The Therapist - Helene Flood (Author), Alison McCullough (Translator)

 

At first it's the lie that hurts.

A voicemail from her husband tells Sara he's arrived at the holiday cabin. Then a call from his friend confirms he never did.

She tries to carry on as normal, teasing out her clients' deepest fears, but as the hours stretch out, her own begin to surface. And when the police finally take an interest, they want to know why Sara deleted that voicemail.

To get to the root of Sigurd's disappearance, Sara must question everything she knows about her relationship.

Could the truth about what happened be inside her head?

Translated from the Norwegian by Alison McCullough

What did I think?

Helene Flood's debut adult novel starts with such a great hook that it kept me riveted from start to finish.  I love the drama of secrets and lies and there are a lot of buried secrets to unearth in The Therapist.  I have to say that the translation by Alison McCullough is so flawless that it's easy to forget the book was originally written in Norwegian.

The main character of Sara is a bit of a strange one; she doesn't seem to like people that much despite having to deal with them in her role as a therapist.  Sara is always tired and lethargic making me wonder whether there is an underlying reason for her lack of energy or whether she is just plain lazy.  Sara's marriage to Sigurd certainly seems to have sucked the life out of her and she's very quick to believe his friends (who she clearly doesn't like) rather than his voicemail when Sigurd disappears.  That speaks volumes!

With her strange actions, little inconsistencies and even questioning herself sometimes, Sara turns out to be a very unreliable narrator.  I loved the intriguing little glimpses into Sara's past and found myself almost creating a virtual painting of Sara's character, adding layer upon layer as more is revealed.  There are a number of suspects in the book and I was delighted to find that I was completely blindsided and had pinned my colours to the wrong mast!  I think I need to read it again to see how I was misdirected.

So very atmospheric and tense, The Therapist is an enthralling mystery and one that had me questioning everything I read.  It's definitely more of a slow burner but very well written and I wouldn't hesitate to pick up another Helene Flood book.

I received a gifted copy to participate in the Tandem Collective readalong and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from:

Waterstones

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

BLOG TOUR: Cabin Fever - Alex Dahl

 

Alone and isolated in a vast Scandinavian forest, a therapist begins to read her client's novel manuscript, only to discover the main character is terrifyingly familiar...

You are her therapist.

Kristina is a successful therapist in central Oslo. She spends her days helping clients navigate their lives with a cool professionalism that has got her to the top.

She is your client.

But when her client Leah, a successful novelist, arrives at her office clearly distressed, begging Kristina to come to her remote cabin in the woods, she feels the balance begin to slip.

But out here in the woods.

When Leah fails to turn up to her next two sessions, Kristina reluctantly heads out into the wilderness to find her.

Nothing is as it seems.

Alone and isolated, Kristina finds Leah's unfinished manuscript, and as she reads she realises the main character is terrifyingly familiar...

What did I think?

Alex Dahl has been on my radar for a while but Cabin Fever is the first book of hers that I have read.  It's very well written with believable characters and intriguing plotlines, both past and present, and I love the slow build up of tension that you only seem to get in Scandi-Noir novels.

Although the cover and title suggest a very claustrophobic read, I would say that Cabin Fever is more of a slow burn.  This isn't a bad thing by any means, it just surprised me that it seemed to take a while for the book to get going.  I found it to be a book of two halves, with the first half being slower-paced scene setting and then the pace ramps up when Kristina actually gets to the cabin.

I think I may have read too many books (if there's such a thing) as I did work out what was going on quite quickly, however, there are past and present plotlines so there were still some surprises in store for me.  I can't really say much about the plot or characters as it will spoil it for others but both the disappearance of Leah and Kristina's past are two excellent hooks that kept me rapidly turning pages.

Dark, disturbing and intriguing, Cabin Fever is a compelling and suspenseful read that builds tension gradually like layers of snow.  This would be a great book to curl up with on a dark winter's night as snowflakes graze your window.

I received an ARC to read and review for the blog tour; this is my honest review and all opinions are my own.

My rating:

Buy it from:

UK.Bookshop.org

Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: One Fatal Night - Hélene Fermont

One woman’s quest for revenge unearths a fatal secret from her past.

Astrid Jensen holds one man responsible for her mother’s suicide, and she’ll do whatever’s necessary to get close to Daniel Holst and destroy his life – even if it means sleeping with him to gain his trust. Astrid knows he’s not who he pretends to be. But before she can reveal his dark secret, people from her mother’s past start turning up dead, and it looks like she and Daniel are next. In order to survive, she might have to put her trust in the man she has hated for so long.

