Yikes, I just realized it's been a month since I last posted. I've been ripping through books so quickly (I'm sure some of you can relate) there has never seemed to be enough time to sit down and post a review. But I'm here today to do just that!
Longtime readers of the blog will know that I'm a huge fan of Swedish authors. In fact, some of my favorite books from the last couple of years come from that beautiful country. So when I saw Camilla Sten's The Lost Village on LibraryReads it was a no-brainer. This is a psychological suspense thriller where our main character is trying to uncover what happened in the past while simultaneously trying to unravel the very real danger of what is happening to them in the present. Alice has grown up hearing stories from her grandmother about her hometown where the inhabitants (all 900 of them including Alice's great grandparents and great aunt) vanished without a trace in the 1950s. Well, almost all of the inhabitants vanished. A murdered woman (tied to a pole and stoned to death) and a crying baby were all that was found when the police arrived on the scene. Alice has always been interested (read: obsessed) in her grandmother's story and now that she's got a film degree she's determined to make a documentary to uncover the truth of what happened there. So the reader is bounced between Now where Alice and her small crew are scouting the location and Then with Elsa (Alice's great grandmother) as the tale of what really happened slowly unfolds.
The beginning did drag a bit but around the halfway point it picked up significantly and by the last third of the novel the action is basically nonstop. [A/N: I preferred the Then sections somewhat more than the Now as the characters were more likable. 😬] She has another psychological suspense thriller slated for 2022 (this is the English translation if I'm not mistaken) and is also working on a YA series (labeled as dark and atmospheric). If you're in the mood for a suspenseful book that takes place in a single setting then I think this is a great option. 7/10
What I'm currently reading: A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon
**If you're interested in buying any of these books or any books really, you can click here. This will re-direct you to AbeBooks which is a site I use all of the time to find used books at an excellent price. A lot of the time I don't even pay for shipping! Full disclosure: I will receive a commission on all sales made through this link. You will not be charged anything additional for my commission. I wouldn't recommend a site that I didn't use and you are under no obligation to purchase anything. :-) **
