Such a great read. So many good points, with solid writing. I would definitely come back to more from de la Motte.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I definitely chose the right time to read Rites Of Spring the first warm sunny weather of the year meant I could sit in my garden and immerse myself in the story of Thea Lind and her quest to discover the truth behind the sacrifical murder of Elita Svart.

Immerse was an apt word to describe Motte’s novel, as I literally did not want to put it down. I think it was a combination of brilliant characterisation and his ability to pull me in to the Swedish landscape, the haunting denseness of the forest, the marshes, and the green moss strewn canal, all part of Thea’s new surroundings. Thea herself came with her own issues, a career as a doctor in the war torn regions of the world, a dear friend forever scarred, a husband, David who put her back together, who she felt she owed. And this was where many of her problems lay as she discovered David’s connection to the murder, his family and friends all intrinsically linked. Rather than seamlessly fitting in with the new community Motte placed Thea very much on the outside.

It soon became clear that Motte had given Thea a cause, something that went back to her past, a need to proof that just because we came from a certain background didn’t mean we had to conform to stated stereotypes. It was a secret she guarded and you just knew that at some point it would emerge, our guess was when and what impact it would have.

Motte gave Thea a veritable array of supporting cast characters. Her husband David the failed chef who worked on rebuilding a new venture in his hometown supported by childhood friends, protected by a mother from his past. There was the mysterious Hubert, resident in a wing of the castle, disinherited by his father, a loner, a little strange but for some reason Thea and Hubert shared a connection. As the novel progressed I got the feeling he wanted to share information with Thea, the little clues, pointers he threw her way, ones that led her deeper and deeper into Elita’s death, the communities involvement and indeed who the killer was.

Who was the killer? For much of the novel my guesses flitted from one character to the next as Motte took us and Thea on a meandering journey of clues, interview documents and case notes. The anecdotal evidence of the various characters and their assumptions often placed Thea in danger, the ever present feeling of being watched, but somehow with sheer determination it never seemed to stop Thea.

Motte never let his reader feel comfortable as layer after layer of the story slowly unraveled and the last third was unbelievably tense to the point I had to get up and walk around before continuing. The outcome was not quite what I was expecting but then for me that is the best sign that the novel was everything you wanted and a whole lot more.

Rites of Spring was wonderfully atmospheric, dark and chilling and it was such a shame this it was the last novel in Motte’s quartet, but then again maybe that’s a good thing, maybe he has something completely new in store for his next novel.

‘Ok, I admit it. I’ve become completely obsessed with the mystery of Elita Svart. A dead girl whose spirit seems to hover over the area, even though her house was boarded up the day after her funeral. A dead girl whom nobody wants to talk about, yet someone still lays flowers on her grave.’

When Thea Lind moves with her husband to the village in which he grew up, and in which she is to be the new GP, she finds herself drawn to a Polaroid image of a teenage girl, dressed in white, bound at the wrists in ribbons held by four younger children in animal masks; a girl who died, was murdered, in an apparent ‘spring sacrifice’ to the Green Man. As her interest increases, the mystery deepens. Why does no one in the village, including her husband and in-laws, want to speak about the murder? Was Elita Svart complicit in her own murder? Is the man found guilty truly responsible for the death?

The book is chillingly atmospheric. Thea’s investigation is intercut with flashbacks to the events of Walpurgis Night, 1986 and extracts from a letter left by the murdered girl. The plot is purposely slow which only adds to the growing feeling of unease. Indeed, the novel reads very much like a gothic horror novel, reminding me of Harvest Home, of the Wicker Man, and of Midsommar. At times, the prose, and the pace, is reminiscent of Shirley Jackson. There is a strangeness, a coldness to many of the characters which, again, really fits the gothic tone of the narrative and adds to the reader’s disquiet and uncertainty.

Anders de la Motte has a great feel for the Swedish countryside in which the action takes place and he weaves the folklore, pagan rituals and beliefs into an unsettling mystery. RITES OF SPRING is unlike any other ‘Scandi-crime’ novels I have read. I look forward to the other seasons in the Skåne quartet.

