I always enjoy Viveca Sten's books. I love the Swedish setting and I love the platonic relationship between Thomas and Nora. This mystery did not disappoint even though it didn't follow the traditional mystery format--we got to know the killer quite well before the major crimes were committed. I did find it odd that this was the second book in the series that had a sister committing crimes to avenge her dead, bullied brother. It's not a bad storyline but one we just had 3-4 books previous.

I've been enjoying Viveca Sten's Sandhamn mysteries for a few years now, and I'm happy to return to the island with In the Shadow of Power.

It is difficult to maintain the essence of small places when they become popular, and the citizens of Sandhamn have made an effort to keep the Sandhamn traditions and coastlines from becoming lost to summer visitors. When the wealthy and arrogant Carsten Jonsson manages to flout the rules and traditions with his new summer house, islanders are not happy.

Jonsson has received anonymous threats and warnings, but when Jonsson's guest house burns down and an unidentified corpse is found inside, the situation escalates.

Thomas Andreasson isn't sure if it was an accident or a murder (the fire was arson, but was the death deliberate?), and Carsten Jonsson's arrogance isn't helping the investigation. Nora gets drawn into a dangerous situation as suspicions mount.

I would love to visit Sandhamn in person, but must make do with Sten's mysteries set on the beautiful Swedish island.

NetGalley
Mystery/Police Procedural. Oct. 22, 2019. Print length: 398 pages.

I've been a sucker for Nordic Noir literature for so long that when I discovered Viveca Sten's "Sandhamn Murders" series a year ago I was sooo excited. I devoured the first six books in the series, and when I saw book 7 on Netgalley I jumped at the chance to read it before publication. This time we meet Thomas and Nora several years after the end of book 6, and I think that was a total success on the part of the author, cause we can see how the main characters have evolved and how they manage their new lives : Nora's new family and work situation, Thomas' midlife crisis trying to decide if he still wants to be a policeman... Several other authors should take note and do the same to their series so they don't stall.

In this instance, the story got off to a slow start till the dead body appears at 40% of the book. It was interesting reading about the Jonsson family dynamics, and how money and a feeling of power can affect you. The tension kept building nicely towards the end making it impossible for me to stop reading.

Once again the author brings to life a wonderful Swedish setting with a cast of characters you can't help to hold dear. Can't wait for the next book in the series!

Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Crossing for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I've liked Sten's previous books in her Sandhamn series and this seventh installment was enjoyable. Nora's life is better than ever and Thomas is considering some changes. They both get involved in a case of arson that resulted in the death of a person. Who it was is not clear. Why the person is dead is even harder to know. As usual, there are tons of suspects and red herrings, a pulse-raising last part and a surprising ending. What I didn't quite like was that it took too long for the action to begin. I like the recurring characters and want to know what's been going on in their lives since the last novel but I wanted something to happen. Once it does, I was hooked. But what I really liked was how the action turns in on itself. What you think is the main issue, is not. I don't want to give too much away but I really wanted to know where things would end up. This is a very good series.
I chose to read this book and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, NetGalley/AmazonCrossing!

Fans have eagerly awaited this next story, the seventh, in the excellent Sandhamn mystery series. Set in the fascinating Stockholm archipelago, the charming island and its culture of Sandhamm are the stars of these mysteries involving lawyer Nora and her childhood friend police detective Thomas. It's really a perfect match of characters, every time.
The story places Nora and Thomas a few years past the last installment. A Swedish expat millionaire is building a summer home on the island for his family, but conflicts start up, both with his neighbors and his job. His financial investment is now involving Russian speculation, and his empire is teetering. Sten brings her legal background into play, as well as maintaining a welcomed domestic feel to the story. Fans have seen Nora and Thomas through their ups and downs with their work, families, children, and spouses in a most realistic way. Issues such as divorce, death, estrangement, sexual harassment, environment, and tradition are subtly addressed, Sten allows her protagonists to have conflicts, doubts, and successes that make this series especially rewarding to readers. And, again, the beautiful Swedish setting and interesting culture are vividly brought to life in Sten's skillful and sensitive writing. Highly recommended! And to the author, please continue this excellent series!

This is the seventh book in the series and another good one. As in the previous ones the author connects the events in the prologue to the main story towards the end. The story line flows smoothly. A must read for the readers of the series.

We're given the reason for all the fires and people killed in the first chapter. You only had to know who the people were and the name changes to figure this out. Fat chance in remembering. I like the way Viveca sets us up with this, it happens every book so far. We're given Carsten Jonsson and his wife Celia as the new kids on the block to make the story whole. Carsten is an investment banker who has made investments in Russia in the oil and gas industry. He has built his house before his investment is sound and has invited everyone on the island to come to his house warming. Nora is involved with Celia and the children and with finding the truth about Carsten while Thomas, who's Nora friend is involved with the house fire and the death of a man. Agaton who's Carsten's neighbor has complained and had the local authorities bring things against Carsten. The story basically brings all these things to light and it goes on from there. I haven't talked about other characters but it's important you know all the people to resolve this mystery and to solve it. I like that Viveca lets us get involved with the other characters and she lets us know what happens to them. I would recommend this book to my people who follow my reviews.