Daniel Holst has worked hard to climb into Norway’s most elite and glamorous circles, and he’s not about to let any woman bring him down. But when a psychopathic killer starts murdering people from his shadowy past, he discovers that the only person who might be able to save him is the woman who wants to destroy him.

As Astrid digs deeper into her past, she uncovers secrets long buried and realizes everything she once believed is based on lies. What began as a quest to avenge her mother’s death becomes a desperate struggle for survival and leads to the truth about what happened one fatal night ten years ago—and the surprising mastermind behind the most recent murders.

What did I think?

With amazingly strong female characters and gripping plots, I always really enjoy Hélene Fermont's novels so I was excited to read her novella, One Fatal Night.  It may be a novella but Hélene Fermont sure packs a lot into it; it's definitely a case of quality over quantity in this case.

At less than 150 pages, it's a book that you can easily read in one sitting especially when the storyline gets its hooks into you.  Every action that Astrid takes is one step closer to getting revenge for her mother's murder.  Thinking that he killed her mother, Astrid sets out to seduce her boss, Daniel, but when Daniel becomes a target himself Astrid realises that she doesn't know the whole story.  To get revenge she needs to find out what really happened on that fatal night. 

I really can't get over how much is in this novella; the story digs deep into the past and the characters feel well developed.  Hélene Fermont certainly chooses her words carefully and the writing style makes the storytelling very efficient, which is just what you need so you don't feel like you're skimming the surface in a novella.

The story is very character driven and I really liked Astrid until the end when I didn't agree with her choice, but each to their own; it just felt a little too creepy for me.  I loved how the story unfolded piece by piece and it feels like everyone is drawn to each other for whatever reason without even realising it.

One Fatal Night is a quick but quality read; it's an intriguing and gripping story of revenge and deeply buried secrets.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Hélene is an Anglo-Swedish fiction author currently residing in her home town of Malmo, Sweden, after relocating back from London after 20 years.

Her thrilling character-driven psychological fiction novels are known for their explosive, pacy narrative and storylines.

Hélene is the proud author of four novels – One Fatal Night, Because of You, We Never Said Goodbye and His Guilty Secret.

Social Media links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helenefermontauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/helenefermont

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helenefermont/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/helenefermontwriter/

Website: https://www.helenefermont.com/one-fatal-night

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Lake Child - Isabel Ashdown

You trust your family. They love you. Don't they?

When 17-year-old Eva Olsen awakes after a horrific accident that has left her bedbound, her parents are right by her side. Devoted, they watch over her night and day in the attic room of their family home in the forests of Norway.

But the accident has left Eva without her most recent memories, and not everything is as it seems. As secrets from the night of the accident begin to surface, Eva realises - she has to escape her parents' house and discover the truth. But what if someone doesn't want her to find it?

An edge-of-your-seat, atmospheric psychological thriller for fans of Lucy Clarke and Erin Kelly.

What did I think?

What an outstanding book!  Atmospheric doesn't even begin to describe it; Isabel Ashdown perfectly conjured the landscape in Norway, so much so that I felt as if I should have been wearing snow boots and a padded jacket whilst reading Lake Child.

Eva's whole story is massively intriguing from the start; she's recovering from a mysterious accident and her parents have her locked in the attic.  I couldn't read fast enough to find out why she was locked in the attic and to discover the mystery surrounding the night she was involved in a crash.  Then just as the story reaches fever pitch, we are distracted by the interview of a grandmother of a missing baby in England that threw my mind into turmoil and made me put on my virtual running shoes to see how the two stories were linked.  I thought I saw it coming but, with an abundance of family secrets stashed in the closet, I could only see the tip of the iceberg. 

Isabel Ashdown must be part-Viking to have embraced the scandi-noir genre so expertly.  I say scandi-noir but maybe this is scandi-psych as it twisted my brain into knots with the shots of intrigue and surprise being fired at me relentlessly.  As chilly as the landscape is, the warmth of family and friendship shines through, excluding the dysfunctional family in England of course; they wouldn't have looked out of place on the Jeremy Kyle show, that's for sure.  The contrast between the two families is portrayed excellently; they really are like chalk and cheese.

Gripping from the start, Lake Child is filled with mystery, intrigue and dark family secrets.  Set against the backdrop of a cold and beautiful Norwegian landscape, it's a real ice-gripper.  A highly recommended read.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: We Never Said Goodbye - Hélene Fermont

Is it ever too late for love?

When Mike dumps Louise on their 20th Wedding Anniversary, her entire world comes to an end.

