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SOMEONE IS WATCHING SIRI BERGMAN.
A thirty-four-year-old psychologist with a troubled past, Siri Bergman works in central Stockholm and lives alone in an isolated cottage outside the city. Terrified of the dark, she leaves all the lights on when she goes to bed—after having a few glasses of wine to calm her nerves—but she can’t shake the feeling that someone is spying on her through the blackened windows.
When the lifeless body of Sara Matteus—a young patient of Siri’s with a history of drug addiction and sexual abuse—is found floating in the water near the cottage, Siri can no longer deny that someone is out there, watching her and waiting. With the help of Markus, the young policeman investigating Sara’s death; Vijay, an old friend and psychology professor; and Aina, her best friend, Siri sets out to catch the murderer and finally put her past to rest. But as their investigation unfolds, virtually everyone Siri trusts will become a potential suspect.
It seems so idyllic.
An insidiously calm, dew-damp morning. The rays of the sun slowly but relentlessly take possession of the art nouveau building’s clean plaster façade, triumphantly embracing it with their indifferent heat and giving it a sheen the night had hidden.
As if nothing had happened.
As if this summer morning heralded a day like any other. A day full of life: sweaty bodies on bicycles; suppressed giggles in front of the ice cream stand by the harbor; steaming, sunburned shoulders; clumsy summer sex as light-blue twilight seamlessly turns to daybreak; the nauseating smell of white wine and lemonade in the pine needle–carpeted edge of the forest north of the pizzeria; the cold water of the lake against skinny child bodies with ribs that seem ready to burst out of their cages, through the soft, paper-thin, milk-white skin.
Gawky teenage boys swim races to the island and back, outlined like pale frog people, amphibious sailing vessels, against the water’s saturated blue-brown darkness. They howl as they jump off the rock. The air is filled with the aroma of grilled meat and the sound of distant motorboats.
Mosquitoes. Wasps. Insects with no name: in your hair, in your mouth, on bodies, itchy, sweaty bodies.
As Swedish as it gets.
A summer without end.
As if nothing had happened.
• • •
Even the building appears indifferent. Heavy and listless, it sits in the lush garden, bedded in leafy, dew-covered greenery. Its massive three-story-high body reaches toward the blue of the brightening summer sky. The plaster has not flaked in a single spot. The gray-green paint that covers the windowsills and doors is fresh and still glossy. There are no cracks or dust in the leaded, stained windowpanes with their coiling organic flower patterns. The roof is covered with old emerald-green copper plate, the kind roofers no longer use.
It seems so idyllic.
But something is out of place.
In the neatly raked gravel parking area is a dazzlingly clean black Jeep. The paint of the Jeep reflects a clematis with large pure white blossoms climbing up a knotted old apple tree. Someone is lying under the low trunk and crooked branches of the tree.
A young woman, a girl.
She is curled up in the grass like a bird, her red hair covered by a thin film of dew. Her slender, pale arms are thrown out along her sides, her palms turned upward in a gesture of resignation. The blood that has seeped from her body is congealed in reddish-brown patches on her jeans and in the grass. Her open eyes seem to be inspecting the crown of the apple tree.
Up there, in the branches, there are small green apples. There are many: The tree will bear plenty of fruit in just a few months. Above the apple tree the swifts and gulls fly unaffected—what do they care about a dead human child?
Under the body, the smallest inhabitants of the garden have already discovered what no person has yet seen. A small black beetle creeps between the waistband and the cold, pale skin in search of something edible; flies have set up camp in the lush red forest of hair; and microscopic creatures are moving slowly but steadily deeper and deeper into the windings of the ear.
In a little while, the inhabitants of the house will wake up and look for the girl. When they don’t find her, they will search for her in the garden, where they will see her in the grass under the tree, her eyes gazing toward the sky.
They will shake her as if trying to wake her from a deep sleep, and when that doesn’t work, one of them will slap her hard across the cheek, staining her face red with her own uncoagulated blood on his hand.
They will take her in their arms and slowly rock her back and forth. One of them will whisper something in her ear, while the other one buries his face in her hair.
• • •
Later, the men who never knew her, who don’t even know her name, will come to get her. They will put their calloused hands around her slender, rigid wrists and ankles and lift her effortlessly onto a cold stretcher, cover her with plastic, and drive her far, far from home.
