Another good murder mystery, with some (apparently) supernatural elements and a connection between present crimes and past events. It may be a "formula" but I'm enjoying it quite a bit. I'm also enjoying the glimpses into the protagonist's personal life, which certainly add to the flavour and make the protagonist a well-rounded character.

It seems that Thóra is able to get quite a lot of things done in a single day! For half the book I actually couldn't believe that she'd be able to squeeze even half of everything. Second, while I do understand that Matthew represents a benign love interest that makes a good sidekick, the description of his character does not match his actions. Third, perhaps I was raised with parents who cared too much but I feel bad for Thóra's kids... neither parent is ever there or listening to them. Finally, do people in Iceland always make long rambling speeches, given all the specific details possible, to some random lawyer when she accuses them? Brenda's little speech at the end there, I had trouble swallowing it.

This was another great escape to Iceland with Thora. There were two mysteries to solve in this book. One mystery dates back to war time Iceland and the other is in the current time. Thora is a relatable woman juggling work, kids, and a budding relationship. I like that she isn't perfect. Matthew's comments on her fashion sense crack me up. The setting is strong in this book too. Iceland has been added to my bucket list but I'm happy with my virtual trips with these books.

very plot focused, characters only interacted to gain information about the murder, which made it feel like a one dimensional who-done-it computer game from my childhood. the only other time characters did anything was to judge others (mainly in femme-phobic ways). Potentially this was due to translation, but I also found a lot of repetitive information, author didn't trust that the reader could pick up on cues, everything mini action that Thora did was explained, left no room for the readers own intellect or imagination.

Unrelated to the genre, sex was treated in super taboo ways, which is endlessly frustrating in an adult novel. Sex was referred to covertly, genitals were always referred to vaguely, sex toys (and those who use them) were made fun of, and rough sex was portrayed as something dangerous. All this was annoyingly immature, and perpetuated shitty things about sex in general (that it needs to be hidden, that bdsm is linked to murder/rape, etc). I think this aspect was ultimately what ruined the book for me. I wasn't looking for an erotic novel, but if you're going to have characters have sex can we at least say turned on? or orgasm? erection?

3.75 stars