i didnt like this book, for me it was far too slow and didnt seem to have any pacing other than slow until the very end.
and generally even thought the ending was underwhelming

I finished this a few weeks ago and thought I'd already given feedback, so apologies I'm a little rusty having read a few different books since this one.
The rural, remote, setting was used well with suspense and atmosphere.
The twist was a little disappointing and let the book down a bit to be totally honest but on the whole I enjoyed the book. Not quite Ragnar Jonasson standard but certainly similar.

The Forbidden Place is forboding, a dark place of boggy walks and murky mists waiting to swallow up those who stray from the boardwalk path. I was really drawn into the setting of the remote landscape and was looking forward to the drama that would unfold.

The story centres around a local bog and missing people who over the years who have gone missing presumed dead. Is there a serial killer on the loose or has the bog claimed more victims? When the latest victim is rescued from the path of the bog with a head wound it's clear that perhaps not everything is what it seems. You follow the police investigation to find out who attacked the man and the story is seen from two viewpoints one of a police photographer and one from a local woman who left the area as a child who has recently returned.

It was an interesting read, I though the description and setting was excellent but some of the characters felt flat so I had to keep going back to check who i was reading about. The twist at the end felt a bit random to me, which was a shame as some of the scenarios I thought about it my head may have actually worked better.

So overall an interesting read and great sense of place.

This is a great story that captures you right from the start. Nathalie is a particularly captivating character and even before we find out her history I was very invested in wishing her and Johannes happiness. The book is weird and creepy and I wasn't sure how it was all going to pan out. Was this some kind of paranormal fantasy thriller? Photographer Maya is also an engaging character and I was interested to see where her thread would take us. The ending, when it came, was sadly, for me, rather flat. One minute we had no clue what was going to happen and the next the perpetrators had been revealed with no explanation as to how or why. It was such a disappointment as the rest of the book was enchanting. Not for me, sorry.

Atmospheric with a great twist. Hauntingly descriptive writing really set the scene and drew the reader in. Enjoyable read - would recommend..

In the remote Swedish wetlands lies Mossmarken: the village on the edge of the mire where, once upon a time, people came to leave offerings to the gods.

Biologist Nathalie came in order to study the peat bogs. But she has a secret: Mossmarken was once her home, a place where terrible things happened. She has returned at last, determined to confront her childhood trauma and find out the truth.

Soon after her arrival, she finds an unconscious man out on the marsh, his pockets filled with gold - just like the ancient human sacrifices. A grave is dug in the mire, which vanishes a day after. And as the police investigate, the bodies start to surface...

Is the mire calling out for sacrifices, as the superstitious locals claim? Or is it an all-too-human evil?

I loved the beautiful Swedish setting of this novel and it was all tinged with an eerie disquiet, very atmospheric.
I couldn’t quite immerse myself in the characters though which slowed the pace of the story down for me and stopped me enjoying it as much as I would have liked.
The writing was succinct and to the point, and I quite liked the ‘tell it like it is’ style.
I would say this book is well worth a read but it could’ve been so much more.

The Forbidden Place is an atmospheric psychological thriller set in the wild Scandinavian countryside. I was enthralled by the story and the clever twist at the end.

A very good story but I have to be honest in saying that I just couldn’t lose myself fully in to the book which is such a shame I just kept picking it up and then going back to it but it just didn’t do it for me .

My reader's soul enjoyed this book. It was a nice change to read a story from an author who just tells the story 'like it is' and lets it unfold in her natural voice, even with the translation, so a big acknowledgement to the translator, Rachel as well.

'I have some sort of unfortunate... joy inside that has to get out.'

Saying that, it took me a while to grow accustomed to the voices; I think the initial dialogue which begins Part Two is a bit too simplified for the intellect of the characters involved, coming where it does in the book it jars with the beautiful and tantilising opening segment.

There are some genuinely 'hair stand on end' moments, especially if you read it late at night, running alongside conversations of an epic feel, yet put so simply with a straightforward stance that it makes everything understandable and, at times, plausible.

It's all about the emptiness...

Which in itself sounds a chilling concept. I will remember this book and its sad chain of events which could have gone in any direction. Another great aspect of the story, you are never quite sure where Susanne is taking you, you may have a gut feeling but she keeps the reader questioning, even after the final page.

And that bog, mire, wasteland. What a secondary character. It pervades everything.

Rating: 3.5* rounded up to 4*

Natalie returns to Mossmarken ostensibly to continue her research into peat bogs but she lived here when young and is inexorably drawn to the area. The past will continue to haunt her. How could it not? Such awful things had happened, her life had changed dramatically that night many years before.

Natalie doesn’t find it easy to connect to people but strikes up a friendship with a student from the local Art college. They have an affinity of kinds. He often cycles in the area, passing by Natalie’s cottage. He is out cycling when a storm begins and then quickly disappears. Natalie is alarmed, worried and goes out to look for him, he’s been attacked and left for dead.

We follow Natalie along with Leif, the detective in charge of the investigation, and Myra a local artist, a photographer who works with the police part-time.

After more bodies are found in Mossmarken with all the hallmarks of the local superstition of ritual deaths that surrounds the area, of apparitions seen out on the bog, will Natalie find out the truth about her past? Will Leif discover what is happening?

