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stisa06's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
judithdcollins's review
4.0
A special thank you to St. Martin's Press, Minotaur Books, and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME, Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s latest complex crime thriller (Thora Gudmundsdottir #5 Series) reminding you of the classic, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, with this multi-layered dark spine-chilling psycho- Nordic noir.
Set in Iceland, a fire, an arson eighteen months earlier. A young man, Jakob with Down's Syndrome had been convicted of burning down a residential assisted living facility and killing five people.
A fellow inmate of the Secure Psychiatric Unit (SPU) at Sogan has requested Thor’s assistance, and says Jakob is his friend. He is twenty years old and may spend the rest of his life here. Karlsoon says Jakob did not do it, and wants Thora to prove it.
Until 1992, prisoners with mental health problems had either been placed in institutions aboard or simply kept among the general population at at Litla-Hraun prison. Neither option was ideal. The first option: the language barrier, untold hardships and the distance from their family and friends. The latter: The prison was not an adequate healthcare facility.
Thora did not know how well the prisoners considered to be of sound mind would interact with those suffering from mental illness, and she could not imagine how the harsh conditions of prison life could possibly be conducive to the treatment of the criminally insane. All seven places at Sogna were always occupied.
The guy hiring her is no run of the mill inmate, due to lack of evidence in several cases, he received suspended sentence of six years for false imprisonment. Twelve years later he sexually assaulted a teen, and this time there was no neighbor who intervened. However, when reading through the records, the police had received an anonymous tip telling them exactly where to find certain things.
He was found guilty but declared no criminally liable due to insanity. This meant he was acquitted of criminal charged and sentenced to the SPU, until the court proposed he was no longer a threat. He now has been here eight years and says he has inherited money from his mother. And he says, “A child who’s had their fingers burned might still want to play with tire. “ (now wonder what he means by this) we soon find out.
The mystery heats up as one case turns into several involving arson, murder, rape, and financial corruption. Thora continues to receive texts from an unidentified sender who seems to be feeding her enigmatic clues. A mysterious set of numbers and letters appears in a text, as well as on a frosted window and in the drawings of an autistic boy. Then, there is a haunted house and a ghost. And how is the multiple murder connected to the death of a young woman, killed in what was supposed to be a hit-and-run?
Wow, Thora is really thrown into a complex case(s), and in addition dealing with the disabled, family of those with disabilities, as well as the world of rehabilitation, she is dealing with criminals--she has to question.
There are numerous pieces to this mysterious puzzle and Thora is tenacious, in getting to the core to connect all the dots. At the same time she relates to Iceland's recent financial and economical issues, and other items of reference to provide vivid descriptions and settings of the area. Many secondary characters, with twists and turns for a complex multi-layered engrossing suspense, and the cases all come together for an explosive ending.
Well written and intense, with extensive research into mental illness, emotional and social issues, with a nice balance of Thora’s work and personal life. My first book by this author, and look forward to reading more!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME, Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s latest complex crime thriller (Thora Gudmundsdottir #5 Series) reminding you of the classic, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, with this multi-layered dark spine-chilling psycho- Nordic noir.
Set in Iceland, a fire, an arson eighteen months earlier. A young man, Jakob with Down's Syndrome had been convicted of burning down a residential assisted living facility and killing five people.
A fellow inmate of the Secure Psychiatric Unit (SPU) at Sogan has requested Thor’s assistance, and says Jakob is his friend. He is twenty years old and may spend the rest of his life here. Karlsoon says Jakob did not do it, and wants Thora to prove it.
Until 1992, prisoners with mental health problems had either been placed in institutions aboard or simply kept among the general population at at Litla-Hraun prison. Neither option was ideal. The first option: the language barrier, untold hardships and the distance from their family and friends. The latter: The prison was not an adequate healthcare facility.
Thora did not know how well the prisoners considered to be of sound mind would interact with those suffering from mental illness, and she could not imagine how the harsh conditions of prison life could possibly be conducive to the treatment of the criminally insane. All seven places at Sogna were always occupied.
The guy hiring her is no run of the mill inmate, due to lack of evidence in several cases, he received suspended sentence of six years for false imprisonment. Twelve years later he sexually assaulted a teen, and this time there was no neighbor who intervened. However, when reading through the records, the police had received an anonymous tip telling them exactly where to find certain things.
He was found guilty but declared no criminally liable due to insanity. This meant he was acquitted of criminal charged and sentenced to the SPU, until the court proposed he was no longer a threat. He now has been here eight years and says he has inherited money from his mother. And he says, “A child who’s had their fingers burned might still want to play with tire. “ (now wonder what he means by this) we soon find out.
The mystery heats up as one case turns into several involving arson, murder, rape, and financial corruption. Thora continues to receive texts from an unidentified sender who seems to be feeding her enigmatic clues. A mysterious set of numbers and letters appears in a text, as well as on a frosted window and in the drawings of an autistic boy. Then, there is a haunted house and a ghost. And how is the multiple murder connected to the death of a young woman, killed in what was supposed to be a hit-and-run?
Wow, Thora is really thrown into a complex case(s), and in addition dealing with the disabled, family of those with disabilities, as well as the world of rehabilitation, she is dealing with criminals--she has to question.
