Black as Death by Lilja Sigurðardøttir (translated by Lorenza Garcia)

Today's my stop on the blog tour for Black as Death, The last in the An Áróra Investigation series, by Lilja Sigurðardóttir, translated into English by Lorenza Garcia. Because I wasn't organised enough to have written this early and scheduled the post, I'm writing this from a sun lounger in Tenerife! It's a hard life! Normal service will resume next week. Big thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and to the publisher for my review copy.

 

The Blurb

The haunting final chapter to an award-winning series…
And a final reckoning…

With the fate of her missing sister, Ísafold, finally uncovered, Áróra feels a fragile relief as the search that consumed her life draws to a close. But when Ísafold’s boyfriend – the prime suspect in her disappearance – is found dead at the same site where Ísafold’s body was discovered, Áróra’s grip on reality starts to unravel … and the mystery remains far from solved.

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

Black as Death is published in the UK by Orenda Books and will be out on 23rd October this year.

My Review

This is the last in the An Áróra Investigation series and the overarching storyline told across the books reaches its conclusion here. But whilst you'll have a richer reading experience if you've read the books in order, don't worry if you haven't as all the information you'll need is here. And this book has its own mystery for Áróra (with a little help from boyfriend Daniel) to get her teeth into.

Áróra is such an interesting character. It's taken her a while to feel.more settled in Iceland despite her Icelandic heritage via her father. She's dogged, determined and able to handle herself. Finding out that the case of her sister Ísafold isn't what she or the police had thought throws her off balance and she revisits people and places connected to Ísafold, despite Daniel's warnings. But he does distract her a little with the case he is investigating. Her speciality is financial crime, and there is definitely something afoot at coffeehouse chain Kaffikó.

Daniel is a lovely character, gentle and kind, and whilst he struggles sometimes to know where he is with Áróra, he provides the calm she needs. And I was delighted to see that Lady Gúgúlú, Daniel's former lodger, is back for a visit. Helena has a new trainee and all  these characters, and the more minor ones, are all really well written.

I must confess I wasn't entirely happy with the ending as I wanted something different for Áróra. But the ending Lilja has written totally fits her character - it's just mr.

Considering this is as much about do with financial crime as about Isafold's case it maybe surprising there is a fair bit of violence here. It's tense and exciting. Black as Death is a great story bringing to a conclusion a mystery spanning five books, as well as the one contained just in this novel. I will miss Áróra but excited to see what comes next from author Lilja Sigurðardóttir.

The Author

Icelandic crime writer Lilja Sigurðardóttir was born in the  of Akranes in 1972 and raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland. An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written eleven crime novels, including Snare, Trap and Cage, making up the Reykjavík Noir trilogy, and her standalone thriller Betrayal, all of which have hit bestseller lists worldwide. Snare was longlisted for the CWA International Dagger, Cage won Best Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year and was a Guardian Book of the Year, and Betrayal was shortlisted for the prestigious Glass Key Award and won Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year. The film rights for the Reykjavík Noir trilogy have been bought by Glassriver. Cold as Hell, the first book in the An Áróra Investigation series, was published in the UK in 2021 and was followed by Red as Blood, White as Snow and Dark as Night. TV rights to the series have been bought by Studio Zentral in Germany. Lilja lives in Reykjavik with her partner and a brood of chickens. 

Deadman's Pool by Kate Rhodes

I'm delighted to share my review of Deadman's Pool by Kate Rhodes as part of the blog tour. Big thanks to Anne Cater for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy. 

Kate is a new author to me and I raced through this. 

The Blurb

The islands’ secrets run deeper than the sea…

Winter storms lash the Isles of Scilly, when DI Ben Kitto ferries the islands’ priest to St Helen’s. Father Michael intends to live as a pilgrim in the ruins of an ancient church on the uninhabited island, but an ugly secret is buried among the rocks. Digging frantically in the sand, Ben’s dog, Shadow, unearths the emaciated remains of a young woman. The discovery chills Ben to the core. The victim is Vietnamese, with no clear link to the community – and her killer has made sure that no one will find her easily.

