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Yule Island
Queen of French Noir Johana Gustawsson returns with a dark, terrifying historical thriller, based on a true story. Storholmen, an island of the Swedish archipelago, is shaken by a new horrific murder nine years after a first victim was found hanging on the estate of the famous Gussman manor. A young art expert, on the island to draw up an inventory of the Gussman’s precious artwork teams up with a detective, in a case that takes them back to a past – and a shocking personal link to the island. A chilling and captivating thriller rooted in Viking rites and Scandinavia’s deepest, darkest winter.
256 pages, Hardcover
First published January 18, 2023
About the author
Johana Gustawsson
17 books165 followersBorn in 1978 in Marseille, France, and a graduate of Political Sciences, Johana Gustawsson was a journalist for television and French press. She now lives in London, England.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews
January 13, 2024
Holy moly, this was some bumpy ride full of twists I didn’t see coming! As a crime novel, it is outstanding, I was convinced it was some supernatural Asa-loving Nordic Mythology loving worshippers who were on the loose, luckily it was anything but. Still can’t get head around some of the twists, I actually got a bit cross with the author at some point, I thought she had breached the reader contract by turning one of the narrators into an unreliable one without warning, it turned out there was a good a reason for that, but it almost made me stop listening.
If there is anything missing, it is the Nordic, in this case Swedish vibe that I know from other Scandic Noir thrillers, but then again, this is not your usual Scandic Noir, the author apparently being French, I wonder what it would be like if she chose a scenery more familiar to herself in her next book ?
Thanks Liz for the recommendation, much appreciated.
If there is anything missing, it is the Nordic, in this case Swedish vibe that I know from other Scandic Noir thrillers, but then again, this is not your usual Scandic Noir, the author apparently being French, I wonder what it would be like if she chose a scenery more familiar to herself in her next book ?
Thanks Liz for the recommendation, much appreciated.
December 28, 2023
I adored The Bleeding from this author, so was thrilled to read this next offering.
It was a gripping read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author's writing is superb and she has written some wonderful lines throughout the plot.
While I was not as consumed as I was whilst reading The Bleeding (although that was an extremely high standard set by me, and I felt more engaged by the synopsis), this was a great read and I'm already looking forward to the next one!
It was a gripping read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author's writing is superb and she has written some wonderful lines throughout the plot.
While I was not as consumed as I was whilst reading The Bleeding (although that was an extremely high standard set by me, and I felt more engaged by the synopsis), this was a great read and I'm already looking forward to the next one!
January 19, 2023
❤️ Alerte au coup de cœur !❤️
Quelle claque ! Johana nous propose un one shot de toute beauté.
Dévoré en 24 heures. Johana m’a enveloppée, prise avec elle dès les premiers mots, pour ne jamais me lâcher. J’ai été obsédée par son histoire, à tel point que je ne pensai qu’au moment béni où j’allais pouvoir reprendre la lecture. C’est simple, je l’ai lu en deux fois. Une soirée et un après-midi, et entre les deux, une matinée à trépigner et à tenter de jouer mon rôle de maman.
Nous sommes à Storholmen, une île suédoise faisant partie de l’archipel de Stockholm. Le premier chapitre nous permet de faire connaissance avec le commandant Karl Rosén, notre enquêteur, et de découvrir notre première victime, une jeune fille d’environ quinze ans, pendue aux branches d’un sapin du parc du manoir bâti sur l’île, dans une mise en scène vraiment macabre que je vous laisserai découvrir par vous-même.
Mais revenons à ce manoir… Propriété de la famille Gussman, 4ème fortune de Suède, il va fêter son centenaire. Pour l’occasion, Niklas Gussman, l’héritier, demande à Emma Lindahl d’effectuer un inventaire ainsi qu’une estimation des biens du château. Un appel au secours dissimulé dans une brosse à cheveux ancienne, un second cadavre retrouvé avec le même mode opératoire que notre pendue et l’affaire est lancée.
La construction du roman nous permet de retrouver la patte de Johana : trois voix alternent leur récit, toutes employant le « Je », Emma, Karl et Viktoria, qui travaille comme domestique au manoir. Le rythme est dingue, le lecteur est avide d’en savoir toujours plus, il collecte les indices les uns après les autres, commence à y voir clair. Mais c’est sans compter sur Johana qui rebat toutes les cartes avec un cliffhanger à mi-parcours. Bon, on va revoir tout cela sous un œil neuf. Enfin, on est plus embrouillé qu’autre chose, j’ai douté, je me suis fait un nœud au cerveau. Je n’ai rien vu venir, Johana m’a totalement roulée dans la farine, et je me suis laissée faire avec bonheur.
Les personnages sont attachants, ils cachent tous une part plus ou moins sombre, ils sont intrigants, la maternité tient une place prépondérante au milieu des secrets familiaux et des blessures de l’âme, comme toujours avec Johana.
« Quelle que soit la bataille des sexes et des genres qu’on se livre, il y a des réalités indiscutables, scellées par la nature : la femme porte l’enfant et lui donne naissance, le choix de devenir mère l’aliène bien plus que l’autre parent. »
La plume de Johana est splendide. Elle claque, elle pique, elle est implacable. Le récit est parsemé de légendes vikings absolument passionnantes (j’avais peur du 13, maintenant, je pense que je vais m’enfuir en courant lorsque je croiserai un 9…). Moi qui n’accroche pas particulièrement aux thrillers scandinaves, ici, je change d’avis. Johana, qui vit en Suède depuis plusieurs mois maintenant, sait de quoi elle parle et se frotte avec brio à la discipline ; on peut dire que les auteurs locaux peuvent aller se coucher ! L’ambiance est anxiogène, sur cette île perdue au milieu de nulle part, cet hiver suédois où la nuit tombe tôt, trop tôt. Le froid, la nuit, les éléments qui se déchainent, ce qui est sûr, c’est que cela ne m’a pas donné envie de passer mes vacances sur l’île de Storholmen !! Le lecteur ressent le malaise éprouvé par Emma lorsqu’elle se rend au manoir pour son inventaire.
