This book was brilliant very engaging pulls you straight in to the story and the characters and keeps you guessing till the end. The story is told through the view point of the mother the father and the daughter. Every chapter left you with more questions. Nice to come across a new author who gets me hooked 💜

A man is found stabbed in a street in Lund . The immediate suspect is a teenage girl , Stella ,who a witness says was seen nearby at the time , she had previously had a relationship with him . Her father ( a pastor)gives her an alibi to say she had arrived home prior to the time of death .
She is arrested and then gets the services of a lawyer , who her mother also a lawyer has worked with to defend her . Stella is then held in cells until her hearing , being seen by psychologists to determine her mental health.
It turns out she has previously had psychological problems leading to violent behaviour .
Her best friend Amina also became involved with the victim .Is she involved as well or is neither ? This is eventually answered at the Court hearing after a number of twists in the story .

A courtroom drama told from the perspective of 3 people. Whilst I struggled with this to start with, once I got into it I could not put it down. The story goes backwards and forwards into time which really helped with the build up to the crime. There was a good twist at the end.

I liked the authors simple way of writing and I would place this book in the Young Adult Fiction category.

Eighteen-year-old Stella, who has always been a bit of a 'challenge' for her parents, nevertheless shocks them when she ends up in court accused of murdering a thirty-something they have never seen before. With years of careful parenting and family counselling, how has it come to this?

And so a cleverly written and plotted Scandi legal thriller begins.

It's a story told in three parts, each from a different point of view. First the father, a respected pastor who has come to realise he might do anything for his daughter - but what exactly has she done? Then we're let inside the mind of the daughter, angry and relentless, but slowly becoming sympathetic. Finally the mother, a laywer and so far unknowable. What's she making of this whole situation? What would she do to protect those she loves?

I really enjoyed this book. It doesn't throw twists or gore at the reader in an effort to impress. No, it builds up to its surprises slowly and earns them along the way. We start off like the father, bewildered and confused, watching as his family starts to crumble, but by the time we enter the point of view of legal mind Ulrika, it all starts to make sense.

I found the resolution satisfying and would certainly pick up another book by this author.

This courtroom drama set in Sweden was totally immersive.
Stella an unpleasant and rebellious teenager is accused of murder.
Her farther is the local pastor
Her Mother is the local Solicitor
Different perspectives from the key characters was brilliant
How far will they go to protect her?
Told in three parts and with three perspectives added great depth to the story along with Stella’s conversations with the prison physiatrist. Even though I had figured out the “who did it” early on, I certainly didn’t see the twist in the story towards the end.

Intriguing courtroom drama story told by three different characters which allowed you to get different perspectives on the same crime. The variety within the family (lawyer, pastor and teenager) added an interesting dynamic. Highly recommended!

This was a really good, gripping read. Very Scandinavian in the writing - somewhat dark and definitely thrilling. A tale told in three stages by the Father - a Pastor, a Mother - a lawyer and their precocious 18 year old daughter. Stella is accused of murder and of course this would never happen in a nearly normal family or are they? The family pull together to absolve Stella of this accusation. How far would a family go for each other? A story of love, loyalty, friendship and secrets. Lots of twists to keep you guessing until the end.

I like books which are written from different perspectives and this book didn't disappoint. It is written from the mother, father and daughter's point of view. I found it difficult to connect with the father who is a Pastor and rather controlling but I felt great empathy for the daughter.. I found the story totally believable and the subplots really added to the suspense.. It was quite a roller coaster of emotions and I thorough;y enjoyed reading this book.

I find myself quite disappointed with this book. It is narrated by three voices - the dad - a pastor, Stella, and the mum - a lawyer. Whilst it was fast paced and absorbing for the first two thirds, I found the last third dragged and rather than building the tension it deflated like a tyre with a slow puncture.

This reminded me of The Dinner - a dark and literary description of a murder and the family torn apart as a result. Narrated by the father, the teenage daughter and the mother of the 'nearly normal' family, it fell down a bit because none of the characters were very appealing, but it kept me reading.

This novel kept me reading and I finished it at 3am! Stella, 18 year old daughter of pastor Adam and lawyer Ulrika, has been accused of murder. I liked the way the narrative was split into three accounts by the three main characters, each one building on the previous one until the truth came out. This was very cleverly done. Just when I thought I knew what was happening, the narrator would change and I would have to think again! It’s an excellent exploration of parenting, childhood, what it means to be a best friend... so much that was of interest to me, all very well written with an intriguing plot. I highly recommend it.

