3*
In the remote Swedish wetlands lies Mossmarken: the village on the edge of the mire where, once upon a time, people came to leave offerings to the gods.
Biologist Nathalie came in order to study the peat bogs. But she has a secret: Mossmarken was once her home, a place where terrible things happened. She has returned at last, determined to confront her childhood trauma and find out the truth.
Soon after her arrival, she finds an unconscious man out on the marsh, his pockets filled with gold - just like the ancient human sacrifices. A grave is dug in the mire, which vanishes a day after. And as the police investigate, the bodies start to surface...
Is the mire calling out for sacrifices, as the superstitious locals claim? Or is it an all-too-human evil?
I loved the beautiful Swedish setting of this novel and it was all tinged with an eerie disquiet, very atmospheric.
I couldn’t quite immerse myself in the characters though which slowed the pace of the story down for me and stopped me enjoying it as much as I would have liked.
The writing was succinct and to the point, and I quite liked the ‘tell it like it is’ style.
I would say this book is well worth a read but it could’ve been so much more.
