“A Nearly Normal Family” by M.T. Edvardsson

How far would you go to protect your loved ones?

Legal thrillers are without a doubt one of my favourite genres. And this one didn't disappoint.

Divided into three sections, the story is told through different perspectives - the father's, the daughter's, and the mother's - which makes it different to other thrillers.

The gist of the story is this: the body of a thirty two  year-old man is found at a school's playground, and eighteen year-old Stella Sandell stands accused of his brutal murder. The book takes us through the days after the murder and Stella's trial, but also through the years leading up to this moment - all of it seen through the lens of each of the three main characters.

 This is a page-turning thriller that poses a very important question - how far would you go to protect your loved ones? "I would do anything" may seem to be the most likely answer, however, it's not as simple as it seems. By dividing the story into three sections and using a first person narrative on each one, the author does a great job in showing how a father, a mother, and their daughter go through key moments in their lives, and how the values of each of them and their strength as a family are put to the test.