REVIEW: The Wilderness Retreat by Jennifer Moore

The Wilderness Retreat by Jennifer Moore

Genre: Psychological thriller, Suspense

Read: 4th May 2023

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 23rd February 2023

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

I release myself from the shackles of the outside world and embrace the wilderness within.

As Bella drops her son off at university, she’s devastated. It’s been the two of them ever since Asher was born. The only thing helping her through is the upcoming week-long wilderness retreat in Sweden. It’ll be her chance to reconnect and recharge.

At the retreat, Bella basks in the beauty of the modern lodge, with its luxury rooms and picture-perfect views, the glistening lake and lush forest. For the full detox effect, everyone must surrender their phones.

The holiday seems idyllic until the person who ruined Bella’s life years ago arrives, threatening everything she’s worked hard for and will do anything to protect. Suddenly, a terrified Bella is trapped in the wild, knowing someone wants her dead…

MY THOUGHTS:

The premise for this book had me intrigued. Single mum escapes to the Swedish wilderness for some much needed "R and R". The setting was atmospheric and the tone was the definitive of creepy. It was a little reminiscent of Agatha Christie's "And Then There Were None" as everyone finds themselves secluded in this retreat, surrendering their phones and having to succumb to a full digital detox. Sounds legit...but I'd still like to keep a hold of my phone. You never know when you might actually need it!

We meet Bella who is bidding a tearful farewell to her son Asher as he embarks on a new journey of university life. Bella is a composer of film scores and recently made something of a name for herself for a very creepy thriller. This retreat is a birthday gift from her sister Rachel as a way of relaxing and recharging after always putting herself last whilst raising her son alone. As she waves Asher goodbye, her next stop is the airport where she will catch her flight to Sweden and begin her wilderness retreat.

However, the getaway in this idyllic setting soon proves not to be the refreshing break she had hope it would be, despite the luxury rooms and stunning views and surrounds. Then a storm cuts them all off from the outside world and suddenly all hell breaks loose.

I don't want to give too much away so all I shall say is that when secrets from the past that refused to stay buried start to be revealed, questions begin to surface about an incident from nineteen years previous. 

There are sick guests, mysterious characters, sinister references, creepy nuances...a reminder to never go on one of these wilderness retreats myself! Have none of these people read a psychological thriller before? Seen a scary movie? Enough to not put yourself in such a situation.

At any rate, the pace was fairly slow throughout and Bella was damn annoying. So much I felt was repetitive that it took away from the impact of the tale which had the promise of being such an atmospheric one at that. In the end, the story was kind of drawn out and with so many different characters it did get a little tricky keeping track of who was who.

Overall, an OK thriller but nothing memorable.

I would like to thank #JenniferMoore, #Netgalley and #HQStories for an ARC of #TheWildernessRetreat in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Jennifer Moore is a novelist, freelance writer and children's author (writing as Jenny Moore) from Devon. Her short fiction has been widely published on both sides of the Atlantic and she was the first ever UK writer to win the Commonwealth Short Story Competition.

Social media links:

Wesbite | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: The Fallout by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

The Fallout (Childrens House #6) by Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Genre: Nordic noir, Crime thriller

Read: 3rd July, 2022

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 12th May 2022

★★★ 3 stars

DESCRIPTION:

A murdered woman. A missing child. And a father intent on revenge.

On a cold day in Reykjavik, a baby goes missing from her pram. When the child's blanket washes up on the beach, and the mother is found dead, everyone's worst fears seem to have been realised.

Eleven years later, and detective Huldar and child psychologist Freyja are now working in the same police building, on the same team. Freyja believes that personal and professional relationships must remain separate, however hard that may be. But when a woman's dismembered body is found in a deserted car, her head missing, and Freyja and Huldar find themselves working on the same case, the secrecy around their affair threatens to crack. And when Freyja is accused of a serious breach of police protocol, will Huldar be able to help her? Meanwhile, their search to identify the body takes the case back into secrets of the past, and the unspoken crimes that bind three separate families.