Devastated and confused, she attempts to make sense of what happened and returns to a city she's avoided for two decades.

Will she be able to move on with the man she left behind or will Mike's increasingly violent and unhinged behaviour continue to haunt and ruin her life? When the reason Mike left her at long last is revealed Louise's life is in serious danger.

What did I think?

I love Hélene Fermont books so I was delighted to be offered a spot on the blog tour for We Never Said Goodbye.  All of Hélene's books have recently had a makeover and I think that the new cover perfectly captures the heartbreaking, lonesome theme of the book.

Louise is all set to celebrate her 20th wedding anniversary, the only thing that is missing is her husband, Mike.  Mike has chosen this day of all days to tell Louise that their marriage is over and he is leaving her.  Louise is naturally devastated and I was absolutely furious on her behalf.  What an absolute toerag!  If Mike could do that to Louise on their wedding anniversary, then she's definitely better off without him and karma is indeed a bitch so Mike had better be prepared to reap what he sows!

We follow Louise's story as she picks up the pieces of her shattered life, with the help of her close friends and her Aunt in Sweden.  We also get to keep an eye on what Mike is up to and, as annoying as it is to see him selfishly living his life post-Louise, I kept hoping that he would get his comeuppance in the end.  You can only trample on people so many times before they will turn on you and hit back.  With so many people having Mike's boot print on their skin, any one of them could fight back at any time.

Although I don't think this is one of Hélene's best books, I really liked the underlying message of the scale of prejudice and bigotry and I have to share a quote from the book that really resonated with me:

Bigotry comes in many disguises.  Prejudice will prevail.

It's up to us to not let prejudice prevail so let's be kind and thoughtful to one another, whatever sex, skin colour, religion or other characteristic defines the individual.  We are all unique and special so let's embrace these differences and live harmoniously together.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon




About the author:

Hélene Fermont writes character-driven psychological crime fiction with a Scandi Noir flavour. Known for her explosive, pacy narrative and storylines, she has published three novels – Because of You, We Never Said Goodbye and His Guilty Secret – and two short story collections – The Love of Her Life and Who’s Sorry Now? Her fourth novel is due for release in the summer of 2019. After 20 years in London, Hélene recently returned to her native Sweden where she finds the unspoiled scenery and tranquillity a therapeutic boost for creativity. Enjoying a successful career as a Psychologist, when she’s not working her ‘day job’, Hélene spends her time writing, with friends and family, or playing with her beloved cat, Teddy. All three novels can be purchased via her website helenefermont.com/books/    

Social Media Links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helenefermontauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/helenefermont

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helenefermont/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/helenefermontwriter/

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Because of You - Hélene Fermont

How desperate are you to get the one you love?

When Hannah and Ben meet at a friend's party, he knows she's The One. But Hannah's in an intense relationship with Mark and planning to return to her native Sweden to embark on a teaching career.

Desperate to make Ben fall in love with her, rich spoilt heiress Vanessa sets in motion a devious string of events that ultimately changes the course of four people's lives indefinitely.

Hannah is the love of Ben's life, yet Vanessa will stop at nothing to claim the man she is convinced is her destiny.

Because of You is a dark, morally complex and cross-generational story of enduring love, fate and destiny.  

What did I think?

Because of You is an epic saga spanning the 1970's to the present day and crossing the continent from England to Sweden.  Hannah is such a lovely caring character that you feel yourself looking out for her as the story progresses.  I've never seen such an extent of growth in a character as I saw in Hannah; she evolved from a quiet young lady to a strong beautiful woman, in spite of all the bumps in the road on her journey.

Hannah comes to London in 1978 to study and lodges with her grandmother's friend, Ella.  It was hard for her to leave her family and Sweden behind, but she quickly makes friends with another Swedish girl, Sanna, and gains entry into her circle of friends.  As Hannah is introduced to the sparkly discos of the 1970's she catches the eye of reputed bad boy Mark.  Mark pursues Hannah and she agrees to give him a chance to prove he's not the bad boy that everyone thinks he is.  I was with Hannah's friends on this one and knew he wasn't good enough for her, but the heart wants what the heart wants.

While Hannah is still in a relationship with Mark, she meets Ben at a friend's party.  It is clear that Ben is the man for her but Hannah has such strong values that she won't consider taking anything further with Ben whilst she is seeing Mark.  Ben cannot forget Hannah and knows that they are destined to be together, and he doesn't care how long he has to wait.