Small towns, castles, close-knit community, folklore and legend … throw all that at me and I’m happy! And this book has all of this by the truckload! Add in the obligatory secrets, lies, old friends and wariness of anyone who is ‘different’ and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a slow-burning, spine-tingling thriller.

In Rites of Spring, the small town in question is Skåne, more specifically, the village of Tornaby in the district of Bokelund in Sweden. Dr Thea Lind is moving into the area with her husband David, who grew up there. David is going to be opening a Michelin star restaurant, together with 2 of his close childhood friends and the assistance of the Bokelund Foundation which is incidentally headed up by David’s formidable mother Ingrid, who controls much of what goes on in Bokelund. While he’s doing that, Thea is going to be taking over as the town doctor. It all sounds very perfect and homey, doesn’t it? The successful restaurant manager returning home to create something the locals can be proud of, together with his wife, a doctor who’s been working with Médecins sans Frontières, no less! It’s a story the entire town can take ownership and be proud of.

But from the start it’s obvious that things are not as rosy as they seem. A dark cloud hangs over the castle where the intended restaurant will open. In 1986 the castle was occupied by tenants who did not quite ‘fit’ with the rest of the village. A family who were considered to be gypsies were living there. They kept themselves separate from everyone, going about their illusive business, and causing concern as to what exactly it was they were up to. There was also a beautiful 16-year-old girl who was part of this family: young, flighty, flirty too. She caught everyone’s attention … and on Walpurgis Night of 1986, she was murdered … “The Spring Sacrifice”. Walpurgis Night is the night before May Day, when bonfires are lit to ward off evil spirits and the ‘Green Man” who is said to ride through the forest looking for a pretty young maiden to be his sacrifice. Soon after this tragedy, the rest of the family left the castle and it’s remained empty ever since. The people of the town prefer not to speak of the incident, leaving it in the past where it belongs.

Almost as soon as she arrives, Thea feels uncomfortable in Tornaby. Although the patients she sees seem to take to her quite well and are open to the idea of a new doctor, she feels the rippling undercurrent of something unpleasant in the air. She keeps seeing handmade ‘Green Men’ everywhere as Walpurgis Night is approaching. And then she discovers the story of the spring sacrifice and it brings back uncomfortable memories of her own upbringing. She is even more disturbed when she learns of her own husband’s connection to the events back in 1986, and resolves to find the truth of what happened that night.

Told in alternate timelines, and with each of Thea’s chapters opening with short paragraphs where she speaks to someone named ‘Margaux’ the story took me some time to get into and figure out. I also found there were a lot of characters to sort through. The slow-burn aspect didn’t help in this regard and I felt that it was possible that if things had been speeded up a bit, I might have figured it all out a lot quicker. I didn’t warm to any of the main characters and didn’t find them all that likeable, but I don’t think that this is necessarily detrimental to the plot (in fact, sometimes unlikeable characters make for better storytelling). For me, what lends itself to the intrigue of this book is all the information about Swedish myths and fables. I’m fascinated with the folklore and traditions that bind people together as a community – even more so when they live in tight, close-knit groups, as they do here in the town that the author has created. This theme running so consistently through the book made it a 4-star read for me.

Firmly in the category of folk horror, but cutting over into crime, Rites of Spring works hard to distance itself from the idea of a clean, bracing Arctic Scandinavia, all icy mountains and pine forests, presenting instead a damp landscape where abandoned dwellings moulder, where children reenact ancient rituals in mossy, overgrown stone circles and where every community has outsiders who are shunned as feckless beggars.

One such family is at the centre of Rites of Spring. In 1986, sixteen year old Elita Svart, daughter of local ne'er-do-well Lasse Svart, is found murdered on Walpurgis Night, 30 April, the night when witches ride, when the Green Man is burned in effigy - and when he mounts his horse and roams the forest.

Moreover, Elita's found lying on a sacrificial slab in a stone circle, her face covered with a cloth and in her best dress. Subsequently, a letter comes to light suggesting she intended her death, and her stepbrother is accused of the crime - after lengthy and intensive police questioning.

