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Emily Roy & Alexis Castells #3
Blood Song
The action swings from London to Sweden, and then back into the past, to Franco's Spain, as Roy & Castells hunt a monstrous killer … in the latest instalment of Johana Gustawsson's award-winning, international bestselling series. ***Longlisted for the CWA International Dagger*** 'Historical sections highlight, in distressing detail, the atrocious treatment of mothers-to-be in Franco's Spain … A satisfying, full-fat mystery' The Times 'Assured telling of a complex story' Sunday Times 'Gustawsson's writing is so vivid, it's electrifying. Utterly compelling' Peter James _________________ Spain, 1938: The country is wracked by civil war, and as Valencia falls to Franco's brutal dictatorship, Republican Therese witnesses the murders of her family. Captured and sent to the notorious Las Ventas women's prison, Therese gives birth to a daughter who is forcibly taken from her. Falkenberg, Sweden, 2016: A wealthy family is found savagely murdered in their luxurious home. Discovering that her parents have been slaughtered, Aliénor Lindbergh, a new recruit to the UK's Scotland Yard, rushes back to Sweden and finds her hometown rocked by the massacre. Profiler Emily Roy joins forces with Aliénor and soon finds herself on the trail of a monstrous and prolific killer. Little does she realise that this killer is about to change the life of her colleague, true-crime writer Alexis Castells. Joining forces once again, Roy and Castells' investigation takes them from the Swedish fertility clinics of the present day back to the terror of Franco's rule, and the horrifying events that took place in Spanish orphanages under its rule. Terrifying, vivid and recounted at breakneck speed, Blood Song is not only a riveting thriller and an examination of corruption in the fertility industry, but a shocking reminder of the atrocities of Spain's dictatorship, in the latest, stunning instalment in the award-winning Roy & Castells series. _________________ 'French novelist Johana Gustawsson writes novels of startling originality. Blood Song [is] truly horrifying' Sunday Times 'Her sleuths tracking a monstrous killer, transporting us from modern-day fertility clinics in Sweden to the abuses of Spanish orphanages under the brutal rule of General Franco … a truly European thriller' Financial Times 'Gritty, bone-chilling, and harrowing – it's not for the faint of heart, and not to be missed' Crime by the Book 'A relentless heart-stopping masterpiece, filled with nightmarish situations that will keep you awake long into the dark nights of winter' New York Journal of Books 'Emotional and atmospheric' New Books Magazine 'Intricately plotted, visceral and emotional the author ramps up the tension and the unfolding keeps the reader guessing to the very end. Scenes are raw, vivid and gripping' Promoting Crime 'I don't think there's a crime writer who writes with such intelligence, darkness and deep sadness as Johana Gustawsson. This was extraordinary' Louise Beech ' Blood Song caught and has held onto my thoughts, it is clever, provocative, and a seriously good read' LoveReading 'A fascinating and engrossing read, but also one that I found intensely harrowing, deeply intimate and which made me cry' Live & Deadly 'A real page-turner, I loved it' Martina Cole 'Cleverly plotted, simply excellent' Ragnar Jónasson 'A must-read' Daily Express 'Bold and audacious' R. J. Ellory
328 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 19, 2019
52 people are currently reading
298 people want to read
About the author
Johana Gustawsson
27 books204 followersBorn in 1978 in Marseille, France, and a graduate of Political Sciences, Johana Gustawsson was a journalist for television and French press. She now lives in London, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
September 8, 2019
I’ve been putting off writing this review… dear god no, not because I didn’t like this novel, it’s more because this one’s making it hard to find the right words without sounding like a crazy fan. You see I’ve been with this series since the first novel and each one is so special. I’m not an historical reader but this author really made me one. Gustawsson entangles crime and historical facts like none other and creates a unique reading experience. If you ask me this is a collector’s item you want to have in your library.
Block 46 took me to WW2 and the author won me over with that one easily. Book 2, Keeper, took me to the era of Jack The Ripper, and I knew then that I’d follow her writing wherever she took me. Blood Song sent me to new territory. I’m almost ashamed to say that I knew little to nothing about the dictatorship under Franco in Spain. The descriptions – based on what was really happening at that time – in prison and the orphanage were harsh and brutal but lent itself well to tell this murder mystery.
Johana Gustawsson plays with time and my mind, and those pages just wouldn’t stop turning themselves. She let me visit Spain in 1937 as well as Sweden in 2016. How both timelines could ever be aligned is something that seemed impossible but she manages to accomplish just that. I’m not getting into the plotlines this time at all, it’s too big and deep to cover, but I can tell you that there were staggering twists in this novel that are sure to startle everyone and it is all tied up brilliantly. Teresa, Gordi, Lados… their story will stay with me for a long time.
I can 100% recommend this novel to every crime loving reader who isn’t afraid of a dark but fascinating read.
Block 46 took me to WW2 and the author won me over with that one easily. Book 2, Keeper, took me to the era of Jack The Ripper, and I knew then that I’d follow her writing wherever she took me. Blood Song sent me to new territory. I’m almost ashamed to say that I knew little to nothing about the dictatorship under Franco in Spain. The descriptions – based on what was really happening at that time – in prison and the orphanage were harsh and brutal but lent itself well to tell this murder mystery.
Johana Gustawsson plays with time and my mind, and those pages just wouldn’t stop turning themselves. She let me visit Spain in 1937 as well as Sweden in 2016. How both timelines could ever be aligned is something that seemed impossible but she manages to accomplish just that. I’m not getting into the plotlines this time at all, it’s too big and deep to cover, but I can tell you that there were staggering twists in this novel that are sure to startle everyone and it is all tied up brilliantly. Teresa, Gordi, Lados… their story will stay with me for a long time.
I can 100% recommend this novel to every crime loving reader who isn’t afraid of a dark but fascinating read.
September 20, 2019
Finished reading: September 10th 2019
"We all see the world through our own lens, which is shaped by our past and our upbringing, our desires and our fears."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Anne Cater and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
P.S. Find more of my reviews here.
October 2, 2019
I received a free eARC of Blood Song but that has in no way influenced my review.
I want to put my cards on the table here and say I loved (LOVED!!) the second book in Gustawsson's Roy and Castells series, Keeper. It was my book of 2018 and I still recommend to everyone. The first book in the series, Block 46, is also rather spectacular and well worth a read. Saying that, Blood Song does work perfectly well as a standalone so if you wanted to dive straight in, you could (but why would you do that when you have two utterly captivating novels to read first?!).
I can't quite put into words how special these books are and how talented Johana Gustawsson, and the translators (in this case David Warriner), are. Some writers tell you a story, while others take you on a journey and that's exactly what Gustawsson does in her novels. There is always a historical element to her stories and it's always something that will make you stop and think. In Blood Song the story jumps from Franco's Spain in the 1930s to the present day with spine chilling effect. At times, I was wondering what the connection would be. How the past and the present would collide. Then all the perfectly placed pieces fall into place and it's a beautiful, beautiful thing.
The current day investigation into the massacre of the Lindberg family in Falkenberg, Sweden, led by the brilliant Profiler Emily Roy and ably assisted by true-crime writer Alexis Castells, is compelling reading. I love Emily. I love that she doesn't bow to social norms and is just herself - whether YOU like it or not. The unstoppable investigative duo are joined by Aliénor Lindberg, new recruit to Scotland Yard and recently orphaned daughter to the aforementioned Lindberg's. It may seem unusual to include the recently bereaved daughter in the investigation of her parents and sister's grisly death but Aliénor and Emily have a bond. Emily knows the only way Aliénor will heal is by being at the forefront of things.
The chapters set in Spain under Franco's rule broke my heart. The book tackles a highly emotive subject and I take my hat off to Johana Gustawsson. There were points where, because of the heart-breaking scene I was reading (and so clearly picturing because there's no avoiding it when reading a Johana Gustawsson novel) I had to take a step back and take a breather. I couldn't stay away for long though. I was totally captivated by Gustawsson's words. The terror and fear were palpable. The torture brought me to tears.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, I most definitely would. Blood Song AND the first two books in the series. I cannot wait for book four. CANNOT. WAIT! Roll on whenever that will be. I am a massive fan of Johana Gustawsson's books and I urge you to pick this one because you won't regret it. If you're looking for an intelligent thriller that will bury itself deep within your soul then this is it. Beautiful, traumatic and totally addictive. Hard to read at times but impossible to put down for long. I loved Blood Song.
I chose to read and review an eARC of Blood Song. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
I want to put my cards on the table here and say I loved (LOVED!!) the second book in Gustawsson's Roy and Castells series, Keeper. It was my book of 2018 and I still recommend to everyone. The first book in the series, Block 46, is also rather spectacular and well worth a read. Saying that, Blood Song does work perfectly well as a standalone so if you wanted to dive straight in, you could (but why would you do that when you have two utterly captivating novels to read first?!).
I can't quite put into words how special these books are and how talented Johana Gustawsson, and the translators (in this case David Warriner), are. Some writers tell you a story, while others take you on a journey and that's exactly what Gustawsson does in her novels. There is always a historical element to her stories and it's always something that will make you stop and think. In Blood Song the story jumps from Franco's Spain in the 1930s to the present day with spine chilling effect. At times, I was wondering what the connection would be. How the past and the present would collide. Then all the perfectly placed pieces fall into place and it's a beautiful, beautiful thing.
The current day investigation into the massacre of the Lindberg family in Falkenberg, Sweden, led by the brilliant Profiler Emily Roy and ably assisted by true-crime writer Alexis Castells, is compelling reading. I love Emily. I love that she doesn't bow to social norms and is just herself - whether YOU like it or not. The unstoppable investigative duo are joined by Aliénor Lindberg, new recruit to Scotland Yard and recently orphaned daughter to the aforementioned Lindberg's. It may seem unusual to include the recently bereaved daughter in the investigation of her parents and sister's grisly death but Aliénor and Emily have a bond. Emily knows the only way Aliénor will heal is by being at the forefront of things.
The chapters set in Spain under Franco's rule broke my heart. The book tackles a highly emotive subject and I take my hat off to Johana Gustawsson. There were points where, because of the heart-breaking scene I was reading (and so clearly picturing because there's no avoiding it when reading a Johana Gustawsson novel) I had to take a step back and take a breather. I couldn't stay away for long though. I was totally captivated by Gustawsson's words. The terror and fear were palpable. The torture brought me to tears.
Would I recommend this book? Yes, I most definitely would. Blood Song AND the first two books in the series. I cannot wait for book four. CANNOT. WAIT! Roll on whenever that will be. I am a massive fan of Johana Gustawsson's books and I urge you to pick this one because you won't regret it. If you're looking for an intelligent thriller that will bury itself deep within your soul then this is it. Beautiful, traumatic and totally addictive. Hard to read at times but impossible to put down for long. I loved Blood Song.
I chose to read and review an eARC of Blood Song. The above review is my own unbiased opinion.
September 25, 2019
*I voluntarily reviewed this book from the tour organiser
BLOOD SONG by Johana Gustawsson is an uncomfortable, terrifying, and absolutely heartbreaking story that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.
Blending past and present, the author opens up Spanish history under the brutal dictatorship of Franco, of which I must admit I knew very little, and the devastating reality of the horrific treatment of everyone but especially women and children then, in turn, links to a modern-day chilling crime where a wealthy family are found slaughtered in their home in Sweden.
Profiler Emily Roy and her friend Alexis Castells are eager to capture the killer as always but this triple murder feels much closer to home as it centres around Emily's protégé, Aliénor - the victims were her family. It appears to be a very personal attack but there is also something off about this wealthy family's reproductive clinic which seems to achieve phenomenal success rates. Could their massacre be business-related? And as two similar crimes become known to Emily and Alexis, a heartbreaking and harrowing story from the past may just hold the key to unlocking the truth.
This book broke me. I cried, I felt physically ill, and I felt anger at the absolute horror that the victims under Franco's reign experienced. Yes, this book is fiction but elements are based on the real events of the past which made it all the more devastating.
Taking this traumatic history, Johana Gustawsson weaves an unbelievable web of murder and destruction with a gripping group of characters that will hold your attention at all times and keep you hooked to the very end.
BLOOD SONG by Johana Gustawsson is the third book in this excellent series (Block 46 and Keeper being the first two) and I highly recommend you buy them all because this author's writing is beyond talented - also a huge thank you to David Warriner who translates these compelling words into English.
Johana Gustawsson's writing has the power to actually change you, to open your eyes to history, and to make you physically react, and BLOOD SONG is another excellent example of this. An excellent and disturbing novel that is beyond measurement - a must-read for all crime fiction readers.
BLOOD SONG by Johana Gustawsson is an uncomfortable, terrifying, and absolutely heartbreaking story that will haunt you long after you turn the final page.
