This is a good one for fans of Scandi- procedurals. It's not quite noir but the characters are good and the mystery twisty.

Viveca Sten is a very popular author in her native Sweden.  A number of her mysteries set on Sandhamn are now being released in the U.S.  There is also a tv series available on MHz that features the author's stories.


Sandhamn is an idyllic summer colony located not far from Stockholm.  However, as in the much fluffier Murder She Wrote, the setting belies the nature of the murders and crimes that occur in the community.


In this entry, a student who was researching former members of the Coastal Guard seems to have committed suicide.  No surprise or spoiler really to say that so much more was involved.  I found this investigation into this crime and its historical antecedents to be both suspenseful and tragic. 


Spending time with Thomas, Nora and those around them adds to the enjoyment of the book and provides some relief from the very sad experience of the Rangers.  I plan to continue reading this series and look forward to watching the relationships among the protagonists evolve.


Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this title in exchange for an honest review.

This one features the police-side of things more than the previous one, Guiltless, and it doesn't leave Nora much to do. The historic thread in this one is extracts from the diary of a would-be Coastal Ranger. The modern-day investigation focuses on the suicide of someone who was looking into the Coastal Rangers and then the Coastal Rangers themselves. Again a bit grim reading at times coupled with a solid and enjoyable police procedural investigation.

This is the first novel by Viveca Sten that I have read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Told from two different points in time, the story has a good pace, interesting characters, and an intriguing plot, though I did guess the final twist before it was explained in the book.

I look forward to reading other books in this series.

Already read something from Viveca Sten in german and I wanted to look now, how her books are translated in english. And I have to say, I really enjoyed reading it although it's written in a foreign language.

Thanks Netgalley and the Publisher. Good murder mystery and will be looking out for the first 3 books of Detective Thomas Andreasson.

Big thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

‘Tonight You’re Dead’ originally was published in Swedish in 2011, in English – 14 November 2017.

It’s the second book of Viveca Sten I have read so far. And probably won’t be the last. I must say I am a sucker for Scandinavian detective and mystery stories.

I very much enjoyed the focus on the Detective Thomas Andreasson in this book as I find his character very appealing. At the same time Nora’s role in this story got a little bit lost and devalued. It was good to see her finding her ground and learning to live as a single, soon-to-be divorced, woman. But her really vague connection to the mystery has raised some questions for me. I found her story line in the book was a bit unnecessary.

The story about the group of elite military group was fascinating and sounded very realistic. I think the author did a very good research on that. I liked the inserts of diary notes that were supporting the storyline and adding more to the mystery and the guessing game.

What I like about Viveca’s plots in general is that at some point you start thinking you can guess who the perpetrator is but then it turns out that it was someone you couldn’t even imagine.

The translation of the book wasn’t great, in my opinion. But you stop noticing the rough parts as you get into the story.

From the very first page this thriller keeps you hooked! You keep wondering who is the killer, and you will not even begin to guess who it might be till 3/4 of the way done. The writing was superb, the characters were great, and the storytelling was on point. My only negative feeling was how all of the characters knew each other so well. I felt like I was stepping into a series with no background info. Overall a great book!

A fascinating insight into the Coastal Rangers and how it worked. Also a good plot alongside delving into the past and the secrets of cover-ups.

Enjoyable read, not a great intro to the series if you haven't started with book one. There are loose ends that point to book five. which I'm thrilled about. I went back and read books one to three and this made a lot more sense after that. I enjoyed the story, the characters are believable and relatable on some level. Looking forward to more in the series.

Tonight You’re Dead is the fourth in the Sandhamn series of books – a place I love the sound of (multiple murders aside).  It sounds beautiful, set of the coast of Sweden and home to a mix of fascinating character – not least of which (and central to all the books) is Nora, a single mom to two boys and best friend of Thomas, a local detective (and another central character in the book).
The last three books have been set on the island itself.  This one isn’t.  It is set on the mainland and, also unlike other books, has a lot less interaction between Nora and Thomas.  Previously, they have spoken and met often and Nora has been involved in all Thomas’ investigations.  Here, they have little interaction and Thomas works closely instead with another detective, Margit. 
I wasn’t sure how I felt, at first, when I realised that they wouldn’t be working together at all but, actually, I got used to it pretty quickly and actually found myself enjoying the difference it brought to the book.  Nora, who I like a lot, was still in the book all the way through but, beyond a few enquiries made on Thomas’ behalf, what I heard about instead was her life as a newly single mom.  Others might find this a distraction but I can’t say I did.  It would have been strange for her to not be included in the story at all but also forced if there a place created in the investigation which didn’t feel natural.
The case itself was simple but cleverly conceived I thought.  It starts with a young student found hanged, an apparent suicide.  Thomas is convinced by the young man’s mother to look into it further and, when he does, he finds a connection to another group of young men, Coastal Rangers who trained to be part of an elite fighting unit in the 1970s but are now also turning up dead, again looking like they have taken their own lives.
As Thomas and Margit try to find the connections, time seems to be running out for the men left alive.  It leads to a tense ending, one I didn’t see coming – which is always good.  Put up against the other books (all of which I’ve read), this is up there with the best.  It’s well written, well translated and I really loved it.  Highly recommended!

Another great addition to this series. The author did a good job of integrating information from the previous books such that this book could be enjoyed and understood even as a standalone. I will be looking forward to the next book in this series

Tonight You're Dead might be my favorite of Viveca Sten's Sandhamn Murder series. The mystery is well written (and the translation is excellent!) The character development of both Nora and Thomas is wonderful. I loved the journal sections throughout the book, and I had no clue who "it" was until the end. Viveca writes and you feel that you are part of the detective team as they work through the clues. I found myself thinking, "YES - good point, Thomas!" in many places throughout the story.

