Set in Norway, "Everything is Mine" by Ruth Lillegraven tells a story about Clara who has experienced traumatic events when she was young. Lillegraven's writing style is easy and takes together different perspectives to paint a vivid picture of Clara's life. The novel explores some of the darkest aspects of the human psyche. Furthermore the themes of grief, loss, and resilience are brilliantly explored, leaving a lasting impact on the reader.

The novel is a masterful work of psychological suspense and compelling intrigue. The characters are complex and well-developed, and their motivations and actions are explored in depth, adding to the richness and depth of the story. As it is usual for the scandinavian littérature, the beginning was really slow and then the book became full of twists. However the end is a little bit unexpected. This is because there is a second book that continues the story. I was really sorry and sad following Clara trying to overcome her difficulties throughout the book.

Overall, I would highly recommend "Everything is Mine" to fans of literary fiction and those who appreciate emotionally charged storytelling. Ruth Lillegraven is a talented writer, and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.

Everything Is Mine by Ruth Lillegraven was a clever book with many twists and turns. Clara is a child’s rights activist at the Ministry of Justice, but she is also the secret vigilante. The ending was a bit of a surprise for me. The book isn't wrapped up tidy and finished with a bow, unfortunately. What that means is it's not your typical neat ending. Also, it appears this book may have a sequel.

Great plot, loved the characters and held my attention.
I loved the duality of Henrik and Clara's relationship. Both from such diverse backgrounds and the impact on their daily life, marriage, parenting, etc.
A very chilling plot - a young boy dies in surgery; Henrik is devastated. Upon further investigation, the boy suffered from abuse - enter Clara's role and interaction. Very well done.

DNF @ 10%

I tried to like this one, I really did. But it just wasn't my cup of tea and I wasn't enjoying it at all. Sorry!

Wow what a ride! I had no idea where this story was going to go but it was so freaking good. Even at the end I was like nooo surely not come on. I didn’t dislike one character and I can’t wait to see what happens to Clara in the future. I really liked how there was also little storylines running throughout the book which linked into the main story.

Henrik is a paediatrician working in an Oslo hospital. His wife Clara is a civil servant who is crusading for better protection of child abuse victims. When a battered Pakistani child brought into Henrik's ward by his father dies, Henrik and his colleague Sabiya are shattered. Then the body of the father turns up in the hospital prayer room, shot dead.

Henrik starts furtively gathering data on other parents who have bought battered children into the hospital, with a view to blowing the whistle. Soon afterwards, one of the parents on his list turns up at the hotel where Henrik and his team are staying, also shot dead.

This is a splendid story with lots of unexpected twists and turns. As well as the central theme of battered children, there are also sub-plots around political intrigue, marital infidelity, and secrets locked in the past. I was hooked on this right up until the end, but felt a bit disappointed by the author's resolution. That won't stop me seeking out the next book in this series, though.

Thank you to netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This thriller gripped me right from the start! Such an interesting plot line.

I really liked that we were able to see the story from two different perspectives and how Clara’s past moulded her as a person.

I would recommend this to any thriller readers

Everything Is Mine by Author Ruth Lillegraven - translated by Diane Oatley - takes place primarily in Oslo and Western Norway. The translation is fantastic- smooth flow and you really get a sense of the atmosphere. It's a Nordic noir with a focus on social issues including politics, racism and child abuse. While the police are factors from the social justice perspective, it's not a police procedural.

The book has multiple perspectives layered throughout. I was most drawn to Clara, Hendrik and Leif's POVs and would have loved to learn more Clara's mother Agnes. I could have done without Roger and forget we heard his view until he returned at the end. At first, the causal racism and objectification of women of colour was jarring to me, but as the book progressed, it became clear that this was intentional to show the current climate and not reflective of the book's POV. Clara is a cold character, but the more I learned about her, the more sympathetic I felt towards her and the less sympathetic I was towards Hendrink.

This will appeal to readers who enjoy social justice and politically focused thrillers and multi-POVs.

Thank you to Netgalley and Amazon Crossing gifted ecopy.

