbing, young adult story and atypical suspense novel. I was engrossed in the novel from beginning to end. The unreliable narrator is Yasmin, a 15-year old female. She isn’t particularly likable, yet she's sympathetic because she's a bullied and obese loner, and she copes with this by living a private, fantasy world existence. Her delusional obsession with the pretty and popular schoolmate, Alice feels creepy and sets the stage for an atmosphere of menace that continues throughout the story. I alternated between pity and disgust as Yasmin becomes fixated first on Alice and later on a man she is convinced is also stalking Alice.
The author intentionally wrote the novel in a second-person point of view as a way to create intimacy and a more “personal relationship” with the story. For this reader, it added to the sinister atmosphere of the novel. She created a killer opening paragraph with this:
“The first time I saw you, you were standing at the far end of the playing field near the bit of fence that’s trampled down, where the kids who come to school along the wooded path cut across.”
The narrator always refers to the suspect as “you” in the story. He remains a mostly impenetrable and mysterious man. I squirmed and blushed as the painfully deluded Yasmin wheedles her way into his home and his life. The connection between the narrator and the suspect is unnerving but compulsive reading.
The ending is a stunner!!
I won a free ARC of this book through Goodreads Giveaways. Thank you to Goodreads and to Harlequin Books! ...more
*3.5 Stars*I was lucky to receive an ARC of this novel, provided courtesy of Gallery Books. Similar to Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson (although *3.5 Stars*I was lucky to receive an ARC of this novel, provided courtesy of Gallery Books. Similar to Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson (although without that book’s menacing edge) about a woman suffering with amnesia. Lucie, the main narrator, wakes up one day in San Francisco with no memory of her past. She is finally rescued and returned to Seattle by her current boyfriend/fiancé. The book follows her search for long-repressed memories (mostly of a damaged childhood) as she rebuilds her relationship with Grady, her fiancé. I enjoyed this novel. It was entertaining as well as quite plausible…not as necessary to suspend belief as it was with the S. J. Watson book. The novel was engaging until the end as layers from Lucie’s past begin to peel away and long buried secrets are revealed. ...more
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