I highly recommend this series and want to thank both NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for this advance copy to review.

I really liked this book, but Viveca changed who she wanted to talk about in this book and that was Thomas. She talked about everyone but Thomas was brought out especially in his situation with Pernilla being pregnant again. Nora took a backseat to the murders and basically did nothing but pine for her lodger. We saw the workings of Margit and other people in the police. What we found was 8 people that were recruits in the military and their triumphs and failures in their basic training. It was very interesting to say the least. Thomas and Margit were out in a storm trying to catch the killer. It ends like you would want it to. My readers will be happy to read this book for Nora up until now was the main character and they will be thrilled to read about Thomas.

4 stars

I read the Kindle English edition.

Detective Thomas Andreasson returns to work after doing a month in rehab following his falling through the ice. He lost two toes and is getting used to walking again. He responds to a body in the student housing section of Stockholm University. They find Marcus Nielsen hanging from a fixture. It’s an apparent suicide.

Marcus’ family insists that he did not commit suicide. He was as normal as can be on the Saturday before his demise. Thomas goes to look at his room again and interviews the family. Marcus’ cell phone is found, but his laptop that he took everywhere is missing.

Thomas’ friend Nora Linde who is a lawyer is in the process of divorcing her husband (at last!). Nora and her soon-to-be ex-husband share joint custody of their two boys. Thomas and Pernilla are back together and doing well.

Thomas asks Nora to help him with his investigation into Marcus’ death. His suicide is not so cut and dried for he left behind some research into the Coastal Rangers. They are an elite military squad that suffered a mysterious death in 1977.

When two more people turn up dead – acquaintances of Marcus’ – it begins to look like whoever perpetrated the cover up in 1977 is still trying to keep what happened a secret. The team is having a difficult time trying to track down the surviving members of the Coastal Rangers squad from 1977. The investigation intensifies and then they discover that the murderer is killing the men in alphabetical order. So they know the name of the next victim.

The identity of the murderer comes as a real surprise.

This book is well written and plotted as are all of Viveca Sten’s novels. The suspense begins slowly in the book, but picks up speed. In an exciting and action-filled conclusion the name of the murderer is revealed. I like Thomas and Nora. I appreciate their relationship as friends. There was enough information given about the main characters’ personal lives to flesh them out as people, but not so much that it intruded on the story. I’ve enjoyed all of Ms. Sten’s novels thus far and will continue to read them.

I want to thank NetGalley and AmazonCrossing for forwarding to me a copy of this fine book to read and enjoy.

Thank you Netgalley and Amazon Crossing for the eARC.
This is the 4th in the Sandhamn series and another excellent read. Can't wait for the 5th!
Nora is separated from her husband (good for her!) She shares custody of her 2 beloved sons with him; one week she gets the kids, the next he does. It's tough on her, but she's not sorry she left him, just misses the boys badly when they are with their father. But her tenant, renting her old house, is an attractive man and she may just have a romance in the future...In the meantime, Thomas, her dearest friend, is happily back with his wife and busy investigating an odd case involving the death by hanging (a possible suicide) of a young student and the subsequent murders of ex-members of the elite Coastal Guard he had contacted. He was researching their gruelling training and experiences of being in a close group under extreme circumstances in 1976/7.
Nora's elderly neighbor had been a member of the Coastal Guard around that time and at Thomas' request, Nora asks him for his stories and experiences of the shadowy and secretive world these young men inhabited.
One of the reasons I love this series is the deep friendship between Nora and Thomas; they are genuinely nice people. Plus, the mysteries are interesting; the way the young men were trained in those early days is quite shocking, but fascinating from a historical point of view. The atmospheric feel of Sandhamn and the lack of gore and darkness of so many mysteries these days also appeal.
Lovely read!

I eagerly await each new translation of Viveca Sten's Sandhamn Murders series and was gratified to find the latest translation (Tonight You're Dead) on NetGalley.

Marcus Nielsen, a university student, is initially suspected of suicide; Thomas Andreasson, however, can't exactly understand what bothers him about the scene. After finding out what Marcus has been researching, Thomas visits one of the men Marcus interviewed.

The man, a former member of the Coastal Rangers, is found dead shortly after Thomas' visit. The investigation leads to the island of Korso, where the training for the elite Coastal Rangers took place in 1977.

Part of the narrative is in the present and part is in the form of diary entries made by one of the trainees --a record of the treatment of the young men by a sadistic sergeant.

Although Nora Linde features less in the mystery portion of the novel, we are updated on her life as she attempts to adjust to the process of her divorce. There are changes in Thomas' personal life as well as he and Pernilla seek to re-establish their relationship, but the thrust of the narrative deals with the consequences of what occurred on Korso thirty years ago. The past has a way of lying quietly for years before the repercussions materialize, and Marcus Nielsen's research precipitated events he could not have imagined.

I've enjoyed each of the novels in this series, and now must wait for the next translation. If you are interested in this series, the English translations which have been published so far are available on Kindle Unlimited. There is also a television series based on the novels.

"Viveca Sten is a Swedish author of Scandinavian crime fiction novels. She writes the Sandhamn Murders series. Viveca is not only an author; she currently works as head jurist at the Swedish postal service. She earned her law degree from Stockholm University in addition to her MBA from the Stockholm School of Economics. Viveca lives outside of Stockholm, Sweden with her husband and three children. She has always spent her summers on Sandhamn, an island near Stockholm where her family has owned a house for multiple generations.

Prior to publishing her work in English, Viveca Sten had written three different non-fiction books and published six crime novels in Swedish. Her first novel to appear in English was Still Waters in 2015." (source)

blog review scheduled for 10/29/17

NetGalley/Amazon Crossing

Crime/Police Procedural. November 14, 2017. Print length: 416 pages.