I’m excited to welcome you today to my stop on the blog tour for superb Icelandic thriller Cold as Hell by Lilja Sigurðardóttir. Thank you to Anne Cater and Orenda Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this outstanding book.
About the book:
With rights sold in 14 countries, Cold as Hell is the first in the riveting, atmospheric and beautifully plotted five-book series An Áróra Investigation, from one of Iceland’s bestselling crime writers.
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 realizes 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…
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.
Cold as Hell is has been translated into English by Quentin Bates.
My Review:
Cold as Hell is the first in a brand new series by Icelandic crime writer Lilja Sigurðardóttir. Skilfully translated by Quentin Bates it is a gripping thriller with a fast paced and intriguing storyline that keeps you guessing throughout. Introducing fascinating new character Áróra, it brings the cold and remote Icelandic landscape vividly to life as it tells a tale of intrigue and suspense, weaving together a plot that includes the search for a missing person, intricate financial crimes and an insightful look at what it means to be an asylum seeker.
Áróra and Ísafold are like chalk and cheese, sisters by blood but no longer on speaking terms. So when their mother loses contact with Ísafold, Áróra reluctantly returns to Iceland to look for her. But on her arrival she quickly learns that Ísafold isn’t just ignoring their calls, she’s gone missing. And now it’s up to Áróra to find her.
But finding her isn’t going to be easy and it soon becomes apparent to Áróra that she’s going to need assistance. So she enlists the help of policeman Daniel and the pair set out to find out what Ísafold was doing in the lead up to her disappearance, hoping that doing so will shed some light on what’s happened to her. But they soon come to realise that there is much more to Ísafold‘s disappearance than at first meets the eye, with the investigation drawing them deeper and deeper into a dark web of mystery and suspense…
With short, punchy chapters and a fast paced, suspense filled storyline, this is a book I did not want to put down. As the strands of the story begin to come together, the tension becomes almost unbearable as we move forward towards an exhilarating finale that left me feeling breathless and eager for more.
Cold as Hell is a beautifully written, atmospheric novel that draws the reader in from the very first page. There’s an underlying sense of unease throughout that, along with the chilling Icelandic setting, leaves you feeling strangely unsettled as you get deeper into the mystery at the heart of the story. With a strong and varied cast of characters and a protagonist who you can’t help but root for, Lilja Sigurðardóttir has written a brilliant and intelligent thriller that’s Icelandic Noir at its very best. I loved it and can’t wait to get to know even more about Áróra as the series progresses. If this first book in the series is anything to go by we’re in for a real treat!
Cold as Hell is a stylish, complex and superbly plotted crime thriller that I would highly recommend.
Cold as Hell by Lilja Sigurðardóttir is available to purchase now:
Check out what these other fabulous bloggers have to say about this book:
Cal Turner Reviews 
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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