This book was fast paced. Hard to put down. It flowed well and it was very well written. It caught hold of me and had me hooked from the start . I was literally on the edge of my seat reading this book.

This is a solid mystery with a European feel to it. This is an experienced author and it shows. There are a lot of helpful reviews already, so I'll just say this is pretty good, but not great. I may check out her other work.

I really appreciate the advanced copy for review!!

5 stars

Carsten Johnsson has purchased a plot of land on Sandhamn. He is building a fabulous home on the property – and also fencing off access to the beaches, in direct opposition to the traditions of Sandhamn. The neighbors are angry. Carsten doesn't care what the locals think. He is arrogant, condescending and outspoken about his distaste for the traditions of the community. He is headed for a fall.

Carsten is a wheeler/dealer in the stock market. He has a huge deal on the go with a Russian firm through his friend Anatoly. He has gambled much on this deal. In fact he has gone into considerable debt and has leveraged all of his assets on the success of the deal. But he is getting very nervous. For some reason he is no longer getting the positive responses he once received.

He and his wife have two children, Oliver and Sarah, and a Swedish nanny named Maria. At Carsten's insistence, the family must learn to speak Swedish. Carsten's wife Celia does not want to live on an island in the middle of the sea, she much prefers staying in London. Celia is depressed, he relationship with Carsten is not what it once was. She has isolated herself even from her own children. Maria takes care of them and spends much more time with them than Celia does.

Detective Thomas Andreasson is questioning whether he wants to stay a cop. All of the pain and hopelessness of it is getting to him. His friend attorney Nora Linde is living with Jonas with their three children and things are going well. But she sees there may be problems brewing on the island between the locals and the Johnssons.

Carsten throws a lavish party for the islanders, boasting and being obnoxious to all. That same night, their guesthouse burns to the ground. It is arson and when the fire is out, a body is found in the ruins. Since Carsten didn't come home the night before, it is feared that the body in the guesthouse is his.

Something bad is happening at the Johnsson house. Celia has turned up bruised, Maria is not talking to anyone and the children are frightened. What is going on? Who is the man who died in the fire? Carsten's combative attorney neighbor is avoiding the police and their questions.

In an exciting denouement, the reader learns all. Several things are going on at once as the story races from scene to scene. Very well done, Ms. Sten!

This book is very well plotted and written. Ms. Sten is a superlative writer and I have been reading her books from her first to be published in English. I also can't give enough praise to the translator of this novel, Marlaine Delargy. Her execution is flawless. I could find no errors in the book. I like Nora and Thomas and am anxious to learn if Thomas takes the new opportunity that Erik offered him. (Arrgh! I wanted to know it in this series entry!) I am very anxious to read the next book in this series.

I want to thank NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for forwarding to me a copy of this absolutely great book for me to read, enjoy and review.

Thank you NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for the eARC.
Always looking forward to the new Sandhamn, I was delighted to read no. 7 in the series.
Nora is back on Sandhamn with her partner and their daughter. Her boys are on vacation with their father. It's several years after the 6th in the series and a wealthy Swede is building an enormous mansion on the island and a lot of the population is unhappy because he's not adhering to the standards of the island, due to the size of of the house and its closeness to the water. He's expecting to close a deal with a Russian conglomerate and to float a company on the New York stock exchange. Things don't go to plan and after he has thrown himself a lavish welcome party his guesthouse is burned to the ground killing an unknown man, this after other nasty incidents which show how unhappy anonymous people are with his project. Are these acts committed by locale or is it the Russians trying to thwart his business plans? He's looking at losing everything and losing his mind at the same time and his family is suffering at his hands.
Thomas and his police partner are trying to untangle the mess, with some help from his good friend Nora.
As usual, I enjoyed the book and can't wait for no. 8!

This was another winner from the author. The book was filled with a good deal of mystery and suspense. However, I felt that the ending was rather flat and was a 'read my next book' ending. Despite that this is a book which I would recommend to others.

It's always good news when one of my favorite Nordic Noir authors, Viveca Sten, has a book translated (by Marlaine Delargy) into English. Nora is back on the island of Sandhamn, where a wealthy venture capitalist has built a gigantic house which many of the locals consider an eyesore. He decides to throw a party to welcome himself and his family to the community--resentment is brewing, and there is a catastrophic fire and a death. Was the fire set by one of the angry locals, or is it somehow related to his dealings with some shady Russian oligarchs? Recommended for anyone who enjoys a well-plotted mystery, particularly the Nordic Noir genre.

I enjoy this series very much and was thrilled to be granted access to the new entry. If you love Scandinavian thrillers as much as I do, I encourage you to try this one.

I did feel that this one got off to a slow start at first but the hair raising ending was more then enough to make me want more. A wonderful locale, interesting characters and a good story. Who could ask for more?

Put this one on your 2019 reading list.

Wow cant believe gotta wait till number 8 is published. Absolutely love this series although i did think i had missed one as between number 6 and number 7 a lot has happened.

Highly recommended read