This was really great. I loved how the story unfolded as each person's point of view emerged. The characters were believable and intriguing and the story moved along so quickly. The device of having three potentially unreliable narrators was very clever and kept me guessing all the way through.

Adam, Ulrika and their daughter Stella seem a normal family. With a pastor and a lawyer as parents, you would think life was good, but Underneath secrets lie after a night out by Stella turns their world upside down. A good storyline told from different peoples angle, what you see isn't necessarily what has happened. Keeps you reading to the very unexpected ending!

I received this as an ArC from Netgalley. A young girl is arrested for murder- she is your daughter, How far would you go to protect her? The Sandells are a normal family whose lives begin to unravel as Stella becomes involved with a man almost twice her age. When he is murdered the police are quick to put suspicion upon her and seem to collect evidence to support that. The book is told through the narratives of The Father, The Daughter and The Mother. There is some repetition of events but with new twists at each telling. Edvardsson has captured the personalities well on paper and manages to keep the reader questioning while leaking out parts of the storyline as the book progresses. The perpetrator is always up for question and my suspicions shifted whilst reading. Quite apart from the narrative the author asks a valid question in just how much you are willing to do to protect your family. The book is more than just an investigative process and examines personality and interactions with the system. I really enjoyed the conversations with the psychologist which i thought added depth to the book. I would certainly read more from this author

What lengths would you go to, to protect your child? A novel which is multi layered and complex. A story told from three different angles. Makes you question your own moral choices and compass throughout life.

MT Edvardsson writes a compelling psychological thriller in the dark and disturbing Scandi-Noir tradition which gives the reader insights into Swedish law. Set in the small Swedish city of Lund, a highly respectable and upstanding local family, Adam, a Church of Sweden pastor, his wife, Ulrika, an ambitious go getting criminal defense lawyer, are horrified and shocked when their strong willed, volatile teenage daughter, Stella, is arrested on suspicion of the brutal murder of a wealthy shady older businessman, Chris. Stella, and her best friend, Amina, had met Chris a few weeks previously. The narrative is delivered from the perspective of Adam, Ulrika and Stella, where the focus is less on crime, and more on a character driven study of dysfunctional family dynamics of a 'nearly normal' family.

In a complex and multilayered story, we find out more about Adam, Ulrika and Stella, how Adam's expectations of Stella and Ulrika's intense focus on her career has resulted in a poor relationship with their daughter. We learn of Stella's rape by church camp counselor when she was 15, and Adam's dark obsession in Stella's personal life. The narrative goes back and forth in time to give us a picture of the family through time. In the present, convinced of Stella's innocence, Adam decides to look more deeply into the murder, as his life begins to increasingly spin off the rails. The trial is a riveting affair, in this suspenseful tale with some surprising twists.

This is a psychological thriller of morality and ethics, family, that asks how far will parents go to protect their daughter? There are the requisite unreliable and unlikeable narrators, secrets, and a web of lies and deceit that surround a normal Swedish family. Edvardsson highlights how people are defined by life's trials and tribulations, and questions the concept of a 'normal' family. This is an absorbing read, my favourite part was the trial. This novel is for fans of Scandi-Noir and crime fiction. Many thanks to Pan Macmillan for an ARC.

Wow, what an amazing thriller. I loved this book! Once I started it, I couldn’t put it down. It’s fast paced and keeps you intrigued throughout due to the complex characters. This is the first book I’ve read by this author but I’ll definitely be reading more in the future.

Such an intriguing tale, keeps you guessing right until the end. I found the story both tragic and absorbing. I haven't read from this author before but would happily do again.

Welcome to small-town Sweden, one of the safest prospects of bringing up a daughter. Right? Wrong. Sometimes the biggest evil hides exactly where you not only never look, but where your common sense dictates there's no way it could be hiding.

This book is not only a fantastic reminder of a common crime that people like to only appoint to some third world countries (sadly, including the US) but also a brilliantly atmospheric journey through family life in Sweden.

Ever sat down on one of the chairs inside IKEA and wonder what it would be like if you did it in its home country? Well, this book might be a good guide.

It's hard to imagine anything wrong with anyone if you live surrounded by such high standards and safety. But people are people everywhere. And teenagers are teenagers and the actions they take when protecting someone they love will always be more or less similar no matter what their hometowns look like, or what their parents teach them.