MY THOUGHTS:

11 years ago - A baby is stolen from the pram on the patio while her father ais showering.

5 months ago - the funeral of 10 year old Iris who passed away from the measles & her father becomes obsessed with finding out who she caught it from.

Now - plastic bags containing body parts are found in the trunk of a car.

I went through a stage of enjoying nordic noir but when I requested this I didn't know it was part of a series. And I have not read any of the previous five books in this Children's Home series. Did I miss out on any backstory or connections by jumping partway in? I don't know. However, it is still a good solid read with that atmospheric nordic air about it.

There is a creepy air about the murders but against the procedural side of things comes a chemistry between the two main characters - Freyja and Hulder. There has been so much of will they or won't they between police partners in other series that I just want them to get on with the crime at hand and to solve that. I'm not here for the romance but the thriller aspect of the story.

But what we also must endure is the anti-vaxxers or naysayers that is very real in today's society with regards to the COVID vaccine. In this case it's measles, but hey, an anti-vaxxer is an anti-vaxxer. Why just today on our news was a toddler in hospital with the first case of diphtheria seen in our country in over 100 years! Was he/she vaccinated? No. There's your answer. And quite frankly, I am tired of anti-vaxxers thinking they know better. Yes, it's their choice but don't shove it in our faces and don't jump up and down and blame the rest of us when you or your child fall ill to something potentially deadly that could have easily been prevented with a vaccine. But that is a whole other matter altogether. It does, however, raise readers' emotions on the issue as well as some of the characters at the heart of that plotline also.

While this is a crime thriller, I didn't quite feel the palpable tension that I have in other gritty crime reads. Maybe I felt something lost in translation as I have with some books that have not been written in English but translated from its native language. The author is an accomplished writer, that goes without saying.

And of course, at the heart of the story is the eleven year old cold case in the disappearance of baby Mia coupled with the discovery of a dismembered corpse in the boot of a car. It was slow to start initially but it did warm up.

It's not the best thriller I've read but it is still a good solid read. There are plenty of twists to be had entwined with dark themes to keep you relatively engaged.

I would like to thank #YrsaSigurðardóttir, #NetGalley and #HodderBooks for an ARC of #TheFallout in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Born in 1963, Vilborg Yrsa Sigurðardóttir is an Icelandic writer of both crime novels and children's fiction. She has been writing since 1998. Her début crime novel was translated into English by Bernard Scudder. The central character in her crime novels so far is Thóra Gudmundsdóttir (Þóra Guðmundsdóttir), a lawyer. Yrsa has also written for children, and won the 2003 Icelandic Children's Book Prize with Biobörn.

Yrsa is married with two children, and she has a career as a civil engineer. She lives with her family in Reykjavik.

Social Media links:

Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Goodreads

REVIEW: Death on the Beach by Anna Johannsen

 

Death on the Beach (An Island Mystery #2) by Anna Johannsen

Genre: Crime fiction, Police procedural, Noir

Read: 5th November 2020

Goodreads

Amazon

Published: 15th May 2020

★★★ 3.5 stars

DESCRIPTION:

A teenage girl is missing. Why don’t her parents care?

A fourteen-year-old girl disappears on the small island of Föhr, and Detective Lena Lorenzen is called in to investigate. When the girl’s bloodied body is found on the beach with vicious wounds to the wrist, Lena immediately suspects that what’s been made to look like suicide was in fact a brutal and calculated murder.

But the local residents—even the girl’s own parents—won’t cooperate with her investigation. The devoutly religious islanders are clearly hiding something. But what ungodly secret could possibly lead to the murder of an innocent teenage girl?

Soon Lena realises that the isolated island holds darker secrets than she ever could have feared. In her toughest investigation yet, she must confront her own past if she is to catch the killer—before they strike again.

