Yule Island by Johana Gustawsson
Art expert Emma Lindahl is anxious when she´s asked to appraise the antiques and artefacts 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.
Emma must work alone, and the Gussman family apparently avoiding her, she sees virtually no one in the house. Do they have something to hide?
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, and memories his failure to solve the first case come rushing back. Could this young woman`s tragic death somehow hold the key?
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…
About the author
Born in Marseille, France, and with a degree in Political Science, Johana Gustawsson has worked as a journalist for the French and Spanish press and television. Her critically acclaimed Roy & Castells series, including Block 46, Keeperand Blood Song, has won the Plume d’Argent, Balai de la découverte, Balai d’Or and Prix Marseillais du Polar awards, and is now published in nineteen countries. A TV adaptation is currently under way in a French, Swedish and UK co-production. The Bleeding was a number-one bestseller in France and is the first in a new series. Johana lives in Sweden with her Swedish husband and their three sons.
Review
‘Yule Island’ completely blew me away with its mesmerising, gothic, atmospheric and dark narrative! See this is why I don't like compiling my ‘top ten’ lists until the very end of the year as this book has catapulted itself into my top five reads of the year! This is an engrossing read that pulls you deep into its pages, and pulls the rug from under you numerous times and I gasped aloud at one point! I sat down last night at about 15% into the book and I didn't once look up till it was finished.
Art expert Emma Lindahl has been tasked with going to the Gussman family mansion on the isle of Storholmen to appraise their works of art and family heirlooms. The mansion is also the site of the famous hanging girl, an unsolved and brutal murder from 9 years ago. When the body of another young girl is found under the ice on a nearby island, Detective Karl Rosen thinks that the cases are linked. They share the same hallmarks and he is determined to find the killer!
I was first introduced to this author's work with ‘The Bleeding’ which I adored so I had high hopes for this one! The author has surpassed these hopes very easily and I was enthralled by the standard of her writing! Johana manages to create a narrative that gives that tingly feeling, you know the one. When you know you are reading an amazing book, your heart rate elevates and your brain is racing to work it out but yet you don't want the experience to end as that means it's over and you need to wait another year to read more! You are drawn into the pages of this masterclass in Nordic Noir as she expertly weaves the narrative with Norse mythology, Swedish history and the crime itself. Johana is known as the ‘Queen of French Noir’ but I think that title will soon be the ‘Queen of Noir’!
This book has all the hallmarks of Nordic Noir! It's dark and moody and its Gothic vibes were off the chart! Large house full of secrets, owners who are mysterious, a distinct feeling of unease, cold weather and a silence that permeates the pages! Not to mention the circumstances surrounding the hanging girl. Johanna manages to imprint these visuals so easily through her stunning writing. But it's at times a simple sentence that will pull the rug from under you and completely blindside you! It makes for an exciting and thrilling read.
The two main protagonists Emma and Karl are very different in age, circumstance and life experiences but yet are very similar in other aspects. Determined to get to the truth no matter what it might cost them and horrified by events. I loved Emma and I hope we will get see more of her in future books. I'm also intrigued to see how Karl’s story progresses and whether they can both get over their experiences on this island.
This is a claustrophobic and atmospheric read that utterly blew me away! I can not recommend this book highly enough. Let me know if you pick it up.
