You Will Never Be Found (The High Coast Book Two) by Tove Alsterdal

 

You Will Never Be Found (The High Coast Book Two) by Tove Alsterdal.

Translated by Alice Menzies.

Published 2nd February 2023 by Faber & Faber.

From the cover of the book:

He was locked inside an abandoned house. But he's not the only one . . .

When a dead man is found locked in the basement of an abandoned house, deep in the woods, there is no evidence of what happened beyond his name - scratched into the wall before he died. The regional police can't find anyone who knew him.

But no-one knows the locals like tough, smart, and determined Detective Eira Sjödin. When her expert knowledge of her home town is again called in, she knows one of them must have seen something. Then, a shock: before she can uncover the truth, someone close to her disappears.

Has he fallen victim to the same criminal they've been chasing? And can Eira put the pieces together in time to save him?

***********

When a body is found trapped in the basement of an abandoned house out in the forest, the regional police are baffled. Detective Eira Sjödin's knowledge of the area leads to the body being linked to the recent case of a missing local man, and she is called upon once again to work with the Violent Crime Unit to discover how he came to be there and exactly why he died.

This is a hard case to crack, and there are few leads... until Eira manages to find a connection with a similar case in the eerie mining town of Malmberget. Finally, she is making progress, but when the investigation takes a turn and someone close to her goes missing, it becomes a desperate battle against the clock to find a murderer before it is too late.

You Will Never Be Found is the second instalment of the High Coast series by bestselling Swedish author Tove Alsterdal. I was completely blown away by the first book in this series, We Know You Remember, which now brings Detective Eira Sjödin to English speaking readers through the excellent translations by Alice Menzies - in fact it was my Nordic Noir book of the year for 2022. So I was chomping at the bit to get back to more gritty crime adventures at Eira's side!

This investigation begins with a grisly discovery, and it leads to Eira being seconded to the Violent Crime Unit she worked with in the last book, in order to solve a mystery that eventually led right back to her own family. This has consequences for how Eira thinks and acts in this second book, so for this reason, although this is a stand-alone case, I do recommend that you read the first book before this one - it is outstanding and will really enhance your enjoyment of this book.

Alsterdal is adept at a slow-burn tale that twists with each new discovery, and builds in pace as the truth reveals itself. Eira's special knowledge of the area brings an intriguing edge to the story, as there is always an undercurrent about the history of this part of Sweden, and how this has affected the people who live here. Sins of the past do play a lesser part in this second book, although they are always there to influence the behaviour of the characters. In many ways it is a more reflective story that dwells on change, and how it will shape the future. This is especially true of Eira herself, as she realises that there might be something more beneath why she has returned to her childhood home that goes beyond caring for her fragile mother.

"I long for home.

I seek where'er I go - not for men folk, but the fields where I would stray.

The stones where as a child I used to play."

The landscape is used beautifully to enhance the atmosphere throughout. There is a feeling of otherness and isolation that is very unsettling, which Alsterdal plays on to perfection. The wildness of the sea builds in a delicious sense of danger to the very exciting climax of the story, and the way Alsterdal employs the unstoppable expansion of the mine at Malmberget to set the tone with a hit to that discomfiting spot is superb. 

One of my favourite things about this book is the dynamic between the female characters, especially in terms of multi-generation relationships. Alsterdal examines a wealth of themes around betrayal and abandonment through them, that resound powerfully through every part of the story. I tip my hat to the translator Alice Menzies for her stellar work here.

This book cements Alsterdal as an impressive talent in one of my favoured genres, and I cannot wait to read more from her. If Nordic Noir is your passion too, then I highly recommend that Tove Alsterdal finds her way on to your reading pile in double quick time - you can thank me later...

You Will Never Be Found is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook, and audio formats.

Thank you to Faber & Faber for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review.

About the author:

Tove Alsterdal burst upon the Swedish book scene in 2009 with The Forgotten Dead and is the author of five critically acclaimed stand-alone novels. We Know You Remember, which was named Swedish Crime Novel of the Year and was shortlisted for the country's Book of the Year Award, marks her English language debut.