MY REVIEW:

The second book in the Island Mystery series by German author Anna Johannsen, DEATH ON THE BEACH has been masterfully translated Jozef Van Der Voort so that the story and its prose flow seamlessly. You lose nothing in translation and it feels as if it has been written in the Queen's English. The prose is so atmospheric I felt as if I was on the North Freisland island myself.

DI Lena Lorenzen has returned to her home island of Amrum for a much needed break to relax and enjoy some downtime with boyfriend Erck, with whom she had rekindled her relationship. Five whole days of rest and relaxation. But no sooner has she arrived and before she can put her feet up, she receives a call from her superior Detective Superintendent Warnke asking for a favour. 

A 14 year old girl, Maria Logener, has gone missing on the island of Fohr. Her parents belong to an extreme conservative free church known as the Bretheren which is locally considered a cult by most of the islanders. Due to her local knowledge of the islands, DSU Warnke entrusts Lena with the investigation knowing that she will deal with it sensitively and avoiding any negative publicity. As it is, their working relationship has improved since the previous case and Warnke allows Lena a wide scope of resources to be hers for the asking as and when she needs them.

From the outset, Lena and her partner DS Johann Grasmann come up against unco-opertive parents who refuse to allow access to Maria's bedroom and deny any rebellion on their daughter's part. "Maria is a good girl" they claim. However Lena is no stranger to a parent's denial but the Logeners are different. As is their faith, the man is the head of the house with their wives and children deferring to their husband and/or father in every situation. And in accordance to their faith, Maria did not disobey her father and showed respect at all time. Unlike her older sister Johanna who turned her back on the Bretheren and her family to study pharmacology on the mainland. But what Lena finds interesting to note is that it was Johanna who raised the alarm and reported Maria missing...not her parents. And Lena wanted to know why. The first 48 hours are crucial and yet the Logeners have wasted precious time by not reporting her missing, refusing to believe Maria would leave the fold.

But then Lena receives the call she had been dreading. Maria's body has been found on the beach. Her death an apparent suicide. But something is bothering Lena and she suspects foul play. When Lena breaks the news to her parents, it seems the island's grapevine is quicker than she had anticipated and Maria's father denies that his daughter would take her own life. Lena believes Frau Logener knows more than she's saying due to the Bretheren's conservative views on wives deferring to their husbands at all times. So she devises a ruse to speak to her in private. No mother would want to sit back in an investigation into her daughter's death.

The case turns out to be a complex one with enquiries leading them in new directions and further questioning ensues. It appears that Maria Logener was not who everyone thought she was...but of course the investigation can't move forward without the victimology. Soon witnesses become persons of interest - teachers, friends, students - as the last days of Maria's life is slowly revealed.

On a personal level, Lena battles with her committment to Erck whilst having to deal with a former one night stand joining the team from the mainland. Then there is her estranged father who desires to reconnect with his daughter though Lena refuses to have anything to do with him. Meanwhile, I sympathise with poor Erck who is loving and patient with Lena despite her sometimes casual treatment of him. He wants to commit to her but he won't push her and yet she seems to want to enjoy the benefits without the committment. Isn't that a guy's line? I didn't find Lena particularly likeable in this regard.

Whilst it is a police procedural, I found the procedural story a little slow-moving. I couldn't care less about Ben's wanting to pick up with Lena where they left off after that one night. He doesn't seem to want to take no for an answer and yet at the same time, Lena is sending out mixed signals.

The setting is atmospheric that I found myself googling these little known islands off the coast of Germany so I could see their beauty for myself. The locations are stunning and I felt as if I was truly there...on the beach beside Lena, puzzling out the mystery alongside her.

However, I found the ending to be somewhat anti-climatic and wondering where the result came from. All that time spent on puzzling it out for something and nothing? It felt a little out of left field and disappointing.

Despite this, DEATH ON THE BEACH is a nice quick read. I read it in an afternoon/evening. I'll be back for the third installment, hoping for something more decisive in the way of Lena's relationship...because I like Erck.

A good quick read with a seamless translation from German. Perfect for those who enjoy Scandi-noir crime fiction.