Le dernier quart se lit en apnée, j’ai tremblé, j’ai douté, toutes mes certitudes se sont effritées, j’avais l’impression d’avoir le cœur dans une centrifugeuse. Jusqu’au dernier mot, j’ai retenu mon souffle, relisant certaines phrases pour être sûre de mettre chaque élément à sa bonne place.
La couverture est superbe, représentant parfaitement l’ambiance du récit.
« L’île de Yule », c’est du grand art. Tout colle parfaitement, tous les ingrédients sont là pour vous faire passer d’excellentes heures de lecture. Mon premier coup de cœur de 2023. Et que ça fait du bien !
« Personne ne parle. Personne n’ose parler. Cette île déclenche en moi une sensation glaçante : je me sens forcé d’étouffer les bruits de mon passage. Jusqu’à ceux de mes pensées. Comme si j’avançais en territoire ennemi, les doigts crispés sur la crosse de mon fusil. Storholmen impose le silence à une foule muette dont je fais partie. Une foule qui écoute ce silence comme un prélude au drame. »
Je remercie les Éditions Calmann-Levy pour cette très belle lecture.
#CalmannLevy #JohanaGustawsson #LïledeYule
Quelle claque ! Johana nous propose un one shot de toute beauté.
Dévoré en 24 heures. Johana m’a enveloppée, prise avec elle dès les premiers mots, pour ne jamais me lâcher. J’ai été obsédée par son histoire, à tel point que je ne pensai qu’au moment béni où j’allais pouvoir reprendre la lecture. C’est simple, je l’ai lu en deux fois. Une soirée et un après-midi, et entre les deux, une matinée à trépigner et à tenter de jouer mon rôle de maman.
Nous sommes à Storholmen, une île suédoise faisant partie de l’archipel de Stockholm. Le premier chapitre nous permet de faire connaissance avec le commandant Karl Rosén, notre enquêteur, et de découvrir notre première victime, une jeune fille d’environ quinze ans, pendue aux branches d’un sapin du parc du manoir bâti sur l’île, dans une mise en scène vraiment macabre que je vous laisserai découvrir par vous-même.
Mais revenons à ce manoir… Propriété de la famille Gussman, 4ème fortune de Suède, il va fêter son centenaire. Pour l’occasion, Niklas Gussman, l’héritier, demande à Emma Lindahl d’effectuer un inventaire ainsi qu’une estimation des biens du château. Un appel au secours dissimulé dans une brosse à cheveux ancienne, un second cadavre retrouvé avec le même mode opératoire que notre pendue et l’affaire est lancée.
La construction du roman nous permet de retrouver la patte de Johana : trois voix alternent leur récit, toutes employant le « Je », Emma, Karl et Viktoria, qui travaille comme domestique au manoir. Le rythme est dingue, le lecteur est avide d’en savoir toujours plus, il collecte les indices les uns après les autres, commence à y voir clair. Mais c’est sans compter sur Johana qui rebat toutes les cartes avec un cliffhanger à mi-parcours. Bon, on va revoir tout cela sous un œil neuf. Enfin, on est plus embrouillé qu’autre chose, j’ai douté, je me suis fait un nœud au cerveau. Je n’ai rien vu venir, Johana m’a totalement roulée dans la farine, et je me suis laissée faire avec bonheur.
Les personnages sont attachants, ils cachent tous une part plus ou moins sombre, ils sont intrigants, la maternité tient une place prépondérante au milieu des secrets familiaux et des blessures de l’âme, comme toujours avec Johana.
« Quelle que soit la bataille des sexes et des genres qu’on se livre, il y a des réalités indiscutables, scellées par la nature : la femme porte l’enfant et lui donne naissance, le choix de devenir mère l’aliène bien plus que l’autre parent. »
La plume de Johana est splendide. Elle claque, elle pique, elle est implacable. Le récit est parsemé de légendes vikings absolument passionnantes (j’avais peur du 13, maintenant, je pense que je vais m’enfuir en courant lorsque je croiserai un 9…). Moi qui n’accroche pas particulièrement aux thrillers scandinaves, ici, je change d’avis. Johana, qui vit en Suède depuis plusieurs mois maintenant, sait de quoi elle parle et se frotte avec brio à la discipline ; on peut dire que les auteurs locaux peuvent aller se coucher ! L’ambiance est anxiogène, sur cette île perdue au milieu de nulle part, cet hiver suédois où la nuit tombe tôt, trop tôt. Le froid, la nuit, les éléments qui se déchainent, ce qui est sûr, c’est que cela ne m’a pas donné envie de passer mes vacances sur l’île de Storholmen !! Le lecteur ressent le malaise éprouvé par Emma lorsqu’elle se rend au manoir pour son inventaire.
Le dernier quart se lit en apnée, j’ai tremblé, j’ai douté, toutes mes certitudes se sont effritées, j’avais l’impression d’avoir le cœur dans une centrifugeuse. Jusqu’au dernier mot, j’ai retenu mon souffle, relisant certaines phrases pour être sûre de mettre chaque élément à sa bonne place.
La couverture est superbe, représentant parfaitement l’ambiance du récit.
« L’île de Yule », c’est du grand art. Tout colle parfaitement, tous les ingrédients sont là pour vous faire passer d’excellentes heures de lecture. Mon premier coup de cœur de 2023. Et que ça fait du bien !
« Personne ne parle. Personne n’ose parler. Cette île déclenche en moi une sensation glaçante : je me sens forcé d’étouffer les bruits de mon passage. Jusqu’à ceux de mes pensées. Comme si j’avançais en territoire ennemi, les doigts crispés sur la crosse de mon fusil. Storholmen impose le silence à une foule muette dont je fais partie. Une foule qui écoute ce silence comme un prélude au drame. »
Je remercie les Éditions Calmann-Levy pour cette très belle lecture.
#CalmannLevy #JohanaGustawsson #LïledeYule
January 10, 2024
This is another pick from my huge physical TBR bookshelf. I'm trying at the moment to clear some of the backlog but I also keep adding books as I have absolutely no self-control so it's an ever-increasing situation. I'd describe this as less a police procedural more suspenseful mystery maybe a bit of the two. It's a French translation and has been done well it's told from three characters POV's Emma Karl and Viktoria. Emma is a successful art appraiser her latest job is to catalogue the Gussman family's collection at the Manor house on Storholmen Island where the hanging girl was discovered 9 years prior. Karl is the original investigator on the case and Viktoria is a housekeeper who works at the manor.
