The Hidden Child by Camilla Lackberg

Hello! Once again I find myself with another new book, one I think you'll agree with a suitably eerie cover! I think I should inform you all now though that this is not a new book; published in 2011. What drew me to this was the write up of Lackberg's books, being the so called "hottest female writer in Sweden" (and we all know how I love my Nordic Noir!) So, here I am, seeing whether this book lives up to its write up.

It's set in a little village in Sweden called Fjallbacka, which I've looked into, and looks the most beautiful place in the world! The pictures of the place look absolutely gorgeous. No wonder these places inspire such fantastic writings!

The book opens with as creepy a beginning as the cover. A dead body in a closed room, with quite a graphic image portrayed by Lackberg. (By this point I'm thinking "she doesn't hold back with the details!") 

The story immediately flips to Erika, a crime writer, just returning to work after a year long maternity leave, who stumbles across an old Nazi Medal in her mothers belongings. Torn between allowing her mothers past to stay just that, and her own curiosity, she begins to delve deeper into her mothers hidden past through the pages of diaries. 

As Erika digs ever deeper, her actions seem to set off a chain of murders, and a terrible secret begins to emerge from the darkest days of World War II, with her families history right at the heart of the matter.

The story flips between present day and Erika's mothers diary entries in 1943. I'm almost 100 pages in and so far I'm hooked! I love Lackberg's portrayal of Erika, and can almost see part of myself mirrored in her. I'm not sure I could keep from digging deeper into the past once I'd begun! 

Erika's husband is a detective on Paternity leave, and I love the fact that, much as he loves his daughter (who by the way, I think is the cutest thing since forever!) he can't help himself being dragged into the investigation. I'm interested to see how the investigation and Erika's findings will bear down on their marriage and family life, and just what the hidden secret is! 

I'll Keep you posted!

C