Saturday, June 22, 2013

More Bitter Than Death by Camilla Grebe

Their only witness is a small girl who was under the kitchen table, hidden by the tablecloth, drawing.  She only saw the man's feet, but she understood he was doing something bad to her mother...

Edelweiss and Simon & Schuster allowed me download and read an ebook of this story (thank you).  It has been published, so check with your local bookstore for a copy.

This is the first book I've read by this author.  The story is set in Stockholm.  Her main character is Siri and there was an earlier book in the series.  This book can be read as a stand alone.  There is enough reference to the past to give you the background needed.

Siri is back at work and counseling couples again.  She's still a bit fragile from her own past experiences, but she's getting better every day.  When she's offered a new job with her work partner, she's willing to take it on.  There was no way to know just how bad it was going to get...

This is a really good look at the psychology of love.  The women they are counseling have been the victims of domestic violence.  Love is entwined with fear; the victim begins to feel they deserve it and they aren't worth anything; and it can take something extreme to free them.  One lady in the group is not what she seems; her words are often lies, but no one sees it. In the midst of this turmoil, Siri gets pregnant.  Now she has even more reason for emotional turmoil. She also gets a little too close to some of her patients.

This is not a pleasant tale.  Watching broken people try to put themselves back together again is hard to do.  Some never make it.  It seems those counseling had as many problems or more than those they were counseling.

What I couldn't believe was the revelation in the last few pages that someone had orchestrated that woman's death and escaped unscathed.  Everyone else is in jail, but she's free and happy.  And crazy...

Happy reading.

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