There are numerous pieces to this mysterious puzzle and Thora is tenacious, in getting to the core to connect all the dots. At the same time she relates to Iceland's recent financial and economical issues, and other items of reference to provide vivid descriptions and settings of the area. Many secondary characters, with twists and turns for a complex multi-layered engrossing suspense, and the cases all come together for an explosive ending.
Well written and intense, with extensive research into mental illness, emotional and social issues, with a nice balance of Thora’s work and personal life. My first book by this author, and look forward to reading more!
Judith D. Collins Must Read Books
colorfulleo92's review against another edition
4.0
One of the better thrillers I've read recently. Quite engaging and thrilling read.
bookguyinva2022's review against another edition
4.0
These books are so good and creepy. 4*s because it wasn't the best of her's that I've read and it got a little muddled in the middle. But OMG that ending!!!! There will be nightmares
wildgurl's review against another edition
5.0
Someone To Watch Over Me
(Thora Gunmundsdottir Series #5)
by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
2013
Minotaur
5.0 / 5.0
Thora Gunmundsdottir is a high priced lawyer in Iceland. In this book of the series, #5, Thora has been hired by a convicted pedophile, Josteinn, who is locked in a home for the criminally insane, He wants Tora to prove another perosn in the hospital is not guilty of the crime that had him sent there. Jakob, a young man with Downs syndrome, is accused of starting a fire in his care facility, killing 4 disabled children and a security guard. Authorities believe he is responsible for the murder and belongs in the facility. But is Jakob even capable of this, or is he being made a scapegoat? And is the fire related to the rape of Lisa, also in the facility?
Yrsa is one of the best thriller/horror writers. Her ability to weave complex stories with a message, and to build characters and suspense make her stories so suspenseful and twisted. This was great insight also into the way people with mental, physical or psychological handicaps are seen in Iceland.
Outstanding....recommended.
(Thora Gunmundsdottir Series #5)
by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
2013
Minotaur
5.0 / 5.0
Thora Gunmundsdottir is a high priced lawyer in Iceland. In this book of the series, #5, Thora has been hired by a convicted pedophile, Josteinn, who is locked in a home for the criminally insane, He wants Tora to prove another perosn in the hospital is not guilty of the crime that had him sent there. Jakob, a young man with Downs syndrome, is accused of starting a fire in his care facility, killing 4 disabled children and a security guard. Authorities believe he is responsible for the murder and belongs in the facility. But is Jakob even capable of this, or is he being made a scapegoat? And is the fire related to the rape of Lisa, also in the facility?
Yrsa is one of the best thriller/horror writers. Her ability to weave complex stories with a message, and to build characters and suspense make her stories so suspenseful and twisted. This was great insight also into the way people with mental, physical or psychological handicaps are seen in Iceland.
Outstanding....recommended.
psander's review against another edition
2.0
Book #5 in the Thora Gudmundsdottir series is missing many of the atmospheric elements that made the previous books so captivating. The setting is post-financial collapse Iceland and there are attempts in the first third of the book to let the mood of economic uncertainty flavor the story. Thora’s parents move in with her to save costs and barely inhabited neighborhoods of abandoned new construction dot the landscapes, but these elements feel long forgotten by the closing chapters. As for the mystery, it unfolds as thoroughly as usual. Thora, who is more impatient than clever, connects the dots a bit slower than the reader might. Some light hints at supernatural elements are sprinkled in to elevate this mystery to thriller status, but overall this misses the high mark set by previous books in the series.
saltycorpse's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic book that really digs down into political and ethical issues surrounding the treatment and institutions available to (and sometimes forced upon) disabled individuals. Also a great crime-thriller which a believable ending.
gwenhwyfar82's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
ostatnieslowoo's review against another edition
4.0
3,75 ⭐
To było moje pierwsze spotkanie z islandzką literaturą i jestem bardzo pozytywnie zaskoczona. Historia była bardzo wciągająca, sama intryga kryminalna polega na śledztwie prowadzonym przez prawniczkę Thorę aby doprowadzić do kasacji procesu. Podobało mi się to, że cała fabuła kręciła się wokół osób niepełnosprawnych i porusza problem odrzucenia społecznego i nierównego traktowania ich wobec prawa. Ja wkręciłam się bez końca. Nie czyta się jej w zawrotnym tempie, ale od samego początku byłam ciekawa jak to się skończy. Moja ocena byłaby o wiele wyższa gdyby nie wątek paranormalny, który niby był wyjaśniony, po czym na samym końcu wrócił jak bumerang i nie do końca mi się to podobało.
To było moje pierwsze spotkanie z islandzką literaturą i jestem bardzo pozytywnie zaskoczona. Historia była bardzo wciągająca, sama intryga kryminalna polega na śledztwie prowadzonym przez prawniczkę Thorę aby doprowadzić do kasacji procesu. Podobało mi się to, że cała fabuła kręciła się wokół osób niepełnosprawnych i porusza problem odrzucenia społecznego i nierównego traktowania ich wobec prawa. Ja wkręciłam się bez końca. Nie czyta się jej w zawrotnym tempie, ale od samego początku byłam ciekawa jak to się skończy. Moja ocena byłaby o wiele wyższa gdyby nie wątek paranormalny, który niby był wyjaśniony, po czym na samym końcu wrócił jak bumerang i nie do końca mi się to podobało.