Blending past and present, the author opens up Spanish history under the brutal dictatorship of Franco, of which I must admit I knew very little, and the devastating reality of the horrific treatment of everyone but especially women and children then, in turn, links to a modern-day chilling crime where a wealthy family are found slaughtered in their home in Sweden.
Profiler Emily Roy and her friend Alexis Castells are eager to capture the killer as always but this triple murder feels much closer to home as it centres around Emily's protégé, Aliénor - the victims were her family. It appears to be a very personal attack but there is also something off about this wealthy family's reproductive clinic which seems to achieve phenomenal success rates. Could their massacre be business-related? And as two similar crimes become known to Emily and Alexis, a heartbreaking and harrowing story from the past may just hold the key to unlocking the truth.
This book broke me. I cried, I felt physically ill, and I felt anger at the absolute horror that the victims under Franco's reign experienced. Yes, this book is fiction but elements are based on the real events of the past which made it all the more devastating.
Taking this traumatic history, Johana Gustawsson weaves an unbelievable web of murder and destruction with a gripping group of characters that will hold your attention at all times and keep you hooked to the very end.
BLOOD SONG by Johana Gustawsson is the third book in this excellent series (Block 46 and Keeper being the first two) and I highly recommend you buy them all because this author's writing is beyond talented - also a huge thank you to David Warriner who translates these compelling words into English.
Johana Gustawsson's writing has the power to actually change you, to open your eyes to history, and to make you physically react, and BLOOD SONG is another excellent example of this. An excellent and disturbing novel that is beyond measurement - a must-read for all crime fiction readers.
July 19, 2019
BookTrail Travel to the locations in Blood Song
If this is not one of the most emotional books you’ll read, then I don’t know what is. There are some dark and very emotive subjects interwoven here but it’s such a gripping read, you really do come out of it with a deeper understanding of war, the consequences of war and how it has ripple effects in ways you might never have thought of.
This is a deeply affecting novel. Issues of Franco’s Spain and children’s homes during this time, babies being taken from their families, families themselves being shot…..That’s just the story set in the past. Present day sees a massacre in a home linked to one of the police officers. OF course, both stories intertwine, no check that – knot – themselves together so they grip you tightly and drag you into their grasp.
Blood Song is shocking and difficult to read in parts – war scenes in Franco’s Spain are never going to be postcard perfect of course – but there are sad and tragic scenes which will stay in my mind for a long time. Remembering that this is all based on true fact and the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end.
There is so much emotion in these pages, issues such as fertility and child abductions, child abuse….and the effects of all that across time. The scenes in the Spanish prison are grim and raw. Visceral writing from not just the heart but the gut. Oh I was torn one way and then the other. How the stories mix together is a work of art if that’s the right expression. It made me think of the painting ‘Guernica’. This symbolised war; with the crowds, the scenes of war, the bull, the lightbulb – symbolic moments of war and this book, if a painting, would be just like that. So much to look at but each part stands strong on its own.After reading, stand back and experience the full picture.
What I love about this series, and this book in particular, is the mix of Swedish, French heritage and culture. The author explains about her own mixed heritage and culture and how issues in her novels come from her past. The story of Block 46 for example is the story of her own paternal grandfather and how he fought in the International Brigades. He, like many others, tried to save the Spanish Republic before being deported to the Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp.
Blood Song ramped up everything I love about Johana Gustawsson and more. The sharp writing, the unfolding of a gripping plot, dark subjects dealt with care and attention yet never shying away from the horrific truth.
Top marks to the translator too! Seamlessly done and that text shines.
August 23, 2019
Blood Song by Johana Gustawsson is the third novel in the Roy and Castells series, I know what you’re thinking ‘not another crime series’ but Blood Song is like no other crime series you’ve ever read. Johana Gustawsson the author weaves historical fact with fiction blurring the edges so the two stories fit perfectly together creating a dark and emotive read. The thing I admire about this author’s novels is the fact she can take a period in history, in this case Spain 1938 and the brutalities of Spain’s dictatorship, and incorporate them with crimes set in 2016, how can someone combine such distant periods into a credible story and intertwine them? and yet Gustawsson accomplishes both producing a story that’s harrowing, disturbing, but such a compelling and intensely heart wrenching read.
The author transports the reader between the two timelines effortlessly creating a story which is fluid in its telling. Blood Song doesn’t make for an easy read, especially the scenes set during Spain’s dictatorship. Gustawsson vividly portrays the harsh conditions and the brutality of woman’s prisons and the children’s orphanages with such conviction these scenes are vividly brought to life, evoking so many emotions you wouldn’t expect to feel whilst reading a crime novel. At the same time I feel it’s only fair to mention the scenes are relevant to the story rather than gratuitous.
The crimes committed in present day including the murders of Aliénor Lindbergh’s family are just as horrifying, as those scenes set in wore torn Spain. Coupled with a plot that involves Swedish fertility clinics and Johana Gustwsson has written a book that takes the reader headlong into a story that’s dark and shocking. Blood Song sees the return of French true crime writer Alexis Castells and profiler Emily Roy, I do like the author’s career choices for her two main protagonists, as it means the plot doesn’t feature heavily on police procedures, which I find can sometimes overwhelm a plot. Although we get an insight into their personal life’s the plot is the main focus of the book, rather than the characters.
The tension that reverberates through Blood Song never looses momentum, each short chapter leaves you craving more, urging you on to its conclusion. This book has so much to offer the reader, with a gripping plot, moments of heartbreak, vivid scenes, and characters that will remain with you long after you’ve reached the final pages. With themes of fertility, child abductions, and child abuse the author has created a dark and disquieting story, and one that spans years of violence and abuse. Blood Song is a ‘must read’ for any crime thriller love, and although it could easily be read as a stand-alone I would suggest you read the series in order you won’t be disappointed I promise. Highly recommended.
All my reviews can be found at http://thebookreviewcafe.com
The author transports the reader between the two timelines effortlessly creating a story which is fluid in its telling. Blood Song doesn’t make for an easy read, especially the scenes set during Spain’s dictatorship. Gustawsson vividly portrays the harsh conditions and the brutality of woman’s prisons and the children’s orphanages with such conviction these scenes are vividly brought to life, evoking so many emotions you wouldn’t expect to feel whilst reading a crime novel. At the same time I feel it’s only fair to mention the scenes are relevant to the story rather than gratuitous.
The crimes committed in present day including the murders of Aliénor Lindbergh’s family are just as horrifying, as those scenes set in wore torn Spain. Coupled with a plot that involves Swedish fertility clinics and Johana Gustwsson has written a book that takes the reader headlong into a story that’s dark and shocking. Blood Song sees the return of French true crime writer Alexis Castells and profiler Emily Roy, I do like the author’s career choices for her two main protagonists, as it means the plot doesn’t feature heavily on police procedures, which I find can sometimes overwhelm a plot. Although we get an insight into their personal life’s the plot is the main focus of the book, rather than the characters.
The tension that reverberates through Blood Song never looses momentum, each short chapter leaves you craving more, urging you on to its conclusion. This book has so much to offer the reader, with a gripping plot, moments of heartbreak, vivid scenes, and characters that will remain with you long after you’ve reached the final pages. With themes of fertility, child abductions, and child abuse the author has created a dark and disquieting story, and one that spans years of violence and abuse. Blood Song is a ‘must read’ for any crime thriller love, and although it could easily be read as a stand-alone I would suggest you read the series in order you won’t be disappointed I promise. Highly recommended.
All my reviews can be found at http://thebookreviewcafe.com
September 22, 2019
Vibrant and thought provoking thriller set in Franco's SPAIN and 2016 SWEDEN
This is the third novel in the Roy and Castells series (after Block 46 and Keeper) and it can be read as a stand alone.
Several members of the Lindbergh family have been found murdered – Father Göran, Mother Kerstin and daughter Louise. Between them they have suffered more than 30 stab wounds and each has had their tongue cut out. It was a frenzied murder.
The Lindberghs run a fertility clinic and the indicators for their seemingly premeditated murder point in the direction of their clinical work. After all, the whole IVF process is an emotive and delicate process. In unscrupulous hands there can be some pretty sizeable financial gains to be made and thus the procedures and clinics involved have to be carefully and ethically policed. But as investigations proceed, family secrets are unfurled…
The youngest member of the family, Aliénor, happens to be working as a new recruit at Scotland Yard, a protégée of profiler Emily Roy. Together with crime writer Alexis Castells they start to investigate the varying leads.
The 2016 story is interspersed with events that took place back in Spain – from the mid 1930s onwards – commencing with the Nationalist persecution of Communist/Republican sympathisers – the men are summarily killed, the women abused. Franco’s / El Caudillo’s reign is a long one and the women who have been captured and tortured find themselves at the mercy of one institution after another. (At the beginning of the book the author offers a bit more depth to this period for those unfamiliar with this very grim – and rather recent – history of Spain).
This story is of course about finding the perpetrators of the grisly crime. But it is also about family relationship and in particular about sisters trying to look out for each other. There is a rawness and vibrancy in the author’s writing that really draws the reader in.
What I very much like about the author’s stories and writing is the immersive, European feel. Her characters come together from all over Europe and they have a sense of rootedness and connectedness, wherever they come from. This is a truly European writer. Thanks also to translator, David Warriner for bringing this novel to vibrant life in English.
The settings are good in terms of TripFiction, back to Falkenberg and the Tullbron Bridge and to various locations around Spain, past and present. A definite thumbs up for the Roy and Castells series!
This is the third novel in the Roy and Castells series (after Block 46 and Keeper) and it can be read as a stand alone.
Several members of the Lindbergh family have been found murdered – Father Göran, Mother Kerstin and daughter Louise. Between them they have suffered more than 30 stab wounds and each has had their tongue cut out. It was a frenzied murder.
The Lindberghs run a fertility clinic and the indicators for their seemingly premeditated murder point in the direction of their clinical work. After all, the whole IVF process is an emotive and delicate process. In unscrupulous hands there can be some pretty sizeable financial gains to be made and thus the procedures and clinics involved have to be carefully and ethically policed. But as investigations proceed, family secrets are unfurled…
The youngest member of the family, Aliénor, happens to be working as a new recruit at Scotland Yard, a protégée of profiler Emily Roy. Together with crime writer Alexis Castells they start to investigate the varying leads.
The 2016 story is interspersed with events that took place back in Spain – from the mid 1930s onwards – commencing with the Nationalist persecution of Communist/Republican sympathisers – the men are summarily killed, the women abused. Franco’s / El Caudillo’s reign is a long one and the women who have been captured and tortured find themselves at the mercy of one institution after another. (At the beginning of the book the author offers a bit more depth to this period for those unfamiliar with this very grim – and rather recent – history of Spain).
This story is of course about finding the perpetrators of the grisly crime. But it is also about family relationship and in particular about sisters trying to look out for each other. There is a rawness and vibrancy in the author’s writing that really draws the reader in.
What I very much like about the author’s stories and writing is the immersive, European feel. Her characters come together from all over Europe and they have a sense of rootedness and connectedness, wherever they come from. This is a truly European writer. Thanks also to translator, David Warriner for bringing this novel to vibrant life in English.
The settings are good in terms of TripFiction, back to Falkenberg and the Tullbron Bridge and to various locations around Spain, past and present. A definite thumbs up for the Roy and Castells series!
September 30, 2019
I am broken. Good grief.
I apologise upfront for this review but words completely fail me and I can only hope that what little I say next will convince you that this book, and the rest of the series, is an absolute must-read for any crime fiction fan who also doesn’t mind being educated somewhat.
Few crime fiction series leave me feeling like I’ve been punched in the gut numerous times, wanting to curl up into a tiny ball under my duvet, but Johana Gustawsson manages it every single time. You’d think I would have learned my lesson from her previous books but apparently I hadn’t because I wasn’t all prepared for the emotional impact Blood Song would have on me.
Blood Song is the third instalment in the Roy and Castells series and it is even stronger than its predecessors, proving this series only goes from strength to strength. In Falkenberg, Sweden, a wealthy family is found murdered in their home. The hunt for the killer leads Roy and Castells right back to the terror of Franco’s regime in Spain.
Cue some of the most harrowing chapters I’ve ever read in my life! I wasn’t at all familiar with this devastating period in Spanish history and it made me feel remarkably uncomfortable to realise that it actually wasn’t all that long ago. I don’t want to give anything away, obviously, but I will say that some events are extremely brutal, disturbing and dark and I have no doubt whatsoever that these chapters will haunt me forever.
As if that wasn’t enough, Johana Gustawsson also tackles the topic of inferitily and the measures some people will go to to obtain what Mother Nature is denying them, while also laying bare the unscrupulous side of infertility clinics.
