Thank you NetGalley, Celadon Books and M.T. Edvardsson for this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

I had previously read M.T. Edvardsson's other book A Nearly Normal Family and really enjoyed it so I was very excited to read this one. While I enjoyed ANNF a little bit more, this one was still very good and kept me engaged the entire time and I really enjoyed the multiple view points.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

A bingeable and suspenseful novel that I enjoyed! I liked how the story is told through multiple POVs as it kept me guessing about how everyone is connected. Despite so many main characters, they all felt sufficiently developed such that I was thoroughly invested. Bill's grief was particularly well-written so I could empathize with where he's coming from.

There were some parts that were hard to believe, but nothing significant enough to affect my enjoyment. The short chapters interspersed with police interviews made this a breezy yet gripping read. Also, the author's note is awesome LOL best final line ever.

"Finally, I want to thank Dr Emma Lindstrom for all the tips on how to drug your wife, even though I happen to be married to your sister." 😂😂😂

This is actually my first book by M.T. Edvardsson and I can't wait for more!

I LOVED a nearly normal family so I was really excited to read THE WOMAN INSIDE. It did not disappoint. M.T. Edvardsson writes books with amazing plot development and books that are so atmospheric that you feel like you are in the story. This book was amazing. I highly recommend this book to anyone that loves thrillers with well-developed plots and twists that you don’t see coming.

Thank you Celadon for the advanced copy. The Woman Inside is a solid good read, with the story being told by several narrators. A mystery that kept you guessing until the end with characters that are flawed as all of us are.

I read, many who done it books and this one was fair. There were not any sympathetic characters and I kind of guest who the bad guy was.

The Woman Inside by M.T. Edvardsson

Thank you to @netgalley, @celadonbooks, and the author, #mtedvardsson, for the opportunity to read this #eARC in exchange for my honest review! This book is now available for purchase.

Recently widowed Bill Olsson is struggling to make ends meet for him and his daughter, Sally, and decides to take in a renter. The renter is young law student, Karla, who is studying to be a judge while working part time. Karla takes a job house cleaning for a wealthy couple in town, Steven and Regina Rytters. Karla begins to suspect that Steven has been abusing his wife, who has fallen into very poor health leaving her weak and confused. All the while, Bill and Sally’s financial outlook continues to become more dire as time goes on and Karla is put in an uncomfortable situation as a means to help. When Steven and Regina are found murdered secrets begin to spill out and there are more than enough to go around.

What did I just read?! This felt like it was coming together pointing one way and instead the twists and the hidden motives kept coming! I definitely enjoyed the twisty revelations and the shifting POV. One thing this book included that I’ve grown to love is mixed media - in this instance it took the shape of “media” articles with online “comments” and police interview snippets. It breaks the text up and also makes the story/investigation feel more immersive or “real” whilst you’re reading. I highly recommend this for those enjoy a far from straight forward mystery!

TWs: che@ting, drugging, gaslighting, abuse, addiction issues, suic!de references, overdose, blackmail, neglect, g@mbling

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨ - 4.25

3.5 stars for this one. Don't think that's a bad thing! I did enjoy this one quite a bit, it just felt a little bit slow at times. Normally, I like my thrillers with a bit of a faster pace, but I was still really intrigued by the mystery of this story.

I enjoyed the multiple points of view. It was interesting to get the different character perspectives, learn about each of them and how their stories intertwined. It also had police procedural vibes in that we got little snippets of police interviews and articles with the characters which was pretty cool. The short chapters were great too.

If you're looking for a book in which a wealthy couple is found murdered in their home with multiple suspects, this might be for you!

**Many thanks to NetGalley, @CeladonBooks, and M.T. Edvardsson for an ARC of this book!**

The posh town of Lund is buzzing...Steve and Regina Rytter are dead. But who would take down this wealthy and powerful couple...and WHY were BOTH of them targets?

Bill is feeling lost and desperate, clinging on to hope and trying to make ends meet after losing both his wife Miranda and his job as a ticket-taker at the movie theater. Struggling to pay bills and to keep a roof over his young daughter Sally's head, he decides taking in a lodger will be a quick source of upfront income. The lodger, Karla, is a student aspiring to become a judge, and she is thrilled to live off-campus and have somewhere quiet to rest in the evenings.

