The Guilty One

Ebba Tapper #1

by Anna Karolina, Lisa Reinhardt (Translator)

Is he guilty or innocent? Even he doesn’t know…

On the eve of their thirtieth birthday, twins Jasmine and Nicolas Moretti celebrate late into the night. But when Nicolas wakes several hazy hours later, Jasmine is dead—and he is covered in her blood. Panicking, he takes the murder weapon and runs into the cold Stockholm night.

For the police, it’s an open-and-shut case. Nicolas is guilty. And given that he remembers so little of what happened that night, even he isn’t convinced of his innocence.

Emma Tapper, an ex-cop driven to drink by a tragedy she’s devastated she couldn’t prevent, is recruited by defence lawyer Angela Köhler to help with the high-profile Moretti case. While her new boss seems more concerned with winning than discovering the truth, Emma begins investigating the circumstances of the murder.

As she digs into the case, Emma finds herself clashing with former colleagues who are convinced they already know the truth. And the more horrific secrets she unearths, the more her own traumatic past returns to haunt her. She’s not used to working to free a man behind bars, but something tells her Nicolas might be innocent. But if he didn’t do it, who did?

Genres: Crime, Fiction, Mystery, Audiobook, Thriller, Mystery Thriller, Nordic Noir

379 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 19, 2022

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Anna Karolina har arbetat som polis i 15 år och är känd för sina trovärdiga polisiära beskrivningar. 2014 debuterade hon med Stöld av babian, som nominerades till Crimetimes debutantpris och Stora Ljudbokspriset. Hennes böcker har översatts till ett flertal språk.

Reviews

[LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" · Rating 4 out of 5]

My thanks to Amazon Publishing, Thomas and Mercer, Anna Karolina and Netgalley.
I loved this book!
For me? This was a complete mindf@#k!
My thoughts were turning and churning just trying to figure out what the hell was going on. I love that! I'm happy as can be when I am unable to figure stuff out! It's just something that happens so seldom.
I will confess that the open ended finish slightly irked me! But, knowing that this is a series made it more palatable!
The translation was seamless, and I can only hope that there will be many more translations to come!
This is a book that I would recommend.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Guilty One is the first of an intended series by Anna Karolina, with the second book also due to be released this year. Emma Tapper is a former police detective struggling with her demons and sedating the grief with alcohol. She is hired by defence lawyer Angela Köhler, who has her own dark past but needs Emma’s investigative skills in a high-profile murder case. Accused of murdering his twin sister Jasmine, after a drug and alcohol fuelled celebration, the evidence all points to Nicolas Moretti’s guilt. As Emma investigates, she invariably sees her former colleagues, reviving her own traumatic past. With a gentle unfolding narrative, this is more than your average police procedural, with its antihero characters, complex relationships and increasingly despairing darkness. So, a warning the content could be distressing for some readers with the revelations of horrific human behaviour. Whilst not for everyone, this is a superb crime story with a nicely paced nuanced adventure that makes for a four and a half star read rating. With thanks to Amazon Publishing UK and the author, for an uncorrected advanced reader copy for review purposes. As always, the opinions herein are totally my own and freely given.

[Tahera · Rating 4 out of 5]

On the eve of their thirtieth birthday twins Jasmine and Nicolas Moretti spent time together at a pub where Jasmine reminds Nicolas of a clairvoyant's prediction that one of them will die before they hit thirty. Nicolas laughs it off and eventually continue their celebration at Jasmine's condo, getting high on drugs and passing out. Next day, Nicolas wakes up to find himself covered in blood and Jasmine dead with her head almost chopped off!

This thriller definitely had twists and turns in abundance! The reasons for Jasmine's death and the suspects keep changing till the end of the book and even then there is a twist that I didn't see coming. The secrets that are eventually revealed are disturbing and the actual reason for Jasmine's murder even more so!

This is the first book in the Emma Tapper series, an ex-cop who is hired by defence lawyer Angela Kohler to solve the case. It is a Swedish noir that has been translated by Lisa Reinhardt. I felt the book could have done with a few less chapters to make it more taut.

My thanks to NetGalley, the publishers Amazon Publishing UK/Thomas and Mercer and the author for the e-Arc of the book.

