by Karin Nordin
SYNOPSIS
The raven cawed at him, craning its neck unnaturally. As it dug its hooked beak into the mess of dried grass and twigs that made up its nest, a shiny glimmer reflected off a low-hanging bulb. Kjeld edged closer to get a better look. It was a human tooth.
Detective Kjeld Nygaard wants nothing more than to forget his family and Varsund, the small mining town he once called home, even exist. But while on suspension after his last case went disastrously wrong, his estranged father Stenar leaves a message on Kjeld’s phone claiming he’s seen a murder.
But with no evidence and Stenar suffering from Alzheimer’s, the local police think he must have imagined it. Kjeld can’t stop himself from investigating what actually happened, and soon discovers a body. But when the police start to suspect Stenar, it’s a race against time to discover the truth before it’s lost forever.
But will uncovering the truth expose family secrets that are best left buried?
REVIEW When Detective Nygaard returns to his rural family home, he finds his father in the later stages of dementia. After being absent from the family for years, his father's mental decline only adds to the tension between the two and also his sister who was left to pick up the pieces after a massive argument tore the family apart.
To complicate matters further, Nygaard's father insists he has seen a murder on the property. Taking into account his current condition, it is unclear whether the detective should be investigating a current or historic crime, or if he saw anything at all.
As the investigation unfolds, a rich family who own the local mining company become involved, and Nygaard tries to uncover the connection they had with his parents up to thirty years earlier. Family history and relationships, local politics and detective Nygaard's own personal demons all play a part in this twisted web of secrets and lies, leading to an unpredictable conclusion.
As a debut novel I was really impressed with Where Ravens Roost. It did have many of the Scandi Noir elements that I love, but wasn't as dark as a lot of these types of novels. The plot focused more on the history and family tensions rather than gory details and murder scenes.
I was a fan of the main character Kjeld Nygaard and thought his back story was really interesting. I would love to read a prequel which explores an incident that was referenced throughout the story and how this situation unfolded. At the same time, there were relationships left open at the end of the story that would be interesting to explore in further instalments. A fantastic start to what should be a promising series!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Karin Nordin has been a compulsive reader of thrilling stories since childhood and discovered her love of Scandinavian crime fiction during summers spent visiting family in Norway and Sweden. She has worked in healthcare and education, including as a pharmacy technician, karate instructor, and an English language teacher for the Dutch military. She completed the Creative Writing MSc from the University of Edinburgh with Distinction in 2019 and also holds an MA in Scandinavian Literary Studies from the University of Amsterdam. Born in ‘The Biggest Little City in the World’ and raised in America’s Rust Belt, she now lives in the Netherlands. Her first novel, Where Ravens Roost, will be published by HQ Digital, an imprint of Harper Collins UK, in 2021.
Thanks to @HQstories, @SianBaldwin and @KNordinAuthor for my slot on the Blog Tour and the opportunity to read and review.
Product format: Paperback
ISBN: 978-0008455521
Pages: 384 pp
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