★ Under the Storm
In November 1994, the rural Swedish community of Marback was forever changed when Lovisa Markstrom’s body was found in the ruins of a massive farmhouse fire, and her boyfriend, Edvard Christensson, was charged with her murder and the subsequent arson cover-up.
There was never any doubt he did it. As rookie policeman Vidar Jörgensson muses, Edvard’s father was a violent man, and in Marback, “sons turn out like their fathers; daughters like their mothers. Weaknesses and burdens are passed down, just like in other places. Then again, so are strengths and good traits—but people seldom consider those.”
Edvard’s 7-year-old nephew, Isak Nyqvist, does, though: He simply can’t fathom that his beloved uncle could have done such a thing. Edvard’s always been kind and attentive, and he loved Lovisa. But Isak’s parents tell him he must keep quiet about it and they must cut all ties with Edvard so they can remain in Marback and have some semblance of peace.
Carlsson demonstrates impressive character development and a knack for slow-building suspense.
And so, in Christoffer Carlsson’s intricately crafted Under the Storm, a mantle of grief settles on Isak’s small shoulders, setting him on a life path marked by unresolved anger: at his uncle, his parents and the town that sees him as just the latest bearer of his family’s tainted bloodline.
Under the Storm has three parts. The first draws readers into the initial investigation. In the second, which takes place nine years later, a more experienced Vidar reexamines the case in the wake of possible new evidence. The third section, set in 2015, brings together the tragedies and tribulations of the preceding 30 years as Isak and Vidar push toward the truth, no matter the cost.
As in his internationally bestselling American debut, 2023’s Blaze Me a Sun, Carlsson demonstrates impressive character development and a knack for slow-building suspense as he invites readers to consider the shock waves that can emanate from “One single event. That was all it took to redirect the path of a life. Like the filament of a root moving through time.”
★ The Hunter’s Daughter
On the opening page of Nicola Solvinic’s standout debut, The Hunter’s Daughter, Sheriff’s Lieutenant Anna Koray greets the reader with the following: “The first time I killed a man was on Tuesday.”
That terrible result to a domestic violence incident brings Anna’s past crashing into the present, opening a Pandora’s box of memories that were locked away via hypnosis 30 years ago. It’s a fascinating premise, one that becomes darker and more twisted as the pages turn and Solvinic, a career criminologist, reveals that said memories are of Anna’s father, a serial killer known as The Forest Strangler.
This engrossing, often hallucinogenic read vibrates with increasing tension and danger.
With the help of the psychiatrist who originally created her “memory vault,” Anna (re)discovers her father was responsible for the deaths of at least 27 young women, each of them bound with poison ivy and arranged in horrifying flower-filled tableaux. Anna’s been living under an assumed identity since his capture. Even as she reels from the discovery, she learns that someone is killing in their rural Midwestern county once again, with a MO very similar to her father’s. Could it be him, somehow? Or is it a copycat? Making matters even worse, the killer’s been taunting Anna with their knowledge of her true identity, the revelation of which would destroy her career and the life she loves.
Solivinic draws readers into Anna’s confused, conflicted mind: She loses time, worries that she’s descending into madness and sees shadowy supernatural figures in the dense forest surrounding her home. For most of The Hunter’s Daughter, Anna straddles the uncertain territory between a repressed state and full knowledge, unsure whether she can trust her boyfriend, her colleagues or herself. It makes for an engrossing, often hallucinogenic read that vibrates with increasing tension and danger as Anna relentlessly works to determine whether biology and destiny are one and the same.
