Sacrifice by S.J. Bolton is a disturbing read, and a definite thriller. There are so many questions based around the ending too, is there something to the stories and history of the population in question? You wonder…
Set in the Shetland Islands, the story centers around some of the legends brought to this area by the Scandinavian settlers many years ago. The starting line is – “The corpse I could cope with, it was the context that threw me”. The story jumps right into the fray when the main character (Tora) is digging a grave for her beloved horse that just passed. In the process she uncovers the body of a young woman and off the story goes. First, discovering her identity and also the discovery that there was a second death of a young woman who may be connected. It is these connections and her husband’s history on the island that lead to a dark, grim story.
This was a mystery book club selection and one that I definitely enjoyed. The one comment we had in common was that the life and atmosphere of the island itself doesn’t come out as well as we would have liked. Although it is a good story and you get something of a sense of the lives of the main characters, the general feel and look of the island and its people doesn’t come through. How Tora, a doctor, came to this island and was trying to fit into the community from which her husband came was interesting though. How the hospital culture worked is different from what we have here in some ways.
This is the first of a series and one I will pursue in the future, as I find time! 🙂 Too many books, not enough time.
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