Basically, Blood Song left me utterly reeling and feeling completely heartbroken. I don’t have the words to do this story justice at all. It is devastating and yet, there is also a tiny glimmer of hope and a sense of empowerment of women who have dealt with the worst of the worst.
Johana Gustawsson is a remarkable talent and I continue to be absolutely impressed by the way she manages to combine modern crime fiction with some of history’s most shocking eras and the atrocious things humans are capable of. I can’t recommend this powerful read and this entire series enough and I absolutely can’t wait for more! And as always, shout-out to David Warriner for the seamless translation!
I apologise upfront for this review but words completely fail me and I can only hope that what little I say next will convince you that this book, and the rest of the series, is an absolute must-read for any crime fiction fan who also doesn’t mind being educated somewhat.
Few crime fiction series leave me feeling like I’ve been punched in the gut numerous times, wanting to curl up into a tiny ball under my duvet, but Johana Gustawsson manages it every single time. You’d think I would have learned my lesson from her previous books but apparently I hadn’t because I wasn’t all prepared for the emotional impact Blood Song would have on me.
Blood Song is the third instalment in the Roy and Castells series and it is even stronger than its predecessors, proving this series only goes from strength to strength. In Falkenberg, Sweden, a wealthy family is found murdered in their home. The hunt for the killer leads Roy and Castells right back to the terror of Franco’s regime in Spain.
Cue some of the most harrowing chapters I’ve ever read in my life! I wasn’t at all familiar with this devastating period in Spanish history and it made me feel remarkably uncomfortable to realise that it actually wasn’t all that long ago. I don’t want to give anything away, obviously, but I will say that some events are extremely brutal, disturbing and dark and I have no doubt whatsoever that these chapters will haunt me forever.
As if that wasn’t enough, Johana Gustawsson also tackles the topic of inferitily and the measures some people will go to to obtain what Mother Nature is denying them, while also laying bare the unscrupulous side of infertility clinics.
Basically, Blood Song left me utterly reeling and feeling completely heartbroken. I don’t have the words to do this story justice at all. It is devastating and yet, there is also a tiny glimmer of hope and a sense of empowerment of women who have dealt with the worst of the worst.
Johana Gustawsson is a remarkable talent and I continue to be absolutely impressed by the way she manages to combine modern crime fiction with some of history’s most shocking eras and the atrocious things humans are capable of. I can’t recommend this powerful read and this entire series enough and I absolutely can’t wait for more! And as always, shout-out to David Warriner for the seamless translation!
January 2, 2024
Ce dernier tome est tout simplement merveilleux. Je crois c’est le meilleur . Bref ce livre m’a tenue en haleine du début à la fin . si vous chercher une série à lire lisez block 46 , mör et sång c’est un chef d’œuvre . Je compte lire ces autres romans à Johana Gustawsson .
September 3, 2019
Where do I even begin? There is a special place in my heart for Johana Gustawsson as she rekindled my love for my native language. Before I even begin talking about the mind-blowing novel that is Blood Song, I must mention that one of the powers of this series is the perfect (and I mean ‘perfect’ in the purest meaning of the word) writing with which the plot is delivered. Each word paves the way for the characters to enter your mind, for the taste of blood to invade your mouth, for the cases to turn personal. Johana Gustawsson masters words like no other. The rhythm of her sentences always matches the scenes she puts her readers in. As an avid reader, I enjoy plenty of styles and admire a long list of authors, but no one speaks to my head and heart as powerfully and beautifully as the Queen of French Noir. I am really glad that her work is handled by the talented translator David Warriner, who brings Johana’s style to English readers with accuracy. His translation does the original version justice and international readers are not robbed of the author’s magnificent style. Merci, David!
Blood Song. A chilling title for a chilling read. A prologue like a punch in the stomach. It takes a second to step into Emily Roy and Alexis Castells’ world once again. What a joy! At least, for the reader! But hey, we don’t pick crime fiction for the happiness in it! Still, the entire range of emotions can always be found in Johana’s Gustawsson’s novels.
Nothing is left to chance in Blood Song. When crime hits close to home, our characters must deal with the aftermath personally and professionally. I like the character of Alienor very much. It would be too easy to say she is in her own bubble. The murder of her family shows just how thin and yet so thick the wall between her and the rest of the world is. Alienor is special in so many ways, and Johana Gustawsson doesn’t fall for the easy traps. She has created a multi-layered character with strengths and weaknesses, and she explores it all in this novel, with subtlety and heart. Far from clichés, it becomes easier to connect with Alienor as she goes through the motion, helped by her mentor Emily.
Jump in time and space. No need for a Tardis when you have Johana Gustawsson. Spain. 1930s. A time I didn’t know about. Places that are unfamiliar to me. With eyes as big as a fish’s, I dived in. History with a giant H written in blood on the wall. I felt guilty for not knowing more about what happened only a frontier and decades away from me. With little knowledge, I let the author lead me through the past. A wind of horror and pain reached me. The research behind those chapters set in what feels another world but is in fact merely behind us is immense and we can feel it as we turn the pages. The weight of those lives, the fight, the courage. The distance faded away. I was right there. While becoming aware of the horrors of Franco’s regime, I grew attached to the characters and felt my heart explode with rage and despair. How, what do you do to me, dear author... Of course, I wondered what the connection to the murders of the present was. Of course, I raced through those lines that seemed so parallel they would never collide. Oh, but collide they do!
Both timelines are intense, filled with the best and the worst humankind is capable of. Johana Gustawsson doesn’t pain dark canvas for the sake of it. She uses them as a background to let human beings express themselves. Her characters, big and small, impacted me so strongly I can still feel their shadows by my side.
So, Meg, what about the actual crime element here?
Do I really need to say anything about it? Johana Gustawsson skillfully knits a crimson blanket between England, Sweden, and Spain. She sows different fates together with a sharp needle. She spills blood to let the wounds speak. I was transfixed by the seamless travel of the investigation and completely enthralled by the tension, the threat coming from everywhere. I drove on roads I wasn't expected to discover, I gasped, I felt so close to the characters I thought I was going to lose myself in the pages. You can feel the author's personal background shine through and pulse, like a safety belt keeping you afloat in those powerful waters of crime, because danger is never far...
Flawless and intelligent, Blood Song is intense, unique and magnificent. One foot in the past, the other in the present, the author reminds us we can’t run from old days, but can we learn from them?
January 13, 2020
An amazing story by Johana Gustawsson
filled with an astonishing aspects that these women did not know each other when they all moved to Sweden from Spain. All had dealt with the abuse as children at an orphanage
in Spain, at the hands of the priest (Father Murillo), nun (Sister Fernanda) and the medic (Carlos Burgos). Each of them had children who never realised that their mothers were all from Spain. It all started with a man called Dr. Carlos Burgos, who was murdered in 2012, he was the medic at the orphanage. In 2016, the Lindbergh family were killed, Kerstin, Göran, and Louise. In 2012 and in 2016 the people were involved with Birth Clinics. They were both using eggs and sperm from donors
that were not the patients, to get good statistics. The children of a woman called Gordi, changed to Mado in Sweden, were Alexis and Emily and were working with the police as a journalist and a profiler. I would tell you more but then you will know the whole story. I feel that you should read this story for yourself to get a handle on it. You won't be disappointed.
filled with an astonishing aspects that these women did not know each other when they all moved to Sweden from Spain. All had dealt with the abuse as children at an orphanagein Spain, at the hands of the priest (Father Murillo), nun (Sister Fernanda) and the medic (Carlos Burgos). Each of them had children who never realised that their mothers were all from Spain. It all started with a man called Dr. Carlos Burgos, who was murdered in 2012, he was the medic at the orphanage. In 2016, the Lindbergh family were killed, Kerstin, Göran, and Louise. In 2012 and in 2016 the people were involved with Birth Clinics. They were both using eggs and sperm from donors
that were not the patients, to get good statistics. The children of a woman called Gordi, changed to Mado in Sweden, were Alexis and Emily and were working with the police as a journalist and a profiler. I would tell you more but then you will know the whole story. I feel that you should read this story for yourself to get a handle on it. You won't be disappointed.
September 27, 2019
In other, less skilled hands, this could be a confusing and almost overloaded tale. However, with surgical precision, Jo Gustawson not only achieves an incredible effect through her deliberate and delicate word choice, the sublime translation by David Warriner adds a whole other layer to experience 'Blood Song' through.
There are well defined characters dealing with impossible situations. A narrative which echoes across the decades, weaving deceipt, betrayal and murder against the backlog of huge cultural shifts, all of which pulls down to the level where all human beings live, the song which is sung from the connection of blood. A song which reverberates and echoes through generation after generation.
I am ashamed to say that I had no idea of the sheer brutality and harm done in the days of Franco's Italy, a mass extinction of anyone who thought differently from the dictator and his acolytes. More than just describing the evil, wicked things that humans do in the name of being 'right', it looks at what drives a person to mutilate, torture and murder men, women and children . What part of your soul must die to be able to make such a decision on which side of the line you stand on?
As if the descriptions of the kidnapped sister of a resistance fighter were not bad enough and gruelling to read, the murders in 2016 Sweden of a married couple who were prominent fertility experts is enought to tear at your soul. However, we as a reader have the luxury of cosing the book and stopping the reading. These people who lived not so long agao, in the so-called civilized West, were responsible for the wholesale extinction of life. And couched within what is essentially a sophisticated murder mystery is the tale of survival against all odds, a nuanced and subtle exploration of what it means to be a parent and how it defines you.
And yet there is always a spark of redemption, not in a neatly tied up ending, but in a true and accuate summation of an investigation by a team who the reader becomes more invested in as the series continues.
She exhorts you to come closer, and closer still to the raw, beating heart of the human condition and whilst turning you inside and out, you remain grateful to her for reaching through your ribcage and bidding you to look at what she pulls out and holds in her hand.
Jo makes you care deeply with her quiet strength of feeling, she pulls no punches -and frankly, why should she?-and lays out the most intricate and rich mystery that I have read in a long time. The cross cultural references and widespread locations across Europe alone are enough to intrigue and draw me in as a fan of Nordic Noir-this my friends, is as dark as them come. And who else but Orenda would have the sheer balls to publish such an uncompromising team of writers?
What is a group of writers called anyhow?
I think there needs to be a new collective term for Orenda authors, something edgy and reflective of their unique nature.
WHAT SAY YOU?
An appalling and horrific time period which I intend to research as a result of reading this incredible tale,'Blood Song' is illuminated with dignity and representation-I applaud Jo loudly and with gusto.
Brava!!!
There are well defined characters dealing with impossible situations. A narrative which echoes across the decades, weaving deceipt, betrayal and murder against the backlog of huge cultural shifts, all of which pulls down to the level where all human beings live, the song which is sung from the connection of blood. A song which reverberates and echoes through generation after generation.
I am ashamed to say that I had no idea of the sheer brutality and harm done in the days of Franco's Italy, a mass extinction of anyone who thought differently from the dictator and his acolytes. More than just describing the evil, wicked things that humans do in the name of being 'right', it looks at what drives a person to mutilate, torture and murder men, women and children . What part of your soul must die to be able to make such a decision on which side of the line you stand on?
As if the descriptions of the kidnapped sister of a resistance fighter were not bad enough and gruelling to read, the murders in 2016 Sweden of a married couple who were prominent fertility experts is enought to tear at your soul. However, we as a reader have the luxury of cosing the book and stopping the reading. These people who lived not so long agao, in the so-called civilized West, were responsible for the wholesale extinction of life. And couched within what is essentially a sophisticated murder mystery is the tale of survival against all odds, a nuanced and subtle exploration of what it means to be a parent and how it defines you.
And yet there is always a spark of redemption, not in a neatly tied up ending, but in a true and accuate summation of an investigation by a team who the reader becomes more invested in as the series continues.
She exhorts you to come closer, and closer still to the raw, beating heart of the human condition and whilst turning you inside and out, you remain grateful to her for reaching through your ribcage and bidding you to look at what she pulls out and holds in her hand.
Jo makes you care deeply with her quiet strength of feeling, she pulls no punches -and frankly, why should she?-and lays out the most intricate and rich mystery that I have read in a long time. The cross cultural references and widespread locations across Europe alone are enough to intrigue and draw me in as a fan of Nordic Noir-this my friends, is as dark as them come. And who else but Orenda would have the sheer balls to publish such an uncompromising team of writers?
What is a group of writers called anyhow?
I think there needs to be a new collective term for Orenda authors, something edgy and reflective of their unique nature.
WHAT SAY YOU?
An appalling and horrific time period which I intend to research as a result of reading this incredible tale,'Blood Song' is illuminated with dignity and representation-I applaud Jo loudly and with gusto.
Brava!!!
