Title:The Invisible Guardian
Author:Dolores Redondo
Series:The Baztan Trilogy, #1
Narrator:Coleen Marlo
Published:March 2016, Brilliance Audio / Atria Books
Length:11 hours 59 minutes / 384 pages
Source:Personal copy via Audible / Netgalley
Already a #1
international bestseller, this tautly written and gripping psychological
thriller forces a police inspector to reluctantly return to her
hometown in Basque Country—a place engulfed in mythology and
superstition—to solve a series of eerie murders.When the naked
body of a teenage girl is found on a riverbank in Basque Country, Spain,
homicide inspector Amaia Salazar must return to the hometown she always
sought to escape. A dark secret from Amaia’s past plagues her with
nightmares, and as her investigation deepens, the old pagan beliefs of
the community threaten to derail her astute detective work. The lines
between mythology and reality begin to blur, and Amaia must discover
whether the crimes are the work of a ritualistic killer or of a mythical
creature known as the Basajaun, the Invisible Guardian.Torn
between the rational procedures of her job and the local superstitions
of a region shaped by the Spanish Inquisition, Amaia fights against the
demons of her past in order to track down a killer on the run.
My thoughts:This is the first book in Dolores Redondo’s Baztan Trilogy and I was attracted to it because it was a police procedural and because it was set in Spain – a setting I haven’t read police procedurals in yet. And I found it to be quite intriguing – plus I loved the bit of mythical lore that‘s thrown in!
I found myself completely engaged in this story – between the mystery of the teenage girls and what is happening to them, the myth of the Basajuan and the forest, and whatever is going on with Amaia’s family – I was hooked! And I loved the way the story was told – history is slowly revealed, about the family, about the village, about the case – it slowly comes together to give you the full picture, but keeps you just on the edge so that you can’t help but stay glued to the story.
I am looking forward to seeing what comes next in this trilogy as a big secret is revealed at the end of this book – a secret that could affect Amaia. I can’t wait to see how she deals with it!
Audio thoughts:This is the first time I’ve listened to Coleen Marlo narrate a book and I thought she did a great job with this book. She was able to give each of the characters their own unique voice and she was spot on with the pacing and even with emotions of the characters as needed.
Books in this trilogy:
- The Invisible Guardian
- The Legacy of the Bones
- Offering to the Storm – not yet published in English
