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The Forbidden Place

Written by: Susanne Jansson
Narrated by: Stephanie Willis
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Publisher's Summary

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 moment, 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.

©2018 Susanne Jansson (P)2018 Hachette Audio

What the critics say

"A novel that bids for more.... [A]n enchanting tale of mires, legends, present, and past.... Susanne Jansson succeeds astoundingly well in her debut. Her portrayals of the inhabitants of this backwater are warm and vivid. The milieu is the most important component when a marsh is at the center. The author writes it so that you can feel the damp air vibrating." (Dast Magazine)

"The Forbidden Place is Susanne Jansson's debut novel and she offers a well-balanced combination of horror, suspense, folklore, and biology.... Susanne Jansson skillfully incorporates this into her story to create a suggestive and cringing atmosphere.... The Forbidden Place is a very interesting and distinctive suspense debut, and it leaves you begging for more." (Johannes Deckarhorna)

"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)

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