As autumn deepens into darkness in Lidingö, on the Stockholm archipelago, the island is plunged into chaos: in the space of a week, two teenaged boys are murdered. Their bodies are left deep in the forest, dressed in white tunics with crowns of candles on their heads, like offerings to Saint Lucia.
As they dig deeper, it becomes clear that a wind of vengeance is blowing through the archipelago, unearthing secrets that are as scandalous as they are inhuman.
But what if the victims weren’t who they seemed? What if those long silenced have finally found a way to strike back?
How far would they go to make their tormentors pay?
And you – how far would you go?
Scars of Silence by Johana Gustawsson is published by Orenda Books on 20 November 2025 and is translated by David Warriner. This is volume two of the Lidingö Mysteries. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour
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Whilst Scars of Silence is volume two of the Lidingö Mysteries, it can certainly be read as a stand alone story. Johana Gustawsson excels in providing enough back story that compliments the current plot.
There’s something wonderfully deceptive about Johana Gustawsson’s writing. You open one of her books expecting a solid crime thriller, and before you know it, she’s wrapped you in something far deeper, darker, and more emotionally charged than you ever anticipated. Scars of Silence is exactly that sort of novel; richly atmospheric, beautifully written, and absolutely impossible to put down.
Set on the island of Lidingö, the story gives off that unmistakable Nordic chill, the kind that creeps under your skin slowly. The author’s sense of place is extraordinary; you feel the darkness settling in, the quiet roads, the brooding forests. The novel is steeped in mood, and she uses that mood to full effect as the island reels from a pair of shocking, ritualistic murders.
In steps Maïa Rehn, a former police commissioner who has escaped Paris carrying more than her suitcase. She is such a wonderfully drawn character; damaged yet determined, thoughtful, and deeply human. Her partnership with Aleksander Storm is handled with subtlety, never overshadowing the heart of the mystery.
And, crikey, what a mystery it is. The author peels back the layers slowly, compassionately, and with a fierce sense of justice. She never sensationalises and writes with empathy for the people at the centre of the darkness. Those people have been forgotten, ignored, or silenced. She also asks uncomfortable questions about vengeance, truth, and the cost of looking the other way.
This is Nordic noir at its finest: atmospheric, thoughtful, and utterly compelling. Johana Gustawsson has a rare ability to make you feel the cold while she warms your heart with characters who stay with you long after you’ve turned the last page. Scars of Silence is chilling, yes, but also deeply moving, and told with a tenderness that makes it all the more powerful.
David Warriner's translation skills are wonderful, he seems to really understand this author, and brings her words to her English speaking fans magnificently.
A gripping, beautifully crafted novel that once again shows why Johana Gustawsson is in a league of her own.
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Nordic and British crime fiction. Growing up in deepest Yorkshire, he developed incurable Francophilia at an early age. Emerging from Oxford with a Modern Languages degree he narrowly escaped the graduate rat race by hopping on a plane to Canada – and never looked back. More than a decade into a high-powered commercial translation career, he listened to his heart and turned his hand to the delicate art of literary translation.
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