Behind Blue Eyes

Stockholm Murders Book 1

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Pub Date 26 Apr 2019 | Archive Date 08 Jun 2019

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Description

The perfect man.

The perfect life.

The only problem is the dead body on the beach.

Investigative reporter Ellie has just given up her life in London to be with the man of her dreams in Sweden when she stumbles across a half decomposed skeleton on Midsummer’s eve.

She’s flung into a murder investigation in a country where she doesn’t speak the language and doesn’t know a soul.

Except Johan.

The love of her life.

Who she is beginning to suspect knows a lot more about the body than he is admitting.

Is he the perfect man, or has Ellie uncovered the perfect crime?

A psychological suspense thriller with a twist of Scandi noir - perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train, Gone Girl and The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Grab your copy now!

The perfect man.

The perfect life.

The only problem is the dead body on the beach.

Investigative reporter Ellie has just given up her life in London to be with the man of her dreams in Sweden when she...


Advance Praise

I’ve loved all this author’s books and was excited to read her latest book so settled down to read for a couple of hours, I ended up reading until early hours of the morning. Loved the book, a different setting to her first series but this only added to the story. Ellie the main character is quirky and likeable. I don’t want to tell you too much about the story but if you like a good murder mystery with a bit more to it than the usual blood and gore then give this book a read, you won’t be disappointed. - Susan, Amazon Reviewer

An investigate reporter moves to a new country for love. Its hard enough to feel at home in in a city where you don't know the language. But when you find a body and the rumour mill points too close to home, what do you do? Your instincts are to investigate, but will that just lead to trouble?

I had loved the authors Dark of Night/Glasgow Kiss books, so, as sometimes happens when an author moves on from a series, I worried that I may miss the familiar characters. I needn't have! I instantly took to the likeable and believable main character Ellie. The story had me gripped, CS Duffy, as usual, had surprising and clever twists to keep the reader wondering and the way she injects humour throughout a "crime thriller" book is brilliant and welcomed. Can't wait for more from this talented author. - Amazon Reviewer

I simply couldn't put it down and devoured this book over a weekend. This seems to be my M.O. when I read any of Claire's books. Ellie is an investigative journalist who has just moved to Sweden, following her boyfriend, leaving a life in London behind. I feel like I learned a bit about the different culture and lifestyle as well as reading a gripping crime novel, that keeps you guessing. Great read! - Cat, Amazon Reviewer

I’ve loved all this author’s books and was excited to read her latest book so settled down to read for a couple of hours, I ended up reading until early hours of the morning. Loved the book, a...


Available Editions

EDITION Ebook
ISBN 9781912732623
PRICE $3.99 (USD)

Average rating from 49 members


Featured Reviews

Ellie is an investigative reporter who has given up everything ... he job, her apartment, her friends, her family ... all for a man she calls the love of her life.

She's moved to Sweden where she knows no one except her boyfriend, doesn't know the language, and his friends don't seem overeager to welcome her to their clique.

At a barbecue, she decides she's had enough and leaves to go stroll the beach. What she finds is a body ... or the skeleton of one.

That is freaky enough, but then she starts suspecting that Johan and his friends know more about the body than they are saying.

Rumors are running rampant ... is Johan a killer? What is in his past that he doesn't want Ellie to know?

This is a worthwhile novel, very suspenseful, filled with secrets and lies and surprises that kept me glued to the very first page and held me there until the final revelation.

Many thanks to the author / BooksGoSocial / Netgalley for the digital copy of this psychological thriller. Opinions expressed here are unbiased and entirely my own.

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Ellie is an investigative reporter flung into a murder investigation where she doesn’t speak their language. And the only person she knows is Johan, the love of her life. She begins to question Johan and wonders if he is telling the whole truth. I liked this book a lot. I love the setting. There are lots of secrets and surprises. Thanks NetGalley for this e-book!

