The Legacy

Publisher's Summary

The first in an exciting new series from the author of The Silence of the Sea, winner of the 2015 Petrona Award for best Scandinavian crime novel.

The only witness to a shocking murder is the victim's 10-year-old daughter, Margret. The police turn to the Children's House for their expertise in childhood trauma.

The manager, Freyja, doesn't much like the police - especially the detective in charge, Huldar. But she does want to help them protect Margret.

And when more people die - their murders heralded by strange messages, texts, and strings of numbers - they will have to work together to crack the riddle before they become targets themselves.

©2017 Yrsa Sigurdardottir (P)2017 Hodder & Stoughton

Motives for murder

This book is definitely on par with the best of the Scandinavian crime writers. It is an opportunity to learn about a certain aspect of life in Iceland.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Brilliant book

I was glued from start to finish...just glad I was listening to Woman's Hour to hear about it. Can't wait for the next book. Thank you J

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Took some getting into the story.

I found the scene setting very long and drawn out, there were many different parts to the tale and the seemed to take forever to get together. There were also some very strange reactions, the woman who got a text message, from an unknown number, saying I am coming round, - instead of texting back and asking 'who are you?', she rushed around styling her hair and putting on make up? I was going to ditch the book at 1/4 way through but went to read reviews on Amazon and decided to stick with it.
I didn't like any of the characters, all of them with negative outlooks, and the first part of the story was all over the place. However, once I picked up the story again it was worth the read, the characters did soften a little, and the twist was well done and worthwhile. I didn't guess the perpetrator until he was nearly disclosed.
I am not sure about trying the second in the series.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Gripping

The thing that really made this book was the excellent narration by Lucy Patterson. She managed to portray each character in a genuine and sympathetic manner. I managed to guess who the murderer was about two thirds of the way through but couldn't work out why, the twist at the end was really quite clever.

Rather tell not show

The plot is interesting and unusual but the actual text is a bit pedestrian, with too much explanation for my taste. The narrator does a good job and keeps the pace up, which is a relief as the writing is plodding at times.

Avery good read

A really good read. Some original touches and well developed characters with more complexity than the average crime novel

Good start

I really enjoyed this book even though I wasn’t sure at first as I bought it as a two for one offer.
The story was good and kept you listening. The narrator was excellent too. I would definitely listen to another book by this author.

better than most

in a genre that is over crowded and becoming a bit stale, this was sufficiently well told to keep interest & suspense to the end, without actually breaking new ground

More great

I really enjoyed this though the murders were gruesome. Along the lines of another great Scandinavian detective Harry Hole from Jo Nesbo. Huldar has similar foibles but not as clever as Harry Hole on this performance. Some great twists however also well narrated.

Omg!

A bit grizzly at first...it certainly played on my mind. But what a well-told and compelling story! I loved the way it tied together. I guessed some bits but not all- just the way I like it. I can’t wait for the next book!

Intriguing crime story

I have read a few books from Icelandic authors and so far have enjoyed them all. This story ranks for me has high as any. Good plot nice twists that didn’t seem far fetched. Characters well developed. To sum up I really enjoyed every moment and was sad when reaching the end of the book.