The Guilty One

This is a dark mystery that is difficult to discern…the characters are unique in that they don’t do the expected…it seems…ever…the book was sent to me by Netgalley for review…I did not get into this story but others might.

The guilty one by Anna Karolina.
Is he guilty or innocent? Even he doesn’t know…
But several hours later Jasmine is dead. Did Nicolas Moretti kill his sister?
A good read. I did find this a little bit slow but readable. 3*.

Wow! I didn't expect a few of those twists!! I was able to guess at a few but one of the big one's?! I would have never thought that!! This book had light suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, a great who done it, and many many twists and turns! The storyline was very interesting and had me glued to my Kindle! I definitely enjoyed reading this book and will recommend it! Its well worth reading! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

The Guilty One by Anna Karolina was an interesting, crazy ride.
Great writing, highly atmospheric and a chilling plot, with fascinating characters.
It's a perfect read if you are looking for an intense, suspenseful story.

“I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

Thomas & Mercer,
Thank You for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!
I will post my review to my blog, platforms, BookBub, B&N, Kobo and Waterstone closer to pub date.

Book 1 in the Emma Tapper series

On the eve of their thirtieth birthday, twins Jasmine and Nicolas Moretti celebrate late into the night. But when Nicolas wakes several hazy hours later, Jasmine is dead and he is covered in her blood. Panicking, he takes the murder weapon and runs into the cold Stockholm night.
For the police, it’s an open and shut case. Nicolas is guilty. And given that he remembers so little of what happened that night, even he isn’t convinced of his innocence.
Emma Tapper, an ex-cop driven to drink by a tragedy she’s devastated she couldn’t prevent, is recruited by defence lawyer Angela Köhler to help with the high profile Moretti case. While her new boss seems more concerned with winning than discovering the truth, Emma begins investigating the circumstances of the murder.
As she digs into the case, Emma finds herself clashing with former colleagues who are convinced they already know the truth. And the more horrific secrets she unearths, the more her own traumatic past returns to haunt her. She’s not used to working to free a man behind bars, but something tells her Nicolas might be innocent. But if he didn’t do it, who did?
Really enjoyed this book can’t wait for the next book totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Amazon Publishing Uk
I just reviewed The Guilty One by Anna Karolina. #TheGuiltyOne #NetGalley

This was a ride!!!
The best way to describe this book is you're constantly wanting just one more chapter and then the next thing you know it's 1am in the d morning and it's over.

First time trying Anna Karolina and definitely would read more

Guilty or not? Who knows! Took me a few chapters to get into this book but when I started to get to know the characters and the plot i really enjoyed it. Will defintely read more from this author.

I can't even begin to explain how much I enjoyed this book! It has absolutely everything you'd want in a thriller and keeps a fast pace throughout. The characters are multidimensional, all with their own quirks and flaws which makes them all the more likeable. As for the plot.... this book has twists and turns the likes I've never read before! It really is a masterpiece and is a must read for any thriller fan! I can't wait for the next installment

Description
Is he guilty or innocent? Even he doesn’t know…

On the eve of their thirtieth birthday, twins Jasmine and Nicolas Moretti celebrate late into the night. But when Nicolas wakes several hazy hours later, Jasmine is dead—and he is covered in her blood. Panicking, he takes the murder weapon and runs into the cold Stockholm night.

For the police, it’s an open-and-shut case. Nicolas is guilty. And given that he remembers so little of what happened that night, even he isn’t convinced of his innocence.

Emma Tapper, an ex-cop driven to drink by a tragedy she’s devastated she couldn’t prevent, is recruited by defence lawyer Angela Köhler to help with the high-profile Moretti case. While her new boss seems more concerned with winning than discovering the truth, Emma begins investigating the circumstances of the murder.

As she digs into the case, Emma finds herself clashing with former colleagues who are convinced they already know the truth. And the more horrific secrets she unearths, the more her own traumatic past returns to haunt her. She’s not used to working to free a man behind bars, but something tells her Nicolas might be innocent. But if he didn’t do it, who did?


This book is full of twists and turns and keeps you on the edge of your seat until the very end, highly recommend!

