Someone killed Joakim. His girlfriend Sara and his brother Tobias give radically different accounts of what happened.
Is Sara really in love with the brother or is she in fact a sociopath who won’t stop at anything, as Tobias claims?
The Rival gives us the portraits of two characters at the ends of their ropes: Tobias with his intense love-hate relationship with his family and Sara who has negated her own personality in her struggle to be accepted. When each makes a desperate effort to gain control, nothing turns out the way they planned.
The Rival is a claustrophobic thriller about jealousy, revenge and the consequences of manipulating others.
"I asked myself why I was so spellbound by a novel with a tone so dark that the story offered not even a glimmer of hope. Perhaps because it felt so true to life."
"I was lucky enough to receive an this book and I love mysteries and psychological thrillers, especially the feel Scandinavian ones have. This book ranks right up there with those I've read. It envelops you. Characters are authentic, intense, calculating, and emotional. For the reader who enjoys this sort of work, this is likely an excellent read."
"Overall, The Rival is a great thriller, I recommended it for anyone who likes this genre."
"Gustafsson writes extremely emotional and interesting characters! The Rival is a suspenseful novel, and once you start reading it you will not be able to stop until you turn the last page."
"I was surprised at how quickly I was drawn into such a dark mystery and keep me guessing all the way up to the end and then surprised me even more. I good read and very well written."
"I did not predict the end. It's an interesting engaging read about desperate broken people."
"In a creepy, psychologically thrilling read by author Sandra Gustafsson, The Rival, the reader is introduced to Sara and Tobias./.../ I so enjoyed The Rival. Once I started reading it, I simply could not put it down."
In Mars 2016 The Rival was listed under "Honorable Mentions" in the 3rd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published e-Book Awards Winners.
The books were read by two reading groups, one in London and one in Stockholm. The books were marked according to editing, theme, style and cover.
The winners will be announced on April 1st, 2016.
