- Someone to Watch Over Me: A Thriller (Thora Gudmundsdottir Book 5)
Bestselling and award-winning Icelandic crime author Yrsa Sigurdardottir is back with the next book in her Thóra Gudmundsdóttir series. SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME, the fifth installment in the Thóra Gudmundsdóttir series, was named Crime Novel of the Year by the Sunday Times.
A young man with Down's Syndrome has been convicted of burning down his assisted living facility and killing five people, but a fellow inmate at his secure psychiatric unit has hired Thora to prove Jakob is innocent. If he didn't do it, who did? And how is the multiple murder connected to the death of a young woman, killed in what was supposed to be a hit-and-run?
Diane S on Goodreads wrote:This is a very well written, translated and plotted novel. It builds suspense slowly and reaches a brilliant denouement.
Thora is persuaded to take on the case of a young man named Jakob who has Down Syndrome and who was accused of starting a fire in which there were several deaths. After the trail, he was remanded to a psychiatric facility. When reading the case file, she notes several unanswered questions and inconsistencies. She is absolutely floored when she meets the attorney who handled Jakob's case. He is so bigoted as to not be believed.
As she follows the case, she meets several people who have much to hide and secrets to keep.
This is a very in depth novel, and much description is given of the situations and circumstances in which Thora finds herself and the people she meets. It may seem a little tedious at times, but it is also some valuable information and it adds to the story.
All in all a very good book and it makes a nice addition to the series.
Against the backdrop of Iceland's fiscal crisis, this multi-faceted novel provided a literate and very suspenseful read. A fire in a home that sheltered those unable to look after themselves, an autistic boy, a paralyzed girl, another girl with locked in syndrome and a young man with limited intelligence, kills all including the night watchman and the young man charged. But did he do it?
Asked to re-open the case, Thora sets out to uncover evidence that this young man of sub mental abilities did not have the planning skills necessary to commit this crime. Love the character of Thora, she has a blended family and a dogged sense of right and wrong. There are multiple threads in this story and for quite some time I was not sure where they fit, including a haunted house and young child. There are constant revelations to keep the plot moving, very interesting characters and eventually all comes together in a very believable and well plotted way.
A very good thriller, this writer just gets better and better. Love that her stories are so structurally tight, nothing is left hanging. One of the best Nordic stories I have read lately.
ARC from NetGalley.
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