A birthday celebration turns tragic and brutal in this well translated suspense. For the twins the thirtieth birthday celebration was a success, they celebrated into the night. When Nicolas wakes the next day to find twin, Jasmine, dead and himself covered in blood - he runs. The police are certain of his guilt but the defence is not and investigator Emma Tapper is soon on board. Can they prove his innocence and if so, who is the killer? Suitably atmospheric and tense with a menacing undercurrent, twists aplenty and a well crafted cast. A promising first in the series.

Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for allowing access to this ARC.

Book 1 of the Emma Tapper series and I can't wait to read more. I'm not usually for cop/detective-based stories but I thoroughly enjoyed this one. Emma Topper finds herself unearthing more secrets than she bargained for, as her traumatic past comes back to haunt her. Be ready to question everything you thought you knew.

A good read! It took me a little while to get into the story, but once I did it pulled me in! Really wanted to see what happens next. I recommend this book!

My thanks to Amazon Publishing, Thomas and Mercer, Anna Karolina and Netgalley.
I loved this book!
For me? This was a complete mindf@#k!
My thoughts were turning and churning just trying to figure out what the hell was going on. I love that! I'm happy as can be when I am unable to figure stuff out! It's just something that happens so seldom.
I will confess that the open ended finish slightly irked me! But, knowing that this is a series made it more palatable!
The translation was seamless, and I can only hope that there will be many more translations to come!
This is a book that I would recommend.

Nicolas Moretti is an ex football player, junkie and gambling addict. He’s been known to fight but is he violent enough to commit murder?

Jasmine Moretti believes the prophecy that herself or her twin will not live to their 30th birthday, could it possibly be her brother who killed her though??

Each Moretti is hiding something from the rest of the family, but what could they be hiding unraveling this murder mystery was a blast. The Guilty One was layered in twists and turns, along with mystery and well written relationships. I was incredibly impressed by how complex each character was, and how they really dealt with their struggles. This is the first book in the Emma Tapper series and I absolutely will not hesitate to purchase any future books in this series.

The Guilty One is an amazingly good story with what feels like real characters with complex relationships! The twists and turns keep you engrossed in the story. The author makes you feel the struggles and confusion by both Nicolas and Emma. You feel Nicolas’ self-doubt and the anguish of not knowing what has really happened. Written with actual insights into the true workings of the Swedish police department, I love the strength of Emma's conviction to find out the truth, while battling her own inner demons. You want to tell her, “No! Don’t do that!” but yet we see her progress and grow and then cheer her on. And then there is Angela! I see her and hear her in my mind’. Her mantra of "Women must stick together" means more than you will suspect! This is a Swedish novel and I feel the translation to English has been done very well.

This was an insane roller coaster! The suspects of the murderer were constantly changing, the motifs were constantly changing, and one couldn't figure out who the murderer was. I figured it when I was about 85% done, but still it was pretty good.

Nicolas has a twin sister, Jasmine, and they spend the evening and night before their 30th birthday together. Jasmine is scared because a clairvoyant told her one of them will die before their 30th birthday. They take drugs and pass out at her apartment. In the morning Nicolas wakes up on the couch to his murdered sister.

Anna is a defense lawyer and she is engaged to defend Nicolas in court. As stylish and ambitious as she is she has her own issues. She hires a great ex-policewoman, Emma Tapper, who is in a constant semi- to full-drunk state through the entirety of the book. Emma's lost her reputation with the police and one cannot tell if what she does and says is helping her case or it's making it worse.

Many social issues are shined upon here, mainly sexual abuse from a family member to a child, but also prostitution, self-harm bordering on suicide, sexual harassment at work towards women, and rape. Also the fact that one's reputation can be destroyed within a minute, thanks to social media and gossip, regardless of their years of hard work. All of the main characters suffered from a mixture of those issues, which made them very real people with inner struggles regardless of their façade.

All in all great read. My only issue was the first about 100 pages the story didn't go smoothly and didn't hype my interest, at a few points I was wondering whether to DNF it. But then it picked up and wrapped up pretty good.

