BOOK TOUR x RANDOM THINGS TOURS: Black as Death by Lilja Sigurdardottir

When the chief suspect in the disappearance of Áróra' s sister is found dead, and Áróra' s new financial investigation leads to the street where her sister was last scene, she is drawn into a shocking case that threatens everything … 

When the fate of Áróra' s missing sister, Isafold, is discovered, Áróra is relieved that she can halt a search that has taken over her life, even if the mystery remains unsolved. But when Isafold' s boyfriend – chief suspect in her disappearance – is found dead in the same place that Isafold' s body was found, Áróra begins to lose her grip on reality.

To distract herself, she dives headfirst into a money-laundering case that her friend Daníel is investigating. But she finds that there is more than meets the eye, and once again, all leads point towards Engihjalli, the street where Isafold lived and died, and a series of shocking secrets that could explain and endanger everything…

 I have been waiting for this book with equal parts excitement and dread. The final instalment in the Áróra investigation series is here, and I am a little bit sad because this has quite easily been one of the most engaging crime noir series of the decade. But damn does it go out with a bang — full of intense, heart-racing stakes, deep plots, a chilling aura and of course, an absolutely amazing leading lady with her supporting cast. 

I’ve fallen quite in love with Áróra over the last few years, and this is her at her most dangerous — pushed to her limits, bordering desperate and ready to do anything to get those she cares about safe again. She pushes the story forward with her distinct voice and thoughtful but deliberate prose, with short, snappy chapters and purposeful first-person flashbacks that give you just enough to want more every single time as we follow the journeys of her and her friends on their final adventure. 

From even a few pages in, we’re caught up on recent events without tedious exposition and already drawn in with the first sucker-punch twist — before they just keep coming in the most clever, diabolical ways moving from a steady suspense that simmers for most of the book to a sudden fever pitch. 

We erratically move between the ensemble, although I was desperate to spend more time with Àróra, it was also so intriguing being fully immersed in the tales of so many people, right until the bitter, heartbreaking end. Amongst the moving cogs of investigation, the emotional turmoil and dark criminal underbelly, this book was also one of the most devastating fictional accounts of how someone can become trapped in violence and abuse and find themselves unable to escape. 

It’s told with such raw emotion, making it definitely not an easy read but a deeply moving one nevertheless. Dark, haunting thrillers with beautiful characters and far too many emotions - this is Lilja at her finest. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

• Black as Death will be available from October 23rd with Orenda Books. Thank you to Random Things Tours and Orenda for inviting me to review this title. 
• Contains content that may be upsetting including graphic depictions of abuse and violence.