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Behind Blue Eyes by C.S. Duffy is the first installment of the Stockholm Murders Book series and its one helluva start! I've not read any of C.S. Duffy's previous works but now I think I must get started on that list. I found this book to be fast-paced, suspenseful and ultimately very unputdownable. I finished this in one day because I really needed to get the bottom of this gripping whodunnit.
Ellie James, an investigative reporter has given up her life in London to follow her one true love Johan to Sweden and start afresh. During a midsummer's party at one of Johan's friend's house, she stumbles across a half decomposed skeleton setting into motion a murder investigation. Ellie soon comes to doubt Johan who clearly knows more than what he's letting on.
There's so much more going on, but I can't without giving out spoilers. I found all the characters in the book to be well-defined. I found Ellie to be super witty. The plot itself is fresh, twisty and very compelling. This is a psychological thriller with healthy doses of black humor. The setting of the book in Stockholm and its neighboring picturesque islands is also something I enjoyed very much. I look forward to reading the next in the series - Broken Mirrors.
Thank you, NetGalley, BooksGoSocial & C.S. Duffy for an arc!

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Loved the setting for this book. All the scenery is so well described, in a way that brings everything to life. I really liked the story and the characters. I hope there is more of Ellie to come.

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy.

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Behind blue eyes by c.s.duffy is the first of stockholm murders book. This is a psychological thriller . Ellie is a investigative reporter who has given up everything in order to stay together with the love of her life , only to find that in the new place among his friends she feels alienated . upon roaming one day she finds a dead body by the beach .she investigates the murder to clear her boyfriends name of the crime . as you swift through the pages you can read the minds of both ellie and the murderer. waiting for the next book in the series .

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Ellie, Ellie, Ellie. What a ride. Behind Blue Eyes by Claire Duffy seductively draws you in and then tosses you around like a sock in a dryer. I loved how descriptive the setting was. It was easy to get completely lost in the twisted tale. I can’t wait for the next in the series.

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Behind Blue Eyes is a fun, easy read with healthy doses of suspense and humour. I really enjoyed this book and the author's style of writing. This is the first novel I've read by Claire Duffy, and I look forward to reading more.

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Behind Blue Eyes is a psychological thriller full of suspense and twists.

The book takes place in Sweden and features Ellie, a smart investigative reporter, who has given up everything for the love of her life, Johan. She moved from London to Sweden she had never been before and where she knows no one and doesn't speak the language. There, she tries to be part of the group of Johan’s childhood friends, not without difficulties. Each of them drags his own secrets which they did not want Ellie to know. Rumours suggest that Johan is the murderer of his former girlfriend. A little bit lost in this new environment,

Ellie is sometimes wondering whether she may have made a huge mistake leaving London! Smart and skilful, she will do everything to clear her friend.

Behind Blue Eyes is a well written crime novel and easy to read. The characters are well designed and seem realistic. It is a gripping thriller full of twists that holds you in a state or feeling of anxious uncertainty about what may happen. The author also made a great job describing Sweden lifestyle and some places; personally I recognise that I learned a little bit about these topics reading this book.

I highly recommend this book to those who like Scandinavian thrillers.

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I sort of enjoyed the book although less than I had expected from the description on NetGalley. Ellie, an investigative reporter, has moved to Stockholm to be with the man of her dreams, Johan. They visit one of the islands off Stockholm for a holiday with three friends of his - going back to school days. Ellie finds this difficult as she is the odd one out, neither knowing this group of people and their history nor the language. Then she finds a partial skeleton which is subsequently identified as being that of another friend, and former girlfriend of Johan to boot. She turns her investigative skills to trying to solve the death of this young woman. It makes compelling reading and I very much liked the descriptions of Stockholm and area, and those of a group of other immigrants that she joins. I loved their descriptions of the Swedes and Swedish life style - oh so true, having lived in Uppsala for a time. In many respects there was less of a detective feel about the story and much more of the psychological impact on Ellie as she uncovers more and more about that group of Johan's friends, and Johan himself. The characters were well drawn, Ellie believable with a mix of some naivety and some rather insensitive intrusion. The ending was rather predictable but that didn't spoil the book for me. Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

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Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

The book follows Ellie a reporter as she starts a new life with Johan in Stockholm. Ellie is struggling with language barriers and on a weekend away with Johan's school friends she heads off alone for a walk when she stumbles upon a skeleton. We discover a little later that the body is Johan's ex-girlfriend who went missing a year ago. The book is well written and held my interest well.

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I loved this book. The story was compelling and fairly easy to follow. Set in Sweden it tells of a young English journalist who has met a Swedish man and fallen in love. She moves to Sweden to be with him. The author sets the scene well by outlining the life she moves into and the different characters involved. When she discovers a body on a Swedish Island she realises that there are connections with other murders. and starts her own investigation.

