Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
This is the first book I have ever read that has been translated. While reading this book I could tell it had been translated as some parts didn’t quite make sense, but, it did not detract away from this book. There are a lot of Greenlandic names as this book takes place in Nuuk, Greenland. Those names took some getting used to and by the end of the book they were a breeze!
The story begins with Matthew Cave, a journalist who has sought out a new life in Nuuk; one where he doesn’t have to remember his pregnant wife. He gets called to go out and report on the uncovering of a Norseman (pre-Viking) mummy. Little does he know what he is about to stumble upon.
Slight spoiler alert: the mummy is not that of a Norseman, but of a recent murder.
Trigger warning.This book details sexual abuse in young girls. As the story progresses we find a link to this mummy and a few unsolved murders from years ago. Matthew meets Tupaarnaq, a young woman accused of killing her family (her time was served in prison), and together they dig deeper in to what is really going on. The mummy disappears and another is murdered as Matthew starts to investigate. The story begins to be told in 1973 and present day (2014) as Matthew believes the current murders are connected to the disappearance of police officer Jakob Pederson and a sex abuse ring he was investigating. I won’t delve any deeper as I don’t want to ruin the book for you!
Overall, I am giving this book a solid 4-star rating. It is a true Scandi crime novel and an alluring one at that. I could not put this down. Nordbo does a beautiful job at painting amazing details in the surrounding environment in this book as well, I felt as if I was in Greenland myself. I did predict the ending of the book, however, there is enough action going on to keep you happy even with the predictability. If you are a fan of crime novels this is a must read for you! The Kindle edition is out now and the paperback version will be released on June 11, 2019!
Title: The Girl Without Skin
Author: Mads Peder Nordbo
Translator: Charlotte Barslund
Publisher: Text Publishing Company
Release Date: Kindle Edition- October 1, 2018
Paperback Edition- June 11, 2019
ASIN: B07DZL7PSD
IBSN-10: 1925603830
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