Karla also takes a job working as a cleaner...for a VERY wealthy client: Steve Rytter. Karla tries to talk to Steve's wife Regina, but Steve warns her that Regina is very ill and disoriented often, and needs to stay upstairs in bed often due to heavy doses of her medication....or is his warning just a cover to shield Karla from what REALLY goes on in this marriage?

Meanwhile, Jennica has started dating a rich, charming, and older man. He is a far cry from her usual round of Tinder suspects AND a welcome reprieve to spending lackluster nights at home with her cat named Dog. As their feelings blossom, Jennica starts to wonder if she has finally met the one, and why all of this seems too good to be true...and what this man could be hiding. Is he ACTUALLY single...and could this debonair stranger have a dark--and DANGEROUS--side?

It's been a while since we've heard from Edvardsson, but after the way I FLEW through A Nearly Normal Family, I was eager to get my hands on this book. Edvardsson has a way of writing characters that are so morally grey that it is hard for the reader to determine who to root for...or who is telling the truth! This was even more intriguing in his last book, with all of the characters being part of one very strange family. Luckily, ties are present here too, and though the narrative jumps from Bill to Karla to Jennica, each character was fully formed and had unique struggles, so it was never a struggle to keep track of the plot threads as we moved around.

Although I wouldn't call any of these characters LIKABLE, listening to them was enjoyable enough...but at the same time, this plot felt both a bit slow and a bit contrived. This book doesn't tread on any sort of new territory, but rather mixes aspects of a few tropes and leaves you to piece them together to reach a conclusion. The chapters were a bit long, but Edvardsson at least had the sense to add in some interstitial news article clips and police interviews between chapters to keep things chugging along, and this device was VERY needed.

Since Edvardsson truly seems to thrive in this space, I almost think he'd be better off writing a legal or crime thriller rather than this sort of 'character driven mystery with a crime center'. Edvardsson's bio says he is a teacher in Sweden, and I'm curious if it's philosophy. His background could very well inform many of the choices he makes in writing especially in terms of the moral/philosophical bent his stories seem to sneak into the pages.

Although the writing is far from flawless, this is a very enjoyable novel and one that's easy enough to read on a sunny afternoon, especially if you love a good chewy candy...with a crime-y nougat center. 🍬

😉

3.5 stars, rounded up to 4

#TheWomanInside #partner

This book started off pretty strong. I liked the past and present timelines and also the multiple points of view. What wasn’t my favorite was I how repetitive it was at times. I also wasn’t shocked with the twist. I wanted to love this one more but it just was ok for me. I’ve seen some other great reviews so if the synopsis seems interesting check it out.

An intriguing murder mystery that will leave you guessing until the end. A married couple is killed in their own home and anyone can be the perpetrator. The story is told through 3 point of views and with the addition to police interviews and media clippings, the pace of the story stays strong. The relationships between the parties is a bit too coincidental but overall I really enjoyed the novel. I did enjoy A Nearly Normal Family a lot and was really looking forward to reading The Woman Inside, it didn't let me down. Well written and compulsive. Highly recommend.

Thank you to netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read and review honestly an advanced digital copy.

A thriller set in Sweden! Headlines denote that a couple has been murdered and the police are unsure what has happened. We begin slowly backtracking to learn about some of the characters that could be at fault or could of course now be murdered. Alternating points of view add complexity and intrigue. Red herrings come in which is not something I ever enjoy. But I think the problem was that I didn't really like the characters. I did enjoy the backdrop of Sweden as a new setting. Not a bad thriller, but could have used a bit more karma for some of the characters.

It was hard to give a star rating for this book. I bounced between two and three. There was no way I could go four-star.
This mystery seems exciting from the interviews and press paper clippings the author creates. But the actual event doesn't happen until like 90 percent into the book. There are three points of view but unfortunately, I only liked one of the characters. So I cared less about what they did and why.
The best part is that the two victims do not have viewpoints and their story is murky. You leave the book unclear. The author does well leaving you with just the three main character's views. This is what makes the book vacillate towards a three-star. This is very realistic. After a murder or tragedy, we won't know what happened only what the outside survivors know.

5 people, 2 end up dead.. but who killed them? This read had me hooked as I love a book with multiple POV’s, and I also enjoy a good who done it.