This had twists and turns aplenty and was very cleverly done the past is interwoven with present-day events and a new case concerning another young girl's senseless murder seems connected to the original still unsolved hanging girl murder I enjoyed this one a lot it also managed to somewhat blindside me and I didn't see the twists coming and that doesn't happen often that's for sure. This was well written and such an easy read and though it wasn't a long story it felt complete with some excellent pacing that managed to retain my attention throughout. I definitely recommend reading this one.
Reviewed By Beckie Bookworm
https://www.facebook.com/beckiebookworm/
www.beckiebookworm.com
April 8, 2023
Vivement conseillé par ma collègue, j’ai plongé dans « L’île de Yule » avec grand plaisir. Et j’en suis ressortie aucunement déçu. Le récit nous tient en haleine du début à la fin, le scénario est complètement maitrisé, et les notions de rites vikings ancestraux ajoutent la touche lugubre parfaitement dosé ! C’était très chouette
September 11, 2024
Oh, how boring: the lesbian's the baddie; but the psychopathic man's the hero?!
November 27, 2023
‘Be still my beating heart’ sums up how I was feeling after I finished the captivating gothic thriller Yule Island which is based on a true story. From the start, Johana ‘Gustawsson’s vivid descriptions of Yule Island, with its oppressive, inescapable, and darkest winter landscape, strike a sense of unease into the reader. Coupled with a teenager’s death, which has the markings of a ritualistic killing, the author plunges the reader into a dark place where horrifying secrets from the past hide buried in the shadows.
The plot without giving too much away centres around art expert Emma Lindahl whose latest job is to appraise the antiques and artefacts in the infamous mansion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families. Situated on the island of Storholmen, where a young woman was murdered nine years earlier, her killer never found. Detective Karl Rosen joins her as they investigate a new horrific murder. To the who? And Why? This takes time to get to, but the mystery and suspense grows significantly throughout. I should mention David Wariner who has done a magnificent job in translating Yule Island into English, capturing the tone perfectly. I loved how the author unpeel’s the layers of the mystery, never too much or too little, but just enough to unsettle the reader.
Like all new relationships, there’s a settling-in period, so there’s much to learn about Emma and Rosen. As the story progresses, the author is not afraid to tackle some darker themes, which heighten those feelings of dread. I appreciated how the author melds historical facts with Swedish myths and legends, as it definitely adds to the whole gothic atmosphere. Johana Gustawsson’s title ‘the queen of French noir’ is spot on. It’s a rare breed of author who's able to create an intricately woven story that’s visceral and addictively dark whilst keeping the reader enthralled. What more can I say? Apart from Yule Island is a deftly plotted novel of the highest order with a shocking twist in its tail.
You can follow me at
Blog: https://thebookreviewcafe.wordpress.com/
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The plot without giving too much away centres around art expert Emma Lindahl whose latest job is to appraise the antiques and artefacts in the infamous mansion of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families. Situated on the island of Storholmen, where a young woman was murdered nine years earlier, her killer never found. Detective Karl Rosen joins her as they investigate a new horrific murder. To the who? And Why? This takes time to get to, but the mystery and suspense grows significantly throughout. I should mention David Wariner who has done a magnificent job in translating Yule Island into English, capturing the tone perfectly. I loved how the author unpeel’s the layers of the mystery, never too much or too little, but just enough to unsettle the reader.
Like all new relationships, there’s a settling-in period, so there’s much to learn about Emma and Rosen. As the story progresses, the author is not afraid to tackle some darker themes, which heighten those feelings of dread. I appreciated how the author melds historical facts with Swedish myths and legends, as it definitely adds to the whole gothic atmosphere. Johana Gustawsson’s title ‘the queen of French noir’ is spot on. It’s a rare breed of author who's able to create an intricately woven story that’s visceral and addictively dark whilst keeping the reader enthralled. What more can I say? Apart from Yule Island is a deftly plotted novel of the highest order with a shocking twist in its tail.
You can follow me at
Blog: https://thebookreviewcafe.wordpress.com/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thebookrevi...
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/@reviewcafe
May 6, 2024
Permeated with a sense of overwhelming melancholy, I was not sure what to make of this novel at first. There were many characters introduced over several time lines. Then, once I became privy to who was who, I started to become immersed in the story - and a dark, dark story it was.
Emma Lindahl , an esteemed appraiser, has been sent to the island of Storholmen, in the Stockholm archipelago, at the behest of the great Von Dardel auction house. She is to value the contents of a grand manor house owned by the Gussman family in preparation for the manor house's centenary. Coincidentally, it is on the grounds of this manor house that Emma's younger sister was murdered... As Storholmen is a car-free island, Emma must commute from Stockholm via water taxi. Since Emma is only allowed to enter the manor during specified times, she spends her off hours at the only cafe on the island, run by a personable woman named Anneli. She and Emma become close.
When another young woman is murdered nearby, exactly nine years after Emma's sister, the police have enough similarities to tie the two crimes together. Detective Inspector Karl Rosén is the chief investigator. He is a man in mourning for the recent loss of his wife.
Taking some of its ideas from Viking legend and myth, the killings were ritualistic in nature. The tone was dark, atmospheric, and chilling. The characters expertly drawn and authentically flawed. The setting was atmospheric and the cold was palpable.
There were at least two major plot twists in this story that left me slack-jawed with surprise and shock. The author expertly ratchets up the tension as the pages flew by.
Highly recommended to those readers who enjoy thrillers that serve readers with a visceral punch. "Yule Island" was a fast-paced, chilling, and memorable novel. Yule Island is touted as the beginning of a new series. Emma Lindahl and Karl Rosén are two very complex and fascinating characters that carry some heavy pasts in the way of baggage. I look forward to meeting one or both of them in future books.
