This is the first book I've read by C.S. Duffy and what a read it was!

"Behind Blue Eyes" is the first in the 'Stockholm Murders' series, and it had a soupçon of Scandi noir to it. Utterly compelling, intriguing and mysterious, I was hooked from the very beginning.

The story centres on Ellie James, an investigative reporter from London, who moves to Sweden after an intense, whirlwind romance with her true love, Johan. The author, C. S. Duffy's descriptions of Stockholm were beautifully written and the setting was refreshing and vibrant, though there was a dark netherworld alluded to as well, adding to the tone of the tale.

The story is told from Ellie's viewpoint with smaller chapters from the killer. "Behind Blue Eyes" was immensely thrilling, thought-provoking and tense. Dashes of humour broke down the tension only for it to soar again a few minutes later. I loved the many cover ups that effected all of the twists and turns.

This was an extremely worthwhile read, very suspenseful and filled with secrets, lies and so many surprises that kept me glued and held me there until the final revelation.

I'm looking forward to the next book now, and I will be following this 'new to me' author.

This book goes to show you that things or people are not always what they seem. When it comes to relationships what happens when the person you love ends up on your radar with a murder mystery? This book is filed with so many twists and surprises. Thank you for allowing me to read this.

Behind Blue Eyes is a story revolving around a very small group of friends. And one of them is a killer. From the cover text it is obvious that Ellie is not the killer, but who then? Ellie will find out, and we, the readers, have an advantage because there are short chapters in which the killer speaks to us, explaining what an how, although it took me until almost the end of the book to discover the killers' identity.
This is a great book, with great characters, a good plot and very well written. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series. But before that, I think I'm going to re-read this one, because now I know who the killer is, I can interpret the information that is given better.

Thank you Netgalley for this digital review copy.

4.5 stars
I love this book so much for many reasons. I've never been in Sweden and was such an interesting experience to read this book where our heroine, a Brit was trying to adapt to her new life and boyfriend in Sweden, but found it a bit difficult as they are different from what she was used to in England.
Being a journalist, her brain can't stop thinking about founding the real stories behind some cold cases of mysterious disappearance of a few local people.
I was so invested in the story that I haven't even realised that I've read it in one sitting and would definitely recommend this story to my book friends.

Strange beginning and hard to get into but well worth sticking with it. The book does get better. By the end of the book it had turned into a pretty good mystery.

Behind Blue Eyes is so much more than I was expecting from reading the synopsis. Ellie’s situation absolutely terrified me, the suspense in this book is incredible and I highly recommend it.

Behind Blue Eyes is a wonderful psychological thriller that I could not put down. Well written and interesting characters. A new favorite author to add to my list.

Ellie has fallen for a man who looks like Viking of old, tall, broad and fair. She moves to Sweden to be with him even though she doesn't know anyone there or speak the language. At an immigrant group she discovers that his friends' ignoring her and talking among themselves in Swedish is normal - they all do it. Then she finds a body.

Are her fella and his friends perhaps more secretive than others? Do they have good reason to be?

A good read

This is the first book I've read by C.S.Duffy, and it will not be the last.
Behind Blue Eyes is the first in the Stockholm Murders series, and it has that great Scandi noir vibe to it. Utterly compelling, intriguing and mysterious, I was hooked from very early on.
The story centres on Ellie James, an investigative reporter from London, who drops everything to move to Sweden after an intense, but fairly short-lived romance with her one true love, Johan.
With no job, friends or language skills, the move is daunting so meeting Johan's friends for a Midsummer's party is a big deal. But, with the exception of Mia, they aren't the most welcoming of people, and when they lapse into Swedish conversations - which they did a lot - her isolation is even more pronounced. I must add here that the descriptions of Stockholm and its islands are beautifully written, not in a touristy way since there is a dark underbelly referenced too, but the setting is vibrant and refreshing, adding to the tone of the story when necessary.
Not even expecting them to miss her, she wanders off on this remote island to clear her head and reassess her decision. Finding a skeleton is not in her plans, but when they body is later identified as a former girlfriend of her beloved Johan, then Ellie's investigative instincts cannot be quashed.
As her enquiries proceed, it's clear she has not been privy to all of the facts - there are cover ups galore that bring about many twists and turns.
The story is told from Ellie's viewpoint with bite-sized chapters from the killer whose identity is closely guarded by the author. It's thrilling, thought-provoking, lively and tense. Ellie's decidedly British humour breaks down the tension only for it to be ramped up seconds later.
Connecting all the dots reveals a much bigger crime than originally suggested, and the suspects seem to be everywhere. It will keep you hooked right to the end. I'm looking forward to the next book now, and this is a new author for me to follow.
I received an arc from NetGalley - thank you - and also kudos to BooksGoSocial & C.S. Duffy for an amazing story.

I received this review copy by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you Netgalley.
Review
Behind blue eyes by C.S Duffy is the first book in the Stockholm murders series. It is a psychotic thriller with abundance of suspenses, surprises, twists and thrill which increases the anticipation of the readers to the peak with every passing page. There are books which will take an avatar of a page turner towards the end but this book fires up right from the very beginning. It is undoubtedly captivating and compelling for the readers. The plot has been pragmatically fabricated and it urges the readers to keep guessing till the very end. The character of Ellie was strong and daring as any investigative journalist would be and Johan’s was selectively naive and suspicious. Even the characterization of the supporting characters too have been developed diligently with extra care and sensibility. The ethos of Swedes and life at Sweden has been brought into the mind’s eyes of the readers scintillatingly. The way in which the author has describe the surroundings of Stockholm was extraordinary and remarkable because making the readers enter a place they have never been to is the greatness of an author and C.S Duffy has mastered it like a pro. The only disappointment was the mild cumber in the writing style and typos, but ultimately the hypnotic plot makes up for the minute flaws. This author has a phenomenal skills in writing these kind of psychotic thrillers and obviously reading her is worth it.

