Cold as Hell
The breakout bestseller, first in the addictive An Áróra Investigation series
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4.0 • 142 Ratings
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
Áróra returns to Iceland when her estranged sister goes missing, and her search leads to places she could never have imagined. A chilling, tense thriller – FIRST in an addictive, nerve-shattering new series – from one of Iceland's bestselling authors…
'Icelandic crime writing at its finest … immersive and unnerving' Shari Lapena
'Best-selling Icelandic crime-writer Sigurðardóttir has built a formidable reputation with just four novels, but here she introduces a new protagonist who is set to cement her legacy' Daily Mail
'Another bleak, unpredictable classic' Metro
**Winner: Best Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year**
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Icelandic sisters Áróra and Ísafold live in different countries and aren't on speaking terms, but when their mother loses contact with Ísafold, Áróra reluctantly returns to Iceland to find her sister. But she soon realises that her sister isn't avoiding her … she has disappeared, without 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 led 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, as she tries to track her sister's movements, and begins to tail Björn – but she isn't the only one watching…
Slick, tense, atmospheric and superbly plotted, Cold as Hell marks the start of a riveting, addictive new series from one of Iceland's bestselling crime writers.
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'Lilja Sigurðardóttir doesn't write cookie-cutter crime novels. She is aware that "the fundamentals of existence are totally incomprehensible and chaotic": anything can and does happen … Isn't that what all crime writers should aim for?' The Times
'Lilja is a standout voice in Icelandic Noir, and this book does not disappoint … Cold as Hell is her best yet' James Oswald
'Domestic abuse, high-finance hanky-panky, and illegal immigration all figure in this arresting series launch … sure to please Scandi noir fans' Publishers Weekly
'So atmospheric' Crime Monthly
'Intricate, enthralling and very moving – a wonderful crime novel' William Ryan
'Three things we love about Cold as Hell: Iceland's unrelenting midnight sun; the gritty Nordic murder mystery; the peculiar and bewitching characters' Apple Books
'Lilja Sigurðardóttir just gets better and better … Áróra is a wonderful character: unique, passionate, unpredictable and very real' Michael Ridpath
Praise for Lilja Sigurðardóttir
'Smart writing with a strongly beating heart' Big Issue
'Tough, uncompromising and unsettling' Val McDermid
'Tense and pacey' Guardian
'Deftly plotted' Financial Times
'An emotional suspense rollercoaster' Alexandra Sokoloff
'Tense, edgy and delivering more than a few unexpected twists and turns' Sunday Times
'The intricate plot is breathtakingly original, with many twists and turns you never see coming. Thriller of the year' New York Journal of Books
'Taut, gritty and thoroughly absorbing' Booklist
'A stunning addition to the icy-cold crime genre' Foreword Reviews
For fans of Katrine Engberg, Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir, Arne Dahl and Sarah Vaughan
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
A murder mystery set beneath Iceland’s unrelenting midnight sun, this gritty novel from Lilja Sigurðardóttir is the ultimate Nordic noir. Maverick financial whiz Áróra has always had a strained relationship with her troubled sister, Ísafold. But she never expected Ísafold to vanish into thin air. Utterly determined, Áróra digs into the mystery herself, and we were riveted every strange, dark step of the way. From a scammy businessman to an abusive ex to a man secretly harboring a refugee in his Reykjavík apartment, every peculiar and questionable character Áróra encountered in her investigation left us feeling even more suspicious than the last. Sigurðardóttir is masterful at painting a profound psychological portrait of her characters, to the point where their crisscrossing desires and neuroses weave a bewitching web of intrigue. The sun may never set in Cold As Hell, but everyone in this thriller is definitely a little shady.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Domestic abuse, high-finance hanky-panky, and illegal immigration all figure in this arresting series launch from Sigurdardottír (the Reykjavík Noir trilogy). Áróra, a half-Icelandic financial investigator living in the U.K., has already rescued her older sister, Ísafold, from the sister's abusive boyfriend, Reykjavík drug dealer Björn, too many times when their English mother begs Áróra to find Ísafold, who's disappeared. Áróra returns to Iceland, where she soon gets sidetracked bugging the hotel bedroom of Hákon Hauksson, a smooth big-time swindler, in an effort to locate his ill-gotten stash. Meanwhile, Grímur, a weirdo living downstairs from Björn, has his own plan for Björn, which involves Omar, an undocumented refugee hiding out with a gullible middle-aged widow. At her mother's suggestion, Áróra enlists Daniel Hansson, a police detective who was once married to her aunt, to help search for Ísafold. Intriguing characters and strong local color compensate for the somewhat flat ending that sets up the sequel. This scathing exposure of greed and betrayal is sure to please Scandi noir fans.
Customer Reviews
Smoldering Icy Hot Mystery
There is so much going on here and all of it gels into a compelling, unusual story.