The storm intensifies as the investigation gathers pace. Soon Scilly is cut off by bad weather, with no help available from the mainland. Ben is certain the killer is hiding in plain sight. He knows they are waiting to kill again - and at unimaginable costs.

My Review

This was my first book by this author and I read it in two days. The discovery of a dead body on an uninhabited island opens a murder inquiry but Ben and his team soon find there is more to it than that, and it becomes a race against time which pushes Ben to his limits.

Scilly is an area I knew nothing about until I read this book so that was a plus point straight away. Ben travelling to work on a boat and sailing between the islands was great, as were the descriptions of the individual islands, the desolute beauty of some of them, and the weather battering all the islands and the residents on the inhabited ones. There is just a small police team, a close knit group, with the exception of Ben's boss who seems to loathe his DI, which I didn't understand. The rest of his team, though, look up to Ben and all work well together playing to their respective strengths. 

I liked Ben. He's a nice, straight up guy who loves his family, his dog, his job and his islands. It was nice to have a straightforward police person as a main character, no drink or drug problem, no dodgy ex, etc. Just a loving, supportive wife and a baby son. He is well drawn, and we can see he is a man full of good and integrity. It doesn't mean, though, that he doesn't make the occasional unwise, rash decision! 

Alongside the police investigation we hear another point of view, that of a young woman who fears for her life and that of her family. It was great to have this alongside the main storyline and to learn her significance as the book progresses. The denouement is exciting and full of tension with the occasional heartstopping moment. I really enjoyed Deadman's Pool and look forward to reading more in this series. 

The Author

Kate Rhodes is an acclaimed crime novelist and an award-winning poet, selected for Val McDermid’s New Blood panel at Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival for her debut, Crossbones Yard. She has been nominated twice for the prestigious CWA Dagger in the Library award, and is one of the founders of the Killer Women writing group. She lives in Cambridge with her husband, the writer and film-maker Dave Pescod, and visited the Scilly Isles every year as a child, which gave her the idea for the critically acclaimed Isles of Scilly Mysteries series.

The Caller by Chris Carter

Well, we're up to book eight in our Chris Carter blogathon, as it's another delve into the dark. You really don't want to answer the phone to The Caller! Many thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers for inviting me into the tour. I read from my own bought copy of the book. 

The Blurb

Be careful before answering your next call. It could be the beginning of your worst nightmare.

After a tough week, Tanya Kaitlin is looking forward to a relaxing night in, but as she steps out of her shower, she hears her phone ring. The video call request comes from her best friend, Karen Ward. Tanya takes the call and the nightmare begins.

Detectives Robert Hunter and Carlos Garcia are thrown into a rollercoaster of evil, chasing a predator who scouts the streets and social media networks for victims, taunting them with secret messages and feeding on their fear.

 

My Review

Eight books in and I'm still standing! I will admit, though, that I mainly read these books in the daytime, and will only read them in the evening if someone else is in the house. They're great books, but they are very graphic and pretty terrifying - and I scare easy! 

Chris Carter's imagination is something else! A brand new villain, and some brand new methods of murder! Whilst the crimes committed in these books are undeniably utterly terrifying, they are also hugely creative, and I admire that. 

In The Caller, every crime that the perpetrator commits has a terrible, life changing effect on two people, rather than just his obvious victim. And he leaves no evidence. At all. Hunter and Garcia keep reaching dead ends as they can find no obvious connection between the victims, nor any clear motive for the crimes, and his methods change every time. The crimes, as in previous books by this author, are very, very dark. They are also graphic. This is not a book for everyone. I like my crime dark but there were parts of this book that were a bit too much for me, and I had to skip a few paragraphs. 

But I love Robert Hunter, and find him fascinating. I also like his relationship with his partner Carlos - it provides a few much needed lighter moments. But their trust in each other is lovely to see, and his much Carlos has grown through this series, how much he's learned, is great. There is quite a lot of 'technical' stuff, science and psychology, but I found it all fascinating. And it's never presented in a boring way. 

