Hearing babies cry in the fog and seeing shadowy images of young girls in mirrors can be chalked up to skittish nerves and flights of fancy, not ghosts, as far as Thora Gudmundsdottir, single mother and attorney at law is concerned. Her client, Jonas, on the other hand is a true believer and he has promised her an all-expenses-paid indulgent weekend at his New Age resort if she will come and see these supernatural occurrences for herself.

She travels to the newly renovated health resort that was erected on the grounds of an old farmhouse with a bizarre history. Thora barely settles into her posh room when the resort's architect is found murdered. Her body had been bludgeoned, she was raped and pins had been inserted into the souls of her feet. She is but the first victim that will suffer such hideous degradation.

Thora quashes her doubts of the continuing eerie events and delves into the disturbing secrets of the past to discover who is responsible for the macabre killings in this chilling, Icelandic thriller.

From prologue to epilogue, My Soul to Take by Yrsa Sigurdardottir keeps you fastened in your seat!

I admittedly stuttered over the names of most of the characters (well, and the author's too), but forged on because the storyline was so fascinating. She conveys the culture and atmosphere of Iceland with finesse. Her heroine, Thora, has the doggedness of someone I would definitely want in my legal corner if the need ever arose.

This is the second book in the Thora Gudmundsdottir series. Not only will I look out for the next in the series, but seek out the first as well.

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First Line: The child felt the cold creeping up her legs and back, and she tried to sit up straight in the front seat to get a better view.

The body of a young woman is found on the beach of a New Age health resort, and attorney Thóra Gudmundsdóttir is asked to be present when the resort owner is questioned by the police. At first her time away could be considered a bit of a vacation away from the workplace and her children, but the feeling doesn't last long. The entire area is thought to be haunted, and as Thóra searches for the truth, even she can't explain some of the things she witnesses during her investigation. Has local legend gone wild, or is the resort's eery past tied in with the young woman's murder?

Thóra is just the sort of character I wouldn't mind having as a friend, especially with her sense of humor. Her teenage son would be driving many other parents to drink, but Thóra has the knack of understanding that hormone-fueled teens are capable of doing crazy things, and she does an excellent job of remaining on a (more or less) even keel while trying to provide guidance and moral support. She can even see a glint of humor here and there on the horizon.

I like this series, not only for showing me the landscape and weather of Iceland, but also its legends and little known history. The plot moves smoothly and definitely has an eerie edge to it, and Sigurdardóttir has populated it with well-drawn characters. Although you'd be able to read more about Thóra by reading the first book in the series, it's not necessary to do so. My Soul to Take stands alone quite well. I'm really looking forward to reading the next book in the series!

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