4.5 stars rounded up
Emma Lindahl , an esteemed appraiser, has been sent to the island of Storholmen, in the Stockholm archipelago, at the behest of the great Von Dardel auction house. She is to value the contents of a grand manor house owned by the Gussman family in preparation for the manor house's centenary. Coincidentally, it is on the grounds of this manor house that Emma's younger sister was murdered... As Storholmen is a car-free island, Emma must commute from Stockholm via water taxi. Since Emma is only allowed to enter the manor during specified times, she spends her off hours at the only cafe on the island, run by a personable woman named Anneli. She and Emma become close.
When another young woman is murdered nearby, exactly nine years after Emma's sister, the police have enough similarities to tie the two crimes together. Detective Inspector Karl Rosén is the chief investigator. He is a man in mourning for the recent loss of his wife.
Taking some of its ideas from Viking legend and myth, the killings were ritualistic in nature. The tone was dark, atmospheric, and chilling. The characters expertly drawn and authentically flawed. The setting was atmospheric and the cold was palpable.
There were at least two major plot twists in this story that left me slack-jawed with surprise and shock. The author expertly ratchets up the tension as the pages flew by.
Highly recommended to those readers who enjoy thrillers that serve readers with a visceral punch. "Yule Island" was a fast-paced, chilling, and memorable novel. Yule Island is touted as the beginning of a new series. Emma Lindahl and Karl Rosén are two very complex and fascinating characters that carry some heavy pasts in the way of baggage. I look forward to meeting one or both of them in future books.
4.5 stars rounded up
January 7, 2024
4.5 stars
Wow, this was a wild story. I was not expecting it to go the direction that it did. It starts off pretty mundane but it really ramped up and got crazy at the end. There were so many things I loved about this book: the beautiful Swedish winter setting, secret underground bunkers, Norse mythology, clever subterfuge, and dynamic characters with depth. Grief was also ever present throughout the story. Multiple characters are dealing with loss and are trying to move on from their past.
I really appreciated the clever twists the author used. I suspected who the murderer was early on but I was surprised by how it played out and who else was involved. Overall, this was a clever and well-written mystery. I also highly recommend the author’s other book, The Bleeding, which is a fantastic mystery featuring occult elements.
Wow, this was a wild story. I was not expecting it to go the direction that it did. It starts off pretty mundane but it really ramped up and got crazy at the end. There were so many things I loved about this book: the beautiful Swedish winter setting, secret underground bunkers, Norse mythology, clever subterfuge, and dynamic characters with depth. Grief was also ever present throughout the story. Multiple characters are dealing with loss and are trying to move on from their past.
I really appreciated the clever twists the author used. I suspected who the murderer was early on but I was surprised by how it played out and who else was involved. Overall, this was a clever and well-written mystery. I also highly recommend the author’s other book, The Bleeding, which is a fantastic mystery featuring occult elements.
September 16, 2024
Emma est envoyée expertiser la fortune d'une grande famille dans un manoir isolé sur une île où quelques années auparavant avait été retrouvé la corps d'une jeune fille. Le crime reste irrésolu, alors qu'un nouveau corps émerge sur l'île...
Un thriller qui nous fait tourner en bourrique, un mystère magnifiquement mené et aux retournement littéralement inattendus. Une tension et des révélations jusqu'à la dernière page. Un vrai plaisir.
Un thriller qui nous fait tourner en bourrique, un mystère magnifiquement mené et aux retournement littéralement inattendus. Une tension et des révélations jusqu'à la dernière page. Un vrai plaisir.
January 29, 2024
I thought that Johana took us through a wonderfully gothic tale from when it happened around 1900 and up. We could say it was about witches but it's really about finding out who you were. We start out with Karl and go into his finding a ritual hanging on the Island of Storholmen of a girl fourteen or fifteen years old. What we know is that her sister, Emma, was given the opportunity to appraise all the treasures of the Gussmans. It was filled with quite a lot of twists and turns with body's and trunks filled with skeletons. With this I well tell you that I don't want to tell tales out of turn so it is an excellent book with allot of detail that's mind blowing.
December 12, 2023
"Anger is just sadness that's been hardened by time."
Mystery/thrillers aren't really my sort of thing, but the Norse mythology aspects of this book really intrigued me, so I thought I'd give it a shot!
All in all, I think Yule Island was a really good book in the genre, and if you like mystery/thriller stuff, you'd like this. For me, I just found the pacing a little bit rough, and the plot not all that intriguing. For a 250-ish page book, the first two thirds of Yule Island really drag - it took me almost a full week just to get through those first 175 pages. And then, you hit the last third, and the first of many plot twists, and it really just speedruns the rest. If there had been less exposition at the start and the plot twists had been given more room to breathe at the end, this book would've been much more balanced.
I know that this book is a translation from the original French, but you can definitely hear it in the writing. Either Gustawsson isn't that great of a writer, or more likely, the translation of this book was just a little bit off. It comes across as clunky, and there are some editing errors in the way words and sentences are written, which really takes you out of the moment.
The massive pro for Yule Island for me, though, is that it's queer! It's really nice to see a queer murder mystery that doesn't necessarily revolve around the main character's queerness. I love a good queer story, but for our main character Emma, her sexuality is incidental to the plot, and it was really nice to see queerness treated as normal. You've also got Lulu, Emma's friend and a big-time drag queen, who offers a little light-heartedness to the story and some empathy to Emma's character, which I loved. When you start Yule Island, it really does read as your average, run-of-the-mill mystery/thriller (men writing men investigating other men), but Gustawsson subverts expectations, and that's incredibly reflective of what Yule Island is about.
I think the best part about this book, by far, is the plot twists. Wherever you think this book is going, whoever you think the killer is, however you think the multiple POVs of this story are linked, you're wrong. Gustawsson really took what seemed to be a very mediocre, predictable concept and flipped it on its head, and the plot twists had me gasping out loud. I kind of get where mystery lovers are coming from, enjoying big shocks like these!
Overall, I really loved the concepts and bare-bones ideas of Yule Island, but a combination of the poor pacing, the writing style, and the rocky translation knocked this down to a three star read.