I'm not going to say any more about the plot than is in the blurb for fear of spoilers but as always the investigation is satisfyingly twisty. What struck me, again, is the sadness in the story, the heartbreak, life changing events, behind all the violence and crime. The Caller is another great entry in this collection. Roll on book 9! 

The Author

Born in Brazil of Italian origin, Chris Carter studied psychology and Criminal behaviour in the USA. As a member of the District Attorney's Criminal Psychology team, and working together with the Police Department in numerous cases, he interviewed and studied many criminals, including serial and multiple homicide offenders with life imprisonment convictions. He now lives in London, UK.

Sam Hain by Hamid Amirani

One of the things I love about blogging is that, sometimes, something a bit bonkers lands in your inbox. I read the blurb for this one and knew I wanted toread it. I replied to the email and forgot all about it until a copy (a real paper one) arrived at my house. That's another thing I love about blogging - coming back fresh to something that caught my eye a while back. And that's what happened here. Huge thanks to Zoe O'Farrell at Zooloo's Book Tours for inviting me and to the author and Palamedes PR  for my review copy.

The Blurb

A misanthropic horror comedy for people who think humanity had it coming

Sam Hain is a San Francisco P.I. with a permanently raised eyebrow and moronic homicidal parents he hasn’t seen in 18 years — not since they tried to cast him in a DIY snuff film.

Mike is a demon — or, as he prefers, a diabolical entity — with his own ideas about how best to punish the human race.

When an anonymous letter arrives, along with $500 in cash, asking Sam to investigate a murder in a small town, he’s curious enough to get in the car. That, plus he has nothing better to do.

The victim? A man found dead inside a tumble dryer.

The clue? The name MIKE, written in blood above the body.

The twist? The letter was postmarked before the murder happened.

Soon, Sam’s navigating a town full of eccentrics: an elderly laundromat owner who speaks fluent profanity, a death metal teen with conservative parents, a bigoted religious fundamentalist, and a hedonistic teacher on Sam's wavelength who doesn’t believe in small talk. Meanwhile, the local sheriff — experiencing his first murder case in decades — follows Sam around like a kid at Disneyland.

And Mike? Mike is powerful. Mike has plans. And he really, really hates stupid people. In that regard, he and Sam have something in common.

Twisted, sardonic and wildly inappropriate, Sam Hain is a critically acclaimed murder mystery wrapped in a demonic satire — and it absolutely does not want to be your friend.

My Review

As the blurb is so fulsome there's nothing else I need to add here in that regard. As I mentioned in the intro, as soon as I read the details I knew this was a book I wanted to read. Actually, I'd've liked to have known a little less about Mike going in. But I knew within the first couple of pages that I was going to enjoy it. Which was good as it's quite a hefty tome.

Sam is a great character. Intrigued by the note he received he heads to the town where the crime happened. The town is almost a character itself with its quaint wee places like the 'Let Me Be Your BB' bed and breakfast. Actually all the characters are good. Most of them are pretty eccentric too! Nancy made me laugh. I mean she's awful, but she's uniformly awful. To everyone, regardless of who they are, and that made me chuckle. The central three characters - Sam, Sheriff Jockton and Agent Morton all play off each other really well and I enjoyed the interplay between them. Polly and Leo are really well described, possibly too well! 😂 You'll know exactly what I mean if you read the book. But my favourite character was Mike, demon - sorry, diabolical entity - extraordinaire! Or maybe they're all like that, I don't know any so couldn't say. I think the author has had a lot of fun writing Mike because that's certainly how it comes across. 

This isn't a book for everybody, and it's certainly not for the faint hearted. Yes, it's a comedy - I chuckled a few times (loved the  description of the Red Hex bar) and smiled a lot - but it's also a horror. And whilst the violence and aftermath are presented in a comical way, some of it is pretty gross. Particularly if Mike has had a hand in it! But I really enjoyed it and was glad of the chance to read it. 