Jump forward to 2019, and Elita's been airbrushed out of Tornaby's history, guilt assigned, the rest of the family nowhere to be seen. The four young kids who were with Elita that night have gone on to make their own lives, with different degrees of success. One of them, David, is a chef who's opening a prestigious new restaurant nearby. He has returned to Tornaby with his new wife, Thea Lind, who's taking up a post as the local GP.

Thea is the heart and soul of this book, herself a mystery that is almost more interesting than the distant crime with which she becomes fascinated. Why does Thea hide her identity? Why is she so threatened when David's nerves means she has to step forward and take a TV interview for him? Who is the "Margaux" for whom Elita provides a commentary on what is happening?

The first third or so of Rites of Spring moves slowly and carefully while it establishes its setting, characters and atmosphere. We hear from Elita in her own voice (in 1986), from Thea addressing Margaux (in 2019) and there is also a third person narration from 1886 following a couple of characters who we'll meet head on later. This means that the story - in the sense of who is who and why they matter - is elusive to begin with. Some readers may prefer a more direct approach, but I found that this way of doing things was almost eerily effective in establishing the basic weirdness of the situation, before Thea really got to work shaking the tree, as it were.

And it is weird. The village itself is an inward- looking and suspicious place. It's a long way from anywhere, and change isn't welcome (the presence of mineral prospectors is especially resented). Within the community, there is a respectable core - the teacher, the bank manager, the doctor, the Count, whose father used to own most of the land around - surrounded by their retainers - such as the estate workers - and a resented underclass, whom the Svarts were part of: their kids jeered at at school, their activities tolerated just as long as they're useful (such as brewing moonshine), their tenancy of a ramshackle farmhouse dubious.

To Thea, who's travelled the world, working for Medicines San Frontiers, who's seen horrific injuries, been bombed in Syria and lost friends, it seems terribly narrow and secretive. She feels that her husband ha suffered because of it, and wants to get to the truth for his sake.

Or does she?

Thea herself, we will discover, has secrets to keep - secrets that will make her vulnerable when she becomes focussed on digging up the truth about Elita, a truth that someone clearly wants to keep hidden. But secrets that also make her sympathetic to the girl who became the "Spring sacrifice" - perhaps explaining her reckless commitment to explaining what really happened in 1986. Several times in this book, Thea did something, or pressed on when warned to stop, in ways that had all kinds of red lights flashing for me. There's a certain point past which everything seems bound to end badly, with loss and grief for everyone, and when Thea's quest takes her past that point you begin to feel as though she almost welcomes that, as though she's been heading for self-destruction right from the start.

Like Elina, perhaps...

Altogether, a nailbiting and absorbing book, one that I had to pause several times, simply to let the tension go, but which in the end I just had to finish at a gallop, reading the final third more or less in one sitting.

If there’s one thing I like doing, it’s discovering new authors. Anders de la Motte is a new author for me. I read the synopsis for ‘Rites Of Spring’ and it certainly sounded like the sort of crime thriller type novel that I particularly enjoy. I wasn’t wrong either because I thoroughly enjoyed reading ‘Rites Of Spring’ but more about that in a bit.
I have to be honest and say that it took me a little while to get into this story. I think it takes a little while to get to grips with a new writer’s work plus I was finding it hard to concentrate. However when I got into the story that was it, I was away. I found this book to one of those books that I could binge read over the space of a few days rather than read it in one day. I would only intend to read a few chapters to fill in the odd half hour but I would become so wrapped up in the story that I would lose all track of time and end up reading far more in one go than I had intended.
‘Rites Of Spring’ is very well written. The story is written using two different timelines – one timeline deals with events as they happen in the present day and the other timeline details events as they happened in 1986, as they have a bearing on the present day. The chapters interlink well and the story flows seamlessly. I loved the way in which the author cleverly weaves twists and turns into a tightly plotted book. There were certainly twists and turns aplenty. I felt as though I was part of the story and that’s thanks to the author’s very vivid and realistic storytelling.
In short, I did enjoy reading ‘Rites Of Spring’ and I would recommend it to other readers. I will certainly be reading more from this author in the future. The score on the Ginger Book Geek board is a very well deserved 4* out of 5*.