I absolutely loved this! The combination of courtroom drama, family dynamics and different perspectives from the key characters was brilliant. Kept me on the edge of my seat!!#NetGalley#AnearlyNormalFamily

I really enjoyed this. It's told from the point of view of three different characters - the father (a Pastor), the mother (a lawyer) and the teenage daughter, Stella. When a man is murdered, and Stella is arrested, both parents leap to her defence - but do they really know what she is capable of? And does she realise the lengths her parents will go to on her behalf?

A very readable page-turner - I really enjoyed it and would definitely recommend to others. It's not one of those thrillers that claims to have 'a twist you won't see coming' but there are definitely a few red herrings in the mix and until almost the very end you might indeed be wondering who was responsible for the murder after all.

I enjoyed this story and the changes of perspective throughout the book. It elevated it from a normal psychological thriller to something more engaging. It reminded me of We Need to Talk About Kevin so at the end the whoddunit element became less interesting than the why.

Thanks for allowing me to review this book

This was a very interesting suspense novel filled with good writing and interesting characters. I loved that the novel was set in another country and the reality about what had really happened with Stella.
Thank you so much to the publisher!

This book tells the story of a murder, from 3 narrators: the young girl who is the accused, and her parents. For me, the teenage girl herself told the strongest, most interesting story, but the book as a whole is magnificent. I absolutely loved it. It is unusual to have a pastor as a major character, who made a good combination with a prosecutor wife. The author showed an excellent understanding of how people think and why they act the way they do.

Read and reviewed in exchange for a free copy from NetGalley. I really enjoyed this book. I felt that Edvardsson told the story with multiple narrators really well, giving Ulrika, Adam and Stella unique, authentic voices, although I didn't find any of them especially endearing, perhaps due to the moral quandry the author posed. I thought the concept was fascinating however - how far would you go to protect your child? - and kept me pondering, with the element of faith also strengthening my investment in the story. A gripping read which I sped through to learn what happened. I'd enjoy reading more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and Pan Macmillan for this Advanced Review Copy.

I had looked forward to reading this book, given that I love a good murder mystery. Sad to say, it just didn't deliver.

The story is translated from Swedish and focuses on family relationships. It starts from the father's point of view, and I found him difficult to connect with. He wasn't a sympathetic or dynamic character at all. Even when the narrative moved on to the other characters, I didn't find myself gelling with any of them. Which meant, of course, that I didn't care what happened to them.

Furthermore, the tale is a long one with a lot of jumping backward and forward, sometimes clumsily. The formatting on the ARC is messy, interrupting the reading constantly. Add to that the many typos, and all in all, this book frustrated rather than thrilled. Consequently, this was a book I struggled to finish.

This read isn't my cup of tea, although the book has a great premise, and the idea of experiencing your daughter--an only child--getting charged with murder and appearing in court is one that had me gripped and full of anticipation.

***

NOTE ON RATINGS: I consider a 3-star rating a positive review. Picky about which books I give 5 stars to, I reserve this highest rating for the stories I find stunning and which moved me.

5 STARS: IT WAS AMAZING! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN! — Highly Recommended.

4 STARS: I WOULD PULL AN ALL-NIGHTER — Go read this book.

3 STARS: IT WAS GOOD! — An okay read. Didn’t love it. Didn’t hate it.

2 STARS: I MAY HAVE LIKED A FEW THINGS —Lacking in some areas: writing, characterisation, and/or problematic plot lines.

1 STAR: NOT MY CUP OF TEA —Lots of issues with this book.

Having developed a liking for Scandinavian crime novels I was looking forward to reading a new author in that space.
I was immediately intrigued by the plot and its twists and turns. I found the characters interesting and as the mother of teenagers, found the insight into their private world and thoughts gripping. The story kept me guessing, I thought I had worked out the perpetrator but not the motive.

I would be happy to explore more by this author and would recommend the book to fans of crime fiction,.

This is a gripping psychological thriller but it is also much more. As the title suggests this is about a family, which, before the daughter is accused of murder would have considered themselves normal. The story is told from three perspectives, the father, mother and then the daughter. The book explores the family dynamics and this in itself is fascinating. It takes the reader into the Swedish police and justice system and gives an insight into how this works. The characters are skilfully drawn, not just the three main characters but also the characters of friends who are crucial to the plot. The story is well written and the different elements described above are well crafted and clear to the reader. I could not put the book down and the ending did not disappoint.