This one was ok. It started to give me Freida McFadden vibes with a wife sick upstairs and a new house cleaner learning all sorts of secrets. But it really wasn’t.

It felt drawn out and the ending was a little meh. Like after reading the whole book it ends like that.

I liked the multiple POV and the police interview notes scattered throughout but it was just ok for me!

A murder story translated from the Swedish, M.T. Edvardsson's second novel published in the US contains short chapters and multiple points of view. As the story of a dead couple evolves, the pediatrician and his heiress wife's secrets mix with those of a single father, the young student and cleaner renting a room from him, and the woman dating the older doctor.

I enjoyed the short chapters and the multiple POVs, but I found the story slow to start. The final quarter of the book, as all of the threads finally came together, was very good, but the connections were almost too much. (And I struggle some with the ending.) While not my favorite crime fiction, it may hit other readers differently.

The multi-cast narration is excellent and helped with the pronunciations of the names and places I would not have understood otherwise.

Thank you to NetGalley, Celadon Books, and MacMillan Audio for my advanced review copy.

This book is told through several points of view, which can be a blessing and a curse. I listened to this as an audio book. While I love multiple POV books, they can be hard to follow at first when listening. I typically prefer to read multiple POV rather than listen, But it didn't take too long to get to know the characters and I really got invested. And I enjoyed there being multiple narrators.

The author did a great job of weaving these stories together and the ending was really wonderful.

This was a quick read.

I give it 4/5 stars.

A couple is found dead in their home. Multiple POVs.
A classic murder mystery.

Bill is recently widowed with a daughter, Sally. He has financial trouble and needs a renter to make ends meet. Karla is that renter. She has a troubled past and has aspirations to be a judge. Karla also cleans for a wealthy couple, the Rytters. Regina Rytter is ill and can’t leave the house. Steven is controlling and seems like he’s hiding something. When the Rytters end up dead, you question all the characters and motives.

I loved the multiple POVs and timelines. Overall, I was interested in the story. The ending was predictable, if you ask me. Well written!

Thank you to Net Galley and Celadon books for the ARC!

I was curious to read The Woman Inside by M. T. Edvardsson because I love thrillers and this one is translated! It’s translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles. It’s interesting how this book was inspired by true events. It’s about a murdered wealthy couple and the three suspects. I liked the multiple points of view and the full cast on the audiobook. The three narrators Josh Dylan, Nathalie Buscombe and Sofia Engatrand were all great and it was very easy to follow along. I found this one a slow burn as each character’s storylines intertwine. I found some parts to drag a little bit. I didn’t find any parts too shocking. An enjoyable read but not a fave.

Pub date: 6/13/23
Genre: mystery, domestic suspense
Quick summary: Bill and his daughter Sally take in a boarder, Karla, who works as a cleaner for the wealthy Rytter family. But when the Rytters are found dead, Karla is the lead suspect, and Bill will have to unravel what really happened.

I love a multi-POV suspense, and this one delivered! I read it in one day using the combo of audiobook and text. Sometimes multi-perspective books can be confusing on audio, but the full cast narration here made it easy to follow all the perspective changes. The multiple narrators also helped me feel engrossed in the story.

There are plenty of mini-mysteries to unravel here - is Mrs. Rytter being controlled by her wealthy husband? Why does the couple need a cleaner 2x per week? How did Bill become so desperate for money? These kept me interested, and the multiple perspectives helped the story feel multi-layered and complex. This is not a mile-a-minute thriller, but if you enjoy domestic suspense that will keep you guessing, give this one a try!

Thank you to Celadon Books for my e-ARC and Macmillan Audio for my ALC in exchange for an honest review.

I don’t usually enjoy character driven books, but this one really worked for me. I do enjoy books with different points of view, and in most cases, there’s at least one that I don’t gel with.Jennica was my least favorite, but her portions were still necessary to the plot, I just didn’t like her.

I really enjoyed the natural way these characters lives overlapped and intertwined, this book is an extremely tangled web of lies and deceit, and it was very fun to read. I was truly in the dark for most of the book about who could’ve killed that doctor and his wife. But the ending was fantastic, I really liked the twist and made the whole book worthwhile. It did not let me down!

I would say this book is medium paced, not super fast, but not a slow burn either. I enjoyed getting to know the characters and their stories, and like I said: when it started becoming obvious how they were all connected, I was excited to finish. This was a very fun thriller, great for fans of Lisa Jewell and Sally Hepworth.

I received a free audiobook copy from the publisher, all opinions on my own.

