A dark and gripping tale set in Sweden.

The landscape is really the most important feature in this book. It is set in Mossmarken, a village on the edge of the mire, a dangerous wetland, where legend has it people came to bury their offerings for the Gods. An ancient body was dug up, with a pole placed to keep the corpse from rising. More recently people have disappeared without a trace. When a new ritual killing is discovered and then there is an attempted murder, detectives are called in and the mire starts to yield up its dark secrets.

Biologist Nathalie returns to the place that was once her home, ostensibly to study the peat bogs, but she also desperately needs to confront a terrible trauma from her childhood and find out what actually happened. As more bodies start to emerge she begins to be convinced that these murders are the key to the events that originally drove her from Mossmarken.

This is a spine-chilling tale and the suspense is kept going right to the end. The premise of the story seems a little far-fetched, perhaps easier to accept if you are a Swedish reader. There is a great deal of detail, which at times can be baffling, but this is definitely a page-turner and the excellent dialogue keeps the storyline moving.

I would recommend this book as a gripping read.

Jane

Breakaway Reviewers received a copy of the book to review.