As the years go by, Hannah splits up with Mark (hurrah), starts a relationship with Ben (hurrah) and goes back to Sweden to work as a teacher.  She is loved by the children and her colleagues, in fact loved a little bit too much by one of them.  Linus is a creepy colleague who is completely infatuated with Hannah.  She thinks she can handle him by telling him she's not interested but he doesn't seem able to take 'no' for an answer.  Linus is insanely jealous of Hannah's relationship with Ben and the threat of just how unhinged he is seemed to hang over the story like the Sword of Damocles.  Linus isn't the only one threatening the happiness of Ben and Hannah. Rich-bitch Vanessa has her eye on Ben and will do anything to get her claws into him, even resorting to joining forces with Mark in an elaborate scheme to break them up.  Oh it's all going to end in tears, but for whom?

My heart was breaking on several occasions as Hannah always thinks of other people before herself.  She deserves to be happy but she puts her happiness at the bottom of the list and puts other people before herself, even doing what she thinks is best for them rather than what they actually want.  There is so much going on in Hannah's life that some part of it with resonate with every single reader.  It is written so warmly that I almost felt as if I was part of the family, eating Zipporah's apple cake or celebrating Zadie and Walther's wedding anniversary with a glass of fizz.

A beautiful epic story of life, love and destiny, Because of You captured my heart and captivated me from start to finish.  It is so true to life with so many ups and downs but the strong sense of family was a shining beacon of hope throughout.  One thing I will say about the characters in this book, they sure do have big babies!  Two babies are born in the book, both weighing one stone with not a raised eyebrow in sight.  It was enough to make my eyes water!

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.  

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon



About the author:

Born into a bilingual family (Swedish/ English) Hélene Fermont enjoyed an idylic childhood on the outskirts of Malmö, Sweden’s third largest city and major cultural hub. Growing up in the 1970s she had a brief musical career on Swedish TV and radio. Hélene lived in London for over 20 years but has recently returned to Sweden. Hélene is a former teacher, a practising psychologist, and currently the author of three novels, all of which are psychological suspense with a nordic noir flavour. Her fourth novel is coming soon!

Social Media links:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/helenefermontauthor/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/helenefermont

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/helenefermont/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.co.uk/helenefermontwriter/



Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Wolves in the Dark - Gunnar Staalesen

Reeling from the death of his great love, Karin, Varg Veum's life has descended into a self-destructive spiral of alcohol, lust, grief and blackouts. When traces of child pornography are found on his computer, he's accused of being part of a paedophile ring and thrown into a prison cell. There, he struggles to sift through his past to work out who is responsible for planting the material ... and who is seeking the ultimate revenge. When a chance to escape presents itself, Varg finds himself on the run in his hometown of Bergen. With the clock ticking and the police on his tail, Varg takes on his hardest - and most personal - case yet. Chilling, shocking and exceptionally gripping, Wolves in the Dark reaffirms Gunnar Staalesen as one of the world's foremost thriller writers.

What did I think?

It felt a little bit daunting when I picked up Wolves in the Dark, as I hadn't realised how many earlier Varg Veum books there were - this is number 21, in case you are wondering.  I was worried that joining a series so late would lessen the enjoyment of reading the book, but I am delighted to report that it works so well as a standalone that it left me wanting to find out more about Varg's back story.

The drama begins on the very first page when Varg is awoken by the police as they turn up at the crack of dawn to arrest him for having shocking images of children on his computer.  Varg has never seen the images before but with such compelling evidence stacked against him, he struggles to prove his innocence.  Whilst being investigated he tries to remember anybody who might bear him a grudge.  It took me a little while to get used to the writing style at this point, as it wasn't clear to me that we were reading about Varg's past so I was wondering how he got out of custody.  Once the penny dropped, I got used to it and although I didn't need a 'then' and 'now' chapter heading, something like a '3 years ago' hint would have alleviated my confusion.

The storyline is quite serious and shocking at times, but I loved the little bits of Gunnar Staalesen's dry humour sprinkled throughout - Varg's rapid-fire quips and humorous anecdotes did make me laugh on more than one occasion.  The thing that intrigued me the most about Varg is that he's a private investigator who's not very good at following people.  He doesn't really care about his work either, since he lost his lover Karin, all he cares about is picking up his next bottle of Aquavit (a Scandinavian spirit).  He reminded me of Dr House and his addiction to Vicodin - both struggling to block out the pain by any means necessary.

