I really enjoyed A Nearly Normal Family so I was excited to read an ARC of this. I liked this, didn’t love it.

It was a bit slow for me and could’ve been a bit shorter. I’m always hit or miss with character driven novels; and while I love having a nosy maid and a mysterious wife, and originally thought ooh this is gonna be good; it just dove a little too in depth with too many characters for me.

I did like the different POVs and alternating chapters with interrogations, crime scenes and newspaper posts. The ending was a bit out there but unique; I did like the secrets that popped up along the way.
⭐️⭐️⭐️✨

I tried but had trouble getting into this book and I had to dnf at the 25 % mark. Might try later but having health issues do reading is hard for me right now

The author's writing for this book is very similar to his debut novel, A Nearly Normal Family.
It centers around three main characters: Karla, Bill, and Jennika. The story is progressively told from their respective point of views.
The three of them are unlikable, shady characters. At times, they are downright insufferable.
Edvardsson tells the story in an unusual way, but it works. It all comes back and makes sense at the end.
I must admit, I did not see the twist coming, although I had some suspicions. That's about as far as i'll go, because i'll ruin the book if i give more details. Trust me, if youre reading the book you'll want to find out the ending for yourself.
I enjoyed this Nordic Noir book, although it isn't as atmospheric or gruesome as most Scandinavian thrillers usually are.
I would recommend you start with this author if you're not sure Nordic Noir is for you. He gives you a taste of the genre without too many dark, gritty details.

The book opens with a rich couple, the Rytters, found murdered in their home. You don't get much detail other than that. You then get introduced to three characters who we alternate POVs leading up to the murders.
Bill - he has just lost his wife recently from cancer. He is having some financial problems and is struggling to look after his daughter Sally. He decides to lease a room in their house to make more money.
Kara - She rents the room while studying for law school. She takes on a job as a cleaner at the Rytter's home.
Jeninca - She used to be besties with Bill's wife, but they had a falling out. She is now having an affair with Mr. Rytter.
Intercut we get snippets of police interrogation transcripts after the murders.

This is a solid domestic suspense novel which hooks you in and has you riveted.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for sending a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

SYNOPSIS:
- Set in Lund, Sweden
- Bill is recently widowed, and he lives with his daughter, Sally. He is having trouble making ends meet, and he rents out a room to Karla.
- Karla is a cleaner for the Rytters, a wealthy, married couple. The wife is ill, and she never leaves the house.
- At the beginning, we learn both of the Rytters died. What happened?

MY THOUGHTS
- This fell flat to me. The ending & the story were just okay. The plot also didn’t feel super original to me.
- I wasn’t a huge fan of the book starting with revealing the Rytters ultimately die.
- Not any likable or redeemable characters.
- Too many characters in this one & dragged on as well.
- Told from multiple povs/characters, as well as snippets of police interviews & news articles.
- There were not really any thrills or suspense in this book.

TL;DR: ⭐️⭐️⭐️2.5 rounded up to 3. Decent/okay read.

Thanks to Celadon Books and Netgalley for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review. It is out now and available to read.

3.5/5

I definitely thought this book was too long and could have been shorter. The cleaning lady and wife upstairs is always a book trope I’m willing to read. You get different perspectives from the characters which is always something I enjoy in a book.

The ending definitely shocked me. Would still recommend. Just felt it was slow and could have been shorter.

The pace was a little slow for me, but I think it's what the story needed. I liked the book overall and will recommend it to my followers who enjoy Nordic mystery books.

This was an ok thriller with a procedural aspect. I had an ok time, but nothing I will remember years from now. If you like crime novels with procedural aspects definitely pick this one up. This won't keep me from picking up more from the author, but I don't know if I will search it out.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.

This book was fast moving with short chapters. Unfortunately, the three narrators were all unlikeable and the writing didn’t do much to distinguish them from one another. They all had the same “voice”.

Thank you netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest review.

Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me. I kept losing interest early on. I can see why others would enjoy but it just wasn’t for me. #TheWomanInside #NetGalley

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. I enjoyed Edvardson's first book, so I was excited to get to read this one. Unfortunately, I got it approved too close to the pub date and did not get the chance to read it before that.

