Tora Hamilton er læge, nygift og netop flyttet til de afsidesliggende Shetlandsøer. En blæsende og regnfuld eftermiddag gør hun et frygteligt fund. Liget af en ung kvinde er blevet begravet på Toras mark. Kvindens bryst er blevet åbnet og hjertet brutalt fjernet.

Tora er overbevist om, at forbrydelsen har udspring i nogle ældgamle legender, og snart opdager hun, at flere kvinder har lidt en lignende uhyggelig skæbne. Der er tilsyneladende noget helt galt på de smukke og forblæste øer.

Snart tyder meget på, at både politiet, Toras chef og selv hendes ægtemand, Duncan, vil gå meget langt for at forhindre hende i at grave dybere i sagen. Og pludselig er Toras liv i fare...

***** Grusomt god krimi, Marie Louise Toksvig, Ekstra Bladet

Fremragende, forfærdende og foruroligende thriller 5***** Jan Vandall, MetroXpress

Blændende og mesterlig krimi - én af årets bedste, Britta Voergaard Poulsen, Litteratursiden

Et af de mest originale plots (...) i mange, mange år. Finn Hansen, KrimiCirklen

En af de mest velkonstruerede krimier, jeg har haft mellem hænderne i lang tid. Beth Høst, Farum Avis

Læs uddrag fra de mange andre flotte anmeldelser af Offer:

Splendidly crafted, deeply disturbing first novel . . . This debut novel will deservedly be a bestseller.The Times

A really creepy plot based on one of the Shetland Islands’ nastier legends . . . The combination of folklore and forensics works well, and the story grabs from the very beginning and holds on tight.Literary Review

A dazzling debut in thriller-writing: fast paced, gripping and full of atmosphere.Classic Fm

This eerie tale had me so hooked I was reading it through the night . . . brilliantly written and carefully crafted.Peterborough Evening Telegraph

This slick, fast-moving thriller has a cracking opening scene and goes on to develop into a gripping story of intrigue and adventure. Tora Hamilton, living in the Shetland Islands with her enigmatic, often absent husband, discovers a body in a peat bog on her land. Determined to prove the dead woman’s identity, Tora learns about ancient runes and legends, uncovering long-hidden secrets and evidence of corruption in high places. An interesting and skilful debut. Margaret Yorke

Sacrifice is a real find. The Shetland setting is beautifully evoked, the complex plot is adroitly handled, and - best of all - S.J. Bolton has created an entirely believable and different heroine. At the heart of the book is Tora Hamilton, a contemporary woman absorbing the pressures of career and relationships, strong-minded - indeed bloody-minded a lot of the time. Her honesty and awareness of her own failings make her a mesmerising character to follow through the dark corridors of the sometimes gruesome story. I very much look forward to S.J. Bolton's next book.Simon Brett, crime writer

Sacrifice belongs firmly in that specialist category "spooky crime" and could best be described as CSI-meets-The Wicker Man. The setting is the wild and lonely Shetland Islands, an ancient Norse legend is involved and there is enough forensic pathology, both animal and human, to keep fans of Patricia Cornwell happy . . . Sharon Bolton grabs the reigns and steers it home by cranking up the suspense with a skill which is remarkable for a first novel.Birmingham Post

Fairy legends associated with island races are fascinating – and none more so than the Kunal Trows of the Shetlands . . . Sharon Bolton has hit the ground running in this debut novel.Nottingham Evening Post

Part forensic thriller, part medical thriller, Sacrifice combines both elements to great effect in this atmospheric and original debut. S J Bolton is one to watch.Simon Beckett

Inspired by an eerie ancient legend...a chilling, mesmerizing debut thriller.Tess Gerritsen

Sacrifice is an intense, fast paced thriller with numerous wonderful twists and turns that confound the reader throughout.Crimesquad.com

Some authors start their careers on a slow note: Sharon Bolton hits the ground running. How long does it take to realise this is one of the good ones? On page two, I had an idea that S. J. Bolton could plot. And she can, like the best . . . Sacrifice makes a great start to 2008. Shotsmag

"...scary late night reading and riveting stuff. The plot twists and turns like a snake trying to wriggle free, only at the very end does the author enlighten us as to the exact details of the gruesome truth . . . This is an unmissable, un-put-downable debut novel from S J Bolton . . . I haven’t seen this level of talent in a new writer for some years – it’s bloody brilliant. The Truth About Books

This novel is a page turner for which I sought the end vigorously, written in the first person with a jaunty, swift style. It’s a Crime

Based on an eerie Shetland legend, Sacrifice is a sinister forensic chiller with a race against time to solve a heinous crime. Great debut novel.Betty Bookmark

"A striking work of fiction. The tension surpasses most novels of the same genre." - Terje Stemland - Aftenposten

"A nerve-racking crime novel with the potential to become a bestseller." - Stavanger Aftenblad

"Charmingly exotic and extremely creepy. Sacrifice is a satisfying mixture of mysticism and unethical medical business. The reader is served a formula 1 thriller - one of the best of its kind" - Bergens Tidende

"A thrilling plot, a real page turner. The characters are vivid and interesting. The descriptions of the nature of Shetland is a joy to read." - Varden "Intense and horrifyingly exciting" - Gudbrandsdøl dagningen