A mystery set in rural Sweden, Detective Inspector Embla Nyström must solve a murder case and find two missing children before the small town takes matters into their own hands. Second installment of the Embla Nystrom series. For fans of Swedish mysteries.

I'm sorry but this book just wasn't my thing. Found a lot of the characters just fell flat. Not sure if it had to do with the translation?

This is the first mystery by Tursten I have read, the second in the Embla Nystrom series. Relevant events from the previous book are related seamlessly within the story; with no sudden data dumps to bring you up to date (hate those). Like the title and most Scandinavian mysteries, this story is dark, cold and deep. When a child goes missing, a small town panics. The need for answers turn suspicions to violence. Then murder. A rash of crimes for such a small population. Then another child goes missing. Embla has been happily moved onto the special task force - she likes the action there, but at the same time discovers she still has to deal with the effects of the trauma that occurred in the previous book, which she is trying very hard to ignore completely. Maybe too hard. Demons, demons everywhere. Which will she confront first. Excellent mystery, intriguing characters, gritty plot. The only problem I had may have been with the advanced readers copy I had - the time frame jumped within paragraphs. Embla was one place doing one thing at the beginning of the paragraph, and then 2 sentences later, in the same paragraph, it was a day later at a different place. That will certainly throw you out of the story. This happened repeatedly and gave me a bad case of whiplash, so I hope it was just the ARC (thank you NetGalley). Otherwise a great read.

This crime thriller set in rural Sweden by an author new to me was an engaging introduction to Detective Inspector Embla Nyström of Vastra Gotaland County Bureau of Investigation Mobile Unit. She and her two colleagues, Superintendent Goran Krantz and Hampus Stahre, are sent to help in Stromstad after a series of crimes rocks the area. The cases include "two missing children, a fatal stabbing, arson with a presumed fatality, a serious assault and the murder of a police officer." What in the world is going on in that town? NO SPOILERS.

This was extremely descriptive police procedural with all the details. I had not read the first book in the series, but this worked fine as a standalone with enough background information to get me up to speed and allow me to appreciate the development of Embla's character. I like her -- she's no nonsense and independent and I definitely liked that she didn't go off on her own half-cocked and get herself into trouble as many book detective protagonists typically do. I really want to read more about her so will want to obtain the next installment in this series. I liked the writing style and the setting and feel that I'll really like learning more about all members of the team. The cases were resolved and they weren't as grisly as the murder plots I'm used to reading.

Thank you to Soho Crime and NetGalley for this e-book ARC to read and review. Forgive the lack of appropriate Swedish umlaut throughout and consistently placed in my review.

Tursten has created an excellent mystery involving the disappearance of two young children that shows us how easy it is for public opinion to find a scapegoat... and how some people have no business being around children at all, let alone being parents.

For those readers still missing Tursten's Irene Huss, she does make a token appearance. And while we're on the subject of characters, the lives of Embla's fellow officers are fleshed out more, and that adds a lot to the story without bogging down the pace.

I'm having a difficult time warming up to Embla. She's constantly judging people on what they eat, on their weight, how they dress, how they smell. I know human beings do this without even realizing it for the most part-- and to be honest, Embla doesn't voice many of her opinions-- but I do get tired of reading about them. She's abrasive and she knows what she wants. A lawyer in Winter Grave learns that the hard way.

Embla has recurring nightmares about the disappearance of her best friend Lollo when they were both teenagers. Embla feels a great deal of guilt because she hindered the police investigation. Winter Grave ends on a cliffhanger (I can hear groans from some of you) that leads me to believe that we may find out what happened to Lollo in the next book in this series. Even though I don't really care for Embla, I have to admit that I am interested in learning what happened to Lollo. We shall see...

Turston returns to Embla Nyström her interesting recent character and the countryside beyond Goteborg, Sweden. Interesting mystery with the a few twists along the way. Embla finds some new twists in her life as well. Readers who have enjoyed the other books by Turston will like this one too.

I have a love/hate relationship with series books that don't require you to have read the previous books but when you're done reading you realize that you really do need to go back because you enjoyed what you read. This is one of those books (and yes, I know, I'm meant to be taking things off the TBR list not adding). Any police procedural set in Scandinavia immediately leads you to think "Nordic Noir" but this isn't that, it's just a procedural. Embla and her colleagues are just quirky enough to keep you interested in their lives, while the mystery has enough depth to not completely telegraph the solution.

eARC provided by publisher.

Wouldn't miss anything by Helene Tursten. A real mystery writer! Very interesting book. Impossible to put down. don't miss it!

Winter Grave is a fun mystery read with lots of twists and turns to keep you guessing until the end!

I did not realize this was the second book in a series when I initially picked it up, but now I can't wait to read book 1 to see how the story started and I anxiously await book 3 (which I can only assume is on the way). Embla is a bad-ass in all the right ways and I look forward to getting to know her more.

Thank you to NetGalley for my copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Another well translated novel in this series, thanks. It's gritty but not gruesome, fast paced, and well plotted. Unlike many of today's police procedural, this author starts off at a fast pace and slows things down as the situation is coming to a conclusion -- which makes for a satisfying read. Missing children, police units in multiple districts, complex relationships, cold and rainy winter weather, and criminals operating in suburbia. Read this!

Helene Tursten is becoming one of my favorite Scandinavian authors and in this new addition to the Embla Nystrom series she is moving up the charts.

Two missing children, a murdered policeman, a dead drug dealer, an arson death and a brutally beaten young man. Is it possible they all have something in common and can be tied together in some way?

Sometimes it was a little difficult to keep track of all the characters and sudden changes in the story line, but I feel that had more to do with this being an unedited reading copy then the story itself. You can't help but be lured into the investigation and all the roads that lead to the untangling of this web of many strands.

Highly recommended!

Tursten pens her second book in the Inspector Embla series and pits the young detective against a child killer. A police officer has also been killed, collateral damage or something more? This is a change from the long running Huss series, but one I welcome. A younger protagonist brings with her fresher ideas and plot lines