Author: Camilla Grebe
Published: 8 September 2016
Reviewed: 30 September 2016
4.5 out of 5 stars
Copy supplied by Bonnier Zaffre in return for an honest review
Description:
NO ORDINARY PSYCHOLOGICAL THRILLER – THIS WILL KEEP YOU UP ALL NIGHT
For fans of Jo Nesbo and The Bridge, The Ice Beneath Her is a gripping and deeply disturbing story about love, betrayal and obsession that is impossible to put down. Fast-paced and peopled with compelling characters, it surprises at every turn as it hurtles towards an unforgettable ending with a twist you really won’t see coming . . .
A young woman is found beheaded in an infamous business tycoon’s marble-lined hallway.
The businessman, scandal-ridden CEO of the retail chain Clothes & More, is missing without a trace.
But who is the dead woman? And who is the brutal killer who wielded the machete?
Rewind two months earlier to meet Emma Bohman, a sales assistant for Clothes & More, whose life is turned upside down by a chance encounter with Jesper Orre. Insisting that their love affair is kept secret, he shakes Emma’s world a second time when he suddenly leaves her with no explanation.
As frightening things begin to happen to Emma, she suspects Jesper is responsible. But why does he want to hurt her? And how far would he go to silence his secret lover?
My Thoughts & Review:
As a fan of Scandi Noir I was instantly intrigued by this book, the description sounded like just the sort of book to get stuck into on a quiet night.
This gripping psychological thriller immediately grabs the reader’s attention, the decapitated body of a young woman is discovered, and more curiously it was discovered in the home of an infamous business tycoon.
With narration from the perspective of three characters makes this story very interesting, and helps to make this a fast paced read, but also gives a real insight into the characters. The subsequent development of each character makes this a fascinating read and found I was thoroughly enjoying their individual tales.
Hanne, formerly a criminal profiler, diagnosed with early onset dementia and in a controlling and loveless marriage, is a fantastic character and one I was cheering on whilst I read.
Peter, the detective with commitment issues (unless it’s work he has to commit to), is good at his job, but his personal life….not so organised. Together Peter and Hanne work well, its clear there is a shared history and it makes reading the story much more enjoyable.
Emma’s story was probably the most interesting one, a young woman that meets and falls in love with the CEO of the company she works for but their love affair has to be kept secret because of who he is.
There is some very clever plotting in this book, it’s very dark and disturbing, Grebe weaves together twists and turns that have the reader guessing at what might happen next. I feel that I should praise the translation of this book. All too often when a book is translated into English, something can be “lost” but I am so pleased that is not the case with this one. It has the hallmarks of a Scandi thriller, cold, dark and direct which really work well here, making this one of the best books I’ve read this year.
You can buy a copy of The Ice Beneath Her here.
Many thanks to the publisher for a copy of this in return for an honest review.