Dear The Woman Inside,
You are part thriller, part police procedural, and I really loved listening to you. You kept me guessing, and I absolutely loved that. You had so many moving parts, and different narrators that at times it took me a few moments to orient myself in the story, but I was continuously wondering what was going to happen next. Everything fit together so perfectly, yet unexpectedly, and I lost myself in your intrigue!

A seemingly unlikely grouping comes together after a woman and man are found deceased in their own home. There is a thread between each narrator though they don’t all know it right away, or know of everyone’s existence at first. Some are enemies; can they come together to save themselves from trouble?

Bill is a seemingly hopeless mess.
Jen I a I’d the type that doesn’t really know what she wants or how to achieve her goals and uses her past as a scapegoat for her bad decisions/lackluster life.
Karla is the one who’s trying to break a cycle and put herself on a better path.
Stephen…well he’s just gross.
And Regina…poor Regina.

I enjoyed the shifting POV in this; I think it added to the intrigue and slight confusion of the story. What I did not enjoy, however: every character except Sally and Regina (but only until the end). They were all annoying personalities and probably could have avoided what happened if they had just made better choices and been less annoying. I also felt that some of the parts of the storylines went unfulfilled and seemed to be forgotten about.

I listened to this as an audiobook and would recommend others to as well if they decide to read this only because of the pronunciation of the Swedish names and locations.

Very twisty! Multiple POV’s.

I really enjoyed the narration. I will admit that I had to get used to each character’s “voice” and was confused the first few chapters. I was able to get immersed in the story.

None of the characters were particularly likable. They all were flawed and I could see each one of them making mistakes that could lead to murder.

This was my first audiobook from NetGalley.

Before the book even officially started, I was hooked by the author's note at the start, saying he was inspired to write after a real murder case in his hometown, but letting the reader "be the judge" of how it came to be that he included this.

I blew through this book and finished the whole thing in nearly a single day. At the start, it was a little rocky to tell how everyone was connected (this was all on me, I've become suspicious of narrators in the Thriller genre, and am always assuming that people aren't who they say they are), but the audiobook narration was done beautifully, and I loved that they had multiple narrators. It helped me out a lot to keep things straight.

The story progressed at a fast pace, but had enough details to really feel connected to each of the characters and see the connections play out as the flashes forward to the case pulled things along as well.

All in, I absolutely loved this book, and would highly recommend it to anyone interested. Can't wait to seek out more from MT Edvardsson!

Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

The Woman Inside is my first book from M. T. Edvardsson. The story of how a rich husband and wife wind up murdered in their own home kept my interest straight through to the end. This thriller introduced several unique key players with motive potential, and I found myself satisfied with the “reveal” towards the end. I didn’t love any of the characters (except for sweet Sally), but I don’t think the reader is meant to. Overall, The Woman Inside is the kind of book I look for: a quick paced, tricky whodunnit.

✨ 𝗡𝗘𝗪 𝗧𝗛𝗥𝗜𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗥 ✨

Thank you #partners @celadonbooks & @macmillan.audio for my #gifted copies.

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗪𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲
𝗕𝘆 𝗠.𝗧. 𝗘𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗻
𝗣𝘂𝗯: 𝟲/𝟭𝟯/𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟯

📖 𝗔𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁: Karla, a law student, accepts a lodging opportunity from a struggling single father named Bill to help him make ends meet following the loss of his wife. Bill, his daughter Sally, and Karla become close, and when his finances become dire, Karla makes a decision that will impact many people's lives.

When Karla isn't in school, she works part-time as a housekeeper. Her newest clients are a wealthy couple in the richest part of town. But they're not an ordinary couple... the wife rarely leaves her bed, and the husband is controlling and obsessive. Is something more sinister going on here?

💭 𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀: To be honest, I had a difficult time getting into this one at first. There's a fairly large cast and I had a tough time following what was going on. I ended up starting over and taking notes the second time around. I don't typically like working this hard for a novel, but I don't mind it when it pays off. Thankfully this one did, and I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it in the end!

The Woman Inside is a super twisty domestic thriller / murder mystery that will keep the reader on their toes! I am usually pretty good at guessing twists, but I didn't see this one coming! All in all, this was a very solid thriller and I can't wait to read more by this author. I read along with the audiobook, which was narrated by a full cast: Josh Dylan, Nathalie Buscombe, and Sofia Engstrand all did a wonderful job and really added to my reading experience! 👏🏻

⭐⭐⭐⭐

📖 Review posted to my IG today

The Woman Inside is a twisty suspenseful story loosely based on a real life case. The main characters, Bill, Karla and Jennica are from very different walks of life but find themselves connected by a twist of fate. This highly anticipated thriller has lots of twists and suspense. The characters are interesting and likable. The story is told from multiple points of view and also includes case interviews of suspects and witnesses. While there is a good level of suspense in this thriller, I felt like the story dragged quite a bit. There were also parts of the story that didn’t feel fully fleshed out and I was left with quite a few questions at the end.

