When Icelandic lawyer Thóra Gudmundsdóttir is hired to prove the innocence of an inmate at a secure psychiatric facility, those originally involved with the case assure her that the police did their due diligence. She quickly begins to question whether her new client, a young man with Down syndrome, had the ability to plan and execute the fire at his assisted-living facility that killed five people. As Thóra investigates further into the case, she uncovers the many secrets that were conveniently covered up by the fire. Less clear is what connection it might have to a family haunted by the ghost of a young girl killed in a hit-and-run accident. By the end of the book, Thóra has unraveled the mysteries and brought more than one person to justice.
VERDICT While her plot follows a fairly predictable line, Sigurdardóttir excels in the intricacies of the storytelling and in writing engaging and realistic characters. A solid bet for fans of Scandinavian mysteries or those who enjoy their suspense with a hint of the supernatural. [See Prepub Alert, 8/11/14; named Crime Novel of the Year by the London Sunday Times.]
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