March 7, 2020
The third entry in the excellent Emily Roy and Alexis Castells series follows on from Gustawsson’s award-winning debut, BLOCK 46, which blended contemporary crimes in Sweden and the UK with historic horrors from Buchenwald concentration camp, and KEEPER, which had a present-and-past structure entwined with Jack the Ripper’s sadistic spree across Victorian London.
This time Roy and Castells are hunting a dangerous killer who strikes close to them, as a new Scotland Yard recruit’s wealthy family is found massacred back in Sweden. BLOOD SONG traverses issues from modern fertility clinics back to the terrors of the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s subsequent dictatorship.
Gustawsson crafts a tale that is deeply disturbing and yet captivating. She doesn’t shy away from the true-to-history atrocities of a past era and regime that has perhaps gone somewhat overlooked, relative to others. BLOOD SONG is not an easy read, but it is hard to stop reading.
Gustawsson does a fine job setting the hook then reeling us in across some jagged and painful ground. She is showing herself to be a masterful storyteller going from strength to strength, whose dark tales are brought to English-speaking readers thanks to an adroit translation from Canadian David Warriner. While I wouldn't recommended this novel or this series for cosy-only crime lovers, I do think it is very very good; a vivid and exciting tale for those who can handle the darker edge.
This time Roy and Castells are hunting a dangerous killer who strikes close to them, as a new Scotland Yard recruit’s wealthy family is found massacred back in Sweden. BLOOD SONG traverses issues from modern fertility clinics back to the terrors of the Spanish Civil War and Franco’s subsequent dictatorship.
Gustawsson crafts a tale that is deeply disturbing and yet captivating. She doesn’t shy away from the true-to-history atrocities of a past era and regime that has perhaps gone somewhat overlooked, relative to others. BLOOD SONG is not an easy read, but it is hard to stop reading.
Gustawsson does a fine job setting the hook then reeling us in across some jagged and painful ground. She is showing herself to be a masterful storyteller going from strength to strength, whose dark tales are brought to English-speaking readers thanks to an adroit translation from Canadian David Warriner. While I wouldn't recommended this novel or this series for cosy-only crime lovers, I do think it is very very good; a vivid and exciting tale for those who can handle the darker edge.
July 17, 2022
Même si je trouve vraiment réussie cette troisième intrigue, je n'ai pas mis la note maximale pour une raison : les énormes coïncidences tout autour de la résolution du "mystère", ce qui rend un dénouement plutôt tiré par les cheveux... Hormis ce point négatif, ce roman est construit de la même façon que les deux précédents : de courts chapitres flashbacks, ici centrés sur des évènements survenus pendant la guerre d'Espagne en 1936, qui semblent au départ aux antipodes de l'enquête actuelle. J'avoue que j'ai appris énormément sur les exactions "fratricides" qui ont été commis pendant cette époque. Ce récit est raconté avec une vraie émotion (l'autrice est d'origine catalane, et ce ressenti est tout à fait palpable).
Nous suivons avec toujours autant d'attention nos deux héroïnes qui "avancent" dans l'existence. J'aime vraiment beaucoup ces deux caractères tellement différents. L'autrice parvient une fois encore à rendre Emily d'un abord si antipathique, singulièrement attachante. On sent à quelle point c'est en fait intérieurement une écorchée vive. Cette enquête va de nouveau les toucher de très près, et cette épreuve va rendre cette complicité encore plus soudée. L'ensemble évolue avec toujours autant de rythme, et cela se lit avec toujours autant de plaisir.
Nous suivons avec toujours autant d'attention nos deux héroïnes qui "avancent" dans l'existence. J'aime vraiment beaucoup ces deux caractères tellement différents. L'autrice parvient une fois encore à rendre Emily d'un abord si antipathique, singulièrement attachante. On sent à quelle point c'est en fait intérieurement une écorchée vive. Cette enquête va de nouveau les toucher de très près, et cette épreuve va rendre cette complicité encore plus soudée. L'ensemble évolue avec toujours autant de rythme, et cela se lit avec toujours autant de plaisir.
August 19, 2019
Simply stunning.
September 26, 2019
I’ve read the first two books in the Emily Roy and Alexis Castells series and didn’t think they could be topped but Blood Song completely blew me away! It follows the familiar pattern that Johana uses for her narratives, with events from particularly nasty periods of history having a connection to a present crime, but this time it was an historic period that I really didn’t know an awful lot about! And for me, that made the horrific experiences that occurred even more shocking when I was faced with them!
Whilst I love the partnership between Roy and Castells, the character of Alienor was the one that really grabbed me here. When Alienor finds out that her family have been murdered, she has to return to her family home in Sweden whilst coming to terms with life without them. Due to her Aspergers, she is able to look at the crime with a slightly different eye and there were moments when I got rather chocked up with emotion as she tried to come to terms with her lose. What follows is a dual timeline thriller (with the voice of an incredibly disturbed character thrown in as well!) that spans 80 years and 2 countries unfolding a dark and disturbing storyline.
Johana Gustawsson writes such involving and intelligent thrillers, full of twists and puzzles, that I defy you to solve them before the end! I became entirely entangled in the hunt for the murderer of this supposedly normal Swedish family. They appeared to have no enemies and had helped hundreds of couples to achieve their dreams of becoming parents through their work in a fertility clinic. The fertility issues that affected some of the characters were presented with a clear knowledge of that very emotive and difficult situation and those characters spoke with an incredibly strong heart.
Blood Song is an intense journey for both the reader and the characters that is both harrowing but life affirming at the same time. It is just so beautifully crafted and very clever that I put it down at the end with a hugely satisfied sigh! I’ve waited for such a long time for this book and it didn’t disappoint one little bit! If you haven’t discovered this series so far then you are definitely missing out. Highly recommended by me!
Whilst I love the partnership between Roy and Castells, the character of Alienor was the one that really grabbed me here. When Alienor finds out that her family have been murdered, she has to return to her family home in Sweden whilst coming to terms with life without them. Due to her Aspergers, she is able to look at the crime with a slightly different eye and there were moments when I got rather chocked up with emotion as she tried to come to terms with her lose. What follows is a dual timeline thriller (with the voice of an incredibly disturbed character thrown in as well!) that spans 80 years and 2 countries unfolding a dark and disturbing storyline.
Johana Gustawsson writes such involving and intelligent thrillers, full of twists and puzzles, that I defy you to solve them before the end! I became entirely entangled in the hunt for the murderer of this supposedly normal Swedish family. They appeared to have no enemies and had helped hundreds of couples to achieve their dreams of becoming parents through their work in a fertility clinic. The fertility issues that affected some of the characters were presented with a clear knowledge of that very emotive and difficult situation and those characters spoke with an incredibly strong heart.
Blood Song is an intense journey for both the reader and the characters that is both harrowing but life affirming at the same time. It is just so beautifully crafted and very clever that I put it down at the end with a hugely satisfied sigh! I’ve waited for such a long time for this book and it didn’t disappoint one little bit! If you haven’t discovered this series so far then you are definitely missing out. Highly recommended by me!
August 19, 2019
Blood Song is classic Johana Gustawwson and gives us again that wonderful duo Roy and Castells with the supurb Aliénor thrown in as a bonus. But Johana is not content with just giving us a crime mystery. She also wants to educate us (like she did in Block 46) on a past moment in history so that it is not forgotten, or in this case, covered up. Growing up in the 50s/60s in America, Franco was not an unknown entity to me. Frequently seen on the news smiling while shaking our President's hand, we looked on him as benevolent. Fifty some odd years later, Johana has enlightened my ignorance as to the real Caudillo of Spain or as we called him, Generalissimo Franco, while telling a fabulous tale.
The real Franco tortured his people. Jailed them, took their children, showed every act of violence one could. Against this backdrop the crime mystery goes back and forth between the Spanish Civil War and current times in Sweden where a family is killed. The chapters in the past are very short but extremely powerful in what they tell.
We travel all over Spain, Sweden, and England. We're in jails, orphanages, police stations and private homes. We are scattered all over but at the end we all come together to reach the very powerful ending.
Translated by the wonderful David Warriner. Thank you again Johana and David for opening my mind and educating me. When a book sends you scrambling on your own historical research path, you know it's become part of you. A book should leave memories. This one leaves memories, but it also leaves scars.
The real Franco tortured his people. Jailed them, took their children, showed every act of violence one could. Against this backdrop the crime mystery goes back and forth between the Spanish Civil War and current times in Sweden where a family is killed. The chapters in the past are very short but extremely powerful in what they tell.
We travel all over Spain, Sweden, and England. We're in jails, orphanages, police stations and private homes. We are scattered all over but at the end we all come together to reach the very powerful ending.
Translated by the wonderful David Warriner. Thank you again Johana and David for opening my mind and educating me. When a book sends you scrambling on your own historical research path, you know it's become part of you. A book should leave memories. This one leaves memories, but it also leaves scars.
September 19, 2019
https://orlando-books.blog/2019/09/19...
This is the third book in the Roy and Castells series, but I found it easy to read as a stand alone. I haven’t read the previous two, but after reading Blood Song I am going to remedy that right away.
This has a background of the horrors of Franco’s Spain. The persecution of anyone they believed to be communist, socialists or republicans. The numbers given in the introduction to Johana Gustawsson’s tale are difficult to comprehend.
Blood Song covers periods and locations from 1930’s Spain to 2016 Sweden, with visits to London too.
There is someone who has killed members of the Lindbergh family, stabbing them and removing their tongues…….Kerstin, Göran and Louise were Aliénor’s mother, father and sister. Aliénor is a profiler, she has Aspergers and has difficulty with the emotions this tragedy causes and her friend Emily seems to be the only one to understand.
Emily is also a profiler, with her colleague Alexis Castells, a true crime author, and Aliènor, they try to solve these murders…..
But, there have been more killings…..is there a link? How could an IVF clinic be involved?
There are chapters from the 1930’s, where people were taken from their homes, some shot and others imprisoned, brutalised, raped and starved….any children were taken and sent to orphanages…..only to suffer abuse at the hands of priests and nuns…heartbreaking and anger inducing at the same time.
How are these two timelines linked?
I cannot say much more, as there is no way I would want to spoil any part of this incredible thriller. I’ve not read a thriller like this, it’s so powerful and compelling with a cadence that matches the emotions. Absolutely stunning.
Thank you to Anne Cater and Random Things Tours for the opportunity to participate in this blog tour, for the promotional materials and a free copy of the book. This is my honest, unbiased review.
March 5, 2020
Blood Song – Another fantastic Roy and Castells thriller
Blood Song is the third outing in the Roy and Castells series from French writer Johana Gutawsson. This series keeps getting better with every new story, showing why it was critically acclaimed and why a TV adaptation is on its way. This really is a complex thriller that crosses the boundaries of Europe.
When the murder of a family in Falkenberg takes place, they realise that this one is rather too close to home. The family of Emily Roy’s assistant, Alienor have all been murdered in the family home, they know that they will have to work quickly. Even acknowledging that Alienor should not be involved she will make sure she is involved in some of the investigative work.
There is a second strand to the story that goes back to Franco’s fascist Spain, and the abuse and the orphanages that abounded the country. How two sisters were united in survival in the orphanage, while sustaining both physical and sexual abuse from the priest and the nuns. How one sister saw the other murdered by a nun and had to live with that fact for the rest of her life.
It will take a trip to Madrid that will open up the case, because in Sweden there is absolutely no evidence as to why the murders happened. While the murders where frenzied it was Alienor’s mother was the one whom seemed to have borne the brunt of the violence. It is only by stepping back in time will the truth ever reveal itself.
Another excellent thriller from Johana Gutawsson who brings a refreshing breath of fresh air to the thriller genre. Once again her sharp writing is excellently translated by David Warriner.
Blood Song is the third outing in the Roy and Castells series from French writer Johana Gutawsson. This series keeps getting better with every new story, showing why it was critically acclaimed and why a TV adaptation is on its way. This really is a complex thriller that crosses the boundaries of Europe.
When the murder of a family in Falkenberg takes place, they realise that this one is rather too close to home. The family of Emily Roy’s assistant, Alienor have all been murdered in the family home, they know that they will have to work quickly. Even acknowledging that Alienor should not be involved she will make sure she is involved in some of the investigative work.
There is a second strand to the story that goes back to Franco’s fascist Spain, and the abuse and the orphanages that abounded the country. How two sisters were united in survival in the orphanage, while sustaining both physical and sexual abuse from the priest and the nuns. How one sister saw the other murdered by a nun and had to live with that fact for the rest of her life.
It will take a trip to Madrid that will open up the case, because in Sweden there is absolutely no evidence as to why the murders happened. While the murders where frenzied it was Alienor’s mother was the one whom seemed to have borne the brunt of the violence. It is only by stepping back in time will the truth ever reveal itself.
