Behind Blue Eyes by C.S. Duffy #bookreview #BehindBlueEyes @csduffywriter

The perfect man.
The perfect life.
The only problem is the dead body on the beach.
Investigative reporter Ellie has just given up her life in London to be with the man of her dreams in Sweden when she stumbles across a half decomposed skeleton on Midsummer’s eve.
She’s flung into a murder investigation in a country where she doesn’t speak the language and doesn’t know a soul.
Except Johan.
The love of her life.
Who she is beginning to suspect knows a lot more about the body than he is admitting.
Is he the perfect man, or has Ellie uncovered the perfect crime?

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Hi and welcome to my review of Behind Blue Eyes! Many thanks to Claire Duffy for the e-copy and my sincerest apologies for getting to it only now! Rest assured, I was kicking myself the whole time I was reading it for not reading it sooner!

Back in February I reviewed the first Glasgow Kiss (Dark of Night) instalment and I enjoyed Claire’s writing style and sense of humour a lot so I could not pass up the opportunity to read her latest novel. I’m happy to report that I got exactly what I thought I would get: that wicked sense of humour, despite the rather dark events.

Behind Blue Eyes is the story of Ellie, who is from England and stumbles (quite literally) over a Viking on a beach somewhere and falls madly in love with him. His name is Johan and he’s from Sweden. Before she knows it, she’s leaving her whole life behind to move in with him. In Sweden. Where she knows precisely one person and doesn’t understand much more of the language than “hej”. But she reckons that as a reporter she can work from anywhere, she can learn the language, and she’ll get to know Johan’s friends, she’ll be fine! Except that soon after their arrival at Johan’s friends’ cottage to celebrate Midsummer, she starts feeling like the odd one out. So much so that she needs a break and talks a walk, only to find a dead body who turns out to be someone Johan knew very well…

And so, only a few chapters in, I started to doubt everyone and their goldfish! I suspected everyone of having ulterior motives, except perhaps the other expats with whom Ellie has become acquainted. I loved Ellie as a character, she’s hilarious, and I really wanted her to have a happily ever after with her prince charming but the cynical side of me kept telling me fairy-tales don’t exist and Johan was too good to be true. Part of Ellie fears that too, she thinks he’s keeping secrets so she’s desperate to find out what they are and before she knows it, she’s in over her head.

Behind Blue Eyes is such a fun, quick read! It has everything: a main character you can’t help but root for, murder mystery, intrigue and secrets galore, … Trying to figure out what goes on (behind blue eyes) has never been this much fun! Recommended!