2.5 stars rounded down. It sounded interesting enough, but sadly I just found it hard work - so much time and focus spent on Emma being an alcoholic without really looking at why. Yes we know it’s because of a teenager who died when she was a police officer. But is it guilt? Something else? Does the alcohol numb the feeling? It just felt like a convenient character flaw to include. And Angela was very bipolar - one minute yelling at Emma for her actions and then in the next breath, being all “women have to stick together”. I don’t think I’ll be pursuing any others in the series, unfortunately.

I received a free ARC copy of this via NetGalley and the publishers in return for an unbiased review. Apologies for the delay in providing this.

this one STRESSED ME OUT!! pls tell me why when your sibling died you take the murder weapon and run!?! from the start i was like what on earth, but then things are revealed and secrets uncovered and just drama drama drama. loved it though, a great thriller, really easy to whiz through and keeps you addicted!!

Interesting and well written I just personally couldn’t get into the story. Difficult to follow at times and a little slow. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Thank you NetGalley and the pubs for this early review!

This was my first from this author and I will probably end up reading others from her as well. I thought the book was good but not great. I didn’t love the main character Emma as I thought she was making poor decision after poor decision.. which is typical in a thriller book but it seemed a bit drug out. I do have to say the book did have multiple turns throughout it which helped keep my attention and the ending was definitely not what I was expecting. I will recommend this one to others but will get the caveat of the main character being unlikable. Solid 3 stars.

Pretty good story kept your interest the whole time but not something I would read again. Going to try some other books by this author to see how I like other stories. Thanks NetGalley for the ARC

I am a massive thriller fan so was excited for this one! Overall I really enjoyed it, loved the twists and turns the plot took and loved the overall premise. I found it really easy to read and didn’t want to put it down at points, I liked the idea of them being twins as they always have an unbreakable bond so the idea that one of them could have killed the other was really intriguing. I think throughout the author plants doubt about the characters and with the characters doubting themselves it made you question everything.. A very good thriller with a beautiful Stockholm setting!

Wow, what an incredible start to a new series featuring legal investigator Emma Tapper. I was gripped from the very beginning and the numerous twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end. I genuinely had no idea who was responsible for Jasmine's murder and everytime I thought I had something figured out, another curveball was thrown.

I liked that Emma was a complicated character, and both she and Angela, in particular, were multi-layered and real feeling which you don't always get with these type of procedural books that focus more on plot than characterization.

If I hadn't previously known, I would never have guessed that this book wasn't originally written in English. The translation was nice and seamless.

Overall, a definite recommend if you like twisty thrillers that keep you constantly guessing. I look forward to reading more from this series.

I did enjoy this police procedural and I was desperately trying to piece together what happened to Jasmine but I was literally wrong all along. The storyline was great the only thing I didn't like was that it dragged out a little bit too much. But I think it is a fantastic start to what I think will be an intriguing series.

Unfortunately, while this had all the setup of being a book that hits all the right spots for me as a reader, I found it to be extremely slow.
A slow burn is a perfectly good way of setting up a story but from my personal experience the payoff just didn't tick the boxes.
The writing itself is good. One cannot fault Karolina for her grasp on the ins and outs of the skills she has developed. It is the storytelling aspect that may need some work.

It takes a while to get this story underway, despite the drama and trauma of the murder and the detective's recent past. However, its kind of a fun trainwreck watching Emma, the detective and careen through her investigation and the entertaining policemen she has to deal with..
The story itself is sad, with some red herrings and I did find a few loose threads, otherwise it was a nice story. It moved along pretty quickly and I did find it an enjoyable read.