Give me a book about small town secrets and lies and I am always going to be happy. Throw in a gorgeous Scandinavian location, a mystery to be solved, and some fabulous folklore, and I will be a very happy bunny indeed - which certainly proves to be the case with this glorious Scandi thriller by best-selling Swedish author Anders de la Motte.

Dr Thea Lind is newly arrived in the Skåne village of Tornaby, the childhood village of her husband David who hopes to open a Michelin starred restaurant in the old castle with the help of the Bokelund Foundation.

Thea is unsure of how her relationship with her husband lies, but feels obliged to back him in his newest venture after all the support he has given her with her recovery from the PTSD that troubles her after serving in war-torn Syria. But she still feels like a fish out of water and under close scrutiny in the tight-knit community she now finds herself a part of, and more than a little suspicious that the whole situation has been arranged by the machinations of her formidable mother-in-law, who co-incidentally heads the Bokelund Foundation.

As Thea settles into small town life, she comes across a strange token and polaroid photograph hidden in an old tree dedicated to the legend of the Green Man, near the castle. The picture shows a young girl tied down on a slab in the middle of the nearby ancient stone circle, surrounded by four young children in animal masks, and is clearly intended to be some sort of re-enactment of the old spring sacrifice ceremony.

When Thea discovers that a sixteen-year-old girl, Elita Svarts, was murdered at the stone circle in 1986, and that her husband is one of the children in the photograph, she is desperate to find out what happened all those years ago. No one wants to talk about the tragedy, least of all David, but Thea is adept at solving puzzles and the connection she feels to Elita, through their shared childhood experiences, compels her to pursue her investigation - leading her to find out that not only was Elita murdered, but that her step-brother was convicted of killing her, and strangely, the remaining members of Elita's family disappeared without a trace after the funeral.

Thea is convinced that there is something funny about the whole business and the way mouths clamp shut once she raises the subject, and as the puzzle pieces fall into place she is certain that the wrong man was blamed for Elita's death. At the same time, more than one person is unhappy about her prying into the past, and her quest is leading her into dangerous waters - and the risk that her own closely-guarded secrets may come to light too.

The tension mounts beautifully as Thea goes about solving the mystery of Elita's death, and we learn of her own secret past and repressed feelings. The action in the present is also broken up by glimpses of what actually happened all those years ago through the eyes of those present, giving some slick red-herrings to distract you, and short narrative passages in Elita's own words which make you question exactly what her intentions were. Both timelines collide beautifully with an eventful climax on Walpurgis Night during the inaugural dinner at the castle - but Anders de la Motte is not done with revealing all there is to know quite yet, and there are still some eventful scenes that play out before the sad truth is known in full.

The plot is deliciously twisty, the menacing mood draws nicely on the underlying supernatural themes of the folklore surrounding the legend of the Green Man and sacrifice, and the claustrophobic location of the forest backdrop and creepy castle is perfection. Think a mix of Stieg Larsson and C.J. Tudor, with a big dollop of The Wicker Man and you will get the glorious picture. I really enjoyed the way de le Motte uses the analogy of a jigsaw puzzle being put together throughout, and the similarities he draws between Thea and Elita's backgrounds - especially the way Thea draws strength from this.

Rites of Spring is by far the best Scandi thriller I have read in ages, and I was unable to put this page-turner down until I had consumed the gripping story in full. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I have already pre-ordered the next book in the Skåne Quartet, End of Summer, which is coming in August, and will be making Anders de la Motte one of my auto-buy authors from now on.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bonnier Books UK for an advance copy of Rites of Spring, the first novel in a projected quartet, set in the Skåne village of Tornaby.

Thea Lind moves with her husband David to his childhood home of Tornaby, she to become the village doctor and he to open a restaurant. She soon starts to hear about the murder of 16 year old Elita Svart and the conviction of her brother for the crime in 1986 and starts asking questions no one is prepared to answer.

