The Forbidden Place, Susanne Jansson
The Forbidden Place, Susanne Jansson
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The Forbidden Place

Author: Susanne Jansson

Narrator: Stephanie Willis

Unabridged: 7 hr 50 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 09/04/2018


Synopsis

In this "bone-chillingly cool crime debut" (Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train), a young biologist studying the remote Swedish wetlands stumbles upon a body -- and finds that if the marsh's secrets can't stay buried, neither can hers . . .

In the remote Swedish wetlands lies Mossmarken: the village on the edge of the mire where, once upon a time, people came to leave offerings to the gods.
Biologist Nathalie came in order to study the peat bogs. But she has a secret: Mossmarken was once her home, a place where terrible things happened. She has returned at last, determined to confront her childhood trauma and find out the truth.
Soon after her arrival, she finds an unconscious man out on the marsh, his pockets filled with gold -- just like the ancient human sacrifices. A grave is dug in the mire, which vanishes a day after. And as the police investigate, the bodies start to surface . . .
Is the mire calling out for sacrifices, as the superstitious locals claim? Or is it an all-too-human evil?
Richly atmospheric and haunting to the last page, Susanne Jansson's stunning debut is a gripping tale of the power of nature to shape our reality, the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of the world, and the terrible consequences they may have. This international sensation will captivate fans of the celebrated suspense fiction of Jane Harper or Tana French.
In the North Swedish wetlands lies Mossmarken: the village on the edge of the mire where, once upon a time, people came to leave offerings to the gods.
Biologist Nathalie has come to the village to study the peat bogs, but she has a secret: Mossmarken was once her home. She has finally returned, determined to confront her childhood trauma and uncover the truth behind the terrible things that happened.
Soon after her arrival, Nathalie finds an unconscious man out on the marsh, his pockets filled with gold - just like the ancient human sacrifices. A grave is dug in the mire, which vanishes a day after. And as the police investigate, the bodies begin to surface . . .
Is the mire calling out for sacrifices, as the superstitious locals claim? Or is it an all-too-human evil?
An international sensation, The Forbidden Place is a gripping tale of the power of nature in shaping our reality; the stories we tell ourselves to make sense of the world and the lasting consequences they may have.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Louise on September 19, 2018

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. In the remote Swedish wetlands lies Mossmarkens: the village on the edge of the mire where, once upon a time, people came to leave offerings to the gods. Biologist Natalie came to study the peat bogs. But she has a secret: Mossmarken,was once her home, a place where terrib......more

Goodreads review by Maria on June 04, 2018

Os fãs de Dolores Redondo e Paula Hawkins vão adorar O Pântano dos Sacrifícios. Reunindo mitologia com uma dose q.b. de mistério, a nova aposta da Topseller que foi um dos livros mais disputados na Feira do Livro de Londres de 2017, revela ser uma excelente e viciante leitura abarcando os mais varia......more

Goodreads review by Lost In My Own World Of Books on July 31, 2018

Um livro diferente do que estou acostumada a ler mas muito bom, sem dúvida. Fala de sacrifícios humanos em troca de oferendas por “parte da natureza”. É um tema muito original e que remete a passados de certas povoações. Para além de tudo isto vem recheado de mistérios sobre os assassinatos que deco......more

Goodreads review by Renata on September 10, 2024

Visiškai visiškai mano kūrinys. Labiausiai papirko savo tamsuma, niūrumu ir kylančia įtampa. Čia nėra tyškančių kraujų, bet už tat čia yra vaizdingi skandinaviški gamtos aprašymai- tarsi pats eitum knygos puslapiais kaip per pelkę klampiais takeliais viešpataujant prieblandai, ir kai tave išgąsdina......more

Goodreads review by 8stitches 9lives on September 20, 2018

'The Forbidden Place' is Susanne Jansson's debut novel, and it's an intriguing one at that! The premise is highly original and had me excited to get started reading. The setting is the most prominent character is this novel, the village of Mossmarken, in the remote Swedish wetlands is is one of the......more


Quotes

"A bone-chillingly cool crime debut."—Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

"The atmosphere is what makes me fall, head over heels: a lonely woman who rents out her city apartment and heads out into the wilderness. [...] Susanne Jansson skillfully builds mounting uncertainty. Is there something supernatural out there, in the mire? Or is there a person using the superstition for their own purposes? Does Nathalie have more reasons for coming to the marsh than she lets on? [...] The Forbidden Place is one of the best and most complete debut novels I've ever read."—Dagens Nyheter

"The Forbidden Place by Susanne Jansson has captivated and fascinated me. I have devoured this debut novel packed with psychological suspense and forces of nature in one sitting. [...] The milieu that Susanne Jansson portrays is astounding and the language with which she does so couldn't be more beautiful. [...] Simply magnificent!"—SR 3 Saarlandwelle

"The best book out there right now. [...] Debut writer Susanne Jansson is an easter gift to all nature-loving suspense fans. [...] What is buried in the peat bog does not decompose. It does not come to rest. But how do you satisfy the hunger of the dead? We wonder, feverishly turning the pages, and along the way we become experts in wetlands. And when The Forbidden Place has dug deep enough through the mysteries, we finally get our answers."—M Magasin

"THE FORBIDDEN PLACE is a slow-boiling novel that combines elements of classic and modern mysteries with discussions of such disparate topics as quantum physics anomalies, ancient mysticism, legends and religion...Jansson (skillfully translated by Rachel Willson-Broyles) has given us a first work that sits solidly in the mystery genre but blurs the lines around its edges...thought-provoking."—Book Reporter

"This debut hits on some of the same themes of nature, legend, and isolated village creepiness as Paula Hawkins' Into the Water."Booklist

"Can a suspense novel about a misty bog be thrilling? Hardly, you might think. But then you'd be wrong. Because with her debut novel Susanne Jansson writes herself into the tradition of distinguished Swedish crime writers, who we hope to hear more from."—Nordjyske Stiftstidene

"The Forbidden Place navigates both the horror and suspense genres...All in all this is a well-written and refreshing debut."—Skanska Dagbladet

"The mysterious and mighty natural world plays a big part in Susanne Jansson's debut suspense novel. [...] The book's strength is the suggestive atmosphere and the depictions of the forces of nature."—Göteborgs-posten

"Susanne Jansson's debut novel is thrilling, at times both creepy and frightening. [...] This book had shivers sent down my spine."—Nya Wermlands Tidning