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barry_x's review against another edition
4.0
I am super behind in my reviews at the moment so sadly I am reviewing this by memory after reading it a couple of months ago. As always....
*MINOR SPOILERS IN MY REVIEW*
This was my first introduction to Thóra Gudmundsdottir and it wasn't until after I read the novel that I realised this is part of a series. In any case the novel works quite well as a stand alone novel and I don't think anyone picking this up would feel that they had missed out somehow.
The basic premise of the novel is that a luxury yacht arrives in Reykjavík harbour with no crew and no passengers. The parents of the passengers and their young grandchild wonder where their family have got to. Thóra is hired by the grandparents to help them with their financial affairs and the life insurance policies of their son with a view to getting custody of their sole remaining grandchild - the other two on the yacht when it left Lisbon.
I really liked this book, although the pacing is quite slow early on the reader is left guessing throughout as the layers of the story are unpeeled. I quite like the structure of the book, alternating chapters from the perspective of the crew and family on the yacht and Thóra slowly uncovering the mystery.
Who doesn't like a Mary Celeste style mystery then? A yacht sets off from Lisbon then suddenly crashes into the harbour in Reykjavík completely empty with no clues whatsoever...
This is quite a clever book although it took a while to get going. The chapters on the yacht are quite unsettling - you feel something bad will happen to the family but don't know what or when. The heartstrings are pulled, knowing there are two little girls on the yacht. The reader doesn't know who to trust. The crew are all afraid of the family and each other. Everyone is under suspicion. There is a heavy sense of the supernatural element to the book, is the yacht haunted? It is truly quite spooky. It reminded me a little of 'The Shining'. One knows there is no escape and no one is coming back, it is really quite terrifying in places.
Thóra is aided on her investigations by the police, her partner and her employee Bella. I am amazed that Bella remained employed by her, maybe she had something on her from a previous novel. She is quite funny but completely unemployable!
One has to remember that Iceland is a small country and pretty much everyone knows everyone, it is remarkable how easy it is for people to make connections to other people. What would seem like implausible coincidences in other novels probably get a pass here.
Covering the Icelandic banking crisis, celebrity culture, and the legalese of Icelandic adoption law are covered here.
Good novel
*MINOR SPOILERS IN MY REVIEW*
This was my first introduction to Thóra Gudmundsdottir and it wasn't until after I read the novel that I realised this is part of a series. In any case the novel works quite well as a stand alone novel and I don't think anyone picking this up would feel that they had missed out somehow.
The basic premise of the novel is that a luxury yacht arrives in Reykjavík harbour with no crew and no passengers. The parents of the passengers and their young grandchild wonder where their family have got to. Thóra is hired by the grandparents to help them with their financial affairs and the life insurance policies of their son with a view to getting custody of their sole remaining grandchild - the other two on the yacht when it left Lisbon.
I really liked this book, although the pacing is quite slow early on the reader is left guessing throughout as the layers of the story are unpeeled. I quite like the structure of the book, alternating chapters from the perspective of the crew and family on the yacht and Thóra slowly uncovering the mystery.
Who doesn't like a Mary Celeste style mystery then? A yacht sets off from Lisbon then suddenly crashes into the harbour in Reykjavík completely empty with no clues whatsoever...
This is quite a clever book although it took a while to get going. The chapters on the yacht are quite unsettling - you feel something bad will happen to the family but don't know what or when. The heartstrings are pulled, knowing there are two little girls on the yacht. The reader doesn't know who to trust. The crew are all afraid of the family and each other. Everyone is under suspicion. There is a heavy sense of the supernatural element to the book, is the yacht haunted? It is truly quite spooky. It reminded me a little of 'The Shining'. One knows there is no escape and no one is coming back, it is really quite terrifying in places.
Thóra is aided on her investigations by the police, her partner and her employee Bella. I am amazed that Bella remained employed by her, maybe she had something on her from a previous novel. She is quite funny but completely unemployable!
One has to remember that Iceland is a small country and pretty much everyone knows everyone, it is remarkable how easy it is for people to make connections to other people. What would seem like implausible coincidences in other novels probably get a pass here.
Covering the Icelandic banking crisis, celebrity culture, and the legalese of Icelandic adoption law are covered here.
Good novel
Spoiler
the ending is truly heartbreaking and I felt like cryingcolinrafferty's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kfmaria's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
jaranatalia's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
bucherca49's review against another edition
2.0
This was the first book in the Thora series that I did not like, primarily because of the ending. I wanted more of Thora's family and more of Matthew. I also wanted less of Bella. I can't understand why Thora keeps on an employee like Bella.
mllepoebel's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75