Another excellent thriller from Johana Gutawsson who brings a refreshing breath of fresh air to the thriller genre. Once again her sharp writing is excellently translated by David Warriner.
September 22, 2019
I’m delighted to share my review of Blood Song by Johana Gustawsson with you today, even though I’m pretty sure I won’t be doing it justice. It’s no secret I loved Block 46 and Keeper, I was really late to the Roy and Castells party but I’ve been a huge fan ever since listening to the first chapters of Block 46 and I didn’t think it was possible but I believe I’ve become an even bigger fan with each book.
As with the previous books, Johana has woven a tale with two very different strings: one contemporary thriller, one historical fiction. As always, the challenge is in figuring out how all the pieces fit together, how the past is tied to the present, and as always, I completely failed to see the full picture until Johana was waving it in my face.
Blood Song starts a few months after Keeper. I’m fairly certain you can read Blood Song as a standalone without getting lost, but I do think you’ll have a better understanding of the characters if you’ve read the previous books. Aliénor has been training to become a profiler under the wings of Emily Roy when the devastating news comes that her parents and sister have been murdered in their home. Those of you who have read Keeper will know that Aliénor is on the autism spectrum. Dealing with her emotions, processing them, is never easy, least of all now, in the face of this tragedy. Aliénor is portrayed with so much love and respect, I absolutely adore her and my heart bled for her. But why were her parents killed? Was it personal or did it have something to do with their IVF clinic? True-crime writer Alexis Castells, who should really be focusing on her upcoming wedding, once again joins Emily and commissioner Bergström in their investigations, which lead all the way to Spain. This part of the story is nothing short of riveting. I was caught up in the investigation right away and I was dying to know the who and why.
The historical storyline takes us to Francoist Spain in 1938. I can’t believe how little I knew about Franco and how much I’ve learned from Johana’s foreword alone. Yes, I learned about Franco in history lessons in secondary school but to my mind “el Caudillo” was on a par with Hitler. They were always named in one breath for their atrocities committed in the 1940s and somehow I never realised that Franco’s reign of terror lasted all the way into the 1970s. I also had no clue about just how atrocious his rule really was, how many people suffered in Francoist Spain, and how much. Blood Song gives those people a face, and that makes it a really tough read at times. It shows us executions, rape, prisoners practically stacked on top of each other because there just isn’t enough space for everyone, small children in orphanages drinking from puddles and toilets so they won’t die of thirst, girls whipped and abused, and all of this in the name of the leader. Heart-breaking, absolutely, but well worth it, because victims such as these have been buried in history for far too long and they deserve to be given a face. Regardless of its importance, this historical part of Blood Song is suspenseful, nerve-wracking, simply outstanding.
Like I told Johana on Twitter: I loved this story so much and I’m not even your average historical fiction lover. Somehow she makes me enjoy it, she makes it fun, although I’m not sure that’s the right word to be used in this context…
A very personal story told with so much love and kindness, despite the devastating nature of some of the events, I feel this is Johana’s best novel yet and I can’t wait to see what she’ll come up with next!
As with the previous books, Johana has woven a tale with two very different strings: one contemporary thriller, one historical fiction. As always, the challenge is in figuring out how all the pieces fit together, how the past is tied to the present, and as always, I completely failed to see the full picture until Johana was waving it in my face.
Blood Song starts a few months after Keeper. I’m fairly certain you can read Blood Song as a standalone without getting lost, but I do think you’ll have a better understanding of the characters if you’ve read the previous books. Aliénor has been training to become a profiler under the wings of Emily Roy when the devastating news comes that her parents and sister have been murdered in their home. Those of you who have read Keeper will know that Aliénor is on the autism spectrum. Dealing with her emotions, processing them, is never easy, least of all now, in the face of this tragedy. Aliénor is portrayed with so much love and respect, I absolutely adore her and my heart bled for her. But why were her parents killed? Was it personal or did it have something to do with their IVF clinic? True-crime writer Alexis Castells, who should really be focusing on her upcoming wedding, once again joins Emily and commissioner Bergström in their investigations, which lead all the way to Spain. This part of the story is nothing short of riveting. I was caught up in the investigation right away and I was dying to know the who and why.
The historical storyline takes us to Francoist Spain in 1938. I can’t believe how little I knew about Franco and how much I’ve learned from Johana’s foreword alone. Yes, I learned about Franco in history lessons in secondary school but to my mind “el Caudillo” was on a par with Hitler. They were always named in one breath for their atrocities committed in the 1940s and somehow I never realised that Franco’s reign of terror lasted all the way into the 1970s. I also had no clue about just how atrocious his rule really was, how many people suffered in Francoist Spain, and how much. Blood Song gives those people a face, and that makes it a really tough read at times. It shows us executions, rape, prisoners practically stacked on top of each other because there just isn’t enough space for everyone, small children in orphanages drinking from puddles and toilets so they won’t die of thirst, girls whipped and abused, and all of this in the name of the leader. Heart-breaking, absolutely, but well worth it, because victims such as these have been buried in history for far too long and they deserve to be given a face. Regardless of its importance, this historical part of Blood Song is suspenseful, nerve-wracking, simply outstanding.
Like I told Johana on Twitter: I loved this story so much and I’m not even your average historical fiction lover. Somehow she makes me enjoy it, she makes it fun, although I’m not sure that’s the right word to be used in this context…
A very personal story told with so much love and kindness, despite the devastating nature of some of the events, I feel this is Johana’s best novel yet and I can’t wait to see what she’ll come up with next!
September 13, 2019
‘Although the characters who live and die in these pages are the figment of my writerly imagination, the experiences they endure are rooted in the terrible truth of a dark, dark chapter in Spanish history’
– Johana Gustawsson, author of Blood Song
Blood Song by Johana Gustawsson is book 3 in the award-winning and critically acclaimed Roy & Castells series, featuring profiler Emily Roy and true-crime writer Alexis Castells. Having read and been blown away by Block 46 and Keeper, I was wary about Blood Song. Could it live up to my very high expectations? Already released by Orenda Books in digital format, it will be available in paperback from 19th September 2019. I have to mention and thank David Warriner, the incredible translator who brings alive to us all the amazing storytelling of Johana Gustawsson. In partnership with the Orenda powerhouse that is Karen Sullivan, they have brought an incredible novel to our door.
Blood Song is described as ‘a terrifying, vivid and riveting serial killer thriller that sweeps from modern-day London to Sweden, and back into the past, to the shocking atrocities of Franco’s dictatorship in Spain…’ And do you know what, that’s EXACTLY what it is. Johana Gustawsson manages to combine two top genres, historical fiction and crime, and weaves the most complex, shocking and truly terrifying stories around them.
For folk who may not be aware of the scale of the atrocities under Franco’s regime, Johana Gustawsson has included an author’s note citing some very hard-hitting numbers recounting the heinous crimes committed under Franco’s dictatorship. The death toll will never be known as mass graves have since been unearthed, exposing more of the horror inflicted upon a nation during this reign of terror.
‘The nature of the conflict was what made this dark time in Spain’s past particularly terrifying. This intense and bloody episode of Spanish history saw some of the worst human atrocities imaginable: one people with two political ideologies opposing one another, first with arms, before the ‘victors’ subjected the ‘victims’ to their fierce repression – giving thousands of torturers and executioners the power of life or death over strangers, neighbours, friends, fathers and brothers’
– Johana Gustawsson, Author’s Note
Block 46 visually transported the reader back to Buchenwald, 1944. Blood Song visually transports the reader back to Spain, 1938. The powers that Franco holds over Church and State means that nobody is safe. A word spoken to the wrong person could mean torture and death. Life for many in Spain became a living hell and for those who survived, it left very painful and bitter memories. Teresa, a Republican, witnesses these horrors first hand and is eventually sent to Las Ventas prison in Madrid, at one point home to approximately 11,000 female prisoners, in a space designed for 500. Teresa is subjected to terrible barbarity while in prison, eventually giving birth to her daughter, a girl she would never see grow up.
Johana Gustawsson paints very vividly the treatment of these women during those merciless years, also recounting the horrors witnessed by these women before and during their incarceration in Las Ventas. The pain inflicted carried through the generations, damaging the minds of many who survived.
2016 and the Lindberg estate in Falkenberg, Sweden becomes the scene of a murderous rampage, as a mother, father and daughter are brutally slaughtered in their sleep. With no rhyme or reason to this horrifying murder, the local police are stymied. When the connection is made to Aliénor Lindbergh, a new recruit to the UK’s Scotland Yard, profiler Emily Roy is immediately installed on the case. Aliénor works with Emily Roy and her team and is understandably traumatised, upset and confused as to why anyone would choose to butcher her family.
The team make their way to Falkenberg in the hope of unearthing the truth before the killer strikes again. Alexis Castells joins Emily Roy as the duo reunite and trace leads back to 1930s Spain, to Franco’s Spain. Also incorporated into this story is a frightening narrative about the activity of fertility clinics and the lives impacted. Using her own difficult experiences with fertility clinics, Johana Gustawsson’s personal insight into the challenges faced by many, brings yet another convincing edge to Blood Song.
I read Blood Song in one day. I simply could not and would not put it down. I tweeted immediately on finishing it. I was shattered.
The historical element will always a swing a book for me but Johana Gustawsson takes it to a new level. Perhaps it’s her passion for writing such incredible stories, perhaps it’s the depths her mind can travel down to, into such dark places. But one thing is certain it’s personal. Johana Gustawsson’s grandfather, Simon Lagunas, was a survivor of Buchenwald and one of many courageous individuals involved in the resistance within the camp and there is more…
‘This is a book that sits very close to home, even more than Block 46. First of all because it talks about the Spanish people and their struggles, whose blood pulses through my own veins. My maternal grandmother was Catalan by birth and Valencian by heart, and my paternal grandfather fought for the International Brigades to try and save the Spanish Republic before being deported to the Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp – whose story I told in Block 46.’
– Johana Gustawsson
Blood Song is quite a malevolent tale, strengthened by the history behind it. It is dark, at times gruesome with some very frightening and horribly vivid accounts of those very dark years in Spain. Roy & Castells are a perfect partnership, not without their own difficulties in life. As a team they are a very credible combination, which all adds to the thrill of the story, as they tackle this macabre of cases.
Blood Song is a harrowing novel. Yes it is a crime thriller but it is also much more than that. By drawing on her own personal story, Johana Gustawsson brings an authenticity to her writing depicting historical events with a chilling insight and a very skilled pen.
Blood Song is brutal. It is gripping. It is enthralling. It is an incredibly compelling and heartrending novel. Highly recommend.
P.S. A TV adaptation is currently underway in a French, Swedish and UK co-production. Now THAT is just bloody brilliant news!!!
– Johana Gustawsson, author of Blood Song
Blood Song by Johana Gustawsson is book 3 in the award-winning and critically acclaimed Roy & Castells series, featuring profiler Emily Roy and true-crime writer Alexis Castells. Having read and been blown away by Block 46 and Keeper, I was wary about Blood Song. Could it live up to my very high expectations? Already released by Orenda Books in digital format, it will be available in paperback from 19th September 2019. I have to mention and thank David Warriner, the incredible translator who brings alive to us all the amazing storytelling of Johana Gustawsson. In partnership with the Orenda powerhouse that is Karen Sullivan, they have brought an incredible novel to our door.
Blood Song is described as ‘a terrifying, vivid and riveting serial killer thriller that sweeps from modern-day London to Sweden, and back into the past, to the shocking atrocities of Franco’s dictatorship in Spain…’ And do you know what, that’s EXACTLY what it is. Johana Gustawsson manages to combine two top genres, historical fiction and crime, and weaves the most complex, shocking and truly terrifying stories around them.
For folk who may not be aware of the scale of the atrocities under Franco’s regime, Johana Gustawsson has included an author’s note citing some very hard-hitting numbers recounting the heinous crimes committed under Franco’s dictatorship. The death toll will never be known as mass graves have since been unearthed, exposing more of the horror inflicted upon a nation during this reign of terror.
‘The nature of the conflict was what made this dark time in Spain’s past particularly terrifying. This intense and bloody episode of Spanish history saw some of the worst human atrocities imaginable: one people with two political ideologies opposing one another, first with arms, before the ‘victors’ subjected the ‘victims’ to their fierce repression – giving thousands of torturers and executioners the power of life or death over strangers, neighbours, friends, fathers and brothers’
– Johana Gustawsson, Author’s Note
Block 46 visually transported the reader back to Buchenwald, 1944. Blood Song visually transports the reader back to Spain, 1938. The powers that Franco holds over Church and State means that nobody is safe. A word spoken to the wrong person could mean torture and death. Life for many in Spain became a living hell and for those who survived, it left very painful and bitter memories. Teresa, a Republican, witnesses these horrors first hand and is eventually sent to Las Ventas prison in Madrid, at one point home to approximately 11,000 female prisoners, in a space designed for 500. Teresa is subjected to terrible barbarity while in prison, eventually giving birth to her daughter, a girl she would never see grow up.