**Thank you to Edelweiss for a copy of this book!
Mystery/thrillers aren't really my sort of thing, but the Norse mythology aspects of this book really intrigued me, so I thought I'd give it a shot!
All in all, I think Yule Island was a really good book in the genre, and if you like mystery/thriller stuff, you'd like this. For me, I just found the pacing a little bit rough, and the plot not all that intriguing. For a 250-ish page book, the first two thirds of Yule Island really drag - it took me almost a full week just to get through those first 175 pages. And then, you hit the last third, and the first of many plot twists, and it really just speedruns the rest. If there had been less exposition at the start and the plot twists had been given more room to breathe at the end, this book would've been much more balanced.
I know that this book is a translation from the original French, but you can definitely hear it in the writing. Either Gustawsson isn't that great of a writer, or more likely, the translation of this book was just a little bit off. It comes across as clunky, and there are some editing errors in the way words and sentences are written, which really takes you out of the moment.
The massive pro for Yule Island for me, though, is that it's queer! It's really nice to see a queer murder mystery that doesn't necessarily revolve around the main character's queerness. I love a good queer story, but for our main character Emma, her sexuality is incidental to the plot, and it was really nice to see queerness treated as normal. You've also got Lulu, Emma's friend and a big-time drag queen, who offers a little light-heartedness to the story and some empathy to Emma's character, which I loved. When you start Yule Island, it really does read as your average, run-of-the-mill mystery/thriller (men writing men investigating other men), but Gustawsson subverts expectations, and that's incredibly reflective of what Yule Island is about.
I think the best part about this book, by far, is the plot twists. Wherever you think this book is going, whoever you think the killer is, however you think the multiple POVs of this story are linked, you're wrong. Gustawsson really took what seemed to be a very mediocre, predictable concept and flipped it on its head, and the plot twists had me gasping out loud. I kind of get where mystery lovers are coming from, enjoying big shocks like these!
Overall, I really loved the concepts and bare-bones ideas of Yule Island, but a combination of the poor pacing, the writing style, and the rocky translation knocked this down to a three star read.
**Thank you to Edelweiss for a copy of this book!
December 12, 2023
Emma Lindahl is an art expert who is asked to appraise the Gussmans’ family collection. The Gussmans are the fourth wealthiest family in Sweden and they reside in a manor house in the quiet and picturesque island of Storholmen in the Stockholm archipelago.
Niklas Gussman lives in the house with his wife and son, however, Emma hardly, if ever, sees them.
One day, when going through the family artefacts, she finds a note saying “Help me, I’m trapped”. Who’s left the note? Is someone in trouble?
When a body of a young woman is found underneath the ice on the island of Storholmen, DI Karl Rosén is called to investigate. There are similarities between the current victim and an unsolved case nine years prior, where a young woman was found hanging from a tree.
Emma is desperate to solve the mystery of the note she’s found. Her and Karl’s paths will continue to cross all the way to the shocking finale…
Oh my goodness, what can I say? What a fabulous story. There was a twist halfway through the book involving Karl (my mouth must have been open for a good few minutes, I was that shocked) and if that wasn’t enough, there were TWO further twists towards the end.
I loved the author’s previous book, The Bleeding, so much and I thought that this book wouldn’t top it, but I think it did.
It’s dark, gritty, and I loved the secluded location of an island in the winter time.
It’s a perfect read for the cold and wintry months ahead. I definitely recommend it.
Niklas Gussman lives in the house with his wife and son, however, Emma hardly, if ever, sees them.
One day, when going through the family artefacts, she finds a note saying “Help me, I’m trapped”. Who’s left the note? Is someone in trouble?
When a body of a young woman is found underneath the ice on the island of Storholmen, DI Karl Rosén is called to investigate. There are similarities between the current victim and an unsolved case nine years prior, where a young woman was found hanging from a tree.
Emma is desperate to solve the mystery of the note she’s found. Her and Karl’s paths will continue to cross all the way to the shocking finale…
Oh my goodness, what can I say? What a fabulous story. There was a twist halfway through the book involving Karl (my mouth must have been open for a good few minutes, I was that shocked) and if that wasn’t enough, there were TWO further twists towards the end.
I loved the author’s previous book, The Bleeding, so much and I thought that this book wouldn’t top it, but I think it did.
It’s dark, gritty, and I loved the secluded location of an island in the winter time.
It’s a perfect read for the cold and wintry months ahead. I definitely recommend it.
August 29, 2024
Emma Lindahl, mandatée par une prestigieuse maison d’expertise, doit procéder à l’inventaire des biens de la richissime famille Gussman. Pour ce faire, elle se rend sur une île isolée à la réputation mystérieuse. En effet, neuf ans plus tôt, une adolescente y a été découverte pendue à un arbre, brutalement assassinée. Son meurtrier n’a jamais été arrêté. Emma réalise que l’île et son manoir recèlent de nombreux secrets enfouis qui pourraient ne pas la laisser indemne...
Un thriller à trois voix captivant! Je l’ai dévoré en deux jours, incapable de le lâcher. Les chapitres se sont enchaînés et les retournements de situation m’ont totalement prise par surprise. @johanagustawsson a beau être une française expatriée en Suède depuis peu, elle manie à la perfection les codes du polar scandinave. Les référénces à la mythologie nordique, aux quartiers de Stockholm, aux spécialités locales permettent une immersion plus vraie que nature dans le grand nord.
C’est le deuxième roman de l’autrice que je lis et je la place définitivement dans les très bons, je vais me hâter de lire la suite de sa bibliographie!
Un thriller à trois voix captivant! Je l’ai dévoré en deux jours, incapable de le lâcher. Les chapitres se sont enchaînés et les retournements de situation m’ont totalement prise par surprise. @johanagustawsson a beau être une française expatriée en Suède depuis peu, elle manie à la perfection les codes du polar scandinave. Les référénces à la mythologie nordique, aux quartiers de Stockholm, aux spécialités locales permettent une immersion plus vraie que nature dans le grand nord.
C’est le deuxième roman de l’autrice que je lis et je la place définitivement dans les très bons, je vais me hâter de lire la suite de sa bibliographie!
