‘You’re Mine Now’ by Hans Koppel

Published by Sphere,
9 January 2014.
ISBN: 978-0-7515-5118-1

On a business weekend, Anna slept with Erik.  Now she can’t make him understand that it was just a fling ... and she’d be even more afraid if she knew that he’s already a killer.

This reversal of Fatal Attraction is every cheating wife’s nightmare.  Anna is everywoman, with a husband who wants a new car instead of the sensible new roof, a supportive mother, and a pre-teen daughter who’s reaching the converse-by-grunts stage.  Her job as a newspaper editor is perhaps more glamorous than yours or mine.  The ordinariness of her life draws you into the story straight away: office deadlines, school runs, grocery shops.  You sympathise with her as she attempts to hide her stupid fling from her husband, and fear for her as it becomes clear just how mad Erik is – we saw him killing his mother in the opening pages of the book.  The dialogue is realistic and readable, description’s kept to a minimum and the situation escalates quickly, making you keep turning the pages to find out how she’s going to deal with each new approach – how can you force a man to leave you alone when he’s determined that you’re made for each other?  In retrospect, some of the characterisation wasn’t quite plausible, but at the time you just want to keep going.

An excellent read for a journey – a real page-turner that will take your mind off airport horrors

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Reviewer: Marsali Taylor

 Hans Koppel is a pseudonym for an established Swedish author, Petter Lidbeck, who was born in 1964 and lives in Stockholm.

Marsali Taylor grew up near Edinburgh, and came to Shetland as a newly-qualified teacher. She is currently a part-time teacher on Shetland's scenic west side, living with her husband and two Shetland ponies. Marsali is a qualified STGA tourist-guide who is fascinated by history, and has published plays in Shetland's distinctive dialect, as well as a history of women's suffrage in Shetland. She's also a keen sailor who enjoys exploring in her own 8m yacht, and an active member of her local drama group.  Marsali also does a regular monthly column for the Mystery People e-zine.