My god, so many dark secrets. How long is going to take for the truth to be told? Clara is a very disturbed woman, scary.
Thank you Netgalley for this great thriller. I've enjoyed it from start to finish.

I have just finished reading Everything Is Mine by Author Ruth Lillegraven - translated by Diane Oatley.

This was really a good read, and a great translation as well. Taking place primary in Oslo, and a small farm in Hardanger, Norway.

It caught my attention at about 5% into the book, and I really could not put it down, as it was a different style of a thriller that had me guessing all along the way. At about the halfway mark, things start to really unravel.

To me this was a greatly atmospheric, and mesmerizing book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Author Ruth Lillegraven and AmazonCrossing
For my advanced copy to read and review.

#EverythingIsMine #NetGalley

Everything Is Mine is a riveting and richly-atmospheric piece of Scandinavian Noir from Norwegian author, Ruth Lillegraven, and has not only become a bestseller in her motherland but it has also garnered her many awards. The book follows a married couple, Clara Lofthus and her husband, Henrik, a seemingly happy and highly successful couple living in an inherited villa in a desirable and elegant neighbourhood in Oslo West along with their two twin boys. But, in reality, their marriage is not as idyllic as it seems. He has had an affair and Clara hides a dark secret about her past. An ambitious outsider who spent her formative years in the fjords area in Western Norway, Clara moved to Oslo in Eastern Norway to study law at the university. Eventually all of her hard work paid off and she landed a top, influential job as a civil servant for the Ministry of Justice. As a strong, female state secretary, Clara has been working on getting an important bill to protect children of violently abusive parents passed through parliament, something she feels passionate about due to her own personal experiences; her evil psychopath stepfather had killed her baby brother which devastated her. Henrik is a doctor from an old, affluent Oslo family and the first in a family of lawyers to study medicine. He is a paediatrician working out of A&E at Ullevål Hospital and he also understands the need for the bill to pass. Unbeknownst to anyone he has secretly been making a list of the repeat offenders he sees in the emergency room. When an agitated father turns up at the hospital with an unconscious young lad in his arms, Henrik is immediately suspicious.

He claims the boy fell from a tree but the injuries, a severe bleed on the brain and bruises covering his entire body, are not consistent with the fall he described. He is rushed to surgery but unfortunately dies on the operating table. When the police arrive Henrik naturally believes someone had reported what happened to the youngster. However, they inform him that the father was murdered outside of the hospital chapel that Henrik had recommended the dad attend. One by one those on his list meet violent deaths, and as he is apparently the only common denominator he becomes the prime suspect. The media frenzy surrounding the murders places Clara in the spotlight, triggering repressed memories of her childhood traumas. Clara begins to unravel emotionally, even as she gets promoted within the ministry. The consequences of the deaths in a complicated multicultural society are confusing. Eventually, the case reaches the Minister of Justice's table, at the same time as it has major consequences for Henrik and Clara and threatens family peace. This is scintillating and refreshing original Norwegian grit-lit and the author’s masterly debut as a thriller writer, surprising, well-written and gripping the majestic and misty Nordic landscape creates a beautiful and chilling backdrop to the story and perfectly matches the inquietude of its unforgettable characters. Clara is sharp and intelligent, a blue-eyed heroine, an enrichment to the genre. Thought-provoking, strange and magnetic, this is a riveting thriller full of suspense that shifts elegantly between Clara and Henrik's viewpoints, between intrigues in the corridors of power and an increasingly debilitated home life.

This is one of my most favorite books to date! It's dark and vengeful. Unethical, immoral but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's bad. This is more of a justice is served/what ever you do, just don't get caught kind of thing. Oh and don't be so quick to judge because there is more than meets the eye.

A bunch of thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Crossing for this free ARC. This review is made of my own accord with no monetary compensation whatsoever from those names mentioned above and/or the owners of this ARC.

A thriller taking place in Oslo, Norway. This book was translated and done well.