She will be placed on a metal table, alongside the surgical instruments that will open her up and—hopefully—solve the mystery, explain the unexplainable, restore balance. Bring clarity to something no one understands.
Create closure and perhaps peace as well.
Some kind of peace.
Is it the dark you fear or what is lurking in it? Siri by day is a
strong, successful therapist able to cope with whatever her patients
bring to her doorstep. At night she cowers in the corner, afraid of the
dark wondering why she is able to help others and not herself. Siri's
husband created a beautiful home for them only to die and leave her
lonely and afraid to live. When her perceived nightmare becomes a
reality based fact Siri is forced to confront her demons. A patient is
murdered and left on her property raising questions as to whether this
was a crime intended to affect Siri. It is at this point that Siri has
to realize and admit that the noise she heard was not the house
settling, the footprints in her room were made by another, and the
threats are real not over exaggerated. Day into night the troubles
escalate and the violence increases. One too many suspects appear and
patients become threats while friend turn into treacherous foes. Whom
do you trust when it appears no one is telling you the truth? If you
are looking for a story that will scare you and keep you entertained
KEEPING THE PEACE is the one for you. The authors really know how to
shake the demons out of the trees and bring them to life with vivid and
terrifying detail. Do not miss this book but read it during the day!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.shayrp76
Posted July 19, 2012
*advanced readers copy*
Psychologist Siri Bergman’s life starts to unravel after one of her patients is discovered murdered on her property. Siri has already suffered tragic events in her life, including her husband’s death, which has left her with fears that she would help others to overcome. So when clues begin to surface that the killer is really targeting her she begins to question those people within her intimate circle of friends and colleagues who know her weaknesses and how to exploit them.
This is on my list of best reads so far this year. Once I got the time to really sit down and focus on it I didn’t want to put it down. There was a desire to know what happens but also a reluctance to let go of the characters. I like a mystery that stumps me, which is becoming increasingly harder to find. The pace was incredible and the characters were vividly realistic. I felt like I got to know them and enjoyed each one for their good and bad sides. I cannot wait to read their next novel. This one comes highly recommended!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted September 9, 2012
This book hooks you until you finish to the end. Lots of great action. Recommend this book to anyone who loves action and thrilling events!!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.l_manning
Posted November 8, 2012
Siri Bergman is a psychologist who is trying to deal with her own tragic past. The death of her husband several years ago has left her scared and scarred, leaving her unable to be alone in the dark of her remote country home. When the body of one of her patients is found near her home, Siri finds herself involved in something even more frightening then she had imagined. Someone is after Siri, and they are using her patients to get to her. They have an intimate knowledge of her life and practice, and Siri cannot think of why someone would do this. With the help of her colleagues and friends, Siri must use all the knowledge she has to try and figure out who is after her before it is too late.
I found this book very intriguing. I could tell reading it that the authors knew a lot about psychology, and I thought this made for a more thrilling book. This book was quite scary for me. I think that I feel for Siri living alone out in the middle of nowhere. I wanted to just pack her up somewhere with more people. Not knowing what would happen next was frightening. Luckily it wasn't too scary. I probably wouldn't read it at night alone, but the mystery of trying to figure out who was doing it and why did distract me from the terror a bit. I will admit to some quickened heartbeats though. I don't do well with creepy stuff though.
For me, the payoff was truly in the end. It was just so frightening yet real to me that this could happen. There were some random things dropped to throw you off the trail of the real killer though that were never explained. This kind of left me hanging. I wanted to know why the characters acted the way they did, but I never got that. That was kind of a let down. Overall though, this was a psychological thriller at its best. If you like mysteries and creepy psychological thrillers, you will definitely enjoy this book.
Book provided for review.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 23, 2012
Unkno is guthix
0 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 25, 2012
Lol.
0 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted December 22, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Anonymous
Posted August 30, 2012
No text was provided for this review.
Overview
SOMEONE IS WATCHING SIRI BERGMAN.
A thirty-four-year-old psychologist with a troubled past, Siri Bergman works in central Stockholm and lives alone in an isolated cottage outside the city. Terrified of the dark, she leaves all the lights on when she goes to bed—after having a few glasses of wine to calm her nerves—but she can’t shake the feeling that someone is spying on her through the blackened windows.
When the lifeless body of Sara ...