My Soul to Take

The second book in the Thora Gudmundsdottir series sees Thora visiting a remote New Age spa/hotel to build up a case for the buyer to begin litigation against the owner. The buyer thinks there’s a hidden defect that was not disclosed when the sale went through: the place is haunted. Thora doesn’t believe in ghosts, but the prospect of a weekend away on the buyer’s dime and a bit of work for her small law firm prove persuasive.

I really liked this book. Thora is amusingly grumpy as always, and the prologue gave me chills even though I was reading it in broad daylight. While there is violence, and the murder victims die rather gruesomely, Yrsa provides more of the details after the fact; her descriptions of the acts themselves show more perturb the reader more because of what she leaves out. These scenes are skilfully done.

Thora is a great character and well worth visiting should you wish to see some crime solving in Iceland. show less

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 show more 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. show less

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 show more 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. show less

Another strong and surprisingly funny Icelandic mystery by Sigurðardóttir and, just like Last Rituals, it stars lawyer Thóra Gudmundsdóttir. One of the things I adore about Sigurðardóttir is her ability to include lots of humor during her mysteries. Plenty of Scandinavian mystery writers have a hint of humor here and tere, but Sigurðardóttir's is much more obvious. I think it adds a lot to her story. What could be a depressing story of the murder of an architect ends up being a fascinating case study on murder mixed with people's lives and how Gudmundsdóttir must balance her job as a lawyer with that of a mother, soon-to-be grandmother and lover (she and her husband are divorced). I eagerly await more of Sigurðardóttir's books.

First Line: The child felt the cold creeping up her legs and back, and she tried to sit up straight in the front seat to get a better view.

The body of a young woman is found on the beach of a New Age health resort, and attorney Thóra Gudmundsdóttir is asked to be present when the resort owner is questioned by the police. At first her time away could be considered a bit of a vacation away from the workplace and her children, but the feeling doesn't last long. The entire area is thought to be haunted, and as Thóra searches for the truth, even she can't explain some of the things she witnesses during her investigation. Has local legend gone wild, or is the resort's eery past tied in with the young woman's murder?

Thóra is just the sort show more of character I wouldn't mind having as a friend, especially with her sense of humor. Her teenage son would be driving many other parents to drink, but Thóra has the knack of understanding that hormone-fueled teens are capable of doing crazy things, and she does an excellent job of remaining on a (more or less) even keel while trying to provide guidance and moral support. She can even see a glint of humor here and there on the horizon.

I like this series, not only for showing me the landscape and weather of Iceland, but also its legends and little known history. The plot moves smoothly and definitely has an eerie edge to it, and Sigurdardóttir has populated it with well-drawn characters. Although you'd be able to read more about Thóra by reading the first book in the series, it's not necessary to do so. My Soul to Take stands alone quite well. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the series! show less

The second novel to feature Icelandic lawyer Thóra Gudmundsdóttir opens with a chilling prologue from 1945 in which a young child appears is locked in some kind of cellar. The story proper takes place in contemporary times when Thóra is asked by the owner of a health spa, Jónas Júlíusson, to see if she can renegotiate the property’s sale price because it is haunted which is affecting staff and guests. When the architect working on the property’s extension is murdered and Jónas becomes a suspect her legal skills are tested. She and German lover Matthew, in Iceland for a holiday, investigate both the murder and its possible relationship to events from the past which may also explain the property’s haunting.

As with the first show more book in this series, [b:Last Rituals|1613280|Last Rituals|Yrsa Sigurðardóttir|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266846969s/1613280.jpg|2296044], the most enjoyable aspect of this novel with much to offer is the dry, slightly cynical approach to life displayed by Thóra. Whether she is tackling the prickly staff and guests of the health spa or handling her problematic family which includes a 16-year old son who is about to make her a grandmother, Thóra is independent, inventive and witty. I suspect it’s no secret to regular readers of this blog that I like my female characters to be strong and interesting and Thóra is a definite favourite. The other characters, of which there are a plethora, are not quite so well developed and in particular I’d like to have seen Matthew do a bit more than tag along with Thóra playing the quirky but largely silent love-interest. That said, the dialogue between the two is terrific and its wholly natural feel is part of the evidence of an excellent, nuanced translation.

My Soul to Take is extremely well-plotted, linking present-day events with those of the past very cleverly and in a way that keeps the reader fully engaged. The book was a however little too long at 450 pages and I think some of that length might have been saved by the inclusion of an old-fashioned family history chart to prevent the need for several repetitions of the complicated familial relationships involved in the events of the past. In the main though the traditional whodunnit with a pool of suspects who all seem to have hidden secrets is first-rate and the incorporation of a possible ghost and ‘those bloody Nazis who always make an appearance’ add nice touches.

I am a sucker for books that make me laugh at the same time as telling me a great story and so far Sigurdardottir’s series does both. Particularly with regard to its plot I think My Soul to Take is an improvement on its predecessor (which was a very good debut) and I’m very keen to read the third novel, Ashes to Dust, which happily for me has already been released (at least in the UK). A combination of a strong female character, intricate plot and dry humour is to be celebrated, especially when of this quality. show less

This is the second book in the Icelandic series. Once again Thora and Matthew get unwittingly involved in a murder investigation, this one with a few ghosts and a couple of nazi’s thrown in, and all taking place at a “new age” health spa in Iceland. I am becoming very fond of Thora and her slightly dysfunctional family. I love her intelligence, her independence and her attitude. It made for an enjoyable read.