I thoroughly enjoyed Rites of Spring, which is a creepy novel full of secrets and lies. There is a sense of menace throughout the novel, not just from the references to the Green Man and the superstitions surrounding it, but from Thea’s account of her feelings as she asks questions. Of course, feelings and emotions are subjective so the reader never really knows if she’s right.

The first half of the novel switches between the events of 1986 and the present day while the second half concentrates on the present and Thea’s investigation. The first half takes a bit of getting used to, because, while each 1986 chapter opens with a few words from Elita, it is told from another point of view, and the reader is left to figure out the relevance. Equally Thea’s chapters open with a few remarks to her friend, Margaux, but who is she? It can appear confusing but I found it compelling, urging me on to more reading.

I found the plot quite compulsive in parts, others were a touch repetitive as Thea slowly unravels the lies and secrets the village has kept for over 30 years and I think the solution is great. I’m not sure that the plot would work in most places, but a small village, where everyone’s lives intertwine and the good of the village is paramount, is ideal. Quite honestly I find the idea of everyone knowing my business horrendous and I don’t think the outsider, Thea, ever adapts, especially when she’s keeping secrets of her own. The judgement that comes down on her when they are revealed are as petty and small minded as the inhabitants.

Rites of Spring is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

‘During Walpurgis Night, the veil between life and death is at its thinnest. Things are on the move, nature is hungry and the Green Man is riding through the forests’. Walpurgis Night is 30th April and May Day celebrations follow on with a sacrifice to spring having long been a tradition in many places. In 1986 in Bokelund, near Skåne, a dead girl is found on ancient stones which proves to be Elita Svarts. The novel weaves the rites of spring into the storytelling and is told in dual timelines, 1986 and the present day. Our principal storyteller is Thea Lind, a doctor formerly with Médecins sans Frontières and now married to David who is from Bokelund.

‘Hoof and Horn, hoof and horn. All that dies shall be reborn’. One of the best aspects of this Scandi thriller is the legends, traditions and legends of the Green Man and Walpurgis. This leads to a building sense of unease and tension which is at times hair raising, there’s a growing understanding that something is rotten and continues to putrefy to the present day. It’s chilling in places, a bit creepy, there’s a feeling of claustrophobia as Thea feels invisible eyes are watching her every move. She is on a mission to sift through the multitude of secrets and lies at the heart of the small tight knit rural community. There are some very good descriptions so you can visualise people and places, creating an atmosphere appropriate to the storyline. There’s additional intrigue surrounding Thea and her background which gives an extra edge and I like how Elita is given a voice which is spooky and spine tingling. There are a lot of seething emotions beneath the surface in both timelines which ranges from anger to jealousy to love and you can sense those well. As the plot builds so do the layers of mystery as Thea delves deeper trying to unlock the past to get to the truth which increases the danger for her.

However, there are a lot of characters to get your head around and some could have been further developed. The two timelines works more effectively later in the book, initially there’s a lot of switching from one to the other and it gets confusing. It’s overlong, there is some repetition and some plot elements are a bit convenient with parts of the conclusion feeling melodramatic. On the plus side I really like the double whammy plot twist at the end just when you think you’ve got it all figured out!!

Overall, despite a few reservations I really like the book with the use of legends infused into an atmospheric read. I would definitely want to read the rest of the quartet.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Bonnier Books UK, Zagreb for the arc in return for an honest review.

Secrets and lies are at the heart of a good thriller especially those set within a small ,close , rural community. Thea finds herself in the role of the new doctor in the community of her new husband and his family .Within a short time, she discovers that something dark happened 25 years earlier involving the death of a young girl during a ritual associated with a festival called Walpurgis and The Green Man and that her husband and his peers were associated with the event. A victim of her own childhood circumstances, she feels the need to dig deeper and soon starts to ruffle feathers within the community. What happened in the past and old wounds are opening up and Thea needs to be stopped. As events develop, Thea soon finds herself in danger but is determined to establish the truth. Rites of Spring is a good read. The first half of the book is divided between events of the present then back to the past leading up to the tragedy. The second half takes the story further within the present- still involving most of the characters of the past.If you enjoy a whodunnit and the type of tale that unravels the past and brings about the truth in the present then you’ll enjoy this.