[Katerina · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an insane roller coaster! The suspects of the murderer were constantly changing, the motifs were constantly changing, and one couldn't figure out who the murderer was. I figured it when I was about 85% done, but still it was pretty good.

Nicolas has a twin sister, Jasmine, and they spend the evening and night before their 30th birthday together. Jasmine is scared because a clairvoyant told her one of them will die before their 30th birthday. They take drugs and pass out at her apartment. In the morning Nicolas wakes up on the couch to his murdered sister.

Anna is a defense lawyer and she is engaged to defend Nicolas in court. As stylish and ambitious as she is she has her own issues. She hires a great ex-policewoman, Emma Tapper, who is in a constant semi- to full-drunk state through the entirety of the book. Emma's lost her reputation with the police and one cannot tell if what she does and says is helping her case or it's making it worse.

Many social issues are shined upon here, mainly sexual abuse from a family member to a child, but also prostitution, self-harm bordering on suicide, sexual harassment at work towards women, and rape. Also the fact that one's reputation can be destroyed within a minute, thanks to social media and gossip, regardless of their years of hard work. All of the main characters suffered from a mixture of those issues, which made them very real people with inner struggles regardless of their façade.

All in all great read. My only issue was the first about 100 pages the story didn't go smoothly and didn't hype my interest, at a few points I was wondering whether to DNF it. But then it picked up and wrapped up pretty good.

There were undeveloped a few stories, like the relationship between Emma and Simon, the cop, was left in suspense. Another unresolved issue was Emma's drinking. Those might have been left for another Emma Tapper installment, which I'm hoping there will be one, and I can't wait for it.

Thank you, NetGalley and Amazon Publishing.

[Jennie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spännande, suggestiv & fascinerande!

[Johanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

En riktig bladvändare! Spännande karaktärer och bra historia! Läs!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a wiild ride!! It centers on Nicolas, who may or may not have murdered his twin sister while high on drugs and alcohol; and Emma, a disgraced cop who is now working with his defense lawyer. The POVs' switch between the two. The action starts off almost immediately and doesn't let up throughout the book.

Both Nicolas and Emma make some pretty terrible decisions but I found that they both acted like real people in difficult situations, which made me empathetic towards them. The mystery is unique because even Nicolas himself isn't sure what happened, which makes defending him a challenge. There are twists and turns throughout the book, many of which I didn't see coming. The ending was a big surprise that hadn't even crossed my mind!

Overall, I realy liked this book and thought it was a uniqye mystery with a stellar twist. I'd recommend it to those who like mysteries and psychological thrillers. Looking forward to checking out other books by this author. Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Zanna R · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

Hmm. Jag känner mig kluven. Å ena sidan uppskattade jag denna läsning. Den var behaglig och lätt. Perfekt för avkoppling efter en lång dag. Å andra sidan stör jag mig på vissa saker till den grad att jag börjar muttra åt boken.
Varför läggs det så otroligt mycket energi på Ebbas drickande? I nästan varenda scen med henne dricker hon. Och ja - hon är alkoholist och har grava problem, men det behöver inte påpekas exakt hela tiden. Sedan tycker jag att Ebbas kvinnosyn är katastrofal - vilket får mig att tycka illa om henne. Hon är en dömande alkiskärring som bara tycker synd om sig själv.

Trots det så har jag inte kunnat sluta läsa när jag väl börjat. Så något trollbindande har det ju ändå funnits...

[Britt-Marie Kullin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Betyg: 4,5 av 5.

[bokhyllaniskuggan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Det här är inget annat än ännu en håll-käften-bra bok från Anna Karolina. Persongalleriet, drivet, intrigerna, villospåren, SLUTET. Vafan!? Älskart. 4+/5 🫀

[Jennifer Jackson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started out strong but then I felt like it went downhill, it was drug out to long way to long. I wish the ending was just as strong as the beginning.

[Freja Salö · Rating 3 out of 5]

Alltså Katarina Ewerlöf som inläsare ❤️ hon är så sjukt begåvad, hade kunnat höra henne läsa in telefonkatalogen och det hade varit njutbart. Med det sagt var det här en oerhört överbelastad och svulstig deckare där man knöat in allt - alkoholism, psykisk ohälsa, sexuella övergrepp, våld, maktmissbruk, osv osv osv osv. På ett mycket icke-trovärdigt sätt. Emellanåt spännande? Jadå absolut. Men mycket svulstigt. Läste boken av en slump pga blev tipsad av någon som gillade men nej, ingen stor litteratur direkt.

