When Flosi arrives home, he's looking forward to a peaceful dinner with his wife - but that's not going to happen. His house is chaos, everything upended and ransacked and his wide, Gudrun, is nowhere to be seen. The only information he has is a letter from a mysterious foe - confirming his worst nightmare. Gudrun has been taken, and she won't make it back unless Flosi hands over a ransom he can't even imagine finding. He has nowhere to turn - the kidnapper said bad things will happen if he dares to approach the authorities and he doesn't know who he can trust.
Áróra specialises in finding missing things. But she's still grappling with the sudden and unexplainable disappearance of her own sister, the one mystery that she's yet to solve. Along with her friend and detective, Daniel, they can't say no when Flosi finds them and asks for help to rescue his wife.
Now Áróra and co will have to chase down their ghosts before they disappear into the night forever - or risk disappearing with them.
The second instalment in the Áróra Investigation series is an undeniable credit to the Icelandic crime writing community. This book definitely has the power to be read as a standalone novel but I'd always recommend you read anything Lilja writes so it's worth reading it's precursor, Cold As Hell.
Lilja is a powerhouse, a truly formidable writer who has a way of ensnaring her audience and kidnapping them to her own world until the pages run out. The setting in this tale was intense and immersive, creating a rich atmosphere instantly and transporting us to a bitingly cold Icelandic autumn with danger round every corner.
Áróra was a simply stunning character - authentic, relatable and a total wild card. As much as I felt like I got to know her as the chapters went on and formed a connection, I could never predict what she was going to do next and she kept me on my toes until the very end. Her interactions and relationships with the other characters were written flawlessly - so organic and natural in their progression and growth.
As we move through the curiously dark mysteries, waiting to see what clues and secrets are unearthed and how everything happening could possibly be explained, we are left suspended in total anxiety and uncertainty. We aren't sure who to trust or what to believe, everyone is both a potential suspect or a potential victim at the same time - and when all the pieces finally fall into place I was shaken. Lilja makes us expect the unexpected, but also finds ways to explain the unexplainable and create perfect clarity from the messiest, most chaotic of situations.
A deeply compelling read, evocative and emotional - I can't wait to see where this goes next.
About The Author:
An award winning playwright, Lilja has written four crime novels, with Snare, the first in a new series and Lilja’s 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. In 2021, Cold as Hell, the first in the An Áróra Investigation series was published, with Red as Blood to follow in 2022. 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.
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