The Author

Hamid Amirani was born in Iran and came to London not long after. He studied Media and Communications at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Before turning to fiction, Amirani worked across a wide range of media and creative roles – from proofreading and freelance blogging for an American camera bag company, to interviewing director Michael Bay for a print feature. His horror-comedy spec script earned a Recommend from Script Pipeline, the screenwriting platform set up by Donnie Darko producer Sean McKittrick.

In the late 1990s, Amirani was a guest on The James Whale Radio Show after a series of calls as his alter ego GanjaMan led to a studio invitation.

He began writing his debut novel, Sam Hain, during lockdown, which helped stave off cabin fever. A genre-blending satire, it marks his first full-length work of fiction.

The Howling by Michael J Malone

I am delighted to share my review of The Howling by Michael J Malone. This is the third in the Annie Jackson Mysteries series, after The Murmurs and The Torments. Big thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and I read from my own bought paperback copy (sad that the spine graphics don't align with the previous two books, wanted the set to match on my shelf!)

The Blurb

Two men, centuries apart, dream of being a wolf.

One is burned at the stake.

Another is locked in a psychiatric hospital for most of his life.

And Annie Jackson is about to find out why…

Vowing once more to remove herself from society, Annie is living alone in her little cottage by the shores of a loch. But when an old enemy – now locked up in a high-security hospital – comes calling, begging her to find the son that she was forced to give up at the age of seventeen, Annie is tempted out of seclusion.

The missing boy holds the key to ending Annie's curse, and he may be the only chance that both she and Lewis have of real happiness.

Annie and Lewis begin an investigation that takes them back to the past, a time etched in Scottish folklore, a period of history that may just be repeating itself. And what they uncover could destroy not just some of the most powerful people in the country, who will stop at nothing to protect their wealth and their secrets, but also Annie's life, and everything she holds dear…

My Review

Annie is trying to live a quiet life, away from people, in her little cottage where the murmurs are quiet. But when a distant relation, someone for whom Annie holds no love, asks for Annie's help finding the son she was forced to give up years ago, Annie accepts, because finding him is finding a cure for her condition. Aided by Lewis, she begins an enquiry which leads them down a very dangerous path...

It's great to have Annie and Lewis back! I love their relationship and how fiercely protective they are of each other. They are both keen to end Annie's curse and are willing to do whatever they need to to do so. But alongside this, we have a second storyline set in 1707 where we meet Andra and his family. This book, as well as giving us an exciting contemporary mystery, also explores the witch trials and legends of otherworldly creatures. I love the gothic horror feel to this series - curses, poisons, witches, wolves. 

Andra's storyline is horrific but I loved learning a little bit about Scotland's witch trials. The modern day storyline is twisty and dark, and Annie and Lewis learn some powerful secrets about some powerful people. We also have an additional storyline about a young boy who dreams of wolves. Eventually these two story strands weave together reaching an explosive denouement full of risk and danger - I was holding my breath! 

The Howling is beautifully written, evocative, full of danger and darkness, with a real sense of otherness. Annie is such an intriguing and engaging main character. I think it might be my favourite Annie Jackson novel so far.

The Author

Michael Malone is a prize-winning poet and author who was born and brought up in the heart of Burns’ country. He has published over 200 poems in literary magazines

throughout the UK, including New Writing Scotland, Poetry Scotland and Markings. Blood Tears, his bestselling debut novel won the Pitlochry Prize from the Scottish

Association of Writers. His dark psychological thriller, A Suitable Lie, was a number-one bestseller, and is currently in production for the screen, and five powerful standalone

thrillers followed suit. The Murmurs and The Torments, the earlier books in the Annie Jackson Mysteries series, were published to critical acclaim in 2023 and 2024. A former Regional Sales Manager (Faber) he has also worked as an IFA and a bookseller. Michael lives in Ayr, where he also works as a hypnotherapist.

The Winter Warriors by Olivier Norek (translated by Nick Caistor)

It was the incredible true story at the centre of this novel that drew me to it - a story of which I had been previously unaware. Welcome to my review of The Winter Warriors by Olivier Norek and translated from French by Nick Caistor. My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and to the publisher for my review copy.

