My Soul to Take

In the mystical Snæfellsnes region on Iceland's west coast—at a New Age health resort in a renovated farmhouse—the body of a young woman is discovered, savagely beaten, with pins inserted into her feet. Thóra Gudmundsdóttir, lawyer and single mother of two, has been retained to represent the resort's owner and prime suspect. But a fresh corpse is not the only abomination Thóra encounters here—for local legend says this place is haunted . . . and a bizarre series of inexplicable occurrences soon suggests it is so.

As Thóra digs deeply into the farm's past, she unearths a shocking history of evil and depravity—and her once-solid view of reality begins to waver. But a second murder, shockingly similar to the first, pulls Thóra back to earth by making two inescapable truths abundantly clear: the killer she seeks is very real . . . and is not finished yet.

Long-buried secrets go hand in hand with modern-day murder in this second thriller featuring attorney Thóra Gudmundsdóttir from Iceland's queen of crime fiction

When the body of a young woman-badly beaten and with pins inserted into her feet-is found at a New Age health resort in a renovated farmhouse, lawyer and single mother of two Thóra Gudmundsdóttir is called upon to represent the chief suspect, the resort's owner. But upon her arrival she encounters more than a fresh corpse-local legend has it that the resort, located in the mystical region of Snæfellsnes on Iceland's west coast, is haunted. At first Thóra dismisses the claims as nothing more than myth and superstition, but even she can't explain the bizarre occurrences she witnesses in her search for answers.

As Thóra digs deeper into the farm's past, she discovers long-buried information on the property's disturbing history, and her once-solid view of reality begins to waver. Are the hauntings real, or just a case of folklore gone wild? And, more important, does the farm's eerie past have something to do with the murder? When another body is discovered-looking very much like the first-Thóra is forced to put aside her doubts and confront the horrors of the present before a twisted killer strikes again.

With its confident plotting, chilling atmosphere, and smart, compelling heroine, My Soul to Take confirms Yrsa Sigurdardóttir as a new maven of mysteries.

Publishers Weekly

In Sigurdardóttir's engaging second crime novel to feature attorney Thóra Gudmundsdóttir (after Last Rituals), Jónas Júlíusson, a client Thóra assisted with a land purchase in West Iceland, calls for more help. The superstitious Júlíusson, who believes one of the farmhouses on the land he bought to develop a spa and hotel is haunted, invites Thóra to stay at his facility and investigate. Her arrival coincides with the discovery under some seaweed on the beach of the sexually abused corpse of architect Birna Halldórsdóttir, who was working on a new building. Júlíusson, who apparently sent a text message arranging a rendezvous with the victim at the time and place where she died, becomes the prime suspect. The lawyer shifts gears from ghost busting to amateur sleuthing. As Thóra pursues an array of suspects and clues, Sigurdardóttir keeps readers guessing whodunit. (May)

Yrsa SigurdardÓttir is an award-winning author of five children's novels and a division manager with one of Iceland's largest engineering firms. She lives with her family in ReykjavÍk, Iceland.