I liked the premise of this story. There was a distinct lack of twists. The suspense was non-existent.
It was so boring.

Cabin Fever is one of the first books I've read by Alex Dahl in a long time, and I enjoyed it a lot. There were a few plot twists I didn't see coming, and made the book a thrilling read! Will read more by the author in future.

A very interesting plot. Had me on the edge of my seat. It was very well written. Exciting plot to get your teeth into. Lots of drama leaving you wondering what will happen next.

What a creepy cover! This storyline had me gripped and I raced through it...well worth reading :) I can't wait to read more from this author! Been a fan of Alex Dahl's work for a while so glad I got this one!

Cabin Fever pulls you in from the first page and doesn't let you go to till the final page. Full of twists and turns, many of which you don't see coming, even though you sometimes feel you have story figured out. An excellent read from Alex Dahl that keeps you on your toes.

“As her therapist, you know her darkest secrets. But how does she know yours?”


Wow! Nothing prepared me for the onslaught of emotions reading this book evoked, although I have to say that none of them were particularly happy or positive, which is of course, exactly as the author intended. This is another story from the Nordic Noir stable of books and the mood engendered throughout was as dark, dour and depressing as this particular version of the book cover itself. But I loved it and the pages simply flew by as I devoured every single word of the excellent writing and couldn’t wait to unravel the many strands of this lugubrious storyline.

Kristina and Eirik are a successful, forward thinking couple, she a therapist and he an up and coming politician, with his eye very firmly on the top job of Prime Minister. They live the lifestyle and the perfect picture would be complete if only there was the patter of tiny feet to complete the idyll – or would it? Kristina has a past which, if it were ever unlocked and reached the public domain, might well end Eirik’s ambitious career almost before it has begun; whilst Eirik is leading his own double life, with a scandal which would certainly precipitate his downfall, if information reached the wrong hands. That each of them truly believe they make the perfect couple, turns out to be completely mind-boggling and makes them downright dangerous to know.

Elisabeth is Kristina’s closest childhood friend, and although she comes with baggage of her own, it transpires that much of it can be laid fairly and squarely at Kristina’s door, if only Elisabeth would speak out and stop trying to protect someone she thinks of as a friend. One has given up her life for the other, but what thanks can she expect in the cold light of day, when the truth is revealed and the stakes are so high. Will she ever get to set the record straight?

Leah is one of Kristina’s clients and possibly her most troubled. A journalist turned successful author, who has written an autofiction book about the abusive marriage to her husband, Anton. That Leah suffers with fragile mental health, is without question, but how much of the story is fact and how much pure fiction, which in the wrong hands might have the power to irrevocably destroy an innocent man’s life. Why does Leah’s life seem so inexplicably entwined with Kristina’s and Eirik’s and how does she know so much personal information about the couple. More importantly, to what ends is she planning to use what she knows? At times I began to wonder who was the therapist and whom the patient, as one was definitely as dangerous and unstable as the other when cornered and challenged.

So many questions and at first glance, it would seem that Leah is the only one with secrets and a past she would rather remained consigned to history. However, as she begins to unravel a complex situation, the many transgressions committed by others begin to pile in on her, and she realises just how little control she actually has over anything and what a hornet’s nest she is opening up. When the action moves to a snowed-in cabin deep in the woods, you just know that events are going to spiral out of control pretty dramatically, drawing everyone into the net, from which none will escape unscathed.

This fluent storyline was so multi-layered and well structured, told in mercifully short, seamless and well signposted chapters, (just to allow for important things like breathing or relaxing my clenched fists!), by the two main protagonists Leah and Kristina, with Leah’s narrative being mostly told in the third person, whilst Kristina tells her own story – or at least her version of it! Suspenseful, intense, gripping and highly textured, the tension simply oozed from the pages, creating an atmosphere which was suffocating and claustrophobic, almost to the point of becoming nauseating. There were so many twists and turns, so much lying and deceit, I almost became frightened to swipe the pages, for fear of what the next revelation might be. Absolutely no one was truly who they claimed to be or had done the things they said they had, or at least not in the way that they had described. This author is definitely skilled in creating imagery with her words, adding great visual depth to the story, with a real sense of time and place. Whilst maybe not enough to satisfy the ‘armchair traveller’ who might be anticipating a pleasant stop over in Norway, I could almost picture myself in the midst of a winter storm, marooned, snowed in and disabled, in a remote cabin in the middle of nowhere, with no light and no way out; prey to goodness knows what or who, as I had no way of telling friend from foe, truth from lie.

