Jennifer Palmer has read crime fiction since her teenage years & enjoys reviewing within the many sub-genres that now exist; as a historian who lectures on real life historical mysteries she particularly appreciates historical cime fiction.
We
start in a Swedish idyll - a little red wooden house in a country park near a
lake, there is beautiful summer weather and abundant fresh fruit and
vegetables.
Sam
and Merry live a simple life with baby Conor in the house Sam inherited from
his step-grandmother. They are Americans transplanted from Manhattan who wallow
in their simple country lifestyle. Gradually some worms of discomfort penetrate
the buds of tranquillity.
'Perhaps
the lady protests too much' is the phrase that come to mind particularly
concerning Merry’s isolation. They lie to each other about their pleasure in
withdrawal from city life and their remoteness from other companions. Then
Merry’s childhood friend and rival of 30 years, Frank (a girl), comes to stay.
These
three characters tell the story in alternating chapters. Each reveals a damaged
personality and, through their thoughts, the reader can trace the history of
how their past actions have led to those results. All have secrets and deceits.
The baby is the centre of things as each of the three reveals surprising and
sometimes shocking attitudes.
When
a death occurs, the Swedish police try to find out the truth, but sifting
through the minds of these three proves a difficult and confusing task. I must
say it was a task that this reader also found at time, unappealing.
This
is a thriller with the search for a perpetrator through the posturings of the
three characters. Perhaps it is not
surprising that what is uncovered, proves increasingly unpleasant vis-à-vis the
dark thoughts and actions of Sam, Merry and Frank.
The
conclusion twists relationships again, leaving a very sour taste in the mouth.
Editor's
note: This was released in hardback June 28, 2018 entitled YOU WERE MADE FOR
THIS.