This is a twisty tale in which Susanne Jansson leads you down the garden path, or should I say along the boggy walkways, in this rather eerie tale of ancient rituals, twisted thoughts and appalling crimes. Rather Christie like at the end with the denouement being announced in the community meeting with all the possible suspects gathered, will it really be a human rather than a spiritual tragedy? Susanne Jansson keeps you guessing to the very end.

With thanks to Mulholland Books via NetGalley for an eCopy of The Forbidden Place by Susanne Jansson. All thoughts are my own, I have not received any payment for the review of this book.

2.5 stars - the premise of this book was good and I looked forward to reading it but the reality was disappointing. I think perhaps a lot of that is to do with the translation and the flitting back and forth between the characters.

Nathalie has rented a ‘house’ in her old home town. She is a biologist and is keen to get some samples for dissertation from the mire. Her return to the town unlocks some powerful memories of her past - can she face up to them?

One day, Nathalie notices the weather has dramatically changed and something within her stirs causing her to race into the area around the mire. There she comes across her new friend, Johannes who is lying unconscious by the side of the path. Who or what has caused his injuries?

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

This was a quick read, pitched at just the right level to keep you guessing. For once, it had a twist that was genuinely unpredictable and an ending that was both satisfying and open ended.

I really enjoyed this book.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC without obligation.

Gripping, intriguing and different what more do you want from a novel! Took a while for this to warm up which is why for me it only reached three stars but is well worth a read!

3.5*
This is a story of two halves for me. On one hand there’s the darkness, sense of unease and mystery surrounding the crime and paranormal element, on the other a lot of wading through unnecessarily detailed accounts that brought a slow burning but intriguing plot almost to a standstill.

I don’t normally mention the formatting of an ARC (I know they’re uncorrected much of the time) and I only do so now because reading this one was a challenge as there were no page breaks to speak of, signifying chapter endings or changes of perspective, which made the read quite confusing and probably contributed to my lack of engagement with the story.

Nathalie Ström had returned to her childhood home of Mossmarken to work on her doctoral dissertation, studying the effects of greenhouse gases in peat bogs of the wetlands area, hoping it would help climate research. She left Mossmarken when she was twelve years old after a family tragedy and has never been back. Until now. Another reason she chose this place for her work—she wanted to find out the truth of what happened all those years ago. On one of her excursions into the bog she discovers the unconscious Johannes, someone with whom she has recently become acquainted. His pockets were filled with coins, mirroring the ancient human sacrifices.

The story is told from two points of view—Nathalie and photographer/artist Maya Linde, who also works as an occasional forensic photographer for the police. When other bodies are discovered in the bog, the past and present storylines become woven together. This was the part I thought worked the best and Nathalie has no choice but to dredge up painful memories from her past. It’s anyone’s guess who the present day perpetrator is as there are several suspects to choose from.

Several years ago, a ‘bog body’ had been found, thought to have been there since the Ice Age. This gave rise to the mythological aspect of the story which was very atmospheric, giving the impression that anything could, and does, happen in and around the peat bog. It’s an eerie and dangerous place and as several people had gone missing over the years the folklore persisted. The mythology and ancient traditions, along with the people who lived there were described very well. The police investigation was less well covered and the scientific facts and philosophical thoughts and conversations diluted the suspense and present day mystery for me, and I felt that perhaps the story suffered a little because of it.

I chose to read and review The Forbidden Place courtesy of Hodder & Stoughton via NetGalley

What a fascinating book this was! Shrouded in mystery it is not clear whether this is a ghost story or a mystery (you will have to read it to find out!). It is beautifully written with rounded characters like Nathalie who has come back to Mossmarken to do research for her dissertation and Maya, a photographer (and part time photographer for the police). The well portrayed surroundings are so atmospheric in these remote wetlands with fog and mist. Add to the mix much interesting information about peat bodies which when found are so well preserved and you have a fully-rounded tale with legends and superstitions. Something for everyone!
Many thanks to Netgalley/Susanne Jansson/Hodder & Stoughton for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Susanne Jansson- The Forbidden Place was not without its charms, particularly in the very atmospheric use of the remote Swedish wetlands, and the rather likeable main character of the young female biologist returning to her childhood community and caught up in a crime mystery with supernatural overtones. Again though, I found myself drifting off as those little annoying clichés rose to the surface, but luckily the setting, and back story of bodies discovered in peat bogs through the ages appealed to my more ghoulish fascination…

On paper the sort of book I would really enjoy, crime novel with supernatural undertones - something say John Connolly does so well. However, 'The Forbidden Place' does get stuck in too much detail, which can put the reader off. I struggled to finish it as it lacked that readability factor.

I often find Scandinavian murder stories rather ponderous but I generally manage to find something to get involved in. . This time it was the creepy, supernatural history of the marshes, especially the evidence of human sacrifice which was absorbing. Enjoyable read.

An intriguing and atmospheric story set in the misty marshes of Sweden. This a quick and enjoyable read but not the most original mystery/thriller I have read. Still worth picking though up by fans of Scandinavian noir.

A quick read - not my favourite book but it was okay. I felt that it was a bit over-descriptive but I did enjoy the supernatural element and the overall story was interesting. I did feel that it lacked a certain depth, however, and the layout of the advance reading copy was very confusing at times. Overall, an okay read - I didn't hate it but I didn't love it either!.