Author Alex Dahl, did an amazing job of creating an entire cast of selfish, self-centred characters who, whether or not they genuinely suffered with the many, or even any of the mental health issues they claimed, were all nonetheless pretty uncompelling, disturbing, loathsome individuals, and not one of them did I have any real empathy with, or sympathy for. Yes! They were definitely given a strong voice with which to tell their story, however it got to the stage where I simply couldn’t trust a single word which came out of any of their mouths! At best they were complex, volatile and unreliable; at their worst they were manipulative, duplicitous and malevolent. Every time I had the slightest urge to feel even slightly sorry for any one of them, within seconds they had said or done something else to have me seething and truly angry with them, all over again.

They do say that ‘revenge is a dish best served cold’, however these characters turned that saying on its head, as for each of them revenge was sweet and definitely to be savoured, no matter what the temperature. I was almost cheering when, one way or another, they had all got their comeuppance by the close of play!

What typically makes reading such a wonderful experience for me, is that with each and every book, I am taken on a unique and individual journey, by authors who can fire my imagination, stimulate my senses and stir my emotions. This storyline had the power to evoke so many feelings, that I’m sure I won’t have felt the same way about it as the last reader, nor probably the next. It really is a journey you need to make for yourself and see where it leads you!

Vivid descriptions of Scandinavia are the background to this dark and thrilling story. Kristina is a therapist who is in a stable, happy marriage to a charismatic man who is pursuing his dream of being the Norwegian prime minister. Leah is an author and a client of Kristina’s who suddenly appears in a wild state, asking Kristina to come to her cabin to hear ‘the truth’. Once Kristina goes, she realises how much she doesn’t know. An atmospheric, semi locked room thriller that was enthralling and page turning- the first book in a while I’ve rushed home from work to be able to read!

A rather good story that kept me turning the pages. A Scandi Noir that I enjoyed. I always find Scandi books a slow burn but this was not too bad.

For me, this book was very slow paced and I predicted what was going to happen a long time ago. I have to be honest I was a bit disappointed.

Thank you to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for the arc of Cabin Fever by Alex Dahl

4 stars- This follows Kristina a therapist who meets Leah and she is her therapist and goes to Kristina's office and begs her to come to her cabin in the woods.. Leah is a novelist writer.. But Leah then fails to turn up for 2 therapist sessions makes Kristina worried.. so she goes off to search for her in the woods..

Great read with a highly intense plot! 4 stars recommend to all.

Thank you for providing me with a review copy of this book. Enjoyed reading, some nice plot twists, would recommend....

I've read few Alex books. This one didn't disappoint, it a page turner. keeps u reading to the end.

Fantastic twist and turns u don't see

‘Cabin Fever’ is a thoroughly good thriller by Alex Dahl and I enjoyed it very much.
I don’t know if I’m particularly naive or whether the author managed to hide the final perpetrator especially well, but I really didn’t see this plot twist coming. With the hindsight of a completed book it seems blindingly obvious, but at the time, I suspected nothing.
The crux of the story is set around an isolated cabin, and with the addition of a heavy fall of snow it very successfully sets the oppressive scene for what follows.
The main character, Kristina who is a successful therapist in Oslo, is perhaps a little naive herself and could do with setting a few professional boundaries, but following the call of her compassionate nature, she consequently finds herself in a very dangerous situation, one that she may not escape alive!
I give this book a rating of 4 stars.