June 7, 2023
Résumé : Emma Lindahl, jeune experte en art doit procéder à l'inventaire des œuvres de la famille Gussman, dans leur manoir situé sur une petite île à la réputation inquiétante située au large de la Suède.
EN effet, il y a neuf ans de cela, une jeune fille a été retrouvée pendue à l'un des arbres du domaine, mais ce n'était pas un suicide, et les conditions de son meurtre étaient atroces. Son tueur n'a jamais été retrouvé.
Un matin, le corps d'une jeune fille est découvert dans la baie, le corps gelé. Les supplices qu'elle a subis rappellent étrangement ceux de la précédente victime... Le tueur est de retour.
Mon avis : Comme à chaque parution, c'est avec une joie toute particulière que je retrouve l'univers toujours dépaysant de Johana Gustawsson. J'ai immédiatement accroché à l'ambiance pesante et mystérieuse de cette affaire. Cette île isolée et quasi-autarcique, ces personnages hautains et/ou inquiétants, ce mystère presque fantastique qui entoure le domaine ainsi que la famille Gussman... Mais également ces personnages auxquels on s'attache immédiatement, par leur simplicité et leur gentillesse. L'amour et l'amitié ont en effet leur place, au milieu de l'horreur.
Comme souvent, l'histoire est ponctuée de flash-back, mais à différentes époques, afin de distiller des indices, petit à petit, pour nous éclairer sur l'intrigue, mais sans jamais trop en dire afin de préserver le grand final, auquel une fois encore, je ne m'attendais pas. Quelle révélation ! Superbe ! Cette fois encore, je me suis faite berner et ne m'attendais pas du tout à ce dénouement qui m'a laissée sans voix. Sans trop en dire, c'est le genre de final que j'adore, mais je vous laisse découvrir vous-même pourquoi... ! Vivement le prochain !
EN effet, il y a neuf ans de cela, une jeune fille a été retrouvée pendue à l'un des arbres du domaine, mais ce n'était pas un suicide, et les conditions de son meurtre étaient atroces. Son tueur n'a jamais été retrouvé.
Un matin, le corps d'une jeune fille est découvert dans la baie, le corps gelé. Les supplices qu'elle a subis rappellent étrangement ceux de la précédente victime... Le tueur est de retour.
Mon avis : Comme à chaque parution, c'est avec une joie toute particulière que je retrouve l'univers toujours dépaysant de Johana Gustawsson. J'ai immédiatement accroché à l'ambiance pesante et mystérieuse de cette affaire. Cette île isolée et quasi-autarcique, ces personnages hautains et/ou inquiétants, ce mystère presque fantastique qui entoure le domaine ainsi que la famille Gussman... Mais également ces personnages auxquels on s'attache immédiatement, par leur simplicité et leur gentillesse. L'amour et l'amitié ont en effet leur place, au milieu de l'horreur.
Comme souvent, l'histoire est ponctuée de flash-back, mais à différentes époques, afin de distiller des indices, petit à petit, pour nous éclairer sur l'intrigue, mais sans jamais trop en dire afin de préserver le grand final, auquel une fois encore, je ne m'attendais pas. Quelle révélation ! Superbe ! Cette fois encore, je me suis faite berner et ne m'attendais pas du tout à ce dénouement qui m'a laissée sans voix. Sans trop en dire, c'est le genre de final que j'adore, mais je vous laisse découvrir vous-même pourquoi... ! Vivement le prochain !
March 30, 2024
I really liked the twists and turns in this book.
What I loved the most was the background and setting. Coming from a tropical country, I find nature in the Scandinavian regions to be very beautiful and exotic. It feels so mystical and fairy-like. So I love any book thats set in such an environment.
The one complaint I do have with this book is that there is too much description and not enough dialogues so that make you a bit glassy-eyed at times. But apart from that it's a really nice and interesting book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
☆
What I loved the most was the background and setting. Coming from a tropical country, I find nature in the Scandinavian regions to be very beautiful and exotic. It feels so mystical and fairy-like. So I love any book thats set in such an environment.
The one complaint I do have with this book is that there is too much description and not enough dialogues so that make you a bit glassy-eyed at times. But apart from that it's a really nice and interesting book.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a free ARC in exchange for an honest review.
☆
December 7, 2023
After reading all of Johana Gustawsson’s previous books I eagerly awaited Yule Island, and I was not disappointed!
When Art expert Emma Lindahl is asked to value all the artefacts and antiques at an extremely famous manor house on the island of Storholmen, Sweden, you would think this will be a straightforward plot – how wrong you, the reader would be!
This dual timeline gothic thriller will get your pulse racing and have you reading with a huge sense of unease, and keep you turning the pages late into the night. Johana is an absolute later at writing, thrillers that bubble under the surface with tension and fear, and Yule Island is her best work to date.
The character of Emma is well written and I really came to like her, there’s some sapphic love interest involved too which was a bonus for me! Emma has lost a sister to an unknown killer and in working on Storholmen, she becomes embroiled in a new mystery as another murder happens that almost repeats the past.
When Detective Karl Rosén arrives to investigate the latest murder, He and Emma start to share information and we follow both characters to an absolutely shocking ending, it seems everyone has secrets!
I loved Yule Island so much, it had me gripped from the opening pages all the way to the end, it is a work of art and Johanna is a real powerhouse in writing this style of Nordic Thriller. I don’t want to give any more of the plot away, but let’s just say it will have you gasping with surprise!
A word about the translation, as always it is expertly done by David Warriner and does not lose any of the suspense and drama in translation.
Finally I want to say that I also loved the cover art for Yule Island, I think sometimes this is overlooked, but it is perfect, and really represents the novel well.
Another bookbanger from Johanna Gustawsson and Orenda Books, 5 stars from me!
When Art expert Emma Lindahl is asked to value all the artefacts and antiques at an extremely famous manor house on the island of Storholmen, Sweden, you would think this will be a straightforward plot – how wrong you, the reader would be!
This dual timeline gothic thriller will get your pulse racing and have you reading with a huge sense of unease, and keep you turning the pages late into the night. Johana is an absolute later at writing, thrillers that bubble under the surface with tension and fear, and Yule Island is her best work to date.