My views
Even though reading e-books was not my cup of coffee, I finished it in no time. It was definitely a fast read. I liked the book a lot since I have a special place in my heart for psychotic thrillers. I was suspecting one person to another frantically throughout the book but failed to find the killer, which means the author has won and it’s a great success for a thriller writer and the readers. I’m eagerly looking forward to read the sequel of this book “Broken Mirrors” and sincerely hope it will be as good as this one. There is lot I wanted to say but I'm afraid of giving away spoiler, so I'll better stop here.

And of course I would like to recommend this book to all the thriller readers, you will definitely love it. If you haven’t read any books in this genre then I highly suggest you to start with this.

A brilliantly twisted psychological thriller that kept me guessing right to the end. The plot was dark and complicated, yet easy to read. There were twists aplenty and secrets in abundance.
The characters were well thought out and original, their background was revealed slowly, adding to the suspense.
The descriptive writing transported me with ease to another country and culture.
A really good read.

BEHIND BLUE EYES is a great suspense novel. At first I thought that it was going to be another murder mystery but it turned into so much more. Great characters and fun, thrilling plot.

I loved this book. The story was compelling and fairly easy to follow. Set in Sweden it tells of a young English journalist who has met a Swedish man and fallen in love. She moves to Sweden to be with him. The author sets the scene well by outlining the life she moves into and the different characters involved. When she discovers a body on a Swedish Island she realises that there are connections with other murders. and starts her own investigation.

The story although complex is enthralling and I didn't work out 'the whodunnit' until near the end. Definitely a good read. I will look out for more by this author

Thank you to NetGalley for the chance to read this in exchange for an honest review.

The book follows Ellie a reporter as she starts a new life with Johan in Stockholm. Ellie is struggling with language barriers and on a weekend away with Johan's school friends she heads off alone for a walk when she stumbles upon a skeleton. We discover a little later that the body is Johan's ex-girlfriend who went missing a year ago. The book is well written and held my interest well.

A good story line, kept me guessing till the very end. There were some issues for me but I do think this book is worth a read

I sort of enjoyed the book although less than I had expected from the description on NetGalley. Ellie, an investigative reporter, has moved to Stockholm to be with the man of her dreams, Johan. They visit one of the islands off Stockholm for a holiday with three friends of his - going back to school days. Ellie finds this difficult as she is the odd one out, neither knowing this group of people and their history nor the language. Then she finds a partial skeleton which is subsequently identified as being that of another friend, and former girlfriend of Johan to boot. She turns her investigative skills to trying to solve the death of this young woman. It makes compelling reading and I very much liked the descriptions of Stockholm and area, and those of a group of other immigrants that she joins. I loved their descriptions of the Swedes and Swedish life style - oh so true, having lived in Uppsala for a time. In many respects there was less of a detective feel about the story and much more of the psychological impact on Ellie as she uncovers more and more about that group of Johan's friends, and Johan himself. The characters were well drawn, Ellie believable with a mix of some naivety and some rather insensitive intrusion. The ending was rather predictable but that didn't spoil the book for me. Thanks to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for an advance copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

Behind Blue Eyes is a psychological thriller full of suspense and twists.

The book takes place in Sweden and features Ellie, a smart investigative reporter, who has given up everything for the love of her life, Johan. She moved from London to Sweden she had never been before and where she knows no one and doesn't speak the language. There, she tries to be part of the group of Johan’s childhood friends, not without difficulties. Each of them drags his own secrets which they did not want Ellie to know. Rumours suggest that Johan is the murderer of his former girlfriend. A little bit lost in this new environment,

Ellie is sometimes wondering whether she may have made a huge mistake leaving London! Smart and skilful, she will do everything to clear her friend.

Behind Blue Eyes is a well written crime novel and easy to read. The characters are well designed and seem realistic. It is a gripping thriller full of twists that holds you in a state or feeling of anxious uncertainty about what may happen. The author also made a great job describing Sweden lifestyle and some places; personally I recognise that I learned a little bit about these topics reading this book.

I highly recommend this book to those who like Scandinavian thrillers.

I absolutely enjoyed this book and I was immediately hooked from the first page. The story flowed well and kept me guessing until the very end. The characters were likeable and relatable. I recommend to anyone looking for a fun read full of suspense.

Thank you to Claire Duffy, BooksGoSocial, and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

Ellie, Ellie, Ellie. What a ride. Behind Blue Eyes by Claire Duffy seductively draws you in and then tosses you around like a sock in a dryer. I loved how descriptive the setting was. It was easy to get completely lost in the twisted tale. I can’t wait for the next in the series.

Behind blue eyes by c.s.duffy is the first of stockholm murders book. This is a psychological thriller . Ellie is a investigative reporter who has given up everything in order to stay together with the love of her life , only to find that in the new place among his friends she feels alienated . upon roaming one day she finds a dead body by the beach .she investigates the murder to clear her boyfriends name of the crime . as you swift through the pages you can read the minds of both ellie and the murderer. waiting for the next book in the series .