I loved Edvardsson's language and poignant pieces of food for thought amidst his quite action-packed plot. Makes you philosophical whilst you're being hugely entertained by the unraveling story as well.

It takes a long time to build a life, but only an instant for it to crumble. It takes many years - decades, maybe a lifetime - to become the person you truly are. The path is almost always circuitous, and I think there's a reason for that, for life to be built around trial and error. We are shaped and created by our trials.

I highly recommend this book to those thriller seekers who also enjoy a bit of an upmarket feel to their reading, and wish to travel abroad for an imaginary summer.

Thank you Macmillan for the copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This unusual crime novel features 3 possibly unreliable narrators - a father and mother and their 18 year old daughter Stella. The story is written from the point of view of all three. Father Adam is a pastor of The Church of Sweden and his wife Ulrika is a lawyer. Stella is a real wild child who shocks family and friends alike when she is arrested for murder.
Adam is a seemingly well respected man who we soon learn is a self-righteous so-and-so with a very unhealthy interest in his daughter's private life. Sure, parents should know what their children are doing, but Adam takes it to disturbing extremes. Initially, his wife seems cold and distant, preferring to talk with her daughter's best friend Amina who plays a major part as the plot unfolds.
We learn that Adam and Ulrika never reported the rape of their daughter by a church camp counselor when she was 15, believing Stella's life would be ruined if she was cross examined about the circumstances leading up to the sexual assault. At 18, Stella is romantically involved with the murder victim, Chris - a businessman in his early 30's who may have been involved in some shady deals. Swedish law means Stella is remanded in custody and not allowed to see her parents. Details are given of her interrogation and treatment in jail, where her interviews with a prison psychologist form a large part of her story.
Meanwhile her father is rushing around the small Swedish city of Lund, somehow managing to track down and interview potential witnesses to the murder and convincing himself that he has discovered the real killer. I found Adam to be a thoroughly dislikeable person, more concerned about his standing in the community than he was about his daughter's guilt or innocence.
Stella was also difficult to like, seeming to blame everything that happens to her on other people, never taking responsibility for any of her bad decisions.
There are more complications to the plot in the form of the family's lawyer, Michael Blomberg and the murder victim's ex girlfriend, Linda Lokin.. Adam hasn't helped his daughter's case by harassing the prosecuting lawyer in the street as he becomes almost deranged.
I liked the idea of a crime novel written from the point of view of the alleged murderer and her parents, but the writing was very stilted in places as was a good deal of the dialogue.
At times I felt like giving up as the story moved so slowly, but it's worth the effort for the finale featuring Stella's trial which we see through the eyes of her increasingly overwrought mother Ulrika. Both she and her husband are willing to do anything - even lie - to protect their reputations as well as proving their daughter's innocence. This is a complicated legal thriller, with an unusual set up in having 3 major characters slowly altering the reader's attitude to them.

I thoroughly enjoyed this thriller. It's fast-paced, with the details being told first from the point of view of the father, then from th he daughter (the accused), and finally the mother.

My only criticism would be that, at diary, the text is rather awkward -I'm not sure if this would be the case with the original, or just this translation.

How far would you go to protect your family?
Adam is a pastor, married to Ulrika, a lawyer. Their daughter Stella has been arrested for murder. Unable to believe his daughter capable of such a crime he tries to establish what really happened the night of the murder. He knows Stella’s bestfriend is lying, he knows the victims ex girlfriend has the same footwear as Stella. He also knows he would do anything to save his daughter. His wife’s ex-colleague is employed to defend Stella. Stella is hiding a secret from her family, her lawyer and the prison psychiatrist.
The story is told from three very different intertwining points of view, which come together and wrap up a great story.
Well worth a read

More like a dysfunctional family. Father a Pastor of the Church of Sweden. Mother a workaholic lawyer. Daughter a foul-mouthed competitive teenager with the shortest of short fuses. All three lie, two very well and one not well at all. Add the daughter's best friend from pre-school right up to senior school - a sweet (or is she) non practising Moslem girl. The young girls get involved with a 32 year old rich and suave business man who is not as he seems, but, who is in the story? He is stabbed to death ... by whom? The book is written in three sections:- The Father, The Daughter and The Mother, all written in the first person, all giving their viewpoint of what has been happening over the last ten or so years. None of the sections is written chronologically and there are a lot of flashbacks and duplication of events. I found it was sometimes a bit of a tedious read especially in the Father's section where there was too much, what I call psychobabble. I had to skim through some pages to keep my interest going. The court case in the last section is where it really grabbed my interest. Be prepared for a twist near the end and do not be tempted to read the last page!

