A decent story involving community history and secrets--I did not enjoy it as much as book 1, but maybe because I liked the academic history twist in that one. Here the romance and single/co-parenting storylines continue, but it could still be read on its own. ( )

Pitkästä aikaa vietin koko päivän kirjan parissa koska en vain malttanut laskea sitä käsistäni. Joku tämän kirjailijan kirjoitustavassa on sellaista, että sivut vain soljuvat eteenpäin ilman että kertaakaan tulee sellainen olo, että eikö tämä vieläkään lopu. Paikoitellen kirjan loppuratkaisu oli miltei arvattavissa, mutta historia motiivien taustalla oli sen verran kiinnostavaa, että mielenkiinto pysyi yllä loppuun saakka. Henkilöhahmot olivat enimmäkseen kiinnostavia ja hyvin toteutettuja, eikä toki haitannut että päähenkilöt olivat jo ennestään tuttuja aiemmasta Thora Gudmundsdottir kirjasta Kolmas merkki. Islanti on tapahtumapaikkana itselleni riittävän eksoottinen vaikka pohjoismaa onkin, joten myös se toi kirjaan oman sävynsä. Kaikin puolin maukas lukuelämys genrestä jota en ihan hirvittävän usein tule lukeneeksi. ( )

Available in English as "My Soul To Take". The main character is called Thóra in the English translation, but it is Dóra in the German one, so as before, I am sticking to Dóra.

This crime novel sees Dóra, a divorced lawyer, traveling to the Icelandic coast where she stays in a hotel offering all kinds of esoteric services. The hotel's owner wants her to investigate a possible breach of contract concerning the sale of the land. He believes that the place is haunted. Dóra does not believe in ghosts, but she agrees to have a look at the problems because she could do with a little holiday... Her holiday turns out a bit more stressful than expected when the hotel's architect is found dead on the beach. Is the murder connected to a wartime story that Dóra finds some hints to? Is all this about land and money? Or is there really a ghost, returning from the dead each night?

It is hard for me to rate this novel because while I loved the setting and the case, Dóra got on my nerves in this one, as did her private life. In my view, her relationship to Matthias, a German banker whom she meets in book 1, is strange in this novel, and he adds nothing to the story. To my mind, Dóra acts weird about him, and the added plot line of her children just seems like a distraction and is over the top. This caused my enjoyment of the novel to dwindle, although I am not sure if some of it is down to the translation (the jokes, for example, might come across differently in Icelandic or English).
In contrast, I adored the bleak seaside setting, the rocky beach, the old farms with their desolate buildings and dark secrets. Although I am not an experienced reader of the genre, I believe that this setting is nordic noir at its best. The background stories of revenants and superstitions add to the eerie atmosphere.
The characters seemed very real to me and I enjoyed uncovering the secrets and different layers of this place's history with Dóra. However, I do think that the plot could have played out a little better and the investigation could have been more interesting. I was hoping for a little more excitement.

I will definitely continue with this series, although maybe not too soon because I need a break now after reading the first three books in a relatively short time frame. ( )

The tiny Icelandic town of Snaefellsness is not known for a high crime rate, so when two people are murdered in a similar fashion, the whole town buzzes with alarmed alertness. Why would anyone torture both victims with pins in their feet before killing them? More questions: what does a dead fox have to do with one of the victims? Does the New Age health resort in an old farmhouse have anything to do with either victim? What secrets are hidden in this renovated farmhouse? Thora Gudmundsdottir, lawyer to the owner of the resort, must defend Jonas as the main suspect, but that's not why she was initially called to Snaefellsness. Her client was planning to sue the previous owners of the farmhouse because they didn't disclose it was haunted. The ghosts of children are said to moan and wail on the property.
Sigurdardottir is crafty. The introduction of World War II Nazi flags and swastikas gave the plot a darker (and unnecessary) tone. The themes of incest and rape are enough. ( )

My Soul To Take
By Yrsa Siguroardottir
Translated by Bernard Scudder & Anna Yates
2009
William Morrow

Set in modern day Iceland, in this absorbing page turner Thora Gudmundsdottir is a lawyer hired to represent the owner of a New Age spa and resort who wants to sue the previous owner because they feel the place is haunted and were not told. Thora immediately leaves for a stay at the spa and is drawn into a murder investigation of the owner, Jonas, accused of the murder of an architect. The mutilated body is found on the beach with no real clues. Then a second body is found.....This is a book that will keep you guessing. The plot is powerful and seductive. Multiple twists and clues dropped, but the truth is not revealed until the last few chapters. Excellent noir mystery, the details of Iceland's culture and landscape added much to this thriller.
Recommended. ( )