The character of Emma is well written and I really came to like her, there’s some sapphic love interest involved too which was a bonus for me! Emma has lost a sister to an unknown killer and in working on Storholmen, she becomes embroiled in a new mystery as another murder happens that almost repeats the past.
When Detective Karl Rosén arrives to investigate the latest murder, He and Emma start to share information and we follow both characters to an absolutely shocking ending, it seems everyone has secrets!
I loved Yule Island so much, it had me gripped from the opening pages all the way to the end, it is a work of art and Johanna is a real powerhouse in writing this style of Nordic Thriller. I don’t want to give any more of the plot away, but let’s just say it will have you gasping with surprise!
A word about the translation, as always it is expertly done by David Warriner and does not lose any of the suspense and drama in translation.
Finally I want to say that I also loved the cover art for Yule Island, I think sometimes this is overlooked, but it is perfect, and really represents the novel well.
Another bookbanger from Johanna Gustawsson and Orenda Books, 5 stars from me!
January 18, 2024
I will be thinking about this book for quite a long time. The characters are deep, the emotion is biting, and the Swedish setting is described in beautiful prose. (This book had me longing to jump on a plane and go to Sweden in the midst of their winter.) The layers Johana Gustawsson weaved together into this horrific tale is one that will keep your jaw dropped and your mind blown long after you have turned the final page.
August 23, 2024
I used to read a lot of this sort of book, scandi-noir, even though in this case it’s written by a French woman. Either I’ve changed, or the standard in the genre has drastically dropped; possibly a combination of both.
This relies on some very convenient coincidences and panders to stereotypes of Swedish life.
I struggled to keep with it after the first 50 pages, and probably should have given up.
This relies on some very convenient coincidences and panders to stereotypes of Swedish life.
I struggled to keep with it after the first 50 pages, and probably should have given up.
September 27, 2024
It's been a while since I've read Scandinavian Noir so I really enjoyed this book. I can't even remember where I heard of this author, but the book cover and sprayed edges definitely influenced my decision to read it. It was Spooky and threw some twists that I didn't see coming.
March 13, 2024
very very good with plot twists that i did not expect or see coming. complex characters that carried the story. lots of good imagery and setting. gustawsson is becoming one of my auto-buy authors
March 31, 2024
4⭐
Bon thriller que j'ai littéralement dévoré en une matinée, j'ai bien aimé le dénouement et l'histoire.
Bon thriller que j'ai littéralement dévoré en une matinée, j'ai bien aimé le dénouement et l'histoire.
May 7, 2024
Ending fell apart a bit for me, but pretty good.
December 26, 2023
Yule Island is one of those books that you devour, and when you're finished you're left wondering "oh my god, what have I just read?" That's how dark and disturbing, yet fiendishly good, it is.
I'm not going to give a synopsis of the story, you're just going to have to read it for yourself. Suffice to say it will be time well spent.
I'm not going to give a synopsis of the story, you're just going to have to read it for yourself. Suffice to say it will be time well spent.
December 18, 2023
A sinister gothic thriller set on a Swedish island. An art expert has started to draw up an inventory of a prominent resident’s art collection when a body is found which seems to link to a murder that occurred nine years previously. She teams up with a local detective and becomes involved in some quite horrific events connecting the past to the present .
This is a gripping and disturbing atmospheric mystery. There are plenty of twists, turns and the odd red herring plus a development which I didn’t isee coming. And it all gallops along at a fair old rate to an exciting finish. I love the setting, it’s very fitting indeed with its chilly, dark vibes. Easy to visualise, it sometimes sent a shiver down my neck. I like the way it’s told via multiple viewpoints, it adds to the suspense and ambience. I believe this is the first book in a new series so I’m looking forward to the next instalment. A great all round creepy page turner.
This is a gripping and disturbing atmospheric mystery. There are plenty of twists, turns and the odd red herring plus a development which I didn’t isee coming. And it all gallops along at a fair old rate to an exciting finish. I love the setting, it’s very fitting indeed with its chilly, dark vibes. Easy to visualise, it sometimes sent a shiver down my neck. I like the way it’s told via multiple viewpoints, it adds to the suspense and ambience. I believe this is the first book in a new series so I’m looking forward to the next instalment. A great all round creepy page turner.
May 9, 2023
ENFIN un bon thriller !!! Génial
January 9, 2024
Chilling, captivating and immersive.
January 26, 2024
Tense, Taut, Twisty & Tasty
Tense, taut, twisty and tasty. This is a great introduction to a new series that promises to have readers reaching out for more Johana Gustawsson. Just the right numbers of characters to carry off a carefully crafted thriller.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Tense, taut, twisty and tasty. This is a great introduction to a new series that promises to have readers reaching out for more Johana Gustawsson. Just the right numbers of characters to carry off a carefully crafted thriller.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
December 19, 2023
A sinister and disturbing story. The setting is an important part of the mood and dread I felt as I read.
When Emma Lindahl arrived at the manor house on Storholmen, the stark and harsh landscape helped to establish the modern gothic feel of this book. Johana Gustawsson's descriptions are deftly drawn with a light touch.
Emma, an art historian, travels to the manor house of a wealthy Swedish family located on the quiet island of Storholmen. She is there to appraise the collection of artworks and antiques. While there, the dead body is found in the water, under the ice, and there are strong similarities to the unsolved murder of another young woman nine years earlier.
This story is told from multiple viewpoints and has layers threaded throughout. It's a gripping mystery and suspense with great characters and rising tension.
The many twists and turns kept me guessing. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, another piece of information would take me to a different conclusion, only to be thwarted again. The complex plotting delivers a dark tale drawing on Viking rites and sinister secrets.
An engrossing read.
When Emma Lindahl arrived at the manor house on Storholmen, the stark and harsh landscape helped to establish the modern gothic feel of this book. Johana Gustawsson's descriptions are deftly drawn with a light touch.
Emma, an art historian, travels to the manor house of a wealthy Swedish family located on the quiet island of Storholmen. She is there to appraise the collection of artworks and antiques. While there, the dead body is found in the water, under the ice, and there are strong similarities to the unsolved murder of another young woman nine years earlier.
