Nerd Girl Loves Books

3.5 stars

This was a dark mystery/thriller centered around five women’s attendance at a writing retreat with a famously reclusive writer. Once at the retreat location, they discover they need to complete an entirely new novel during their stay. They are given a strict writing schedule and seemingly impossible daily deadlines, but if they succeed, the winner will get a seven figure publishing deal and the mentor’s stamp of approval. It’s every woman for herself – until they start to die.

This is a very good mystery/thriller set in London following the investigation of Scotland Yard detectives into the murder of a young medical resident. As they look into the victim’s personal life, another stabbing occurs, putting the City in a panic. This is the 19th book in the series, but can be read as a stand alone. I admit I was a bit lost on most of the character interplay and their personal lives, but there is enough back story that I got the basics of what was going on. Even though I wasn’t familiar with the characters, I still got caught up in what they were going through and liked them.

This is a pretty good mystery/thriller set in Sweden. It’s book 9 of a series, but can be read as a stand alone. I’m sure I missed some nuances regarding the characters and their interactions, but there was enough information to provide me a good idea of what was what. The story is told in two different time periods. The first part of the story is told in 2006 while the main character, Anita, is a detective in the Criminal Investigation Squad. As one of only two women in the unit, the women are thought of as less capable and are treated unequally, especially by Chief Inspector Erik Moberg. The team is tasked with tackling the aftermath of an armed robbery at a cash handling facility in Malmö. The raid left one security guard dead and there was no sign of the stolen millions. The team eventually thinks they’ve solved the crime, but aren’t able to convict who they believe is the mastermind of the operation.

This is a contemporary mystery/thriller with paranormal aspects. I was creeped out by the paranormal aspects of the book, but I’m a big chicken. I think readers that aren’t a big chicken like me will enjoy it. A great deal of the book is devoted to the private life of the main character and the family dynamics with her uncles and brother, as well as her estranged husband. I felt the family issues were distracting and took me out of the mystery elements of the book. A closer look at the book could tighten this part of the story up and make the transitions less jarring.