Yule Island

By: Johana Gustawsson, David Warriner - translator

Narrated by: Karen Cass, Simon Mattacks, Katy Sobey

Art expert Emma Lindhal is anxious when she's asked to appraise the antiques in the infamous manor house of one of Sweden's wealthiest families, on the island of Storholmen, where a young woman was murdered nine years earlier, her killer never found. As she goes about her painstaking work and one shocking discovery yields clues that lead to another, Emma becomes determined to uncover the secrets of the house and its occupants.

When the lifeless body of another young woman is found in the icy waters surrounding the island, Detective Karl Rosén arrives to investigate. Could this young woman's tragic death somehow hold the key to the first?

Battling her own demons, Emma joins forces with Karl to embark upon a chilling investigation, plunging them into horrifying secrets from the past - Viking rites and tainted love - and Scandinavia's deepest, darkest winter...

©2023 Calmann-Lévy; English translation © David Warriner (P)2023 Isis Audio

Has the potential of a great Nordic Noir, but...

I am willing to give it a 4 for the ending, which is quite unexpected. However it simply took too long to get there. It feels like the first 80% of the story can be cut down by 1/2, which I take the author was trying to build the characters, but the characters still feel quite weak and distant. None of the characters are quite likeable, or relatable. Their pains feel too forced, robotic and cliché.

The author also spent too much ink on explaining what is the Swedish way, like she is intentionally facing an international crowd, rather than her own people.

Excellent!

Strong characters with a great story and numerous surprises. Unlike the best sellers on here this book does NOT suck. Fun read! I loved it.