This was a fun translation from the Swedish edition.

Told from three people’s perspectives, this story begins with the discovery of what appears to be a dual murder. The timeline is split (narrative in the past that tells the story, mixed with excerpts from police interviews after the bodies are discovered). Over time, the reader learns how the perspectives are related.

What I liked—there was a lot of intrigue throughout about how everyone knew each other (or whether they did). There was also a lot of shady behavior happening that I was certain would result in some drama.

What I didn’t love—I find that in Nordic noir translations that I’ve read, the action is less intense than in US-based thrillers. Much less confrontation, much less violence openly written about. I was very much hoping for some serious action, along with an accusatory confrontation. And it fell flat for me. I also feel like there were some parts that could have been explored further to add to the suspense/background/drama. The characters themselves were both hit and miss for me. Karla? Love her and her personal growth. Bill? Everyone has their demons. Gina? I wish we knew more about her.

Overall, a good book and a pleasant read.

This was an addicting book with great dialogue! It builds slowly but you are able to pick up on little things along the way making it one you won't want to put down.

Looking forward to starting this thriller over the summer! Thank you so much @celadonbooks and @bookishfirst for the Advanced copy! I may be the only person who hasn’t read A Nearly Normal Family, but I have certainly read all the praise for it. I’m looking forward to diving into his latest book, the first one written in English and not translated !
*

Summary: Bill Olsson, recently widowed, is desperate to provide for his daughter, Sally. Struggling to pay rent, he welcomes a lodger into their home: Karla, a law student and aspiring judge, who works as a housekeeper to make ends meet. Her clients are the Rytters, an incredibly wealthy couple who hide behind closed doors. The wife is ill and hasn’t left the house in months. The husband is controlling and obsessive. Is he just a worried husband, concerned for his wife’s health? Or is there something more sinister at play?

As Bill’s situation becomes more dire, Karla is forced to make a difficult choice. And when the Rytters wind up dead, and Karla is pulled in for questioning, she’s made to defend some parts of her past she’d rather not revisit.
*

Two murders…a suspect who seems guilty…but is it more than that?
This book was a total page turner that I talked to numerous friends about while I was reading it because I couldn’t wait to find out what happened.
Told by three perspectives, Bill, Karla, and Jennica, this story unfolds into a mystery that you think you have figured out, but I’m guessing you won’t be right!
When his family is struggling to make ends meet, what lengths will Bill go to to help make his situation better? And how far will his friend Karla go to help him out? Read this book to find out, and you’ll be glad you did!
I got to read an ARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, and I am so happy I got it in exchange for my honest opinion/review.

The Woman Inside is a fast paced, captivating book that starts out with a couple being murdered. The book goes between the view points of Bill, Karla, and Jennica. Each one of them maybe the murder and the author does a good job of keeping the reader on their toes until the very end. I did feel like the end wasn’t as smooth as the rest but still a good read.

M.T. Edvardsson's "The Woman Inside" was not as interesting to me as his previous book; "A nearly Normal Family". That being said I did enjoy the intrigue and the character descriptions - if only they hadn't all been so unlikable!
The book opens with a double murder in an expensive villa in Lund, Sweden. It is pretty obvious from the beginning that the murderer(s) should be found among a small group of people, thrown together by circumstance. All of them has their own flaws and baggage, and a tendency to make the wrong choices every time! It makes it difficult to really care what will happen to any of them, and the reveal of the murders fall a little flat at the end.

Thank you NetGalley for the chance to listen to and review this book..

The Rytters are a wealthy couple found dead in their mansion. The husband is a handsome pediatrician who is controlling of his ill wife who never leaves the house. Bill and his daughter Sally are struggling to get by after his wife dies. They take in a lodger named Karla to make ends meet. Karla is a law student who cleans houses on the side. She is the Rytters house cleaner. Soon Bill and Karla are pulled in for questioning of the double murder. Who did it and why?

Honestly I was very meh about this one. It was a little slow and the characters are all unlikable. I did like the interview parts and how it slowly came together with all involved but the characters are not deep at all. It was hard to empathize with any of them except little Sally. I did not figure out the ending in advance but I didn’t really care who did it in the end. I loved his previous book but this was not as well executed.

Thanks to @netgalley and @celadonbooks for an arc for an honest review.