Wolves in the Dark is one of those fast-paced sweaty palm sort of books; you could feel the net closing in and the clock ticking down whilst the hunted man is still struggling to prove his innocence.  It's a book that makes me simultaneously want to reach for the back-catalogue as well as seeing when the next instalment is coming out - now that I've been introduced to Varg mid-series I definitely want to know more.  A brilliant introduction to the Varg Veum series; giving us a glimpse of such a well established character certainly left me thirsty for more.

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest and unbiased opinion.  I am releasing my review as part of the blog tour.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Follow the tour:

BLOG TOUR: Because of You - Helene Fermont

How desperate are you to get the love of your life?

Hannah is the love of Ben's life, yet Vanessa will stop at nothing to claim the man she is convinced is her destiny.

Because of You spans 36 years in the life of Hannah Stein, a Swedish teenager who arrives in London, at the tail end of the disco era, for a gap year before embarking on a teaching career. The people she meets change the course of her life irrevocably and the novel charts her changing personal and professional fortunes over the next three decades. Because of You is about love, coming of age, friendship, bereavement, stillbirth and rape. Its themes include redemption, acceptance, fidelity and family. Because of You is a story that every woman can relate to.

Because of You is the deeply moving debut novel by Scandinavian writer Helene Fermont. It’s a gripping work of modern women’s fiction with a distinct ‘Scandi’ feel and a psychological twist. 

Scandinavian noir has firmly established itself as a bestselling genre in the UK. Because of You takes the elements that make this style of writing so compelling – the realism and dark, morally complex mood – and combines it with women’s fiction.

This is a dark, morally complex and cross-generational story of enduring love, fate and destiny and will appeal to readers who appreciate an emotive, uncompromising and fulfilling read driven by character and circumstance.

What did I think?

Because of You is an epic saga spanning the 1970's to the present day and crossing the continent from England to Sweden.  Hannah is such a lovely caring character that you feel yourself looking out for her as the story progresses.  I've never seen such an extent of growth in a character as I saw in Hannah; she evolved from a quiet young lady to a strong beautiful woman, in spite of all the bumps in the road on her journey.

Hannah comes to London in 1978 to study and lodges with her grandmother's friend, Ella.  It was hard for her to leave her family and Sweden behind, but she quickly makes friends with another Swedish girl, Sanna, and gains entry into her circle of friends.  As Hannah is introduced to the sparkly discos of the 1970's she catches the eye of reputed bad boy Mark.  Mark pursues Hannah and she agrees to give him a chance to prove he's not the bad boy that everyone thinks he is.  I was with Hannah's friends on this one and knew he wasn't good enough for her, but the heart wants what the heart wants.

While Hannah is still in a relationship with Mark, she meets Ben at a friend's party.  It is clear that Ben is the man for her but Hannah has such strong values that she won't consider taking anything further with Ben whilst she is seeing Mark.  Ben cannot forget Hannah and knows that they are destined to be together, and he doesn't care how long he has to wait.

As the years go by, Hannah splits up with Mark (hurrah), starts a relationship with Ben (hurrah) and goes back to Sweden to work as a teacher.  She is loved by the children and her colleagues, in fact loved a little bit too much by one of them.  Linus is a creepy colleague who is completely infatuated with Hannah.  She thinks she can handle him by telling him she's not interested but he doesn't seem able to take 'no' for an answer.  Linus is insanely jealous of Hannah's relationship with Ben and the threat of just how unhinged he is seemed to hang over the story like the Sword of Damocles.  Linus isn't the only one threatening the happiness of Ben and Hannah. Rich-bitch Vanessa has her eye on Ben and will do anything to get her claws into him, even resorting to joining forces with Mark in an elaborate scheme to break them up.  Oh it's all going to end in tears, but for whom?

My heart was breaking on several occasions as Hannah always thinks of other people before herself.  She deserves to be happy but she puts her happiness at the bottom of the list and puts other people before herself, even doing what she thinks is best for them rather than what they actually want.  There is so much going on in Hannah's life that some part of it with resonate with every single reader.  It is written so warmly that I almost felt as if I was part of the family, eating Zipporah's apple cake or celebrating Zadie and Walther's wedding anniversary with a glass of fizz.

A beautiful epic story of life, love and destiny, Because of You captured my heart and captivated me from start to finish.  It is so true to life with so many ups and downs but the strong sense of family was a shining beacon of hope throughout.  One thing I will say about the characters in this book, they sure do have big babies!  Two babies are born in the book, both weighing one stone with not a raised eyebrow in sight.  It was enough to make my eyes water!

I chose to read an ARC and this is my honest opinion.  I am releasing my review as part of the blog tour arranged by Bookollective.

My rating:

Buy it from Amazon

Follow the tour: