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Book Summary and Reviews of Marked for Life by Emelie Schepp

Marked for Life by Emelie Schepp

Marked for Life

by Emelie Schepp

  • Critics' Consensus (3):
  • Published:
  • Jun 2016, 384 pages
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About this book

Book Summary

International bestselling author Emelie Schepp introduces us to the enigmatic, unforgettable Jana Berzelius in this first novel of a suspenseful, chilling trilogy.

When a high-ranking head of the migration board is found shot to death in his living room, there is no shortage of suspects, including his wife. But no one expects to find mysterious, child-size fingerprints in this childless home. 

Public prosecutor Jana Berzelius steps in to lead the investigation. Young and brilliant but emotionally cold, Berzelius, like her famous prosecutor father, won't be swayed by the hysterical widow or intimidated by the threatening letters the victim had tried to hide. She is steely, aloof, impenetrable. That is, until the boy… 

A few days later on a nearby deserted shoreline, the body of a derelict preteen is discovered, and with him, the murder weapon that killed the official. Berzelius finds herself drawn more deeply into the case when, as she attends the boy's autopsy, she recognizes something familiar on his small, scarred, drug-riddled body. Cut deep into his flesh are initials that scream child trafficking and trigger in her a flash of memory from her own dark childhood. Her connection to this boy has been carved with deliberation and malice that penetrate to her very core. 

Now, to protect her own horrific but hidden past, she must find the real suspect behind these murders before the police do. 

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Reviews

Media Reviews

"Starred Review. Schepp couples an insightful look at the personal and professional lives of her characters with an unflinching multilayered plot loaded with surprises. " - Publishers Weekly

"A fast-paced thriller with a good blend of police procedure, the draw of a ninja-strong female lead, and enough adrenaline to make a good night's sleep a near impossibility." - Booklist

"This debut novel captivates the reader from the first moment and is impossible to put down." - Detective Magazine

"Emelie Schepp's plot complexity is worthy of a Nesbø or Kepler." - DAST Magazine (Sweden)

"One of the best crime novels I have ever read!" - Anna Jansson, bestselling Nordic author of Killer's Island

"Captures you from the first page and never lets go. Gradually, layer after layer of human evil is revealed. An impressive debut! " - Bestselling Nordic authors Cilla and Rolf Börjlind

This information about Marked for Life was first featured in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.

Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.

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Author Information

Emelie Schepp

Emelie Schepp is a Swedish author who has written two feature screenplays and published two crime novels, and White Tracks, and is at work on a third. Her debut, Marked For Life has now sold over 110,000 copies. Her second novel, White Tracks, was published in May 2015 and has long topped the sales charts. Emelie is a married mother of two children.

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