The Blurb

"Olivier Norek’s astonishing novel on the Soviet invasion of Finland is gripping, horrifying, and surprisingly moving, not least for his portrait of ‘The White Death’, perhaps the greatest sniper that ever lived. Impeccably researched and beautifully written, The Winter Warriors is perfect for fans of Ben Macintyre and Robert Harris” Paula Hawkins

November, 1939. A conscription officer arrives in the peaceful farming village of Rautjärvi. The Soviet Union has invaded, and for the first time in its history as an independent country, Finland is at war.

Setting off into the depths of winter to face the Red Army, the small group of childhood friends recruited from Rautjärvi have no idea whether any of them will ever return home. But their unit has a secret weapon: the young sniper Simo Häyhä, whose lethal skill in the snow-bound forests of the front line will earn him the nickname “The White Death”.

Drawing on the real-life figures and battles of the Finnish-Soviet Winter War, this is a gripping, page-turning historical thriller from one of Europe’s most acclaimed storytellers. 

My Review

I was very ignorant of the Russian-Finnish Winter War of 1939-1940 - I am not generally a great consumer of history as I find it needs to be presented in the right way to grab my attention and avoid feeling dry. Firstly, the true story at the centre of this novel is anything but dry, and, secondly, having it presented like this enables the reader to feel like they are there in the frozen trenches, in the midst of battle, facing a foe ten times bigger than they are. 

The author has clearly done an astounding amount of research, including spending a cold winter in Finland. Many of the central characters were real people - there are photographs of some of them at the back of the book - and the places and battles are real also. The author has given the soldiers on the Finnish side, real or not, a real sense of humanity. We see the strong bonds that build between comrades and the heartbreak and grief when those bonds are broken. And for the small group of friends at the centre of the story these bonds are even stronger. And, of course, we see the damage that war causes these young men, and a few women, whether they are physically injured or not. The sheer horror of what they see, what they are asked to do. Whether it's this war or any other, I doubt there is a single soldier amongst those who have seen active service who comes back unchanged. 

The young man at the centre of this story is fascinating. Simo Häyhä has grown up in the forest, is a fantastic shot but has a deep respect for his surroundings, only ever killing what he needs. He already has a reputation in his area due to his success at the Rifling Championship, despite his young age and small stature. He is ready to fight, to defend his country, but doesn't see himself as special. Others disagree. His slightly unhinged, alcoholic senior officer recognises Simo's skills and puts him to good use, but at what toll? The portrayal of Simo, his skill, his dedication, his loyalty, his pain and his anger is very detailed, upsetting in places and helps to put flesh on his bones.  

The Finnish countryside and weather play such a huge role in this book. During much of the war the temperature is below -35°C and lower, which is just incomprehensible to me, snow covers the ground and water is frozen. The descriptions of the forest are beautiful, as are the reactions of the conditions and battles, horrific though they are. But that weather, perilous and deadly as it is to the Finns it is so much worse for the Russians. And the descriptions of those left out in the cold are heartbreaking but beautiful in their own way. Particularly the description of one ill advised assault across water. 

The Winter Warriors is a lengthy novel but I read it in two days. I found it interesting, educational, horrifying and compulsive. And very well written. I recommend you read the author notes at the back of the book which explain about some of his research, which was varied and in depth. The only thing that didn't work so well in the e-book where the numbered references in the text which are all explained at the end - I would have preferred them as footnotes as it's not easy to go back and forth in an e-copy. But that was a teeny niggly thing. This is a book very well worth checking out - a great account of an important moment of history. 

The Author

After 18 years in the French police force, Olivier Norek turned to crime writing. Between Two Worlds was the Times and Sunday Times Crime Novel of the Year 2024.

While researching for this novel, Norek spent three months (the duration of the war itself) in Finland, experiencing the -35°C conditions in which the war was fought and in which more than 130,000 Russian soldiers died before the Soviet Union signed a peace treaty in March 1940.

