This was an atmospheric thriller set in Sweden . The descriptions of the countryside drew me in. The mystery was complex and the ending unexpected.

Starting with an attempted murder and the discovery of half a dozen well preserved bodies in the local bog, the main plot is mostly a whodunit. It took a little while to warm up to it, as the prologue kind of starts you off right in the middle of everything then the actual story jumps back a couple weeks and the pace is a little slow. Luckily, I didn't give up on it and by the time the book caught up with "the present" and then moved forward it became really interesting. I liked the ending, it was mostly wrapped up but the author gives a few last minute details for you to contemplate.

The story follows two characters, Nathalie & Maya; half the time I complain when an author uses multiple viewpoints, but in this case both characters were able to keep my attention once they had it. While Nathalie felt like the main character, she wasn't really involved with the investigation until the very end when she suddenly becomes instrumental. I kept expecting her to either be involved with, or become a victim of, the mysterious events. Maya played a large part throughout the investigation, even though she technically only works with the police part-time as an investigative photographer. I ended up enjoying both of their story lines and would love to see either a sequel or spin-off where more of their stories after the book are explored.

As seems to be a trend recently, this book has sparked an interest in researching some historical element. In this case, it is actually more of the setting: bogs/marshlands. The superstitions, and cultural and mythological histories associated with bogs (how can you not find bog sacrifices an interesting subject?) is something that has been added to my list of topics I would like to know more about.

I look forward to reading more from the author, and the translator as well. I think this is one of my first translated reads!

*advanced review copy received from netgalley

Nathalie, a biology major, returned to her Swedish hometown where her parents died in what was believed to be a murder-suicide. She's come to study the plant life in the bog. Things change when she finds a friend seriously injured and left for dead in the bog. Soon bodies are discovered in the bog. I was disappointed in this book. The solution was pretty obvious. While the police are present in the investigation, I never got a real feel for their work on the case. The novel seemed too focused on other aspects. While the author tried to provide a dark atmosphere, she never really achieved it. If you are looking for good "dark" Scandicrime, look elsewhere. I received an electronic copy through NetGalley with the expectation of an honest review.

Creepy and weird — if you like books that are somewhat haunting and creepy and very “atmospheric”, this is one for you! This novel is a mystery centered around deaths (murders?) at a bog and our protagonist lives right next to it and is drawn to it. I liked the bit of history woven into the story about how human sacrifices were done many years ago and how the bog was used for ritual.

I liked the main character in this story, though she has a sad back story – a story which becomes apparent as the novel unfolds. I almost wondered if there could be a sequel to this book when I reached the end – ?? Overall, it was compelling and mysterious and I enjoyed it!

Thank you for my review copy via Net Galley.

Sorry, but I just couldn't get into this book. Granted it started off in first person, which I don't care for, but Nathalie and her inner thoughts were just bizarre to me.

I wanted this book to be so much more than it is. It is a crime mystery/thriller that has whisperings of something sinister and creepy underneath the surface. It is not a horror story, but I'm thinking that maybe it would have been better if it was.

Although this is not a horror story in the true sense of that genre, the underlying tone of the story is dark and definitely includes paranormal phenomena from beginning to end. That's the part I liked.

I wish I could say that I enjoyed the rest of it as much as I anticipated a truly creepy resolution. But neither of those things panned out for me with The Forbidden Place. The paranormal nuances were tossed off as kookery and the human antagonists just weren't as interesting as they were set up to be.

It is not a bad book. The story flows and the characters develop along lines that make sense for each of them. The setting is atmospheric (I learned more about a bog than I really ever really wanted to know) and the ultimate resolution isn't a dead giveaway (no pun intended).

Three stars for a book that is good, but lacking just a little bit of spark that would have made it really good.

I thought this was a ghost story from the summary but it wasn't that at all. This was more of a murder mystery with a creepy setting. The writing was solid and the author kept me interested until the very end.