Johana Gustawsson paints very vividly the treatment of these women during those merciless years, also recounting the horrors witnessed by these women before and during their incarceration in Las Ventas. The pain inflicted carried through the generations, damaging the minds of many who survived.
2016 and the Lindberg estate in Falkenberg, Sweden becomes the scene of a murderous rampage, as a mother, father and daughter are brutally slaughtered in their sleep. With no rhyme or reason to this horrifying murder, the local police are stymied. When the connection is made to Aliénor Lindbergh, a new recruit to the UK’s Scotland Yard, profiler Emily Roy is immediately installed on the case. Aliénor works with Emily Roy and her team and is understandably traumatised, upset and confused as to why anyone would choose to butcher her family.
The team make their way to Falkenberg in the hope of unearthing the truth before the killer strikes again. Alexis Castells joins Emily Roy as the duo reunite and trace leads back to 1930s Spain, to Franco’s Spain. Also incorporated into this story is a frightening narrative about the activity of fertility clinics and the lives impacted. Using her own difficult experiences with fertility clinics, Johana Gustawsson’s personal insight into the challenges faced by many, brings yet another convincing edge to Blood Song.
I read Blood Song in one day. I simply could not and would not put it down. I tweeted immediately on finishing it. I was shattered.
The historical element will always a swing a book for me but Johana Gustawsson takes it to a new level. Perhaps it’s her passion for writing such incredible stories, perhaps it’s the depths her mind can travel down to, into such dark places. But one thing is certain it’s personal. Johana Gustawsson’s grandfather, Simon Lagunas, was a survivor of Buchenwald and one of many courageous individuals involved in the resistance within the camp and there is more…
‘This is a book that sits very close to home, even more than Block 46. First of all because it talks about the Spanish people and their struggles, whose blood pulses through my own veins. My maternal grandmother was Catalan by birth and Valencian by heart, and my paternal grandfather fought for the International Brigades to try and save the Spanish Republic before being deported to the Buchenwald Nazi concentration camp – whose story I told in Block 46.’
– Johana Gustawsson
Blood Song is quite a malevolent tale, strengthened by the history behind it. It is dark, at times gruesome with some very frightening and horribly vivid accounts of those very dark years in Spain. Roy & Castells are a perfect partnership, not without their own difficulties in life. As a team they are a very credible combination, which all adds to the thrill of the story, as they tackle this macabre of cases.
Blood Song is a harrowing novel. Yes it is a crime thriller but it is also much more than that. By drawing on her own personal story, Johana Gustawsson brings an authenticity to her writing depicting historical events with a chilling insight and a very skilled pen.
Blood Song is brutal. It is gripping. It is enthralling. It is an incredibly compelling and heartrending novel. Highly recommend.
P.S. A TV adaptation is currently underway in a French, Swedish and UK co-production. Now THAT is just bloody brilliant news!!!
February 28, 2020
Really enjoyed this, a great who done it - was 80% of the way through the book before had a clue who the killer was. Well written and the pace of the novel is such that you are swept along with the flow as sweeps across countries and time zones.
On the basis of the enjoyment of reading this book will be looking to read other books by the rather fabulous Johana Gutawsson (even if she did find Glasgow rather too cold)
On the basis of the enjoyment of reading this book will be looking to read other books by the rather fabulous Johana Gutawsson (even if she did find Glasgow rather too cold)
December 24, 2024
[2024.12.24_138]
好開心，這本還是那麼好看，這次地點著要在西班牙跟瑞典，人物糾纏相依的巧合度超高（有點太高），一樣是厲害的 page-tunrer。有好些段落，彷彿是大量生產複製的言情動作小說，前兩本有這麼重鹹嗎不記得了。
閱讀本書的時候，發生兩件時機上的巧合：
1、最近臉書討論度超高書籍改編的《像這樣的小事》（Small Things Like These），背景是發生在愛爾蘭的「抹大拉洗衣房」事件，雖然地點和細節不同，但《少女的安魂歌》中主要的背景，即：在馬德里的無助者之聖母孤兒院被神父、醫護士、及修女性侵迫害的悲慘孤兒，正好相呼應。
2、剛才故事結尾在二零一六年十二月二十四日，晚上。
------書摘------
（歌蒂）上帝只聽祂僕人說的話，聽不見受害者的聲音。
【台中市立圖書館】
好開心，這本還是那麼好看，這次地點著要在西班牙跟瑞典，人物糾纏相依的巧合度超高（有點太高），一樣是厲害的 page-tunrer。有好些段落，彷彿是大量生產複製的言情動作小說，前兩本有這麼重鹹嗎不記得了。
閱讀本書的時候，發生兩件時機上的巧合：
1、最近臉書討論度超高書籍改編的《像這樣的小事》（Small Things Like These），背景是發生在愛爾蘭的「抹大拉洗衣房」事件，雖然地點和細節不同，但《少女的安魂歌》中主要的背景，即：在馬德里的無助者之聖母孤兒院被神父、醫護士、及修女性侵迫害的悲慘孤兒，正好相呼應。
2、剛才故事結尾在二零一六年十二月二十四日，晚上。
------書摘------
（歌蒂）上帝只聽祂僕人說的話，聽不見受害者的聲音。
【台中市立圖書館】
November 28, 2019
Tenir le nouveau livre de Johana entre ses mains c’est comme croiser le père Noël et se retrouver avec ce cadeau tant attendu, tant espéré. Rien qu’en le regardant (La couverture est d’ailleurs, comme toujours, magnifique) tu sais que tu vas passer un moment fabuleux de lecture.
Alors tu prévois tout comme je l’ai fait:
Repas minimum pour ta famille. Au pire fusil sur la tempe pour les faire manger en 5 minutes chrono.
Tu annules tous tes rendez-vous, piscine, poney, licorne ou quoi que ce soit d’autre.
Tu éteins ton téléphone, tu barricades ta porte.
Tu t’assures d’avoir fait une bonne grasse mat le jour d’avant, histoire d’avoir du rab question sommeil.
Tu préviens tout le monde que tu es indisponible sauf si, éventuellement, la maison brûle.
Pas de panique, tu l’auras tellement vite dévoré que ce ne sera que temporaire.
Perso il m’a fallu moins de 24 heures…
Johana joue subtilement sur toutes ses origines et la richesse des différentes cultures qui l’entourent.
Après « Block 46 » et les camps de concentration, voilà qu’elle nous emmène dans les prisons espagnoles sous Franco et on ne peut pas dire que ce soit moins pire… On en parle peu de l’Espagne et de toutes les horreurs qui y ont été commises à cette période. Hitler a pris un peu le devant de la scène alors que d’autres, à cette même époque, ne jouaient pas les enfants de chœur.
Et tu t’en doutes bien que Johana t’en parle sans ménagement, comme elle sait toujours le faire…Admirablement bien !
Mariée plus de 20 ans à un espagnol, j’ai appris à connaître et à aimer ce pays, mais j’ai aussi découvert tout ce qu’il a vraiment été à certaines périodes… toute la souffrance de son peuple…
« Sång », c’est beaucoup beaucoup d’émotions. C’est un opus qui peut tout à fait se lire indépendamment des autres. Même si les personnages sont récurrents, tu t’y retrouveras sans problème.
« Sång », c’est un magnifique jeu de mot suédo-français puisque ce mot veut dire chanson en suédois alors que sa signification est tout autre en français…
« Sång », c‘est une histoire en trois époques. Trois tableaux qui te feront froid dans le dos, chacun à leur manière.
Alors qu’Alexis Castells s’apprête à se marier, le père, la mère et la sœur d’Aliénor Linbergh sont sauvagement assassinés dans leur maison. Peu d’indices. Des pistes quasi inexistantes…Y aurait-il une relation avec la clinique de procréation assistée que dirigeait son père ?
J’ai adoré retrouver le personnage d’Aliénor. Cette autiste Asperger, ce personnage à la Saga Noren de Broen. J’aurais, d’ailleurs aimé la voir plus encore s’étoffer….Dans le prochain, qui sait ?
En parallèle, tu reviendras dans le passé à deux époques différentes:
En 1937 où Teresa en plein franquisme se fait arrêter par les chemises noires.
En 1990 où une bien mystérieuse femme fait un malaise lors du baptême de son petit fils.
J’ai retrouvé beaucoup de Johana dans cet incroyable opus. Au travers de l’intrigue, des personnages, on sent plus encore son vécu, sa maturité, sa maternité, son parcours de mère. Une sensibilité omniprésente même derrière l’horreur et la cruauté.
Cet opus s’intensifie plus encore que les autres. Il ruisselle de relations, de relationnel, de mères-enfants, de sœur-sœur, de familles.
C’est beau, c’est touchant, c’est terrible. Il te deviendra, d’ailleurs, difficile de savoir si l’enquête est plus bluffante que ce relationnel…
Plus abouti encore, plus fort, plus sensible. Sans tomber dans l’extrême, sans surenchère inutile, elle te fera cependant pénétrer dans de bien sombres affaires ou d’époques obscures. Une montée crescendo tout en souplesse.
L’intrigue est rondement menée et te donnera bien du fil à retordre. Bluffant jusqu’à la dernière page !
Tu l’as compris, Johana, m’a, encore une fois, conquise et je ne peux que te recommander de poser tes jours de congé pour être prêt(e) à lire cette pépite !
Je mets ma main au feu que ce livre te plaira !
« Dieu écoutait les soldats, pas les victimes. »
Alors tu prévois tout comme je l’ai fait:
Repas minimum pour ta famille. Au pire fusil sur la tempe pour les faire manger en 5 minutes chrono.
Tu annules tous tes rendez-vous, piscine, poney, licorne ou quoi que ce soit d’autre.
Tu éteins ton téléphone, tu barricades ta porte.
Tu t’assures d’avoir fait une bonne grasse mat le jour d’avant, histoire d’avoir du rab question sommeil.
Tu préviens tout le monde que tu es indisponible sauf si, éventuellement, la maison brûle.
Pas de panique, tu l’auras tellement vite dévoré que ce ne sera que temporaire.
Perso il m’a fallu moins de 24 heures…
Johana joue subtilement sur toutes ses origines et la richesse des différentes cultures qui l’entourent.
Après « Block 46 » et les camps de concentration, voilà qu’elle nous emmène dans les prisons espagnoles sous Franco et on ne peut pas dire que ce soit moins pire… On en parle peu de l’Espagne et de toutes les horreurs qui y ont été commises à cette période. Hitler a pris un peu le devant de la scène alors que d’autres, à cette même époque, ne jouaient pas les enfants de chœur.
Et tu t’en doutes bien que Johana t’en parle sans ménagement, comme elle sait toujours le faire…Admirablement bien !
Mariée plus de 20 ans à un espagnol, j’ai appris à connaître et à aimer ce pays, mais j’ai aussi découvert tout ce qu’il a vraiment été à certaines périodes… toute la souffrance de son peuple…
« Sång », c’est beaucoup beaucoup d’émotions. C’est un opus qui peut tout à fait se lire indépendamment des autres. Même si les personnages sont récurrents, tu t’y retrouveras sans problème.
« Sång », c’est un magnifique jeu de mot suédo-français puisque ce mot veut dire chanson en suédois alors que sa signification est tout autre en français…
« Sång », c‘est une histoire en trois époques. Trois tableaux qui te feront froid dans le dos, chacun à leur manière.
Alors qu’Alexis Castells s’apprête à se marier, le père, la mère et la sœur d’Aliénor Linbergh sont sauvagement assassinés dans leur maison. Peu d’indices. Des pistes quasi inexistantes…Y aurait-il une relation avec la clinique de procréation assistée que dirigeait son père ?
J’ai adoré retrouver le personnage d’Aliénor. Cette autiste Asperger, ce personnage à la Saga Noren de Broen. J’aurais, d’ailleurs aimé la voir plus encore s’étoffer….Dans le prochain, qui sait ?
En parallèle, tu reviendras dans le passé à deux époques différentes:
En 1937 où Teresa en plein franquisme se fait arrêter par les chemises noires.
En 1990 où une bien mystérieuse femme fait un malaise lors du baptême de son petit fils.
J’ai retrouvé beaucoup de Johana dans cet incroyable opus. Au travers de l’intrigue, des personnages, on sent plus encore son vécu, sa maturité, sa maternité, son parcours de mère. Une sensibilité omniprésente même derrière l’horreur et la cruauté.