This story is told from multiple viewpoints and has layers threaded throughout. It's a gripping mystery and suspense with great characters and rising tension.
The many twists and turns kept me guessing. Just when I thought I knew what was going on, another piece of information would take me to a different conclusion, only to be thwarted again. The complex plotting delivers a dark tale drawing on Viking rites and sinister secrets.
An engrossing read.
December 17, 2023
In Yule Island, by Johana Gustawsson, antiques appraiser Emma Lindahl is tasked with valuing the collection of the super-rich Gussman family.
Commuting between her apartment in metropolitan Stockholm and the Gussmans’ manor house on the secluded island of Storholmen, Emma befriends the couple who pilot the boat that runs between the mainland and the islands, as well as a local café proprietor, but the wealthy family themselves keep their distance.
When Emma discovers an alarming message hidden in a silver-backed hairbrush, she begins to wonder whether the mysterious Gussmans had something to do with the unsolved murder of a young woman on the island nine years previously.
Meanwhile, another dead young woman has recently been found in the waters of the archipelago, presented in a similar way to the first victim. Detective Karl Rosén, who worked on the original case, is determined not to let the opportunity to find answers slip away again.
Karl and Emma make for natural allies in their pursuit of the truth, which takes them down a number of chilling, unexpected paths.
Having enjoyed The Bleeding last year, I’d been looking forward to reading more from Johana Gustawsson. While Yule Island is quite different to its predecessor in terms of subject matter and location, I was pleased to find it just as compelling, pacey, and genre-defying.
Much of Yule Island’s gripping, addictive nature stems from the author’s inarguable talent for unreliable narration. The story is told from the first-person points of view of three characters – Emma, Karl, and a housekeeper named Viktoria – and all three withhold vital information from the reader until the point of maximum effect.
This results in a few “wait, what?!” moments, where everything you thought you knew so far is turned on its head, and you’re compelled to keep reading in order to reassess what’s going on.
One of the three narrators is deliberately deceptive in ways the others aren’t, and after that became apparent, I felt quite discombobulated, and handled everything they did or said with caution for much of the rest of the book.
In fact, disguise is a theme the story explores more widely. A notable number of characters turn out to have alter egos.
For Emma’s papyrologist/drag queen friend Lulu, it’s an additional expression of himself that he’s open about and revels in. In other cases, though, characters adopt different personas to maliciously deceive others, or through no choice of their own.
Given the Swedish setting, and the inclusion of a troubled detective investigating particularly dark murder cases, it’s no surprise that Yule Island has major Nordic Noir vibes. This was something I really appreciated.
I always love reading vivid descriptions of the scenery in Scandinavian countries, especially if the story takes place at the height of winter. Not only was I absorbed by Gustawsson’s portrayals of the bustling city and quiet island, but the contrast between the two makes Storholmen appear all the more eerie and atmospheric.
In common with The Bleeding, this novel has a lot of Gothic features, which I loved. There’s a big, complicated house with rooms nobody’s touched for decades, creepy discoveries inside old things, disturbed characters with intense relationships, even a hidden tunnel or two… all things that especially enthrall me.
I also thought the way the author used Norse mythology was creative and inspired. Without giving too much away, some residents of the manor house are obsessed with it, and certain elements of it come to twist their worldview and shape their actions.
Yule Island is gripping, atmospheric, and continually surprising.
Commuting between her apartment in metropolitan Stockholm and the Gussmans’ manor house on the secluded island of Storholmen, Emma befriends the couple who pilot the boat that runs between the mainland and the islands, as well as a local café proprietor, but the wealthy family themselves keep their distance.
When Emma discovers an alarming message hidden in a silver-backed hairbrush, she begins to wonder whether the mysterious Gussmans had something to do with the unsolved murder of a young woman on the island nine years previously.
Meanwhile, another dead young woman has recently been found in the waters of the archipelago, presented in a similar way to the first victim. Detective Karl Rosén, who worked on the original case, is determined not to let the opportunity to find answers slip away again.
Karl and Emma make for natural allies in their pursuit of the truth, which takes them down a number of chilling, unexpected paths.
Having enjoyed The Bleeding last year, I’d been looking forward to reading more from Johana Gustawsson. While Yule Island is quite different to its predecessor in terms of subject matter and location, I was pleased to find it just as compelling, pacey, and genre-defying.
Much of Yule Island’s gripping, addictive nature stems from the author’s inarguable talent for unreliable narration. The story is told from the first-person points of view of three characters – Emma, Karl, and a housekeeper named Viktoria – and all three withhold vital information from the reader until the point of maximum effect.
This results in a few “wait, what?!” moments, where everything you thought you knew so far is turned on its head, and you’re compelled to keep reading in order to reassess what’s going on.
One of the three narrators is deliberately deceptive in ways the others aren’t, and after that became apparent, I felt quite discombobulated, and handled everything they did or said with caution for much of the rest of the book.
In fact, disguise is a theme the story explores more widely. A notable number of characters turn out to have alter egos.
For Emma’s papyrologist/drag queen friend Lulu, it’s an additional expression of himself that he’s open about and revels in. In other cases, though, characters adopt different personas to maliciously deceive others, or through no choice of their own.
Given the Swedish setting, and the inclusion of a troubled detective investigating particularly dark murder cases, it’s no surprise that Yule Island has major Nordic Noir vibes. This was something I really appreciated.
I always love reading vivid descriptions of the scenery in Scandinavian countries, especially if the story takes place at the height of winter. Not only was I absorbed by Gustawsson’s portrayals of the bustling city and quiet island, but the contrast between the two makes Storholmen appear all the more eerie and atmospheric.
In common with The Bleeding, this novel has a lot of Gothic features, which I loved. There’s a big, complicated house with rooms nobody’s touched for decades, creepy discoveries inside old things, disturbed characters with intense relationships, even a hidden tunnel or two… all things that especially enthrall me.
I also thought the way the author used Norse mythology was creative and inspired. Without giving too much away, some residents of the manor house are obsessed with it, and certain elements of it come to twist their worldview and shape their actions.
Yule Island is gripping, atmospheric, and continually surprising.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 143 reviews