I read through the night to finish this thriller that turns into a nightmare. Spooky, tense, richly atmospheric and profoundly moving! This author turns the psychological thumbscrews with relish. This great read spirals towards its dark conclusion, wrong footing the increasingly uneasy reader at every turn. This twisty thriller is jam-packed with tense moments and a growing sense of unease…..
Every once in a while a writer comes along and refreshes our notions of what fiction can do . . . Buy this book, and prepare to be blasted by the brilliance inside

On the eve of their thirtieth birthday twins Jasmine and Nicolas Moretti spent time together at a pub where Jasmine reminds Nicolas of a clairvoyant's prediction that one of them will die before they hit thirty. Nicolas laughs it off and eventually continue their celebration at Jasmine's condo, getting high on drugs and passing out. Next day, Nicolas wakes up to find himself covered in blood and Jasmine dead with her head almost chopped off!

This thriller definitely had twists and turns in abundance! The reasons for Jasmine's death and the suspects keep changing till the end of the book and even then there is a twist that I didn't see coming. The secrets that are eventually revealed are disturbing and the actual reason for Jasmine's murder even more so!

This is the first book in the Emma Tapper series, an ex-cop who is hired by defence lawyer Angela Kohler to solve the case. It is a Swedish noir that has been translated by Lisa Reinhardt. I felt the book could have done with a few less chapters to make it more taut.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas and Mercer and the author for the e-Arc of the book.

I really enjoyed this one over all - I felt like the twists and turns were just enough to keep me guessing and keep me engaged throughout the story. I found the characters to be engaging, with the exception of Emma, I really didn't exactly vibe with her. There weren't many parts that I felt were drawn out, dragged on or all together not needed which has happened in a few of my recent reads. I can definitely see myself picking up the next book in the series.

This was a fantastic thriller with many twists an turns. It kept me intrigued throughout and consistently want to continue reading. I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Karolina, and the publisher Amazon Publishing, UK. for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this eBook.


The Guilty One by Anna Karolina
Emma Tapper #1 in series

Is he guilty or innocent? Even he doesn’t know…

Nicolas Moretti wakes up on his thirtieth birthday covered in his twin sister's blood. He has no memory of the night before and is the prime suspect in his sister's murder.

Jasmine and Nicolas are twins who just celebrated their birthday. During the night, tragedy strikes, leaving one twin dead and the other one on the run.

In walks Emma Tapper, an ex-cop who is traumatized by past events that she tries to forget by drinking. Emma is hired by Nicholas's lawyer to aid in his case, who seems more concerned about winning her cases and less about the truth. Emma starts her investigation and finds hidden secrets, that people are willing to do anything to keep quiet. Emma also finds evidence that Nicolas may be innocent, now she must prove this fact to everyone else.

This is a riveting thriller, with a suspenseful plot and engaging characters. For me, Emma was the only hard character to like. The book was slow in some parts, but also a page turner throughout the middle to end. I will definingly be picking up the next book in the series The Missing Man Pub Date 12/20/2022.

This was a fantastic and unpredictable book full of twists and turns. The backstories were helpful and interesting and I loved trying to solve the case alongside Emma. It was a slowly evolving book, but somehow this only strengthened the story. The ending was a shock to me!

Thank you @netgalley for my free book in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you NetGalley for access to this book! An interesting read, but I couldn’t connect with any of the main characters. Many twists & well written but slow build. Overall, good read!

What a way to start a book. You are hooked from the moment things go awry. I loved following this mystery and piecing things together.

Emma is an ex cop who is traumatized by past events that she tries to forget by drinking. Jasmine and Nicolas are twins who just celebrated their birthday. During the night, tragedy strikes, leaving one twin dead and the other one on the run. Emma is recruited by a defense attorney who is more concerned about winning her cases and less about the truth. Emma starts her investigation and finds hidden secrets, that people are willing to do anything to keep quiet. Emma finds evidence that Nicolas is innocent, now she has to prove this fact to everyone else. A riveting thriller, with a suspenseful plot and engaging characters.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this book, I received a copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It started out strong but then I felt like it went downhill, it was drug out to long way to long. I wish the ending was just as strong as the beginning.