A debut Novel written by Karin Nordin, set in a small town in northern Sweden, the home town of main character, Kjeld Nygaard.  Kjeld's father leaves a vague message with information about witnessing a murder in their barn, prompting Kjeld to drop everything and return to the mining town to find out what happened.  While investigating the potential crime, Kjeld has multiple run-ins with the local police chief, an old friend with whom there is animosity which is to be explored. 

As the plot develops, we are given an insight into a variety of complex family dynamics, involving secrets held for many years and how to manage when a parent is struggling with deteriorating health.  As the secrets unravel, and the truth becomes clear, you become more and more invested in the plot. 

Kjeld Nygaard has been written as an investigator with a troubled past, with a recent high profile case that has gone wrong. While I understand the purpose of having an event such as this to draw upon for the characters current mental state, I feel this has been done before, and repeatedly by many other similar novels, and so I wasn't thrilled to see it again.  Initially I found the pace of the novel to be quite slow, with not much seeming to happen, and I almost lost interest. The pace definitely picks up and I found myself devouring the second half of the book! 

This is so impressive as a debut novel, and I can't wait to see what Nordin does next. 

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book

Scandi Noir but with a slow pace, a story about Alzheimer's and lots of ravens. Too many ravens. They're the only characters at the start of the book and there's a lot of information about them which I found unnecessary as well as creeping me out. Guess that bit worked then!

The novel and plot are good but for me they were bogged down in detail and explanation of birds, inheritance laws and the backstory of the main character. When the novel focused on the crime and the reluctance of the police to investigate the ramblings of a mentally ill man, then it was classic Scandi Noir

I would read another from this author but this wasn't my favourite.

A good crime noir novel and very atmospheric. Well drawn characters and well written. Shows good promise and I will interested to read this author's next offering.
One huge plea to all authors-please, please, please can we ditch the Alzheimer's storylines? Typically not handled well and becoming ubiquitous. It was this that dropped a star for me-I was close to dropping two but that felt a bit unfair

Kjeld Nygaard receives a very garbled phone message from his father, Stenar, that he has witnessed a murder. Already on suspension following a complicated murder enquiry, Kjeld rushes back to his home town, a place he never really wanted to go back to, especially  as he and his father had a falling out 12 years ago and hadn’t spoken since. The local police chief had been a childhood friend, but things had turned sour when they had worked together years ago. No body was found by the police but Kjeld can’t leave it at that. As he makes more waves locally things start to get more and more complicated for him. 

This is an atmospheric piece, very well written, and the descriptions of Kjelds home town are excellent.  It shows how complicated family relationships can be, how your memories shape you and those around you, especially when you blame yourself for not being good enough. Kjeld is a well drawn, if flawed character but his honesty and determination to not let his father down shine through, Family dynamics are complicated but this makes for an even more interesting read. For a debut novel this is an excellent read, and I’m really hoping this character will be developed further, I would be very keen to read this authors next book. 

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

As soon as I started I had a Jo Nesbo feeling and was hooked. This gripping crime debut was absolutely perfect for me as I needed a story to get me back into reading after all Christmassy romance.
I will not be surprised if Karin Nordin will make this book into a series, following detective Kjeld Nygaard twisted life and uncovering more dark secrets. 
The detailed descriptions of atmosphere and surroundings are what make this novel brilliant. Characters are all flawed and each fight their own battles, turning them into potential murderers. I have suspected all and none and I have to say that it only took me two days to finish it because I couldn't put it down. 
Incorporating family drama and the life in a small town where people know each other and generations grew up following  their parents footsteps without ambitions of their own, detective Nygaard feels like he doesn't belong. He always wanted to get out, become a police officer and leave as far as possible from his father and the ravens. He wanted that life to be put behind him and forget all that happened. But the past has a way of drawing you back and reveal its implications when least expected. 
 It is the pure dark noir Scandinavian captivating story that will stay with me for a long time.

A debut Scandi noir novel written by a US author.  Detective Kjeld Nygaard is suspended for a period following a shooting in a difficult case when he receives a message from his father saying that there’s a body in the barn.  He returns home to a small community in the north of Sweden to see what’s going on, but his father is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s so is there a body in reality?

What follows is a well-plotted gripping thriller, which exposes fractured family and community relationships as well as the more conventional investigation.  It is well done and deals with the downsides of Swedish small town life in the dark cold north.  There is the occasional infelicity, like the information dump explaining the difference between US and Swedish inheritance laws, rather than leaving the reader to infer this, and the big reveal was apparent from about halfway through, but overall this is a gripping read and I would read more from this author.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a review copy.

This is a great book, set against a Scandinavian backdrop, I am delighted with netgalley for letting me read this debut, by a promising author.

This book is the very definition of Scandinavian noir.  I love the dark, brooding atmosphere created by the desolate landscape, the small rural community and the troubled characters, not to mention the  menacing ravens! This book is highly addictive, well paced and cleverly plotted.  This is a brilliant debut novel and I can’t wait for the next book in the series.

Set against the bleak snow-laden Norwegian backdrop, Nordin has produced an immersive tale of past secrets and flawed family relationships, all wrapped up with a brutal imagery and compelling narrative that had me glued to my Kindle for most of the day. 
Detective Kjeld Nygaard, suspended from the force, receives a garbled message from his father, Stenar. Someone has died. The who, where and when are less easy to define when Kjeld finally arrives in the dark mining village that was his home. His father has dementia and is unable recall the conversation. If only the ravens could speak... 
This is going straight to the top of my favourite reads list for 2021. Reading a best seller in the making before the critics get their mitts on it is truly an honour. I have no doubt that this will be the first of many successes by this writer.