The Ice Beneath Her

A Novel

By: Camilla Grebe, Elizabeth Clark Wessel - translator

Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan, John Lee, Justine Eyre

Length: 12 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

Acclaimed Swedish author Camilla Grebe makes her solo American debut with a psychological thriller as cunning in its twists as it is captivating in its storytelling - for fans of the celebrated crime fiction of Camilla Läckberg, Jo Nesbø, Ruth Ware, and Fiona Barton.

Winter's chill has descended on Stockholm as police arrive at the scene of a shocking murder. An unidentified woman lies beheaded in a posh suburban home - a brutal crime made all the more disturbing by its uncanny resemblance to an unsolved killing 10 years earlier. But this time there's a suspect: the charismatic and controversial chain-store CEO Jesper Orre, who owns the home but is nowhere to be found.

To homicide detectives Peter Lindgren and Manfred Olsson, nothing about the suave, high-profile businessman - including a playboy reputation and rumors of financial misdeeds - suggests he conceals the dark heart and twisted mind of a cold-blooded killer. In search of a motive, Lindgren and Olsson turn to the brilliant criminal profiler Hanne Lagerlind-Schön. Once a valued police asset, now marooned in unhappy retirement and a crumbling marriage, she's eager to exercise her keen skills again - and offer the detectives a window into the secret soul of Jesper Orre.

But they're not the only ones searching. Two months before, Emma Bohman, a young clerk at Orre's company, chanced to meet the charming chief executive, and romance swiftly bloomed. Almost as quickly as the passionate affair ignited, it was over when Orre inexplicably disappeared. One staggering misfortune after another followed, leaving Emma certain that her runaway lover was to blame and transforming her confusion and heartbreak into anger.

Now, pursuing the same mysterious man for different reasons, Emma and the police are destined to cross paths in a chilling dance of obsession, vengeance, madness, and love gone hellishly wrong.

Praise for The Ice Beneath Her

“The Ice Beneath Her deserves to be called a page-turner - I read it in one sitting! The narrative is fast-paced and the twists superb.” (Cecilia Ekbäck, best-selling author of Wolf Winter)

©2016 Camilla Grebe and Elizabeth Clark Wessel (P)2016 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Exceptional." (Publishers Weekly)

"Fans of Scandinavian crime fiction, and crime fiction generally, will enjoy the understated, angsty drama created by Grebe; librarians desperate for Girl on the Train read-alikes can also turn to this for readers who enjoy an anti-heroine." (Booklist)

"Impressive...a tour de force that lifts its author to the front rank among the increasingly crowded field of Nordic noir." (Kirkus Reviews)

Interesting

Not quite what I expected but interesting. I liked the second book in the series more

Finally, a five

Such a slow, quiet book. I was caught up in it and wondering just where the mystery might be - when - wham, the author suddenly launched it. I am a fan of the Scandinavian mysteries. This book is just fine!

great story. superior performance.

this was a great story and an even better performance. this will be my standard for a 5 star rating moving forward.

took a minute...

I was unsure after the first third of the book but then some of the prose kept me intrigued, along with the introspection of some of the characters, it has more feeling than I think I'm used to with this genre. highly enjoyable

So much to like

From the interesting and unpredictable story to the rich characters presented by good narration, it’s the whole package. Highly recommend it!

Finally , a well written story

Nothing bad to say except now I hope all the books have been translated .. very well written from character development to plot line .. excellent plot development, you think you know but you are not sure

great book and great recording

this novel was phenomenal. the story was involved and the characters were real and believable. the author had to create a story around something that wouldn't be revealed until the last part. and this was done spectacularly. although you could feel something was off, the story never hinted at what was actually going on. the twist was big and when it hit, the reader now and because, yes, of course. but never gave away too much in the story to ruin anything. you'll see! highly recommended.

Great listen!

I enjoyed this story. Kept my interest over two days. But you do have to pay attention. If so you’ll be rewarded with a great story!

Great book- performance a little odd

Really enjoyed the story but found the inflection of one of the female readers to be very distracting.

this was not for me

I stuck with this to see what happened but I did not really enjoy the story and was lost in the time line at times. I usually enjoy ScandiNoir not this just wasn't it