The Woman Inside by M. T. Edvardsson is a deeply layered domestic thriller which I enjoyed very much! The opening scene reveals the discovery of a wealthy murdered couple - but is this truly a family tragedy?

Three points of view plus various interspersed interrogations, news articles and reports move the story along at a fast speed. As everyone has their own motive - everyone is a murder suspect. This is a very character driven book, and I really came to understand each of the three narrators well; I love when thrillers are less about pulse-pounding moments, and instead really create the mindset of the characters.

This book was simple, but complex all at the same time. The story unwinds and unravels in the most perfect way and it is one you need to be paying attention to. At one point I was reading the book one way, and then suddenly it got flipped around, and all of a sudden everything I thought was right was now left.

Finally:
-this one is for those that love gray areas and vigilante justice
-this title can be taken so many different ways, and it's so perfectly fitting!
-the last line of this book is absolutely brilliant, and it says so much about the character!
-this book only re-confirmed my adoration and respect for Swedish authors

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for the complimentary copy to read and review.

Good “cozy” domestic mystery. I was invested the entire time and was curious of how everything would come together. I have a couple unanswered questions but nothing too pressing. I thought the ending was a bit far fetched.

Thank you NetGalley and Celadon Books for this advanced copy. I did not finish the book in time because I kind of lost interest in the story. There were parts that I was hooked and then parts where I was wanting to DNF. Overall the story was good but it just was not the book for me.

I was a big fan of A Nearly Normal Family, so I was looking forward to this one! Unfortunately, it did not live up to my expectations. It wasn’t a bad book, but more mediocre. Not particularly memorable and the characters didn’t have much depth or anything to really draw me to them.
I do understand that this being his first English language novel must have been challenging to write. This simply didn’t live up to his previous.

When a wealthy couple with a troubled history end up dead, their cleaning woman and her landlord become the prime suspects for murder. As share their complicated lives and history with the police, it becomes clear there’s much more going on than meets the eye. Swedish author M.T. Edvardsson tries to use the flashback method to tell a story that ultimately falls flat in execution in the U.S. release of his new book, The Woman Inside.

Karla Larsson has moved from her small rural town in Sweden to the city of Lund to start her studies as a law student. As she preps for the entrance exam, though, she’s desperate for both a place to stay and a job to help her get by. Karla’s father died when she was a young girl, and her mother has battled drug addiction ever since. If she’s going to make it in this world, Karla has no one to count on but herself.

The student housing in Lund is cheap but way too loud for any meaningful studying. She comes across an ad for a room to rent in another part of town and goes to meet the landlord, Bill. Not sure what to expect, Karla is pleasantly surprised when she realizes Bill is a kind soul and father to eight-year-old Sally. She rents the room right away, and between that and her new side hustle cleaning houses things are finally starting to straighten out for once.

Bill Olsson feels anything but set for life. His fiancé, Miranda, died after a harsh but short bout with cancer. Broke after paying the medical bills and out of a job because he couldn’t keep his work hours, Bill is desperate to make a living. He’s been picking up odd jobs, which helps, but it’s not nearly enough. Renting a room out seems like a risk, but Sally takes to Karla immediately and Bill thinks the arrangement might be a new financial beginning. Maybe, now that he can breathe a little, he can start focusing on finding more meaningful employment.

As far as jobs go, Jennica Jungstedt has one that isn’t conventional although she counts it as meaningful. Jennica spends her evenings talking to people who call into a psychic hotline. She never claims she can talk to the dead, and in most cases callers just need a sympathetic ear. Jennica is more than happy to give that to them. It’s more than she can do for herself or anyone has done for her.

When Jennica starts dating a widower physician, she thinks she’s found The One. The man is an attentive boyfriend, but Jennica can sense he’s holding back. His story about his former wife’s tragic death somehow doesn’t ring true. Still, Jennica is willing to overlook a lot. Her boyfriend’s obviously been through so much; no need to put him through the wringer by asking really hard questions.