[Anna H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kvinnlig polis (f.d) med alkoholproblem och inte ett fläckfritt förflutet. Med attityd och ensam är stark schablon. Jodå, ni känner igen det om ni läser deckare. Den biten får en svag trea. Men det är en bladvändare, en bok jag tar mig igenom snabbt för att jag verkligen vill läsa bara ett kapitel till. Den biten får såklart en fyra. Och visst kommer jag att läsa mer om ebba när det kommer.

[Anna Debrén Fd Forss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nej men vad? Jag kan inte förmå mig att ge mer än 2*. Det är som att allt måste hända, och alla twister man kommer på ska täckas in, och det blir inte spännande utan platt fall för mig. Ingen av karaktärerna känns äkta. Inte en deckare i min smak tyvärr.

[Nils Liljegren · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bra slut men i övrigt inget som får mig att läsa fler av henne.

[Maria Laru · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eipä oikein vakuuttanut. Sekava tarina ja sekavia ihmisiä tarinassa.

[Paula · Rating 1 out of 5]

The most ridiculous ,silly,dreadful "mystery" I've ever read.How do these things get published?

[Patricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Don't bother

Train wreck after train wreck with these characters. Finished it hoping somehow it would all dovetail into a succinct story. Never did. Won't bother with more.

[Cheryl Wedesweiler · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Guilty One
(Emma Tapper #1)
by
Anna Karolina, Lisa Reinhardt (Translator) from a Swedish book.
Release date-August 19, 2022

Twins Nicolas and Jasmine Moretti have gotten together on the eve of their thirtieth birthday. A fortuneteller had warned Jasmine that she or her brother would die on their actual birthday, so Nicolas says that he will keep Jasmine company until 12:oo PM. She talks him into doing drugs at a local bar, they return to her apartment, they do more drugs, and he falls asleep in her lap.

He awakens in her lap a few hours later, and finds that he is soaked in blood. In a panic, he runs, is found in a park, and charged with murder. He is fortunate when his lawyer hires Emma Tapper to find clues about other suspects.

Emma drinks to deal with a murder that she committed when she was on the police force. That was a year ago, and recently she has broken up with her live in boyfriend. She is amazed that the lawyer, Angela, would even want her to work on the case.

The translation was very good-British English. Since the novel is set in Sweden, there are reviews from Germany, Sweden, Finland, etc. on GOODREADS.COM.
Release date for Emma Tapper #2-December 20, 2022. The author worked in the police force for many years, so she is knowledgeable about police work.

I found the first 12% of the book boring and predictable. When he took drugs, I thought "OH, No! You’re going to be drugged out and not aware of what is going on! This guy will lose it and won’t be responsible for his actions!" When he fled the scene-I thought: "Get the handcuffs already! He is the only one who could be guilty!"

But, I was too quick to judge Nicolas. With Emma Tapper helping out, things are put into question. Although she does have personal issues along with drinking, her insights into the crime are right on target and it is interesting to watch.

I won this in a GOODREADS.COM giveaway.
A GOODREADS.COM group of interest is: “English Translations of Scandinavian/Nordic Mysteries & Thrillers

https://www.goodreads.com/group/join/...
A place to discuss Scandi Crime novels, which includes novels from: Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Denmark. Whether it's Smilia from Peter Hoeg's Smilia's Sense of Snow or Lisbeth Salander from Steig Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon's Tattoo we want to discuss it. Who's your favorite Scandinavian author? Jo Nesbø, Anne Holt, Arnaldur Indriƌason, Yrsa Sigurƌardóttir, Leena Lehtolainen, Harry Nykänen, Jussi Adler-Olsen, Peter Høeg, Stieg Larsson, or Håkan Nesser and many more.”

[Rebecka Nyman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Denna läsning gjorde mig glatt överraskad. Innan funderade jag på hur historien kan fungera på ett bra och spännande sätt i och med blandningen av advokater och poliser. Karolina skriver skickligt och jag dras in i alla spännande delar av historien. Hon får mig på något sätt intresserad av alla karaktärer och deras komplexitet. Detta trots att vissa av dem har personligheter jag sällan uppskattar att karaktärer har, exempelvis huvudpersonen Ebba som har alkoholproblem. Jag anar tidigt ganska många saker men läser gärna snabbt vidare för att ta reda på om det stämmer. 

