by Lilja Sigurðardóttir (Translated by: Quentin Bates)
SYNOPSIS
Estranged sisters Áróra and Ísafold live in different countries, and are not on speaking terms. When their mother loses contact with Ísafold, Áróra reluctantly returns to Iceland to look for her. But she soon realises that her sister isn’t avoiding her… she has disappeared, without a trace.
As she confronts Ísafold’s abusive, drug-dealing boyfriend Björn, and begins to probe her sister’s reclusive neighbours – who have their own reasons for staying out of sight – Áróra is drawn into an ever-darker web of intrigue and manipulation.
Baffled by the conflicting details of her sister’s life, and blinded by the shiveringly bright midnight sun of the Icelandic summer, Áróra enlists the help of police officer Daníel, to help her track her sister’s movements, and tail Björn. But she isn’t the only one watching…
REVIEW
Áróra and Ísafold are sisters from mixed heritage - their mother is English and their father is Icelandic. Differences between the two have left their relationship strained and when Ísafold is constantly abused by her boyfriend in Iceland but keeps returning to him, it is always Áróra who has to travel over and pick up the pieces.
When their mother can't get in touch with Ísafold, she insists that Áróra tries to find her, but this time something is different - Ísafold has disappeared without a trace and as Áróra begins to investigate, the search becomes more and more complicated. It becomes clear that tracking her sister may reveal some worrying truths.
I had heard great reviews of Lilja Sigurðardóttir's Reykjavik Noir trilogy, but this was actually the first novel I have read by the author and I have to say that it was a breath of fresh air, completely addictive and original. I loved reading about the cold and bleak landscapes, and the sense of foreboding and darkness came across in abundance despite the continuous midnight sun. Using a mix of characters from both the UK and Iceland made the cultural references even more interesting as it highlighted the differences and even made a feature out of them which I haven't seen before.
The cast of characters is what really made Cold As Hell stand out from other Nordic Noir novels. There was such an interesting and unusual mix of people, (many of whom could have a whole book dedicated to themselves!) including a man who constantly shaves his entire body, an older women who is providing shelter for a refugee and the main protagonist Áróra who works as a private financial investigator. This was a really interesting twist on a typical Nordic Noir thriller, instead of following a detective as they try to solve a crime, Áróra uses the skills she has gained in her job searching for missing money, to try and solve her sister's disappearance. This aspect reminded me a little of the Colter Shaw trilogy by Jeffery Deaver, where the main character works as a reward hunter rather than your typical detective.
Cold As Hell is an emotional and atmospheric missing person story and the intriguing main character Áróra makes some unexpected decisions which took the story in an interesting direction. I was thrilled to find out that this is book 1 of 5 in the Áróra Investigation series, with so many options for how her character can be developed, I can't wait to see what she gets up to next!
GIVEAWAY! Thanks to the lovely Orenda Books I have 1 paperback copy of Cold As Hell to give to one of my readers. If you would like to win a copy, send me a message through my blog with the subject Cold As Hell. UK Only
Closes on 4th November
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurðardóttir was born in the town of Akranes in 1972 and raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland. An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written four crime novels, with Snare, her English debut shortlisting for the CWA International Dagger and hitting bestseller lists worldwide. Trap soon followed suit, with the third in the trilogy Cage winning the Best Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year, and was a Guardian Book of the Year. Lilja’s standalone Betrayal, was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel. The film rights have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California. Lilja is also an award-winning screenwriter in her native Iceland. She lives in Reykjavík with her partner.
Thanks to Anne Cater - @RandomTTours, Lilja Sigurðardóttir - @Lilja1972 and Orenda Books - @OrendaBooks for the opportunity to read and review.
Fiction: Crime / Icelandic Noir / Nordic Noir / Mystery
Publisher: Orenda Books
ISBN: 978-1913193881
Pages: 276pp
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