There were undeveloped a few stories, like the relationship between Emma and Simon, the cop, was left in suspense. Another unresolved issue was Emma's drinking. Those might have been left for another Emma Tapper installment, which I'm hoping there will be one, and I can't wait for it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Amazon Publishing for the e-copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinion.
#TheGuiltyOne #NetGalley

Well written with a good cast of well developed charcaters and well developed storyline. There were some good twists in this also so it made it unpredictable. The pacing was just a bit too slow for me although others may love it, I would have preferred a faster pace.

This was a new author for me . I never read anything from this author before but for the most part I really liked this book. I thought the whole story was amazing. I honestly didn’t want this book to end. I can’t wait to see what this author comes up with on the next book they write. I usually judge a book from the cover because for me it shows if it’s going to be interesting or not and I loved the book.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from Amazon Publishing UK and #NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Buckle in for a roller coaster ride of thrills, chills, suspense and intrigue.

The Guilty One is the first of an intended series by Anna Karolina, with the second book also due to be released this year. Emma Tapper is a former police detective struggling with her demons and sedating the grief with alcohol. She is hired by defence lawyer Angela Köhler, who has her own dark past but needs Emma’s investigative skills in a high-profile murder case. Accused of murdering his twin sister Jasmine, after a drug and alcohol fuelled celebration, the evidence all points to Nicolas Moretti’s guilt. As Emma investigates, she invariably sees her former colleagues, reviving her own traumatic past. With a gentle unfolding narrative, this is more than your average police procedural, with its antihero characters, complex relationships and increasingly despairing darkness. So, a warning the content could be distressing for some readers with the revelations of horrific human behaviour. Whilst not for everyone, this is a superb crime story with a nicely paced nuanced adventure that makes for a four and a half star read rating. With thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and the author, for an uncorrected advanced reader copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

This was such a great Crime mystery book translated from Swedish to English and you can’t even tell. It starts with the murder victim Jasmine and her brother who is the accused Nicolas A male chauvinist detective name Helberg and Simon head detective who just wants to put the right person in prison and then there’s Emma an ex cop alcoholic who is hired by the wants high-powered attorney Angela who lost it all due to a social media post. It all starts on Christmas which happens to also be Jasmine and Nicholas birthday Jasmine was once told she would die before she turned 30 and it turned out to be true unfortunately her brother would be arrested for the murder but lucky for him hi powered defense attorney Angela who is in the building and said she would take his case. Angela then hires Emma who was fired and blamed for the suicide of a 15-year-old boy Emma filter days with drinking, regret in text messages to her ex-boyfriend but Angela office her something different and she reluctantly takes it during Emma‘s investigation of the murder she becomes close to Simon a detective trying to prove Nicholas is a murderer or at least at first. Throughout the investigation things will come up and the unthinkable will become fact but before all that they will go through a list of suspects with their own secrets to hide. This book was so good and let me just say the last twist is on the very last page but there’s other twists that will leave you Godsmack. This is such a great book it’s long but you will not want to put it down or stop reading it so make sure you have the time. I highly recommend this book. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind dictate my review.

The Guilty One by Anna Karolina

Nicolas Moretti wakes up on his thirtieth birthday covered in his twin sister's blood. He has no memory of the night before and is the prime suspect in his sister's murder. In walks Emma Tapper who is hired by Nicholas's lawyer to aid in his case.

Emma might be the worse investigator I've read. The woman is all over the place. Her number one resource is alcohol and it's the only thing that moves this story along. She relies too heavily on her ex-coworkers aka the cops and then wonders why she is running around in circles trying to prove Nicolas's innocence. I won't be continuing with this series and I doubt it will be in my recommendations at the end of the year.

This one was a wiild ride!! It centers on Nicolas, who may or may not have murdered his twin sister while high on drugs and alcohol; and Emma, a disgraced cop who is now working with his defense lawyer. The POVs' switch between the two. The action starts off almost immediately and doesn't let up throughout the book.

Both Nicolas and Emma make some pretty terrible decisions but I found that they both acted like real people in difficult situations, which made me empathetic towards them. The mystery is unique because even Nicolas himself isn't sure what happened, which makes defending him a challenge. There are twists and turns throughout the book, many of which I didn't see coming. The ending was a big surprise that hadn't even crossed my mind!