The story although complex is enthralling and I didn't work out 'the whodunnit' until near the end. Definitely a good read. I will look out for more by this author

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A brilliantly twisted psychological thriller that kept me guessing right to the end. The plot was dark and complicated, yet easy to read. There were twists aplenty and secrets in abundance.
The characters were well thought out and original, their background was revealed slowly, adding to the suspense.
The descriptive writing transported me with ease to another country and culture.
A really good read.

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This is the first book I've read by C.S.Duffy, and it will not be the last.
Behind Blue Eyes is the first in the Stockholm Murders series, and it has that great Scandi noir vibe to it. Utterly compelling, intriguing and mysterious, I was hooked from very early on.
The story centres on Ellie James, an investigative reporter from London, who drops everything to move to Sweden after an intense, but fairly short-lived romance with her one true love, Johan.
With no job, friends or language skills, the move is daunting so meeting Johan's friends for a Midsummer's party is a big deal. But, with the exception of Mia, they aren't the most welcoming of people, and when they lapse into Swedish conversations - which they did a lot - her isolation is even more pronounced. I must add here that the descriptions of Stockholm and its islands are beautifully written, not in a touristy way since there is a dark underbelly referenced too, but the setting is vibrant and refreshing, adding to the tone of the story when necessary.
Not even expecting them to miss her, she wanders off on this remote island to clear her head and reassess her decision. Finding a skeleton is not in her plans, but when they body is later identified as a former girlfriend of her beloved Johan, then Ellie's investigative instincts cannot be quashed.
As her enquiries proceed, it's clear she has not been privy to all of the facts - there are cover ups galore that bring about many twists and turns.
The story is told from Ellie's viewpoint with bite-sized chapters from the killer whose identity is closely guarded by the author. It's thrilling, thought-provoking, lively and tense. Ellie's decidedly British humour breaks down the tension only for it to be ramped up seconds later.
Connecting all the dots reveals a much bigger crime than originally suggested, and the suspects seem to be everywhere. It will keep you hooked right to the end. I'm looking forward to the next book now, and this is a new author for me to follow.
I received an arc from NetGalley - thank you - and also kudos to BooksGoSocial & C.S. Duffy for an amazing story.

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Ellie has fallen for a man who looks like Viking of old, tall, broad and fair. She moves to Sweden to be with him even though she doesn't know anyone there or speak the language. At an immigrant group she discovers that his friends' ignoring her and talking among themselves in Swedish is normal - they all do it. Then she finds a body.

Are her fella and his friends perhaps more secretive than others? Do they have good reason to be?

A good read

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Oh my. I've just found another to be read by any means author!

This book takes the reader into the depths of a very dark soul. Ellie follows Johan to Sweden, it is apparently love... When she meets his best friends, she feels totally left out but then Mia reaches out and she at least seems to be good to Ellie.

Even after Ellie finds the body of John's ex girlfriend. Even after Ellie sees the hooligan other side of Johan. And a seemingly nasty side of Liv. And Krister's aloof rudeness.

However, Ellie is a reporter and there is no way she can help herself - she starts investigating the death. And pretty soon she finds that there are a lot of unexplained "accidents" and suspects there is a serial killer hunting.
The thing with serial killers are, the ones closest to them are usually the last to know...

There is humour, the underlying feeling that something is building to a crescendo and a twist I didn't see. I suspected, then I thought naaa can't be, then I thought maybe. And then I was wrong. Love it!

I thank Netgalley and the author for this opportunity and I try to review every book of fiction I read.

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A stunning twisted psychological thriller!
Truly gripping, could not put down, page turned of a book.
Loved it!

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Behind Blue Eyes is a wonderful psychological thriller that I could not put down. Well written and interesting characters. A new favorite author to add to my list.

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Behind Blue Eyes is so much more than I was expecting from reading the synopsis. Ellie’s situation absolutely terrified me, the suspense in this book is incredible and I highly recommend it.

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Strange beginning and hard to get into but well worth sticking with it. The book does get better. By the end of the book it had turned into a pretty good mystery.

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4.5 stars
I love this book so much for many reasons. I've never been in Sweden and was such an interesting experience to read this book where our heroine, a Brit was trying to adapt to her new life and boyfriend in Sweden, but found it a bit difficult as they are different from what she was used to in England.
Being a journalist, her brain can't stop thinking about founding the real stories behind some cold cases of mysterious disappearance of a few local people.
I was so invested in the story that I haven't even realised that I've read it in one sitting and would definitely recommend this story to my book friends.