I would like to thank #AnnaJohannsen, #NetGalley and #AmazonUK for an ARC of #DeathOnTheBeach in exchange for an honest review.

MEET THE AUTHOR:

Anna Johannsen has lived in Northern Friesland since her childhood. She loves the landscape and the people of the region and is especially fond of the North Frisian islands that provide the setting for her Island Mystery novels starring DI Lena Lorenzen. 

Her debut 'The Body on the Beach' is a #1 Kindle bestseller.

Social Media links:

Facebook | Goodreads

REVIEW: Die for Me by Jesper Stein (ARC)

Die for Me (Axel Steen #2) by Jesper Stein

Genre: Crime fiction, police procedural, Scandi-noir

Read: 30th March 2020

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(publication date: 23rd January 2020)

★ 1 star

Set in Copenhagen, DIE FOR ME is the second in the Axel Steen series and features an annoyingly flawed main character. I don't know how many books I have read where the main detective drinks himself into oblivion, although this one gets stoned has sex and gets stoned again. But the theme does get a little tiring after a while.

The premise for DIE FOR ME indeed sounded promising but I don't know if something is lost in the translation or I was just frustrated with the politics and the depressing narrative by the main character, Axel Steen, because it just grated on me. The most exciting thing was the Prologue. Then came the police politics, the morose monloguing by Axel, his getting stoned on his days off, the ex-wife now shacked up with his boss...I just lost patience with it.

It begins with a missing young girl's body found in the lake in Orsted Park. It is clearly a homicide but it's one that remains unsolved leaving DCI Axel Steen both unsettled and haunted for years to come. But now a DNA match discovered on a sexual assault victim matches one found on an item belonging to the cold case victim. Axel begins investigating the new rape case and discovers there is a predator preying on young women in Copenhagen.

Had that remained the focus of the story, I may have enjoyed it far more, but as it was the back stabbing of police politics, the ex-wife now hooked up with Axel's boss, the annoying bits that just took away from the actual story...just ruined it for me. I didn't like his ex-wife Cecilie nor her lover, Deputy Commissioner Jens Jessen. I didn't want police politics, I didn't want morose monologuing as to where his life has gone wrong, I didn't want stoned sex with various women, I didn't want back stabbing or nastiness. I wanted a good solid crime thriller that gave us a look at both sides of the coin. I didn't get it. And if it was there, I must have missed it.

A police procedural that is dark and gritty, DIE FOR ME may not be for everyone due to its subject matter. For some, the topic of violent sexual assault and rape may be a little difficult to read.

I couldn't warm to Axel. But then I couldn't warm to any of the characters. He could be a competent detective but he just goes about things in an arse about way and added to that is his drug habit, not to mention his depressing monologue which were at times just a little too much.

I used to really enjoy Scandi crime, but in the last couple of years I have found them to be far too convoluted with totally flawed and unlikable characters. Maybe I have had my fill of flawed characters that it just grates on me every time I come across one now. The world is depressing enough these days, I don't need a depressing main character to make my reads far from enjoyable.

While I didn't enjoy DIE FOR ME, many have done so. So maybe it's just me. It is a chilling read in parts but overall, not for me. However, don't take my word for it as others have thoroughly enjoyed it. You never know, you just may too

I would like to thank #JesperStein, #NetGalley and #MirrorBooks for an ARC of #DieForMe in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Lake Child by Isabel Ashdown (ARC)

Lake Child by Isabel Ashdown

Genre: Psychological thriller, Scandi-noir

Read: 26th September 2019

Goodreads

Purchase: Amazon

(release date: 19th September 2019)

★★★★ 4 stars

Imagine waking up in a dark unfamiliar room that is bolted from the outside, covered in scars and with no memory of what happened and how you got there?

That is the nightmare Eva Olsen faces made even worse upon discovering that it's her own parents that have locked her in the attic with no contact with the outside world. They say it's for her own protection after she was involved in a car accident in which she was very seriously injured and the driver who, having escaped, remains unknown. It appears she had been kidnapped from a local bar although no one knows by whom or who she may have left with.