This read pleasantly surprised me. Karolina writes skillfully and I am drawn into all the exciting parts of the story. She somehow makes me interested in all the characters and their complexities. This despite the fact that some of them have personalities I rarely appreciate that characters have, for example the main character Ebba who has an alcohol problem. I suspect quite a lot of things early on, but I am eager to find out if it is correct.

[Molly Bethoney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dare I say I have a new favorite author and FMC?!

This mystery kept me on my toes and I did not see the ending coming. Twists and turns were everywhere but the characters were strongly developed, the plot was rich and the mystery was addicting. This is a mystery in Sweden and the book is translated, but no line or story was confusing.

A man is accused of killing his twin sister after waking up in her own blood. A long-lost ex-cop who is battling addiction agrees to help a once famous lawyer exonerate him. This storyline was full of secrets, drama and tension. I loved every second!

[Britney · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars!!!

If I could give this book more than 5 stars I would! This book had me so wrapped up I couldn't put it down! So many twists, so many suspects, but only one person could have done it. I was trying to solve this case myself and definitely did not see the ending coming! 10/10 would recommend!

[Anna-marie Chudleigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

Very good really enjoyed it, it had a twist wich i didnt see comimg as always no spoilers didnt want it to end

[Jonas Fridman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Försvararen

[shakila visram · Rating 5 out of 5]

excellent read

Could not put this book down read it in 2 days
Very gripping and a lot of suspense highly recommend this book

[Ana Zorrilla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mycket underhållande bok. Min enda invändning är kanske några detaljer i slutet av boken. Men absolut en bok jag kan rekommendera.

[Tinstamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dieser Kriminalroman hat mich vom Klappentext her angesprochen und deshalb habe ich zugesagt, als mir das Buch als Rezensionsexemplar von ehrlich & anders angeboten wurde.
Außerdem bin ich immer gerne in Schweden unterwegs, auch wenn mir im Thriller und Krimi Genre einige nicht so ganz zusagen, weil die Ermittler meistes kaputte Figuren sind. Leider ist das auch bei "Auf Tod komm raus" der Fall.

Doch zuerst beginnt der Krimi wirklich gut. Die Zwillinge Nicolas und Jasmine Moretti (ein in Österreich geläufiger Name ;) ) feiern gemeinsam Weihnachten und ihren bevorstehenden 30. Geburstag. Die Prophezeiung einer Wahrsagerin, dass einer von ihnen noch davor sterben wird, bereitet den Geschwistern etwas unbehagen. Deshalb wollen die Beiden zusammen bleiben und gegen jede Bedrohung gewappnet sein. Im Pub, in dem sie sich aufhalten, kommt es jedoch zu einer Auseinandersetzung, als sie sich auf der Toilette Kokain reinziehen. Die Geschwister fliehen vor dem betrunkenen und gewalttätigen Gast in Jasmines Wohnung. Dort fühlen sie sich sicher und werfen auch gleich noch weitere Tabletten ein. Als Nicolas erwacht, liegt er auf dem Schoß seiner blutüberströmten Schwester, die während der Nacht brutal ermordet wurde. Warum hat er davon nichts mitbekommen? Oder ist er gar selbst der Täter? Nicolas kann sich an nichts mehr erinnern, nachdem sie die Tabletten eingeworfen haben und flieht...
Sehr weit kommt Nicolas nicht und wird geschnappt. Als ehemaliger Profi-Fußballer vertritt ihn die Staranwältin Angela Köhler. Sie holt sich die ehemalige Polizisten Ebba Tapper dazu, die nach einem gewaltsamen Zwischenfall entlassen wurde. Nun bekommt sie eine zweite Chance und soll in dem spektakulären Moretti-Mord privat ermitteln.

Ich bin gut in die Geschichte eingestiegen. Nicolas ist ein ehemaliger Profi-Fußballer, der durch seinen Drogenkonsum abgestürzt ist und sich nicht erinnern kann, was in dieser Nacht passiert ist. Seiner Verteidigerin öffnet er sich ebenfalls nicht und als Leser ist man unsicher, ob er etwas mit dem Mord zu tun hat oder nicht. Seine Zwillingsschwester Jasmine scheint allerdings auch in zwielichten Kreisen zu verkehren und generell ist die Familie Moretti alles andere als koscher.