A man has been found murdered in a park and Ulrika (a respected lawyer) and Adam (a Pastor) teenage daughter has been arrested on suspicion of his murder.

The story is told from the point of view of the mother, the father and the daughter. We get to know about Ulrika and Adam’s life from when they met, when Stella was growing up as a teenager, the lead up to the night the man was murdered and thereafter.

I found the section narrated by the father quite slow and then it picked up when Stella is the narrator but slowed down again when the mother narrates. All in all it was an okay read with a slow release.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced read copy of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

I was very much looking forward to this book but found it quite slow moving. The story picked up a little in the middle when it was Stella’s narrative but seemed to ebb when it got to the mothers take on what happened. It was an ok read but when you get half way through you can almost guess what has happened.

I heard about this book last year when it was snapped up after a bidding war. Swedish thrillers are very popular now and I've no doubt this will sell well.

The book is written in three different viewpoints, the father, the mother and the daughter. Daughter has allegedly been hoarding secrets galore, father thought their lives were smooth and sorted, mother is more suspicious of her daughter. And so the story develops from each person's perspective.

It isn't a difficult or complicated read, chapters are snappy and have a feeling of emptiness about them. I expect a heavier and more complex tale from a Swedish thriller, but this is different. It sucks you in, the chill and uncertainty ready to be devoured.

Very, very clever book. I understand the hype now!

Adam and Ulrika seem like a normal family, trying to bring up their teenage daughter Stella to know right from wrong. When Stella is arrested on suspicion of killing Chris Olsen,it comes as a shock to Adam a pastor, who is respected by the community and his hard working Lawyer wife Ulrika.
Quote “It takes a long time to build a life, but only an instant for it to crumble.”

This story is told from the points of view both the parents and Stella. As each one recollects what happened before and after the killing, we really get to know them and discover what they have done to protect their family.

This is a gripping read. I was totally engrossed from start to finish. What would you do to protect you’re daughter? If you’re morale is tested would you pass the test or would you go against all you believe in for family?

A must read book that that will keep you guessing with all the twists. loved the fact that my opinion of Stella changed when it came to her turn to tell her side of the story.

This is an author to look out for!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

This book takes up the adage that there is always two sides to any story, The author introduces us to three members of a family and splits the story into each individuals perception of the chain of events which led to a gruesome murder. Focusing on a perceived regular family we quickly realise that this is no average family and the mother, father and teenage daughter have secrets and lies tied to the facade that forms their life. Events told by the participants in flashback lead us through the events prior to the fatality although at no time divulging who was the perpetrator of the crime. The slow introduction of each family member and the backstory of their life draws the reader into the many pitfalls and mistakes made by this family in their efforts to sustain the outward image of a happy family whilst behind closed doors struggling with the magnitude of problems occurring in their lives. The author drew me in, kept me hooked and did not divulge any conclusions until the very last pages. I could not put this book down. I cared about the protagonists, felt their pain, understood their bewilderment that despite strenuous efforts a happy family life was evading them, and understood the depths parents will go too in order to protect their children. A totally satisfying read on all levels. Many thanks to the author and NetGalley for allowing me to review this book.

This was an absorbing courtroom drama told from the alternate viewpoints of the father, mother and teenage daughter. It reveals how our preconceptions and prejudices can colour our opinion of guilt and innocence.
It was well written and engaging. I would recommend this book.

A family is thrown into turmoil when the teenage daughter is arrested for murdering a 33-year-old man in a local playground. The family question whether their daughter is guilty and how they will get through this predicament.

The story is told from three points of view, the father who is a pastor, the mother who is a lawyer and the daughter who has been accused of the crime.

The whodunnit aspect of the story builds through the three-pronged tale to with twists and turns along the way.

The story had me gripped enough to want to know how it turned out but it seemed to progress a little slowly from time to time. Aside from this, I enjoyed the story, the characters and the Scandinavian setting and would recommend the book to others.

Wow what a read. I loved this , it was so well written and the plot was very clever involving all the three main characters so you had the story from each of their point of view, father mother and daughter . I read this in one sitting, could not put it down. It does make you wonder what you would do . At one point i was horrified with the mother and her decision...... This is a must read.