The accident has left Eva without her most recent memories - from that night or those leading up to it - but not everything is as it seems. Why have her best friends, Rosa and Lars, not been to visit her? Why has no one but the police been allowed to see her? The questions they ask just seem to confuse Eva even more as she desperately tries to recapture and retain the memories that linger on the periphery of her mind. But as secrets from the night in question start to surface, Eva also begins to question her parents' motives. Nothing they have told her seems to be the truth, and she begins to wonder can she really trust them?

One night, Eva convinces her parents to go into town for some annual celebrations and she uses this time to make her escape. Armed with just a knife she deftly removed from the tray on which they brought her meals and kept hidden until the time was right, Eva set to work on the door hinges. Once the door fell away, she couldn't believe that she was finally free and she quickly packed a bag from her own untouched bedroom before making her way down the stairs. But she hears the sound of the TV which is never left on. Of course they wouldn't leave her on her own, unguarded. So Eva begins to quietly make her way out when she hears another sound. The piercing cries of the fox in her dreams. Eva is confused...and then she hears the sound again...but it's not a fox. How could they keep this from her? Where does this leave Eva now? For she knows now, she cannot escape.

Suddenly the story shifts and takes us to London where a grandmother is being interviewed for the writing of her memoirs about the disappearance of her granddaughter almost two decades ago. And there are even more secrets surrounding that story as well as bit by bit we are given tiny morsels to try and piece together. How was the disappearance of baby Lorna Gregory in England connected to Eva's accident and subsequent amnesia in the snowy forests of Norway? I thought I had it all figured out until a final twist threw a whole new perspective on everything we thought we knew.

Told primarily from Eva's POV, with the England connection told through a series of interviews, this complex story was cleverly written...despite moving at a glacial speed for the first 30%. I admit, there were times I'd wondered whether to continue as it was incredibly slow and very confusing and repetitive in the first quarter or so...and for me, a book shouldn't take that long to engage the reader. I really was very close to giving up on it. BUT then it picked up...and when it did pick up it really picked up. And then I couldn't put it down.

As secrets begin to unfold, LAKE CHILD takes us on a journey through Eva's confused and convoluted memories surrounding her accident and her family. Dark and atmospheric, the chilly Norwegian landscape only adds to the mystery and intrigue as Eva clings to the shreds of memories, fighting to remember what really happened that night. And whether she can truly trust her parents.

As I fought my way through the first 30% of this book, I really didn't think I would enjoy the rest of it...but I did. Suddenly, everything began to fall into place and secrets unraveled and the truth was finally revealed.

LAKE CHILD is a dark and incredibly atmospheric thriller that is so intense and even suffocating. I had that claustrophobic feeling witnessing Eva's confusion and the incarceration in her parents' attic. Nothing made sense...until it did. The entire tale had a kind of complex ingenuity to it wrapped up in that atmospheric Scandi-noir.

While the first part is thoroughly confusing, repetitive and moves at a glacial speed, I would urge you not to give up! It does begin to make sense, albeit further on than I would normally like, but it is worth it in the end. While I wouldn't say it was gripping from the start, LAKE CHILD is shrouded in mystery, intrigue and dark secrets that make this an intense and compelling thriller that is both dark and atmospheric.

My only complaint is the amount of time it took to engage me as a reader, with the first half being far too slow and confusing with too much repetition. I've said before that it shouldn't take 30% of the novel before it starts to get interesting. Normally I would have given up long before if not for someone else assuring me it would all begin to make sense soon. I'm glad I stuck it out, as not many would.

Having said that, LAKE CHILD ended up being a clever, complex, twisted thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed by the end. And that cover - WOW! That alone was atmospheric in both colour and detail.

I would like to thank #IsabelAshdown, #NetGalley and #OrionPublishingGroup for an ARC of #LakeChild in exchange for an honest review.