Henrik and Clara have twin boys and have a marriage that seems to have been through the some ups and downs. Henrik is a pediatric physician at a hospital and Clara is a driven lawyer that takes the position of working for the Ministry of Justice. Clara is working on a bill that would strengthen employees responsibility to report suspicion of child abuse. She seems to prefer work over being a wife and mother. She is very passionate about getting this bill passed, it is revealed later as to what is driving her.

One night a Pakistani boy is brought in to the hospital, unconscious. Henrik and his colleague, Sabiya, a beautiful Pakistani woman, over see the boy. It becomes quite clear from the trauma this boy has undergone that he has been abused. Looking back at his history, this isn't the first incident. Giving the parents the awful news of their son. The father asked where the prayer room is. While in the prayer room, he is murdered. The police begin questioning. Henrik begins to understand why his wife is so passionate about her bill.

There is another murder of another parent that has been abusive, it just so happens to take place where Henrik is staying. He is brought in for questioning and ultimately charged for the murders of 2 people. Is Henrik guilty? Or is it someone else from the hospital?

This is told in more than one person's perspective and there is a dual timeline. I had a hard time getting into the book until a little over halfway through. There was a few twists I did not expect, which saved the book for me.

I'd like to thank Netgalley, and Amazon Crossing for an early e-ARC.

Intriguing!

Set in Norway, both in the present and the past, this character driven story dives deeply into one rather messed up family and lays bare its secrets. Clara, 43 years old is a lawyer and recently appointed as the departmental Secretary for the Minister of Justice. Her husband, Henrik also 43, is a paediatrician at a major trauma hospital. They have twin boys who must be around 10 years old. On the surface everything looks fine - the couple is successful, comfortably off and attractive. But below the surface they are just marking time on a marriage that has grown colder. Henrik consoles himself with an affair with a Pakistani doctor, Sabiya, also a paediatrician and Clara has her work. Always the work. She is trying to get a bill passed that would strengthen the code around reporting of suspected child abuse to the authorities. You learn why she is so obsessed with this later in the book.

One evening an unconscious young boy is brought in to the hospital. The family are Middle Eastern immigrants. The father says the boy fell down the stairs but as they remove his clothes and prep him for surgery they see evidence of longer term abuse on his body. The boy dies in surgery and the father asks for directions to the prayer room. Henrik is so upset by this he calls his wife to have her check on their boys. Later the man is found dead in the prayer room. Henrik, gutted by the child’s death, is aware of his wife’s draft bill and starts a list of who he might report - people whose children have had multiple presentations at the hospital.

Some days later the paediatric staff are convening a sort of team building jaunt with a one night stay at a resort. Henrik sees it as an opportunity to spend the night with Sabiya. But a half Iranian businesswoman is also at the resort for another function. She is found dead in the sauna room. Her name is on also Henrik’s list. The police, who first thought the deaths were racial or gang related are now very interested in Henrik.

The atmosphere of this book is quite brooding and you get the feeling that things will soon crack right open. At about the halfway point you learn who the killer is and of course they are not finished by a long shot. There are too many abused children.

I don’t want to say any more to avoid spoilers but the second half of the book gets more tense as you learn more of the family’s background and deeply held secrets are revealed. And as the story progresses you get the sense that something is very wrong and this will not end well. So - not a fast paced book but, as I said earlier, very character driven and the brooding atmosphere helps to heighten your unease. I could see David Lynch filming this story. It was fairly quick and enjoyable to read. The translation was excellent and the story flowed well. Thanks to Netgalley, Amazon Crossing and Ruth Lillegraven for providing me a copy of the book to review. My opinions are my own.

First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Ruth Lillegraven, and Amazon Crossing for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.

There’s nothing like a little mystery to keep a family on its toes. Such is the case in this latest piece by Ruth Lillegraven, in which a couple is pulled apart not only by their work, but a long-standing disinterest in one another. When a man is found murdered at a hospital, one is fingered as the prime suspect, only to profess their innocence. Everything is Mine is an apt title for this piece, though one wrong move and it could all disappear.

