You’re Mine Now by Hans Koppel

You’re Mine Now

Anna and Magnus have a happy marriage, but when, in a moment of madness, Anna has a brief fling with Erik, a man she met at a work conference, she lives to regret more than just her infidelity. Erik is a disturbed individual who goes to extreme lengths to get Anna’s attention, including kidnapping her ten-year-old daughter and attacking her mother. Before she knows it, Anna’s life is in the grip of this psychopathic stalker and she must try desperately to escape his clutches before it’s too late…

She’s Never Coming Back was always going to be a tough book to follow. A hard hitting novel, often brutal, terrifying too, it really would take something to match its ferocity and unfortunately I don’t think the author quite managed it with You’re Mine Now. For me, although well written, the story takes a long time to get started, there’s no meat to the first half and then all of a sudden something happens that changes the whole feel of the book – I can’t help think that it should have happened sooner.

The book is heavily reliant on two characters, Erik and Anna. Both very different, emotions are high throughout and they slowly fester until they reach boiling point. For me, Erik is the book’s main character, it’s Erik’s book . He’s incredibly complex and you never really know what you are going to get with him. An interesting backstory I enjoyed the way Koppel teased us with his personality, it was a steady progression, we’d discover a little here, a little there and we’d see his character develop as the story unfolded. There’s no two ways about it Erik is completely unhinged. You always know there’s something sinister lurking below and it’s just a matter of time until he explodes.

Anna on the other hand, although crucial to the story, doesn’t develop as much as Erik, I really wanted more from her. She makes a huge mistake; she knows it’s wrong when she sleeps with Erik. She just can’t help herself. Attracted to the stranger she vows never to do it again but temptation is a fickle monster and she succumbs on numerous occasions.

Apart from Erik, the star of the show for me was Anna’s daughter. She is a magnificent character and I loved every scene she was in. For someone so young, Koppel has given her an incredible personality and the book came alive every time she appeared. I never tired of the nine year old. It was the simple things that Koppel got right with her, the discussion with her mother about borrowing her phone to play games and the immediate infatuation with an attractive stranger, she suddenly thinks she’s so much older! Loved that.

There’s also one passage in the book that made me laugh so much. Where does one go when one has to clean up a murder? Answer – Ikea! A shopping list like no other. I never knew Ikea stocked so much!

You’re Mine Now is a very quick read, for all I’ve said it doesn’t falter, a psychological thriller. It moves along at a frantic pace and just like his other book the narrative is well written. Despite my few misgivings I would definitely not hesitate to read his next book.

Also reviewed on Raven Crime Reads and Write Note Reviews.