Overall, I realy liked this book and thought it was a uniqye mystery with a stellar twist. I'd recommend it to those who like mysteries and psychological thrillers. Looking forward to checking out other books by this author. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I'm in love with Emma Tapper. This new series introduces us to a broken cop who deserves a second chance. The mysterious death of woman on her 30th birthday raises questions about her twin brother. His lawyer hires Emma to help prove his innocence. She clashes with her former police colleagues as she is determined to find the truth. Can't wait to see what comes next!

Is he guilty or innocent? Even he doesn’t know…
On the eve of their thirtieth birthday, twins Jasmine and Nicolas Moretti celebrate late into the night. But when Nicolas wakes several hazy hours later, Jasmine is dead—and he is covered in her blood. Panicking, he takes the murder weapon and runs into the cold Stockholm night.
For the police, it’s an open-and-shut case. Nicolas is guilty. And given that he remembers so little of what happened that night, even he isn’t convinced of his innocence.
Emma Tapper, an ex-cop driven to drink by a tragedy she’s devastated she couldn’t prevent, is recruited by defence lawyer Angela Köhler to help with the high-profile Moretti case. While her new boss seems more concerned with winning than discovering the truth, Emma begins investigating the circumstances of the murder.
As she digs into the case, Emma finds herself clashing with former colleagues who are convinced they already know the truth. And the more horrific secrets she unearths, the more her own traumatic past returns to haunt her. She’s not used to working to free a man behind bars, but something tells her Nicolas might be innocent. But if he didn’t do it, who did?

This is a thrilling read.
Wonderful well written plot and story line that had me engaged from the start.
Love the well fleshed out characters and found them believable.
Great suspense and found myself second guessing every thought I had continuously.
Can't wait to read what the author brings out next.
Recommend reading.

I was provided an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher. This is my own honest voluntary review.

This is an amazing read. It is not fast paced and full of action, but is still a thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. It will twist and turn, leading you down a path that you think you have figured out. Trust me you don't.

This book is a little bit slow. But overall it is a good book. With lots of twist and turns in it. If you like thrillers then I would suggest giving this one ago.

Thank you to Netgalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

An intriguing read, full of twists and turns. Recommended.

I just wasn’t amazed by this book, the beginning was simply amazing but I felt like it went downhill from there…I felt like it got dragged out way too long.

It started out strong but then I felt like it went downhill, it was drug out to long way to long. I wish the ending was just as strong as the beginning.

Emma is an ex cop who is traumatized by past events that she tries to forget by drinking. Jasmine and Nicolas are twins who just celebrated their birthday. During the night, tragedy strikes, leaving one twin dead and the other one on the run. Emma is recruited by a defense attorney who is more concerned about winning her cases and less about the truth. Emma starts her investigation and finds hidden secrets, that people are willing to do anything to keep quiet. Emma finds evidence that Nicolas is innocent, now she has to prove this fact to everyone else. A riveting thriller, with a suspenseful plot and engaging characters.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley and Amazon Publishing UK for this book, I received a copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

What a way to start a book. You are hooked from the moment things go awry. I loved following this mystery and piecing things together.

Thank you NetGalley for access to this book! An interesting read, but I couldn’t connect with any of the main characters. Many twists & well written but slow build. Overall, good read!

This was a fantastic and unpredictable book full of twists and turns. The backstories were helpful and interesting and I loved trying to solve the case alongside Emma. It was a slowly evolving book, but somehow this only strengthened the story. The ending was a shock to me!

Thank you @netgalley for my free book in exchange for my honest review!

This was a fantastic thriller with many twists an turns. It kept me intrigued throughout and consistently want to continue reading. I thoroughly enjoyed this read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Anna Karolina, and the publisher Amazon Publishing, UK. for the opportunity to read and review an advanced reader's copy of this eBook.


The Guilty One by Anna Karolina
Emma Tapper #1 in series

Is he guilty or innocent? Even he doesn’t know…

Nicolas Moretti wakes up on his thirtieth birthday covered in his twin sister's blood. He has no memory of the night before and is the prime suspect in his sister's murder.

