Review More Bitter Than Death (Siri Bergman, #2) Interpreted By Camilla Grebe Format Printed Matter

an interesting little tale and quite devious in its plot, This is really one where the perpetrator is not at all obvious and the twist on the last page was suspected by me/of the way through the story, then promptly dismissed.
I should have stayed with my theory but even then it was not played out as expected either, Like all Scandinavian crime novels there is a big divergence into the lives outside of the plotline of the various characters, What I particularly liked about this book was how the characters were fleshed out one by one, chapter by chapter, At least this time the main character did have some excuse for being there however thin it seemed, A good read and slightly different, “More Bitter Than Death” by Camilla Grebe and Asa Traff, published by Simon and Schuster,

Category Mystery/Thriller Publication Date June,

This is another one of the best mysteries to come out of Sweden that will thrill those who like their mysteries that take place in that dark, cold, snowy place.
It is also a book that does not give up its secrets until the very last page, A book that is skillfully crafted by the authors, and will keep the reader thinking and guessing throughout the book,

The book opens with Tilda, a five year old, witnessing the horrific murder of her mother, Although she witnesses her mothers death she is unable to identify the murderer,

Two young ladies, Aina and Siri, both psychologists, are asked to moderate a group of five women who have been the victims of domestic abuse.


Although on the surface these two incidents should have nothing to do with each other, the authors are able to weave a pattern that includes these five women with the murder.


The reader will be amazed as to how these different scenarios come together, especially since some of the problems that are realized by this study group have implications to both Aina and Siri.


A mystery that is sure to satisfy, especially if you like your mysteries solved on the last page of the book,






I was lucky enough to receive an advanced uncorrected proof copy of this book from Goodreads, Id never read any other books by these authors or in this series so really had no idea at all about what to expect but the creepy cover with the little girl hiding under the table and the rest of the cover pretty much just all blackened out left me incredibly curious so I was very rather pleased to open up the cover and begin reading.


Not being used to reading books from Sweden or that general area, I will admit that I struggled a bit with the names for a little bit at first but it was a really fun struggle.
Within a few chapters, the book was like any other, and all the names of the people and places seemed just as common as any other.
It was really very cool just getting to read the differences,

As you read, you quickly learn that the little girl is named Tilde and she is the only witness to the beating death of her mother.
Problem is, she couldnt quite see the man who did it as she was under the table drawing, I dont want to give too much more away about the story from this point on as per my usual review rule, if youve ever read any of my reviews, I like to make you read it for yourself but give just a little bit but I will add that this book does deal quite a bit with the subject of domestic violence.
The authors do a really great job of touching on the subject in a wellinformed, well researched, sympathetic way that is tastefully done and that is not at all preachy or over the top.
Its just plainly well written,

I really enjoyed reading this book and am so glad I was able to get my hands on an advanced proof, I enjoyed it so much, I am looking forward to getting more by these authors and I would recommend this to anyone out there who enjoys reading mysteries that are well researched, well written, and delve deep into that which makes a good crime mystery novel.

Pretty good, overall. The psychology angle of it was flawless, And a nice twist at the ending,
Dragged a bit in places though, so I can only give it three, Book review: More bitter than death Camilla Grebe amp Åsa Träff

“Its a rainy evening in a Stockholm suburb, and fiveyearold Tilde is hiding under the kitchen table playing with her crayons, when a man enters and beats her mother to death in cold blood.
Tilde cant quite see the murderer, but shes the only witness, Across town, psychologist Siri Bergman and her friend Aina are meeting with their old friend Vijay, who wants them to host a selfhelp group for victims of domestic abuse.
Over the course of several evenings, five very different women share their stories of impossible love, violence, and humiliation, At the same time, Siri finds herself at a crossroadsshes carrying her boyfriends child but is still beset by doubts and fears, These threads are all weaved together so that the search for healing and the ability to love again are soon transformed into a hunt for Tildes mothers killer.
Everyone is a suspect: the many men in the victims life, her own son, even some of the women in the selfhelp group, Grebe and Träff combine the chills of firstrate crime novels with palpable emotion and personal experience as More Bitter Than Death builds to a shocking conclusion.
”



I think its safe to say that these women know how to write a good book, This books provides a different angle to average police crime novel, As we get to see the story from an outsider rather than a policeman with a hunch, We see how Siri, the protagonist, winds up getting involved in one of the murders, It amazes me how flawed Siri actually is, Like although she realises the ethics of getting of getting close to a client but does it anyway Um honey check your moral compass.
Im wondering if she has a God complex to fulfil or something She comes across as a bit dim too, For a psychiatrist youd reckon shed be a bit more screwed on, If she was an irrational teenager, Id understand her behaviour, But she honestly baffled me,



It was an overall interesting read, I really didnt expect what was coming next, I love how you actually getting a sense of the characters and who they are, There are a decent amount of characters in the book, it proves that you can provide a good depth to all of your characters without them being surface level characters.
It is overall an intriguing read that had me hooked from the beginning, Its from me folks.
Uh, this book is pretty hard to give a rating to, It'll be aroundout of, I thought it'd be quite a boring book, but for me, it was quite the page turner, Siri is hilarious, her personality is just priceless, She's a psychologist, who is trying to help mentally unstable people, yet she can't seem to help herself, That's all, and the guy who committed the murder was introduced like apages before the book ended, that was kinda sad, I couldn't guess who it was.
This is the second in the Swedish crime series featuring psychotherapist Siri Bergman and her best friend and colleague Aina Davidsson,

In this book, Siri and Aina along with their old classmate Vijay collaborate on a domestic abuse study, Siri and Aina are to run a trial selfhelp group that would be led by professional facilitators, This setup allows the authors to describe, as part of the narrative, the various manifestations of abuse of women, what it feels like to them, and how they cope or not with it during and after it happens.
Furthermore, this plot device allows them to speculate on the motivations for such abuse, Is it solely about power and control Does any of it have to do with love, albeit in a twisted form What about the role of women Are they ever complicit, in terms of “asking for it” How do you determine who is telling the truth in relationship conflicts

When one of the cases turns deadly, there is a great deal of pressure to find the answers, because the perpetrator remains at large.


Parallel developments in the private lives of the protagonists who work on these cases not only Siri and Aina but also their colleagues Vijay and Sven, complicate the investigation, because they too are asking questions about the nature of love, and whether the pain it can create is worth the risk.


This is not just a sociological thriller however it is also very much a

psychological thriller, with an increase in tension that doesnt let up until the very astonishing ending.


Discussion: The authors do an excellent job, Ive read other Scandinavian crime novels that embrace the topic of domestic violence, but these authors are better in two ways, One, they focus their descriptions on the feelings elicited by what happened rather than the salacious details, which make unpleasant reading in any event.
Secondly, they are never didactic, but seamlessly integrate their concerns into the plot,

Evaluation: This series is better than much of the crime fiction coming out of Scandinavia lately, I love being gobsmacked by a crime novel, and this one does not dissapoint me,

I am especially impressed that it is a collaboration of two authors, The writing is always consistent I would have never known! Sisters Camilla Grebe and Åsa Träff apparently write these books via email, each writing a chapter and sending it back to the other to continue the story.
It should also be noted that Åsa Träff is a psychologist specializing in cognitive behavioral therapy,

Moreover, unlike much crime fiction, this series would work great for book clubs, Many issues are raised about the nature of crime and punishment, the situation of women, and the nature of love and relationships that will evoke good discussions as in fact it did for me and my husband while I was reading it!
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