Clara and Henrik have a somewhat quiet life on the outskirts of Oslo, where they enjoy time with their twin boys. While they seem to have a routine between them, neither is all that happy in the relationship, or so it seems. Henrik is a doctor in the A&E, specialising in paediatric medicine, while Clara is a politician with a bright future. Their independent spheres serve them well, as the narrative depicts throughout.

When an angry father brings in an unconscious young boy directly to Henrik at work, something is amiss. The father insists that it was a fall from a tree, but something is not adding up. A major brain bleed and countless bruises of various ages cover the boys body. Rushed into surgery, everyone tries their best, but the boy cannot be saved. Henrik knows it was child abuse, but allows his mind to drift and does not report it to the authorities. During a brief confrontation, Henrik directs the father to a prayer room, what little good it will do him.

When the authorities arrive soon thereafter, Henrik is kicking himself, sure that they are here to discuss the abuse. However, it is the murder of the father outside the prayer room that has everyone buzzing. Henrik has not hidden his disdain for the man, but says that he knows nothing about the murder.

Meanwhile, Clara has been trying to get a piece of legislation through parliament that deals with protecting children of abuse. While it is scuttled by the Minister of Justice and Prime Minister, Clara cannot help but wonder if there is something more going on. She is determined to ensure it sees the floor for debate, but is stonewalled at every turn.

When another body turns up close to where Henrik found himself after his shift, he is taken into custody and questioned extensively. While there, more bodies turn up, at a time when Henrik could not have acted. Could his innocence hinge on these ongoing murders? How will Clara react when she learns the truth and what can she do to keep her job from overtaking her? Lillegraven reveals it all as the story reaches its climax.

Having never read anything by Ruth Lillegraven previously, I was intrigued to see how things would go with this book. I found myself highly impressed with the writing, even in translation, and sped through the book to see how it all came together. This is certainly an author well worth my time and I will have to see what else she has to entertain me.

Henrik proves to be the central character in this piece. He struggles with his life, not only as a doctor, but a father and an almost forgotten husband. He is by no means innocent in the marriage, having been stepping out for a long time, though feels it is justified because of how poorly Clara treats him. When faced with adversity, Henrik buckles down and shows his true colours, though they are sometimes muted by those around him.

Lillegraven uses a strong cast of secondary characters to tell her story, pushing a gripping murder mystery into the middle of a busy emergency room. She’s apt to pull on a great cross-section of characters throughout the piece, many of whom come together nicely to fit into the nooks and crannies of this piece. The reader need not worry about a lack of perspectives, as many of these characters offer their own narratives throughout.

The story was easy to follow and kept me entertained throughout. I cannot say that there was a time I was checking my watch or tapping my toe. Lillegraven constructs a powerful piece on chid abuse and builds it from there, keeping the reader wondering throughout. With a strong narrative that takes in the perspectives of many, the story pushes forward through short chapters. Questions arise at various points in the story, answered only by forging ahead and waiting to see what else is to come.

Kudos, Madam Lillegraven, for a thrilling mystery like no other. I cannot wait to see what else you have written and whether they match up to this piece.

I really enjoyed the mix of politics, medicine, family priorities, and immigration issues. This book kept my attention. The characters are rather well developed. I particularly enjoyed the compromises needed to be made in the poitical sphere -linked to murders that are related to child abuse. Highly recomment this one!

A slow starter with a lot of politics in the beginning, but later became a good thriller with a predictable conclusion. The characters are dealt well but I feel the author has completely ignored the mental health issues in the past and the present. The subject of child abuse is heavy and needs to be mentioned as a trigger warning.

A brilliant story and translated well. also my first time reading a book set in Oslo which I thoroughly enjoyed. A great crime and domestic noir story.

I enjoyed reading this book. It had a good story to it. I liked the variety of characters in it. It was a well written book. I hope to read more books by this author.

An entertaining thriller which has more twists and turns than the winding Norwegian roads the author describes! A killer is hunting and executing parents who abuse their children and a pediatrician Henrik and
Clara, children’s rights activist in the Ministry of Justice find themselves at the center of the case. Revenge, family and secrets as deep and dark as the fjords.