An atmospheric story set in Norway

Dr Kristina Moss is a successful psychotherapist working in Oslo, she is married to Eirik, an up-and-coming politician hoping to become The Prime Minister of Norway. The only blight on the landscape is Kristina’s inability to have a child despite various IVF attempts.

One day one of her clients, Leah Iverson, does not turn up for her weekly appointment. Normally this would not particularly concern Kristina, but this client had pleaded with her to come to her isolated cabin set in the mountains and help her. Leah is a famous author who has written about her own experiences at the hands of her abusive partner.

Kristina becomes increasingly concerned about Leah and despite all her training telling her not to become too close to a client there is something about Leah that she feels drawn to. She has also discovered that Leah is pregnant which brings out her own maternal instincts and arouses her anxiety about her even more.

When Eirik is away on one of his many political meetings on an impulse Kristina decides to go to the cabin and try to discover what has happened to Leah. On the way up to the cabin, she suffers a fall and breaks her ankle. She manages to drag herself to the cabin and when she arrives despite the absence of Leah, she finds a laptop that tells her in detail exactly why Leah had become her client and many more horrifying truths about Kristina’s own life.

We discover how Leah is not only a client of Kristina but has been systematically stalking her for some time. As Kristina reads the story on the laptop her whole life falls apart as she remains stranded in the cabin with no means of escaping.

I really enjoyed this book; the atmospheric setting is truly terrifying at times and the building up of the suspense leaps from the pages. The chapters jump from one character to another and become shorter adding to the drama of the story.

The ending brings together all the answers as to why Leah had entered Kristina’s life and was quite shocking. I am a lover of Scandinavian programmes such as The Killing and Borgen and have always loved The Harry Hole series by Jo Nesbo. I am glad I have been introduced to Alex Dahl, another Scandinavian, and will certainly be reading any future books by this author.

Dexter

Elite Book Group received a copy of the book to review

An uncomfortable and tight thriller. Absolutely engrossing from the first page. I would be interested in seeing more from this author.

Cabin Fever is another excellent Scandi Noir thriller from Alex Dahl. The setting is atmospheric, especially in the deppest darkest woods of the cabin, layered in snow. I could picture myself right there in the midst of it.

The story focuses on Kristina, a therapist, and her client Leah. Leah is a successful novelist struggling with her mental health. She begs Kristina to visit her out in the remote cabin (which is against therapist rules) but eventually after Leah misses a couple of appointments, Kristina can't bear to leave it any longer and heads into the woods.

"Alone and isolated, Kristina finds Leah's unfinished manuscript, and as she reads she realises the main character is terrifyingly familiar..."

One piece of the puzzle is given at a time, and bit by bit you slowly "think" you realise what's happening. The twists and turns, suspense and drama, keep you hooked to the end and had me shocked at the outcome.

An excelent book by an excellent author.

Thank you to Netgalley and Head of Zeus for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is one of those books that makes me feel a bit on edge because I'm so immersed in the story. It was really evocative and I got a definite sense of tension reading it.

I really enjoyed. It took me a little while to get into the writing style and the chapters confused me to begin with but once you settle in, its great!

The atmosphere is perfect, the claustrophobic setting makes me never want to moan about how my house on a main road ever again. The characters are that perfect mix of flawed but trying their best which makes it impossible to decide who you want to root for. A good all-rounder thriller.

Unfortunately this one was not for me. The setting was beautiful. I had no trouble picturing the snow covered trees outside Kristina's office and the harsh winter of Norway. Kristina was an interesting character with a lot of depth, however, the story drove off course a bit when detailing her backstory and personal problems. It felt like non stop whinging.

Fast paced, thought provoking and an atmospheric read. I flew through these pages in record quick time and did not see the twist at the end. I have found myself thinking about the ending of this title more than once since finishing this read. A great author to add to my scandi-noir collection. I am looking forward to reading more from Alex Dahl in the future!

3.5 Star Read – Would recommend!

Thank you to #NetGalley, #HeadofZeus and #AlexDahl for an ARC of #CabinFever in exchange for an honest review.