Last Rituals: A Novel of Suspense

Thora Gudmundsdottir, Book 1

De: Yrsa Sigurdardottir

Narrado por: Elizabeth Wiley

At a university in Reykjavík, the body of a young German student is discovered, his eyes cut out and strange symbols carved into his chest. Police waste no time in making an arrest, but the victim's family isn't convinced that the right man is in custody. They ask Thóra Gudmundsdóttir, an attorney and single mother of two, to investigate. It isn't long before Thóra and her associate, Matthew Reich, uncover the deceased student's obsession with Iceland's grisly history of torture, execution, and witch hunts. But there are very contemporary horrors hidden in the long, cold shadow of dark traditions. And for two suddenly endangered investigators, nothing is quite what it seems...and no one can be trusted.

©2007 Yrsa Sigurdardóttir (P)2016 Tantor

The ending was a bit rushed

The epilogue was intense, the ending was rushed but the twist was good. Curious for the second book, was surprised at how hooked I was.

An

This book was very interesting from a historical view as well as an interesting murder mystery. I love reading books set in places I have visited and this one delved into some very old history that one doesn’t often hear about when visiting Iceland. I enjoyed the story but it didn’t take very long to develop a dislike for many of the characters, including Thora, the main character who seemed rather sheltered, judge mental and passive-aggressive for most of the book. She did begin to redeem herself towards the last 1/3 to 1/4 of the book, so I will probably continue with the series.

Witchcraft in Iceland

Good background information about the history of witchcraft in Iceland. The overall story was a slow read.

Maybe it's me

Could not get invested in the characters. Struggled to finish. Maybe it us me

Main character

Great story. I had a hard time believing the behavior of the main character. She just was not believable, but I did enjoy the book.