The Dying Light by Daniel Aubrey

I loved the first book in this series by Daniel Aubrey, Dark Island, although I am yet to review it (hangs head in shame!) so I was super excited to read this new one. Big thanks to Kelly Lacey at Love Books Tours for inviting me on the tour and to the publisher for my review e-copy of the book. I will be buying my own paperback copy at Bloody Scotland on Friday - more on that below or on last Saturday's post. 

 

The Blurb

The longest day. The deadliest sins.

The residents of Orkney can’t sleep.

Through 18-hour summer days, the islands are drenched in unrelenting sunshine.

But a killer with a shadowy past is living undetected on the archipelago.

As the heat rises, reporter Freya will not rest until she’s brought the truth to light. Can she stop the murderer before they strike again?

My Review

The Dying Light sees the return of young journalist Freya Sinclair, now settled back on Orkney after years away, and working for newspaper, The Orcadian. Freya has a number of stories to focus on when a body is discovered in a tomb cave. The investigation is being overseen by DI Fergus Muir, with whom Freya has a great relationship. But rather than focusing on any of these stories, Freya is carrying out her own investigation into the death of her father years previously. We see the progress of the police investigation into the death on the rocks, and of her own investigation, which takes her somewhere she never wanted to go... 

I am thrilled to see Freya back. She is a bright, refreshing and determined young woman who doesn't always see the world as others do. Freya is neurodivergent, albeit without a formal diagnosis, and as such, approaches situations differently. It can often be a strength, such as hyperfocusing on a research topic but, equally, that hyperfocus can be detrimental if said focus could lead to jeopardy or danger as Freya can't always follow the most suitable of routes. If she starts something, she has to see it through, come hell or high water. She struggles in some social situations and can often feel overwhelmed by people of noise, etc. I love that Daniel not only shows the strengths of her neurodivergence but also the negatives - he doesn't make out like it's a superpower (because that's not helpful to anyone). This is an author who understands what it's like to be neurodivergent. 

From the rest of the cast, I love Tom, Freya's husband and rock, the one person who truly 'gets' her. And I really enjoyed the back and forth between DI Muir and recent recruit DS Jennie Murray. Also, I can't go without mentioning Orkney itself, with both its beauty and bleakness and it's wild, ever changing weather. It's somewhere I would love to visit. 

The story goes back and forth between 1997 and present day, with different storylines all  coming together culminating in one explosive denouement. It's a satisfying, well written tale with moments of humour but, for me, the main strength of The Dying Light is in its characterisation, and in putting somebody centre stage who is differently abled. That shouldn't be something that needs to be celebrated but I think there is still so much misunderstanding around neurodiversity, and other conditions, of course, that anything that brings the discussion into the mainstream is a very positive thing. But it certainly helps that it's a great book! Highly recommend. 


The Author

Daniel Aubrey is a former journalist whose previous jobs included writing for a local paper in Spain and working as a sub-editor at an international press agency in Hong Kong. Now living in Scotland, his debut novel, Dark Island, is a crime thriller about neurodivergent reporter, Freya Sinclair, who uncovers a disturbing conspiracy following the discovery of human remains on Orkney’s wild Atlantic coast. The Dying Light is his second novel.


Bloody Scotland Panel

Daniel will be appearing at Bloody Scotland this coming weekend. You can book your tickets here. This panel is one of my two highlighted choices in last Saturday's post. 

Celebrating Neurodiversity: Daniel Aubrey, Sean Watkin, Trevor Wood
Friday 12th September, 7.00-8.00pm, Holy Trinity Church, tickets £9.00/8.00

Meet three authors of intriguing and powerful novels whose neurodivergent protagonists excel despite – and sometimes because of – their brains working differently from what is considered “typical”. Freya Sinclair, Daniel Aubrey’s autistic and fearless journalist, returns in The Dying Light, set against the unrelenting sunshine of an Orkney summer. DCI Win de Silva is suffering from PTSD but must catch the killer of teenage girls in Liverpool in Sean Watkin’s compelling Black Water Rising. Trevor Wood’s sensitive portrayal of Early Onset Dementia sufferer DCI Jack Parker gets a reprise in the enthralling new thriller The Inside Man.