Title: I Will Find the Key

Author: Alex Ahndoril

Genre: Crime/Mystery

Publisher: Zaffre

Publication Date: 7th November 2024

Cover:

Summary:

A man walks into a private investigator’s office, holds up a photograph and says: ‘I want you to find out if I killed this man.’

Private investigator Julia Stark receives an unannounced visit at the office. The man at the door is one of the owners of a successful family business. The day before, he was present at a board meeting and dinner at his estate in the northwestern part of Sweden. The following morning, he finds a photograph in his phone of a bloody man, tied up with a bag over his head.

Due to alcohol-related amnesia, the man has no idea where the picture comes from and wants to hire Stark Detective Agency to clear his name before the police get involved. Julia asks her ex-husband Sidney Mendelson to take time off from the City Police and assist her in the investigation. There is still a glimmer of hope left in Julia that this might be her chance to win him back.

Welcomed as guests at the opulent estate, Julia and Sidney begin to search for the truth while dining and socializing with each of the family members that could theoretically be involved in the murder.

She’s solved every mystery.
But none like this . . .

Review:

I’m a big fan of Lars Kepler’s thrillers so I was keen to read this intriguing murder mystery, Alex Ahndoril being a new pseudonym for the talented authors! This is less dark and gritty than their thrillers and more of a modern take on, and ode to, the golden age of detective fiction. I found I Will Find the Key an enjoyably compelling mystery which I read over just a couple of days. Julia Stark, a private investigator with a sharp intuition but demons of her own, is a satisfyingly layered lead character and one that I’d be keen to learn more about in future instalments as I feel we’ve only really begun to scratch the surface here. There are also a number of rather nasty side characters and suspects, plus an unusual premise which sets up quite a twisted web of lies and intrigue. I had a tricky time trying to work out exactly who was guilty and of what. Overall, I think if you are looking for an Agatha Christie-esque tale with a modern twist then you’re going to enjoy I Will Find the Key. 

Thank you so much to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.

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