Ebba ist die typische skandinavische Ermittlerin. Sie ist Alkoholikerin und nimmt sich jeden Tag aufs Neue vor nicht mehr zu trinken. Ihre Aussetzer machen ihr Angst und dennoch verfällt sie jeden Tag aufs Neue dem Alkohol. Trotzdem hat sie eine gute Spürnase und ist extrem hartnäckig.
Staranwältin Angela Köhler erscheint zuerst seriös, doch mit der Zeit offenbart auch sie Seiten, die mich immer mehr den Kopf schütteln ließen. Das ist einer der Gründe, warum ich nach etwa der Hälfte auch den Krimi nicht mehr richtig ernst nehmen konnte.
Die Protagnisten sind allesamt keine Sympathieträger. Mit der Zeit erkennt man immer mehr Eigenheiten an ihnen, die man sich nicht von Juristen oder Polizisten wünscht. Die Ermittlungen werden immer dubioser und unglaubwürdiger, genauso wie die Handlungen der überschaubaren Figuren.. Unter dem Strich sind praktisch alle Charaktere nicht wirklich normal, sondern psychisch instabil, anderweitig geschädigt oder alkohol- und/oder drogenkrank. Einzig Polizist und Ermittler Simon scheint normal zu sein und hilft Ebba immer wieder aus der Patsche.
Ich mag Figuren mit Ecken und Kanten, aber hier ist es mir zu viel geworden. In "Auf Tod kommt raus" agiert niemand mehr normal oder was man für normal halten kann.

Die Grundstimmung des Krimis ist düster und es liegt viel Verzweiflung und Negatives in der Luft. Die Wahrheit lässt sich nicht greifen, da alle etwas zu verbergen haben.

Die Geschichte ist aber auf jeden Fall interessant konstruiert und spannend. Sie wartet mit einem unerwarteten Ende auf, das ich kurz davor in Erwägung gezogen und somit recht hatte. Der Fall ist gelöst und trotzdem bleibt noch ein kleines bisschen offen, das neugierig auf den nächsten Band macht.

Fazit:
Ein ungewöhnlicher Krimi, der gut beginnt und dann leider ziemlich abflacht. Die Figuren agierten für mich immer unglaubwüdiger und mit der Zeit konnte ich sie nicht mehr richtig ernst nehmen. Trotzdem lässt sich die Handlung spannend lesen und ich hatte nie den Wunsch abzubrechen, da ich wissen wollte, ob Nicolas schuldig ist oder nicht und wie Ebba den Fall lösen wird. Den zweiten Fall werde ich allerdings nicht mehr lesen.

[leesha roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good Read! I liked it!

I was skeptical about reading this because of the language barrier since it is in Swedish but it was good. I was engaged throughout the book. I saw how the author set up characters for the next book so I'm on to the next one!!!!!

[Danice H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book with some super twists, easy to read and a fast paced story.

[Mai Laakso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ruotsalaisen Anna Karolinan Toinen meistä kuolee tänään aloitti uuden rikossarjan, jonka päähenkilö on ex-poliisi Ebba Tapper. Kirjan alussa kaksoset juhlivat jouluaattoa ravintolassa ja jatkoivat juhlintaa toisen asunnolla. Molemmat nukahtivat vahvojen huumeiden tainnuttimina. Herättyään jostakin syystä, Nicolas huomasi siskonsa olevan kuollut.

Poliisit eivät miettineet hetkeäkään, että joku muu voisi olla syyllinen Jasminen kuolemaan, kuin hänen veljensä, jonka kanssa hän vietti viimeiset henkäyksensä. Nicolas sai asianajajakseen tehokkaan oloisen Angela Köhlerin, joka palkkasi tutkijakseen Ebba Tapperin. Ebba oli ajautunut alkoholismin partaalle, joten hän ei pystynyt olemaan päivääkään juomatta. Hoksottimet pysyivät kuitenkin sen verran tarkkoina, että tutkimus eteni vauhdilla eteenpäin.

Anna Karolinan Toinen meistä kuolee tänään vei todella oudoille rikospoluille.