Thank you so much Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for my ALC.

I really enjoyed this book! The narrators were spot-on at bringing each of the characters to life and the pacing was perfect (both of the reading and the story). I paired this audio with an eARC and it really was a perfect dual-reading experience, especially having the correct pronunciation for names and places that weren't familiar to me. My favorite addition to the audiobook was the author's note, read by the author himself. I felt like it brought so much insight to the story and really made me appreciate the term "A Family Tragedy." I had no idea about the backstory of the term or the original title of the book. I did, however, wish the author's note was at the end of the book instead of the beginning; I kept trying to write the ending of the book in my head based on the author's note and boy was I wrong (okay, maybe that was a good thing after all). Also, the author's note needs to be added to the ebook! I really think it pushed this book from a mediocre read to a good read for me!

As for the story itself, I liked it! I loved the writing style and the pacing. I'm starting to think this Nordic style is really made for me. I enjoyed each of the characters, their back stories, and flaws that made them each seem real and believable. This was a slow-burn suspense, but I couldn't listen/read quick enough. The plot itself definitely had parts that have been done before, but I had no idea how each of the storylines would come together. I was surprised how everything unfolded, but I didn't love the wrap up. Ugh, while the author's note made me LOVE the concept of the book, it also made me want a different ending.

I LOVED A Nearly Normal Family. Can't wait to see what M.T. Edvardsson comes out with next!

I absolutely loved this whodunnit, with multiple POV and multi-cast narration which was hugely helpful in the audiobook to help differentiate the characters.

I loved the multiple POV, and complex characters. One thing I really love about a book like this is getting to know the backgrounds of each character, so you can understand how they are driven by personal experiences you may not uncover until later in the story. So while this is a thriller/mystery, I feel like it has that element of family drama that makes it just that much more juicy of a story.

The pacing was spot on, and allowed me to get absorbed in the story. And I really love how there were police reports, newspaper articles and interviews from police interrogations interspersed throughout, so fans of police procedurals might enjoy this one as well.

Definitely consider this for a summer thriller! It would be an excellent book club selection for a character-driven murder mystery.

While admittedly I didn’t read the author’s previous work, A Nearly Normal Family, so have no baseline to compare it to, I will definitely be checking it out because I enjoyed this one a lot!

This is a slow-burn psychological thriller about five people. Two of them end up dead, and we're left to figure out what happened. I really enjoyed this one.

Definitely not going to be a favorite of mine. Predictable and boring at times. Wish we got a little bit more from the story overall

3.5 Stars

The Woman Inside is a Nordic Noir novel that sounded interesting to me from the description! It is a slow burning mystery that has three povs leading up to the crime and police interviews afterwards. The POVs are:

Steven Rytter- Husband to housebound Regina
Karla- rents a room from Bill. She is also the Rytter’s housekeeper.
Jennica- You will find out about her as the novel progresses.

It is a good police procedural, but I was expecting a different sort of book that what I got. It could be that I just don’t mix well with Nordic Noir novels, maybe it was that this was translated into English and something was lost in translation. Or maybe that I didn’t really feel any compassion for any of the characters. The only thing that sticks out was that there was a cat named Dog and I just found that hilarious, but then the name just fit!

I also guessed the ‘twist’ at the ending part of the novel. I just wasn’t surprised there at all. If you like character driven novels, then this one is for you.

The narrators did very well with their narrations. They did have accents and pronounced the last names of some characters that I am sure I would have butchered on my own! Since I listened to the audio, I am not even sure how those names are spelled!

I think I might just have to stay away from anything of this genre. I know I have read a couple of books and those didn’t work for me.

Many thanks to the publisher for granting me an audio arc through NetGalley.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced audiobook of this upcoming and fascinating thriller!

I have found that I am increasingly entertained by stories that provide little to no exposition to the reader and instead let the story unfold through dialogue or other more “natural” human behaviors. I was LITERALLY guessing until the end! The characters were all flawed but redeemable (or not) at different points along the way. I found myself rooting for characters one moment whom I actively wanted to see punished the next. A brilliant examination of human behavior under societal pressures and current systems that exist. Roller coaster ride of emotions with a satisfying and well-earned twist!