by Alex Ahndoril (T. Alice Menzies)
SYNOPSIS
A man walks into a private investigator's office, holds up a photograph and says: 'I want you to find out if I killed this man.'
Private investigator Julia Stark receives an unannounced visit at the office. The man at the door is one of the owners of a successful family business. The day before, he was present at a board meeting and dinner at his estate in the northwestern part of Sweden. The following morning, he finds a photograph in his phone of a bloody man, tied up with a bag over his head. Due to alcohol-related amnesia, the man has no idea where the picture comes from and wants to hire Stark Detective Agency to clear his name before the police get involved. Julia asks her ex-husband Sidney Mendelson to take time off from the City Police and assist her in the investigation. There is still a glimmer of hope left in Julia that this might be her chance to win him back.
Welcomed as guests at the opulent estate, Julia and Sidney begin to search for the truth while dining and socializing with each of the family members that could theoretically be involved in the murder.
She's solved every mystery.
But none like this . . .
REVIEW
I have spent years reading the Joona Linna series by Lars Kepler and even though I knew (based on the blurb) that this book was going to take a different direction, it was still a shock to read a book with such a different style from the same authors. Whereas the Joona Linna books go really dark, I Will Find The Key had more of a Golden-Age sleuth type feel and I loved it. It was such a brilliant mix of classic and contemporary crime - the PI and the Police Detective, the big country house, a limited number of suspects and a seemingly impossible crime to solve, but with the modern twist of the photograph of a murdered man being found on PG's mobile phone. I really enjoyed the writing style and despite having a much lighter storyline, I was still hooked all of the way through and interested to find out what actually happened.
Julia Stark is a fascinating lead character, her back story and subsequent personal and heath issues are truly unique and made me root for her in a way that I haven't felt for a long time. There is just something about her that really draws you in, as I read through the story I was desperately hoping that she would both solve the case and resolve the problems with her ex-husband Sid (who just happens to be the police officer helping her with this perplexing murder mystery).
This was an unusual mystery with an unusual detective duo, plenty of twists and turns and a pretty unlikeable set of suspects. However, they were unlikeable in the best possible way for this type of thriller, as the reader you go back and forth on who you think is responsible and their slightly annoying family dynamic really adds to the tension between them all, building a brilliant picture of realistic family rivalries.
I've heard that this will be Book 1 of a trilogy and I personally can't wait to get back to the Stark Detective Agency to follow another case. I wonder if we'll ever find out more about the 'china dolls' investigation? Maybe a prequel is on the cards too? I can only hope!
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Alex Ahndoril is the pseudonym of Lars Kepler, the 17 million copy bestselling Swedish crime author.
Thanks to Anne Cater - @RandomTTours, Alex Ahndoril and Zaffre Books - @ZaffreBooks for the opportunity to read and review
Fiction: Crime / Scandi Crime / Mystery
Publisher: Zaffre Books
ISBN: 978-1804187289
Pages: 304pp
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