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Behind Blue Eyes is a story revolving around a very small group of friends. And one of them is a killer. From the cover text it is obvious that Ellie is not the killer, but who then? Ellie will find out, and we, the readers, have an advantage because there are short chapters in which the killer speaks to us, explaining what an how, although it took me until almost the end of the book to discover the killers' identity.
This is a great book, with great characters, a good plot and very well written. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series. But before that, I think I'm going to re-read this one, because now I know who the killer is, I can interpret the information that is given better.

Thank you Netgalley for this digital review copy.

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This book goes to show you that things or people are not always what they seem. When it comes to relationships what happens when the person you love ends up on your radar with a murder mystery? This book is filed with so many twists and surprises. Thank you for allowing me to read this.

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This is the first book I've read by C.S. Duffy and what a read it was!

"Behind Blue Eyes" is the first in the 'Stockholm Murders' series, and it had a soupçon of Scandi noir to it. Utterly compelling, intriguing and mysterious, I was hooked from the very beginning.

The story centres on Ellie James, an investigative reporter from London, who moves to Sweden after an intense, whirlwind romance with her true love, Johan. The author, C. S. Duffy's descriptions of Stockholm were beautifully written and the setting was refreshing and vibrant, though there was a dark netherworld alluded to as well, adding to the tone of the tale.

The story is told from Ellie's viewpoint with smaller chapters from the killer. "Behind Blue Eyes" was immensely thrilling, thought-provoking and tense. Dashes of humour broke down the tension only for it to soar again a few minutes later. I loved the many cover ups that effected all of the twists and turns.

This was an extremely worthwhile read, very suspenseful and filled with secrets, lies and so many surprises that kept me glued and held me there until the final revelation.

I'm looking forward to the next book now, and I will be following this 'new to me' author.

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This is the first in a series and I look forward to reading another. Ellie, an investigative reporter, leaves England and moves to Sweden to be with her lover, even though she has no job lined up and no knowledge of the Swedish language or culture. Oh Ellie, what we do for love. So what does Ellie do, well she finds s decomposed body/skeleton and off we go on a case! Well written characters and Ellie is a joy - full of black humor, knows her job and how to do it with her eyes closed. Which they are, when it comes to her dream man, With the current interest in Scandinavian noir and psychological thrillers this series could go on forever.

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Behind Blue Eyes was a carefully worked thriller with a strong voice and an entertaining plot.
I was completely captivated by what was going to happen next, although I did guess the culprit by the end. The ending was very high stakes (although I had a few niggles there).

As a British expat living in Sweden (I moved here for man too!) some of the things she wrote were absolutely dead on - I loved reading about the midsummer party where everyone spoke in Swedish half the time.

I thoroughly recommend this delightful tale of murder in the Nordics!

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This was an advanced copy from netgalley - many thanks

LOVED this !

This is not my usual genre but thanks to netgalley I am really getting into them

The story was engaging but easy to follow - a great read.

Well written thriller - great characters - wonderful twists and turns and for once, kept me guessing right to the end - can't say better than that

Can't recommend highly enough - I will certainly be searching out more of this author

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A great novel, beautiful depiction of the characters with some tense moments thrown into the mix. Will definitely pick more books by this talented author.

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A really good interesting read, well written and well developed story.
A good psychological thriller with action and suspense.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book

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Where many other crime novels fall flat with unrealistic protagonists, Behind Blue Eyes excels.

Ellie is a likeable and decidedly ordinary character. She is intimidated by the beauty and ease of Swedish women and often compares the informality of her previous life with the stoic attitude and confidence of her new Swedish community. This 'ordinariness' is one of the great draw cards of Behind Blue Eyes. As the first of a series, Ellie's character is relatable with a lot of room to grow. She is realistic, reasonable, and level-headed.

As far as murder mysteries go, Behind Blue Eyes is a reasonably unique entry to the genre. The novel is a great combination of 'The Journalist Detective" and Scandinavian Crime. Duffy has imbued her novel with both the crisp and suspenseful atmosphere of the Swedish Crime novel and the sly and smart characters Journalist Detective stories.

If you're after a chilling mystery where everybody's a suspect, Duffy's Behind Blue Eyes is the book you better pick up.