Cet opus s’intensifie plus encore que les autres. Il ruisselle de relations, de relationnel, de mères-enfants, de sœur-sœur, de familles.
C’est beau, c’est touchant, c’est terrible. Il te deviendra, d’ailleurs, difficile de savoir si l’enquête est plus bluffante que ce relationnel…
Plus abouti encore, plus fort, plus sensible. Sans tomber dans l’extrême, sans surenchère inutile, elle te fera cependant pénétrer dans de bien sombres affaires ou d’époques obscures. Une montée crescendo tout en souplesse.
L’intrigue est rondement menée et te donnera bien du fil à retordre. Bluffant jusqu’à la dernière page !
Tu l’as compris, Johana, m’a, encore une fois, conquise et je ne peux que te recommander de poser tes jours de congé pour être prêt(e) à lire cette pépite !
Je mets ma main au feu que ce livre te plaira !
« Dieu écoutait les soldats, pas les victimes. »
September 26, 2019
Profiler Emily Roy and true crime writer Alexis Castells find themselves working side by side on a new case after tragedy strikes the Lindbergh family. Three members of this wealthy family have been found brutally murdered in their home in Sweden. Left behind is their fellow co-worker, Alienor Lindbergh, a new recruit to the UK’s Scotland Yard. Despite the lack of clues for who would want to target this family and what the motive behind the slayings might be, Roy and Castells do not shy away from digging deeper into the Lindbergh’s lives.
Weaving a connection to this case is the savage Franco dictatorship that ruled over Spain many decades before. Starting in 1938, we meet a young woman whose life and fate are intricately connected to these present day murders. How could something from so long ago be tied to the Lindbergh family?
BLOOD SONG is the third installment to Johana Gustawsson’s remarkable Roy and Castells series. Since first picking up book one, BLOCK 46, I have been floored by Gustawsson’s ability to not only bring to life a present day investigation, but also to include a detailed element of historical fiction to the story. Each book contains a unique case that Roy and Castells are assigned to investigate alongside a team of detectives. These cases have repeatedly been some of the most memorable I have read in the crime fiction genre, however, what truly sets these books apart in this often crowded genre is Gustawsson’s inclusion of history. Whether it’s a more well-known time in history, such as the Holocaust, which is featured in BLOCK 46, or a learning experience for the reader, as this book was with Franco’s dictatorship in Spain, I am often captivated by the narrative provided. Throughout this series I have consistently found myself equally intrigued by the events of past and present.
The latest addition to the Roy and Castells series follows the same formatting that has made the previous two books successful. Gustawsson utilizes short chapters alternating between past, present, and an inside look into the mind of the killer to propel her story forward. There is nothing that hooks me to a book quicker than this formula! I am instantly drawn into the alternating storylines, finding myself wanting to know where each section will take me next. I’ve learned over time how critical it is to pay attention to the small details in each narrative in order to solve the mysteries at hand and yet Gustawsson continues to stump me! I had suspicions about where BLOOD SONG would take me, but I certainly didn’t see the big reveals and ending coming.
Gustawsson could easily have given the reader a compelling crime fiction/police procedural story with the present day murder of the Lindbergh family alone, however, she gifts the reader with two fantastic tales. Each are brilliant as standalone narratives, but it’s when they come together that the magic of this book comes to life. BLOOD SONG is easily one of the most mesmerizing stories I have read recently, as Gustawsson succeeds in gripping the reader’s attention with a mystery while also captivating their heart with a look into a tragic time in history.
As with most series’ I recommend starting at the beginning with Roy and Castells, however, if you simply can’t resist, I will assure you that a new reader to the series could find their footing reading out of order.
Disclosure: A huge thank you to Orenda Books for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
Weaving a connection to this case is the savage Franco dictatorship that ruled over Spain many decades before. Starting in 1938, we meet a young woman whose life and fate are intricately connected to these present day murders. How could something from so long ago be tied to the Lindbergh family?
BLOOD SONG is the third installment to Johana Gustawsson’s remarkable Roy and Castells series. Since first picking up book one, BLOCK 46, I have been floored by Gustawsson’s ability to not only bring to life a present day investigation, but also to include a detailed element of historical fiction to the story. Each book contains a unique case that Roy and Castells are assigned to investigate alongside a team of detectives. These cases have repeatedly been some of the most memorable I have read in the crime fiction genre, however, what truly sets these books apart in this often crowded genre is Gustawsson’s inclusion of history. Whether it’s a more well-known time in history, such as the Holocaust, which is featured in BLOCK 46, or a learning experience for the reader, as this book was with Franco’s dictatorship in Spain, I am often captivated by the narrative provided. Throughout this series I have consistently found myself equally intrigued by the events of past and present.
The latest addition to the Roy and Castells series follows the same formatting that has made the previous two books successful. Gustawsson utilizes short chapters alternating between past, present, and an inside look into the mind of the killer to propel her story forward. There is nothing that hooks me to a book quicker than this formula! I am instantly drawn into the alternating storylines, finding myself wanting to know where each section will take me next. I’ve learned over time how critical it is to pay attention to the small details in each narrative in order to solve the mysteries at hand and yet Gustawsson continues to stump me! I had suspicions about where BLOOD SONG would take me, but I certainly didn’t see the big reveals and ending coming.
Gustawsson could easily have given the reader a compelling crime fiction/police procedural story with the present day murder of the Lindbergh family alone, however, she gifts the reader with two fantastic tales. Each are brilliant as standalone narratives, but it’s when they come together that the magic of this book comes to life. BLOOD SONG is easily one of the most mesmerizing stories I have read recently, as Gustawsson succeeds in gripping the reader’s attention with a mystery while also captivating their heart with a look into a tragic time in history.
As with most series’ I recommend starting at the beginning with Roy and Castells, however, if you simply can’t resist, I will assure you that a new reader to the series could find their footing reading out of order.
Disclosure: A huge thank you to Orenda Books for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!
September 22, 2019
Johana Gustawssson never ceases to amaze me with her plots. Her books are very different to what is out there in the mainstream crime fiction market at the moment, and this is what makes them so appealing and so fresh. So if you are looking for a crime series that is different and will keep you gripped, I would highly recommend that you read these books.
As was the case in her last two books, there is a historical element to her latest novel, Blood Song. And this is what I really like about her books. This time Johana takes us back to 1930s Spain during the reign of the dictator, Francisco Franco and she shines a light on this brutal time period in Spanish history. But how exactly does this part of history have a bearing on what is happening in the present, when a prestigious Swedish family are brutally murdered?
Although I travel to Spain on holiday every year, I have remained completely unaware of what happened during the period when Franco ruled the country. I don’t think I was ever taught about it at school. I often hear references to him, but I have never thought to ask for more details on what happened during this time. Johana paints a vivid portrayal here of what happened, and some parts do make for a tough read, and she doesn’t shy away from the brutality inflicted upon the Spanish people. But it is enlightening and important to the story. The scenes where Johana takes us to Spain are very dark and sinister.
What I’ve really liked about Johana’s books is how she puts her own spin on historical events. Her previous book, Keeper, was based on the Jack the Ripper murders and her debut, Block 46, was partly based in a Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War. The historical accuracy is all there, and it feels very authentic. Johana then uses her imagination to shape how the past has an effect on the future. This is what makes her writing and her plots unique and fascinating.
The plot pulls together in a very clever way. When I start Johana’s books, I always wonder, how she’ll tighten everything up and make the plot feel realistic, but it works very well. When you get to the end of her books, everything does make so much sense, and that’s what makes it feel very satisfactory as well. The structure of the story flows well and never once did I feel lost. I often feel that sometimes, this can be the case when stories jump through multiple time zones.
Blood Song is an intelligent, captivating and an original piece of writing. It’s very well written and expertly translated by David Warriner. This is a series which is very evocative, haunting and skilfully written.
I’m looking forward to reading what Johana writes next.
As was the case in her last two books, there is a historical element to her latest novel, Blood Song. And this is what I really like about her books. This time Johana takes us back to 1930s Spain during the reign of the dictator, Francisco Franco and she shines a light on this brutal time period in Spanish history. But how exactly does this part of history have a bearing on what is happening in the present, when a prestigious Swedish family are brutally murdered?
Although I travel to Spain on holiday every year, I have remained completely unaware of what happened during the period when Franco ruled the country. I don’t think I was ever taught about it at school. I often hear references to him, but I have never thought to ask for more details on what happened during this time. Johana paints a vivid portrayal here of what happened, and some parts do make for a tough read, and she doesn’t shy away from the brutality inflicted upon the Spanish people. But it is enlightening and important to the story. The scenes where Johana takes us to Spain are very dark and sinister.
What I’ve really liked about Johana’s books is how she puts her own spin on historical events. Her previous book, Keeper, was based on the Jack the Ripper murders and her debut, Block 46, was partly based in a Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War. The historical accuracy is all there, and it feels very authentic. Johana then uses her imagination to shape how the past has an effect on the future. This is what makes her writing and her plots unique and fascinating.
The plot pulls together in a very clever way. When I start Johana’s books, I always wonder, how she’ll tighten everything up and make the plot feel realistic, but it works very well. When you get to the end of her books, everything does make so much sense, and that’s what makes it feel very satisfactory as well. The structure of the story flows well and never once did I feel lost. I often feel that sometimes, this can be the case when stories jump through multiple time zones.
Blood Song is an intelligent, captivating and an original piece of writing. It’s very well written and expertly translated by David Warriner. This is a series which is very evocative, haunting and skilfully written.
I’m looking forward to reading what Johana writes next.
September 14, 2019
The thing that I really love about fiction is the fact that I learn new things with every book. Johana Gustawsson's Roy & Castells series has certainly opened my eyes to periods in history that I previously knew little about. This third book; Blood Song has taught me more than usual
To my shame, I knew very little about the horrors inflicted upon the Spanish people during the reign of Franco, and this story has been something of an emotional and quite horrifying eye-opener for me.
Once again, this extremely talented author has woven two seemingly unrelated stories, set in London, Sweden and Spain, into a tale that is so atmospheric, so chilling and so very tense. I don't think I've come across an author who is quite so skilled in knitting together modern and historical so very well.
Profiler Emily Roy and true-crime author Alexis Castells are the perfect pairing. They are brought together once again to investigate the brutal murders of the family of one of their own colleagues.
Alienor Lindberg has only recently started to work with Scotland Yard in London when the news that her parents and sister have been horrifically killed, in their own home send her rushing back to Sweden. Roy and Castells are on the trail of the killer too, and it's not long before they begin to look more deeply into the workings of the IVF clinic owned by Alienor's parents.
Whilst this modern-day drama is both compelling and fast paced, it was the events that happened within the walls of the women's prison, and later in the orphanage in 1930s Spain that I found most chilling. Stark, and to the point, this author deals with the absolutely evil face of mankind, and the terrors that human can inflict upon human with a sensitivity and a deep sense of sadness.
There are terrifying and chilling connections; links between the atrocities of the Franco regime and the utter corruption and total disregard for the vulnerabilities of the clients of the IVF clinics
Blood Song is beautifully and intelligently translated into English by David Warriner. The language flows easily, and whilst it is never an easy read, it is charged with adrenaline, and the tension is unrelenting.
Haunting, intoxicating and deeply affecting. Blood Song is another excellent episode in this superb series. Roy and Castells are an unexpected, but brilliant pairing and Johana Gustawsson is an amazing talent.
To my shame, I knew very little about the horrors inflicted upon the Spanish people during the reign of Franco, and this story has been something of an emotional and quite horrifying eye-opener for me.
Once again, this extremely talented author has woven two seemingly unrelated stories, set in London, Sweden and Spain, into a tale that is so atmospheric, so chilling and so very tense. I don't think I've come across an author who is quite so skilled in knitting together modern and historical so very well.
Profiler Emily Roy and true-crime author Alexis Castells are the perfect pairing. They are brought together once again to investigate the brutal murders of the family of one of their own colleagues.
Alienor Lindberg has only recently started to work with Scotland Yard in London when the news that her parents and sister have been horrifically killed, in their own home send her rushing back to Sweden. Roy and Castells are on the trail of the killer too, and it's not long before they begin to look more deeply into the workings of the IVF clinic owned by Alienor's parents.
Whilst this modern-day drama is both compelling and fast paced, it was the events that happened within the walls of the women's prison, and later in the orphanage in 1930s Spain that I found most chilling. Stark, and to the point, this author deals with the absolutely evil face of mankind, and the terrors that human can inflict upon human with a sensitivity and a deep sense of sadness.
There are terrifying and chilling connections; links between the atrocities of the Franco regime and the utter corruption and total disregard for the vulnerabilities of the clients of the IVF clinics
Blood Song is beautifully and intelligently translated into English by David Warriner. The language flows easily, and whilst it is never an easy read, it is charged with adrenaline, and the tension is unrelenting.
