My Soul To Take
by Yrsa Sigurdardottir
Awesome!
Thóra
Gudmundsdóttir's client Jónas Júlíusson
wants her to look into the conditions of the land sale he made for the
New Age health spa he runs in western Iceland.
Would the undisclosure of ghost haunting the place be cause for legal
action? Although Thóra does not believe in the
ghost, she can't resist his offer for a nice weekend away from the
children. Thóra begins research the the
history of the farmhouse, a history that becomes more and more
disturbing as she unearths more and more details. Even
Thóra hears the strange eerie sounds
associated with the ghost. Could the haunting be real? When
the body of architect Birna Halldórsdóttir is
discovered on the beach, Thóra investigates in
order to protect her client when his cell phone makes him a possible
suspect in the brutal murder. Could the murder have a connection
to the haunting or is there some other motive connected to the spa
itself? When another body is found, a body with the same
disturbing clues, Thóra's investigation becomes all
the more pressing. Can the evil of the past influence the
present? What deadly secrets will Thora discover? Can those
of the past speak to those present now long after their life stories
have ended?
In the second book featuring attorney Thóra
Gudmundsdóttir, MY SOUL TO
TAKE, Yrsa Sigurdardóttir prefaces the current day story
with an account of a 1945 horrific crime account of the eerie murder of
a child, a crime all the more disturbing for its non-violent
premeditated murder seen through a child's perspective. At first,
the connection between the prologue and the main story seems
unconnected but as Thóra unearths the
past, the background of the past crime gives an eerie, and at times
supernatural, atmosphere to the family history she discovers.
Although slightly less macabre in actual crime details than LAST RITUALS, Yrsa
Sigurdardóttir's second thriller has elements in common with the
first that make the Thóra Gudmundsdóttir
series so uniquely exquisite: the twisted creepiness of the
crime and all its ramifications, a supernatural tone balanced by Thóra
Gudmundsdóttir's more practical approach to clues, a connection
between past and present and respect for history, and also a look into
the deadly secrets within families. In both thrillers, Yrsa
Sigurdardóttir weaves Iceland's history, landscape
and culture into the very fabric of the thriller. MY SOUL TO TAKE is perhaps less
graphically shocking than LAST
RITUALS, yet just as disturbing --- if not more so.
This reader would be hard-pressed to pick a favorite between the
two. Rather than choose, MY SOUL TO TAKE along with
her fist novel marks Yrsa Sigurdardóttir a new
writer to add to my list of must read, top suspense authors writing
today.
MY SOUL TO TAKE
is an awesome thriller that continues to haunt long after the last
page. The crimes seen from the point of view of the
victims give the reader a glimpse into the twisted face of evil as one
sees through the perspective of the very human victims. As the
clues unfold, Yrsa Sigurdardóttir paints an ominous emotional
landscape, drawing the reader into the very heart of the crime.
As Thóra unlocks each strand of the web
connecting past and present, the power of history takes on more
importance, magnifying the scope of past horrific deeds. Attorney
and divorced mother Thóra Gudmundsdóttir adds a richness
to this work of suspense beyond just the crime itself. Her
feet-on-the ground approach to the crime heightens the suspense while
also allowing a bit of humor as relief from the shocking crimes.
The unfolding story of her sometimes mundane family conflicts provides
a stark contrast to the family history she researchs. MY SOUL TO TAKE creates a
startling portrayal of evil past and present. A superb,
satisfying ending completes this chilling work of suspense. This
reader is most anxious for the release of the author's next
novel. Brava!
Publisher: William
Morrow (April 2009)
Translators: Bernard Scudder, Anna Yates
Previous Thora Gudmundsdottir book: Last Rituals