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I enjoyed this thriller very much. The development of the narrative focused on a murder investigation intertwined with the portrayal of the swedish culture and the attempts of the narrator to fit in in such a way that i enjoyed the book on both these levels. The description of midsummer festivities and the role it is given, of stockholm, of the 'perfect' swedish women makes this book so much more than a thriller novel. I am looking forward to the other tiles in the series.

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Overall, I really like this book. The first few chapters were good, then slowed for me. I was intrigued by the main character, Ellie, though and wanted to know more about her situation. I'm glad I stuck with the book because it turned out to be a good story. I will rad more from Ms. Duffy.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Ellie James is a journalist who leaves everything she knows in London to move in with her boyfriend Johan in Sweden. She feels isolated, not able to speak the language, and his small group of friends aren't exactly welcoming her. At a party, she wanders off, only to discover a body on an isolated beach...a woman that Johan was dating when she disappeared. The initial investigation was that it was accidental, but everyone suspects that Johan is her murderer, even his own family. Ellie sets out on a quest to clear his name and discover the truth.
This is a fast paced thriller and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next. Just when I thought I had it solved there was a new twist!

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Erfrischend anders, tolle Charaktere und ein Sprachstil, der Lust macht auf mehr...
Perfect life, perfect man, perfect book!

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This was a very engrossing and suspenseful book! I was in the edge of my seat throughout the entire story. I did not see a few of the twists coming and was quite surprised.

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I really enjoyed this murder mystery by Claire Duffy and thought that the mystery was well put together and strung throughout the novel.

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Our story begins with Ellie, who is an investigative reporter flung into a murder investigation where she doesn’t speak their language and cooperate correctly. The only person she knows is Johan, the man she believes to be the love of her life. She begins to question Johan and her belief in him begins to wane. She starts to wonders if he is telling her the whole truth. I found myself really enjoying this book, especially the setting. This novel is full of lots of secrets and surprises. I definitely recommend it 2 lovers of thriller and mystery novels.

I would like to thank C.S. Duffy, BooksGoSocial Publishing and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for a fair and honest review.

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The first book I have read by Claire Duffy, and I really enjoyed it. A good deal of suspense, the sense of being isolated away from all that’s familiar, and the perfect new man who you’re beginning to think might not be perfect after all. Highly recommended.

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Ellie’s boyfriend, Johan, is perfect. He’s caring, thoughtful and he has a body that Adonis would be jealous of and he adores Ellie. Ellie adores him back but not his friends so much. Having moved to Johan’s hometown in Sweden, Ellie is struggling to settle in as she doesn’t understand the language or know anyone but she soon finds an ‘Outsiders’ club that consists of other incomers to Sweden. Things start to get better but when Ellie finds a body floating in the water near Johan’s friends’ home she begins to question everything and everyone she knows.

This is a highly readable book with a great, fast flowing storyline and characters that are interesting and true. Ellie is definitely my favourite, she is portrayed as being very human with insecurities and flaws that other readers would instantly recognise. Though I wouldn’t describe it as the deepest novel I’ve read, I really enjoyed it nonetheless.

Many thanks to BooksGoSocial and NetGalley for allowing me to read this book. All opinions are my unbiased and my own.

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A small group of friends, and the outsider who wants to know the truth. Moving somewhere new for the person you love, no big deal right? Except their friends don't seem to like you, you can't really speak the language, and then you find a skeleton. I love Ellie and her determination to find the truth. I was definitely trying to guess who the killer was right up until the reveal. A great mystery/thriller for those who enjoy the genre.

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Behind Blue Eyes is the first book I have read by this author and hope to read more in the future!!

In this story, we find investigative reporter Ellie has just moved to Sweden to be with the man she loves only to stumble upon a half decomposed skeleton. As she dives into the investigation she is at a disadvantage as she does not speak the language and does not know anyone except John. However, the more she investigates she starts to realize John may know more than he is telling about this murder.

A very well written psychological thriller with enough twists to keep you guessing until the very end. Well done!

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Really enjoyed the premise of someone trying to find the truth when separated from all that is familiar. Good, fast paced storytelling

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A sound start to this Stockholm set series, which sees protagonist Ellie giving up her London life, for new Nordic adventures with her boyfriend Johan. You will find yourself easily lost among the pages as the story wraps itself around you and holds you in a bear hug that will only end when you finish.

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