Jasmine and Nicolas are twins who just celebrated their birthday. During the night, tragedy strikes, leaving one twin dead and the other one on the run.

In walks Emma Tapper, an ex-cop who is traumatized by past events that she tries to forget by drinking. Emma is hired by Nicholas's lawyer to aid in his case, who seems more concerned about winning her cases and less about the truth. Emma starts her investigation and finds hidden secrets, that people are willing to do anything to keep quiet. Emma also finds evidence that Nicolas may be innocent, now she must prove this fact to everyone else.

This is a riveting thriller, with a suspenseful plot and engaging characters. For me, Emma was the only hard character to like. The book was slow in some parts, but also a page turner throughout the middle to end. I will definingly be picking up the next book in the series The Missing Man Pub Date 12/20/2022.

I really enjoyed this one over all - I felt like the twists and turns were just enough to keep me guessing and keep me engaged throughout the story. I found the characters to be engaging, with the exception of Emma, I really didn't exactly vibe with her. There weren't many parts that I felt were drawn out, dragged on or all together not needed which has happened in a few of my recent reads. I can definitely see myself picking up the next book in the series.

On the eve of their thirtieth birthday twins Jasmine and Nicolas Moretti spent time together at a pub where Jasmine reminds Nicolas of a clairvoyant's prediction that one of them will die before they hit thirty. Nicolas laughs it off and eventually continue their celebration at Jasmine's condo, getting high on drugs and passing out. Next day, Nicolas wakes up to find himself covered in blood and Jasmine dead with her head almost chopped off!

This thriller definitely had twists and turns in abundance! The reasons for Jasmine's death and the suspects keep changing till the end of the book and even then there is a twist that I didn't see coming. The secrets that are eventually revealed are disturbing and the actual reason for Jasmine's murder even more so!

This is the first book in the Emma Tapper series, an ex-cop who is hired by defence lawyer Angela Kohler to solve the case. It is a Swedish noir that has been translated by Lisa Reinhardt. I felt the book could have done with a few less chapters to make it more taut.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas and Mercer and the author for the e-Arc of the book.

It takes a while to get this story underway, despite the drama and trauma of the murder and the detective's recent past. However, its kind of a fun trainwreck watching Emma, the detective and careen through her investigation and the entertaining policemen she has to deal with..
The story itself is sad, with some red herrings and I did find a few loose threads, otherwise it was a nice story. It moved along pretty quickly and I did find it an enjoyable read.

I read through the night to finish this thriller that turns into a nightmare. Spooky, tense, richly atmospheric and profoundly moving! This author turns the psychological thumbscrews with relish. This great read spirals towards its dark conclusion, wrong footing the increasingly uneasy reader at every turn. This twisty thriller is jam-packed with tense moments and a growing sense of unease…..
Every once in a while a writer comes along and refreshes our notions of what fiction can do . . . Buy this book, and prepare to be blasted by the brilliance inside

Unfortunately, while this had all the setup of being a book that hits all the right spots for me as a reader, I found it to be extremely slow.
A slow burn is a perfectly good way of setting up a story but from my personal experience the payoff just didn't tick the boxes.
The writing itself is good. One cannot fault Karolina for her grasp on the ins and outs of the skills she has developed. It is the storytelling aspect that may need some work.

I did enjoy this police procedural and I was desperately trying to piece together what happened to Jasmine but I was literally wrong all along. The storyline was great the only thing I didn't like was that it dragged out a little bit too much. But I think it is a fantastic start to what I think will be an intriguing series.

Wow, what an incredible start to a new series featuring legal investigator Emma Tapper. I was gripped from the very beginning and the numerous twists and turns kept me guessing until the very end. I genuinely had no idea who was responsible for Jasmine's murder and everytime I thought I had something figured out, another curveball was thrown.

I liked that Emma was a complicated character, and both she and Angela, in particular, were multi-layered and real feeling which you don't always get with these type of procedural books that focus more on plot than characterization.

If I hadn't previously known, I would never have guessed that this book wasn't originally written in English. The translation was nice and seamless.

Overall, a definite recommend if you like twisty thrillers that keep you constantly guessing. I look forward to reading more from this series.