Haunting, intoxicating and deeply affecting. Blood Song is another excellent episode in this superb series. Roy and Castells are an unexpected, but brilliant pairing and Johana Gustawsson is an amazing talent.
January 10, 2020
Blood Song is another thrilling, powerful and emotional read from Johana Gustawsson, author of one of the best books I've ever read, Keeper.
Be warned, the horrors included in this book are brutal and all the more so for being based on facts. More than once it reminded me of the savagery within Block 46 and here, once again, Johana Gustawsson's painstaking research, attention to detail and skilful characterisations bring to life both strands of this monstrous story: Spain's Civil War and Aliénor's modern personal tragedy.
The story grabbed me from the first chapters - the mini subplot in London is brilliant - and I enjoyed meeting up with Alexis and particularly Emily and Aliénor again. Olofsson is always good value and Guardiola was a great new character, both serving partly to balance the dark themes with moments of humour.
The overall twists and turns literally took my breath away and if you are looking for an intelligent, complex and compelling mystery thriller then I highly recommend Blood Song. (And, if you've not read it, the entire series. It's definitely best to start at the beginning - you know you want to!
Be warned, the horrors included in this book are brutal and all the more so for being based on facts. More than once it reminded me of the savagery within Block 46 and here, once again, Johana Gustawsson's painstaking research, attention to detail and skilful characterisations bring to life both strands of this monstrous story: Spain's Civil War and Aliénor's modern personal tragedy.
The story grabbed me from the first chapters - the mini subplot in London is brilliant - and I enjoyed meeting up with Alexis and particularly Emily and Aliénor again. Olofsson is always good value and Guardiola was a great new character, both serving partly to balance the dark themes with moments of humour.
The overall twists and turns literally took my breath away and if you are looking for an intelligent, complex and compelling mystery thriller then I highly recommend Blood Song. (And, if you've not read it, the entire series. It's definitely best to start at the beginning - you know you want to!
September 1, 2019
This is bold, sweeping storytelling confident and assured as it alternates between countries and its dual timeline connects past and present in a riveting, emotive tale that seizes the attention and never loosens its vice-like grip.
If you haven’t read Roy and Castells yet, you are missing something quite special. Gustawsson has an uncanny knack of being able to harness really strong and often quite unpalatable facts and to weave these into a personal story that brings the history to life and makes the reader feel a little of what it must have been like to live in those times. Then she deftly weaves that into a spellbinding contemporary crime story featuring two of the most interesting crime protagonists around utilising sharp, focussed prose which is flawlessly translated here by David Warriner.
I am old enough to remember a little of Franco’s reign and well remember once when as a child on holiday, making a joke about having him in the boot of our car as we were waiting to be checked before we drove on to the ferry to cross the channel to home. My father’s reaction was swift and unhesitating. Suffice to say I didn’t utter another word for at least an hour. Such then was the fear of the Franco regime even in the later years of his regime (I’m thinking it must have been the late 60’s), that the parents of a wee girl worried for their safety just for making a bad joke.
So I knew something about the Franco dictatorship, but I have to confess that the extent of the genocide that took place was unknown to me. Gustawsson has done her research meticulously. She is telling a fictional story, but as she makes clear, it is based on known documented facts and that makes it immensely powerful and quite horrifying.
Put this together with the personal and difficult contemporary storyline of couples trying to have a baby through the use of fertility clinics, and you have another deeply personal and emotive subject.
The usual team of profiler Emily Roy and true crime writer Alexis Castells together with Roy’s autistic mentee, Aliénor from Scotland Yard and the others in the Falkenberg Police whose lives we have come to know and understand better are well fleshed out, real people, with flaws and vulnerabilities.
Gustawsson’s skill is in melding these harrowing stories together into one utterly compelling narrative, leading the reader through her story until we feel the strength of the orphanage relationships in Franco’s Spain and the pain of mothers forcibly separated from their children. Children are also at the heart of those couples who signed up to the Swedish fertility clinics and for whom the sense of betrayal they feel when they realise they have been deceived is all –encompassing.
Gustawsson takes this story very close to home as she sets her thrilling and suspenseful story in the run up to Alexis Castell’s wedding and on the doorstep of Aliénor Lindbergh’s childhood Falkenberg home. Her description of Aliénor’s reaction to this tragedy is heart-breaking and the resulting investigation shows the strength of each of these three women working together to bring the truth home.
I found it impossible not to emotionally engage with these characters, so for me this was a fascinating and engrossing read, but also one that I found intensely harrowing, deeply intimate and which made me cry.
Verdict: Blood Song is superb storytelling of the highest order. Gustawsson brings her own family history to a visceral storyline rooted in fact which produces a stunning and harrowing story that makes an indelible impression on the heart and the mind.
If you haven’t read Roy and Castells yet, you are missing something quite special. Gustawsson has an uncanny knack of being able to harness really strong and often quite unpalatable facts and to weave these into a personal story that brings the history to life and makes the reader feel a little of what it must have been like to live in those times. Then she deftly weaves that into a spellbinding contemporary crime story featuring two of the most interesting crime protagonists around utilising sharp, focussed prose which is flawlessly translated here by David Warriner.
I am old enough to remember a little of Franco’s reign and well remember once when as a child on holiday, making a joke about having him in the boot of our car as we were waiting to be checked before we drove on to the ferry to cross the channel to home. My father’s reaction was swift and unhesitating. Suffice to say I didn’t utter another word for at least an hour. Such then was the fear of the Franco regime even in the later years of his regime (I’m thinking it must have been the late 60’s), that the parents of a wee girl worried for their safety just for making a bad joke.
So I knew something about the Franco dictatorship, but I have to confess that the extent of the genocide that took place was unknown to me. Gustawsson has done her research meticulously. She is telling a fictional story, but as she makes clear, it is based on known documented facts and that makes it immensely powerful and quite horrifying.
Put this together with the personal and difficult contemporary storyline of couples trying to have a baby through the use of fertility clinics, and you have another deeply personal and emotive subject.
The usual team of profiler Emily Roy and true crime writer Alexis Castells together with Roy’s autistic mentee, Aliénor from Scotland Yard and the others in the Falkenberg Police whose lives we have come to know and understand better are well fleshed out, real people, with flaws and vulnerabilities.
Gustawsson’s skill is in melding these harrowing stories together into one utterly compelling narrative, leading the reader through her story until we feel the strength of the orphanage relationships in Franco’s Spain and the pain of mothers forcibly separated from their children. Children are also at the heart of those couples who signed up to the Swedish fertility clinics and for whom the sense of betrayal they feel when they realise they have been deceived is all –encompassing.
Gustawsson takes this story very close to home as she sets her thrilling and suspenseful story in the run up to Alexis Castell’s wedding and on the doorstep of Aliénor Lindbergh’s childhood Falkenberg home. Her description of Aliénor’s reaction to this tragedy is heart-breaking and the resulting investigation shows the strength of each of these three women working together to bring the truth home.
I found it impossible not to emotionally engage with these characters, so for me this was a fascinating and engrossing read, but also one that I found intensely harrowing, deeply intimate and which made me cry.
Verdict: Blood Song is superb storytelling of the highest order. Gustawsson brings her own family history to a visceral storyline rooted in fact which produces a stunning and harrowing story that makes an indelible impression on the heart and the mind.
January 14, 2023
On se retrouve aujourd’hui avec le troisième volet des aventures d’Alexis Castells et Emily Roy, les deux héroïnes de Johana Gustawsson, dans Sång. Malgré un léger manque d’empathie pour les personnages, j’avais beaucoup aimé les deux premiers tomes, Block 46, en lien avec les horreurs de la Seconde Guerre Mondiale, et Mör, où il était question de Jack l'Éventreur à la fin du 19e siècle. Cette fois, c’est du côté de l’Espagne franquiste que l’autrice nous emmène.
Le récit alterne entre les exactions commises par les partisans de Franco dans les années 30 à 50, et le meurtre d’une famille dans la Suède contemporaine. Et à nouveau, dans la partie historique, on ne nous épargne rien des horribles traitements subis par les opposants au régime, y compris leurs femmes et leurs enfants. Ce lien avec le passé est à la fois la marque de fabrique de Johana Gustawsson -on le retrouve dans chacun de ses précédents livres- et son plus grand atout, puisqu’elle excelle à nous propulser ainsi en arrière.
La recette est clairement toujours la même et pourtant, on passe un bon moment. Sång est un véritable page-turner. Non pas que les héroïnes soient spécialement en danger, non, c’est plus qu’on a vraiment envie de savoir, de comprendre le lien entre les deux époques et les différents protagonistes. Il est aussi question de procréation assistée -une problématique bien connue de l'autrice- et des dérives de certaines cliniques privées qui, poussées par la course à la clientèle et aux bons résultats, refourguent les embryons “oubliés” ou mentent sur les critères de sélection des donneurs de sperme. Un joyeux mélange -façon de parler !- qui tisse une intrigue bien ficelée même si, comme dans Mör, j’en ressors avec la sensation d’un dénouement un peu tiré par les cheveux quand même, tout convergeant toujours vers les héroïnes et leurs proches.
Du côté des personnages, j’ai retrouvé une Emily Roy dont je n'avais pas le souvenir, plus désagréable que jamais, qui répond par monosyllabes quand elle prend la peine de répondre, et une Aliénor -pour rappel, victime du syndrome d’Asperger-, qui s’assume soudain un peu trop facilement. Au final, je crois que c’est ce qui m’a le plus perturbée, ce que j’ai perçu comme un brusque changement de personnalités alors qu’il ne s’est pas écoulé tant de temps dans le récit depuis les évènements de Mör. Après, c’est peut-être aussi ma mémoire qui flanche depuis 2017, qui sait ?
En bref, un troisième opus plaisant et intéressant à lire, qui contient tous les éléments pour nous faire passer un excellent moment de lecture. Petit bémol sur deux personnages dont le comportement m’a semblé un peu trop appuyé et manquant de naturel, ainsi que sur un final un peu tiré par les cheveux. Il n’empêche que je l'ai dévoré et que je vais, de ce pas, me procurer le roman suivant de Johana Gustawsson, Te tenir la main pendant que tout brûle, un one-shot a priori. Est-ce que certains d'entre vous l'ont lu ?
Le récit alterne entre les exactions commises par les partisans de Franco dans les années 30 à 50, et le meurtre d’une famille dans la Suède contemporaine. Et à nouveau, dans la partie historique, on ne nous épargne rien des horribles traitements subis par les opposants au régime, y compris leurs femmes et leurs enfants. Ce lien avec le passé est à la fois la marque de fabrique de Johana Gustawsson -on le retrouve dans chacun de ses précédents livres- et son plus grand atout, puisqu’elle excelle à nous propulser ainsi en arrière.
La recette est clairement toujours la même et pourtant, on passe un bon moment. Sång est un véritable page-turner. Non pas que les héroïnes soient spécialement en danger, non, c’est plus qu’on a vraiment envie de savoir, de comprendre le lien entre les deux époques et les différents protagonistes. Il est aussi question de procréation assistée -une problématique bien connue de l'autrice- et des dérives de certaines cliniques privées qui, poussées par la course à la clientèle et aux bons résultats, refourguent les embryons “oubliés” ou mentent sur les critères de sélection des donneurs de sperme. Un joyeux mélange -façon de parler !- qui tisse une intrigue bien ficelée même si, comme dans Mör, j’en ressors avec la sensation d’un dénouement un peu tiré par les cheveux quand même, tout convergeant toujours vers les héroïnes et leurs proches.
Du côté des personnages, j’ai retrouvé une Emily Roy dont je n'avais pas le souvenir, plus désagréable que jamais, qui répond par monosyllabes quand elle prend la peine de répondre, et une Aliénor -pour rappel, victime du syndrome d’Asperger-, qui s’assume soudain un peu trop facilement. Au final, je crois que c’est ce qui m’a le plus perturbée, ce que j’ai perçu comme un brusque changement de personnalités alors qu’il ne s’est pas écoulé tant de temps dans le récit depuis les évènements de Mör. Après, c’est peut-être aussi ma mémoire qui flanche depuis 2017, qui sait ?
En bref, un troisième opus plaisant et intéressant à lire, qui contient tous les éléments pour nous faire passer un excellent moment de lecture. Petit bémol sur deux personnages dont le comportement m’a semblé un peu trop appuyé et manquant de naturel, ainsi que sur un final un peu tiré par les cheveux. Il n’empêche que je l'ai dévoré et que je vais, de ce pas, me procurer le roman suivant de Johana Gustawsson, Te tenir la main pendant que tout brûle, un one-shot a priori. Est-ce que certains d'entre vous l'ont lu ?
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