Karla gets assigned to clean Steven Rytter’s home and meets his ailing wife, Regina. The two clearly have tons of money, yet they can’t find a cure for Regina’s illness. At first, Karla thinks of the job as fairly straightforward. Steven hired her to clean the house twice a week, so that’s what Karla will do. Yet every time she comes to clean, Regina tries to draw Karla into conversation even though Steven has expressly told Karla not to talk to his wife.

As time goes on and Bill’s financial situation gets more dire, Karla tries to help. Her decision to do so will throw her, Bill, Steven, and Jennica into unforeseen circumstances that eventually lead to Steven and Regina’s murder. The police press Bill, Karla, and Jennica for information, but none of them are ready to give up their secrets or how they might really be connected to one another.

Author M.T. Edvardsson’s second novel to be released in the United States starts with a slow-burn intensity that, unfortunately, gets doused along the way many times. The characters, in a surprising turn for a domestic thriller, are uncomplicated. Edvardsson does his best to offer back stories and motivations for the characters, but these feel insipid at best.

The story begins to pick up steam in the last several chapters, but the big reveal doesn’t make sense given what readers learn about the characters earlier in the book. The plodding pace of the novel gives readers plenty of time to guess what will happen before it does. The final twist is underwhelming at best.

With a plethora of thrillers on the market, readers might be better off giving this one a miss.

I love a good thriller but sadly I felt this one was a bit drawn out for me. I almost felt it a little of the wife upstairs from Rachel Hawkins. I am grateful
For the chance to read it. I liked it I just didn’t love it.

I absolutely love books like this. The mystery was amazing. Not only the mystery of who killed the couple, but the mystery of how the three POVs were going to be related.

This book was fast-paced, intriguing and kept me turning page after page. I am absolutely so happy I ended up getting the audiobook as well, because there’s no way I could accurately pronounce the names of the cities and last names.

Highly recommend this one if you love thrillers/mysteries!

The definition of a thriller, this book told through multiple perspectives is the perfect read if you’re looking for an effortless page turner.

We know the crime immediately: two people, a husband and wife, are found murdered in their home in an affluent neighborhood. The plot unfolds from there, with excerpts from news coverage and police interviews interspersed between the narrative. It turns out none of it is quite what you think.

I appreciated the nods towards Jane Eyre with the “woman inside” - but I think this was likely unintentional. I found the idea of a “family tragedy” being taken apart and examined more closely was very compelling - again, nothing is quite what you think it is. The most engaging part of the plot was the developing relationship between overwhelmed single father Bill, his daughter, and their lodger, student Karla.

The book falls short with (ironically) its length and phoning it in on some of the character development. Some of the connections felt somewhat forced.

This is altogether a very readable, enjoyable thriller. By the time the murderer is revealed, we understand the interconnectedness of all of the characters and how every choice made has consequences for the world around us - even for people we have never met.

A solid mystery that will keep you guessing right up to the end.

The Rytters - A sick wife confined to her home. A shady husband that is definitely up to something. Who murdered this wealthy couple and why?
Bill - recently widowed, broke, and struggling to provide for his daughter alone. What is he willing to do to keep from losing more?
Karla - a law student struggling to reconcile her bills and her troubled past. Will working as the Rytters new maid and moving in with Bill help solve her problems or create new ones?
Jennica - another character struggling with the complexities of life, only her problems seem slightly less significant compared to the others’. What part will she play in this story?

The Woman Inside by M. T. Edvardsson begins with a police report setting up the big question: How did the Rytters die? From there, the story is told in flashbacks from the perspectives of Bill, Karla, and Jennica, as well as, police interviews and news media. I thought the author did a great job with this structure, enhancing the tension and suspense.

There seemed to be a theme throughout the book of money = problems and more money does not = happiness or even contentment. I know this isn’t a new concept, but, in this book, it was actually kind of depressing. Sometimes I would empathize with the characters, and sometimes I would ask whyyyyyyy. This was my first time reading Nordic Noir, and apparently these types of characters and situations are pretty standard for that sub-genre. I think the book was also trying to make a statement on the criminal justice system, but, honestly, I was just in it for the mystery.

While there are no jaw-dropping twists, The Woman Inside is still a well-crafted whodunit with a satisfying conclusion that I recommend to anyone that enjoys that sort of thing.

Thank you Celadon Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.