Dark as Night by Lilja Sigurðadóttir (translated by Lorenza Garcia)

Today I'm sharing my review of Dark as Night by Lilja Sigurðardóttir, translated into English by Lorenza Garcia, as part of the blog tour. I love this series! Big thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy.

The Blurb

When Áróra receives a call telling her that a child she’s never met is claiming to be her missing sister reincarnated, she is devastated … as ridiculous as the allegations might seem.

For three years she has been searching for her sister without finding a single clue, and now this strange child seems to have new information.

On the same day, Icelandic detective Daníel returns home to find a note from his tenant, drag queen Lady Gúgúlú, giving notice on her flat and explaining that she has to leave the country. Daníel is immediately suspicious, and when three threatening men appear, looking for Lady, it’s clear to him that something is very wrong…

And as Iceland’s long dark nights continue into springtime, that is just the very beginning…

My Review

Dark as Night is the fourth in the five book series, An Áróra Investigation following Cold as Hell, Red as Blood and White as Snow. It can easily be read as a standalone, as can all the books in the collection, but as with any series, you'll find a richer reading experience by starting at the beginning. 

A couple come forward claiming that their three year old daughter believes she's Áróra's missing sister, Ísafold, reincarnated. Áróra doesn't know what to think when she meets the little girl herself as it's a subject that causes her pain. Could this little girl really know what happened to Ísafold? Her boyfriend, policeman Daniel, is not so sure. He has his own worries anyway as his tenant, and friend, has disappeared without notice and Daniel is confused as to why. Especially after receiving some sinister visitors... Áróra and Daniel team up to try to solve both mysteries, whilst trying to keep themselves out of danger...

I love Áróra. She's strong minded and determined, and will keep searching to find the truth. Especially about Ísafold. She's also very fit and physically strong, putting her time in at the gym, although this book finds her taking a few risks with her health, and quicker to anger than usual. Here, she struggles with the whole reincarnation story because it's so close to home and so painful. Helping Daniel find Lady Gúgúlù distracts her and gives her something to focus on. 

Daniel, too, is a great character. He's calm, caring and kind, just what Áróra needs, and a good policeman who works hard to get at the truth. And Lady, what can I say? Such a brilliant character. I'm so glad she's getting her moment in the spotlight in this book. 

The two storylines are super interesting, both going in unexpected directions. I'm generally a sceptic when it comes to reincarnation etc but I know there are well documented stores of children claiming to have lived previous lives. It's an intriguing idea, full of 'What if...?'s. The main story about Lady, and all the details of her own previous life, of Áróra's investigations into Lady's disappearance, the shady men in suits, is fabulous, with a mounting sense of dread and jeopardy. And it's great to see chickens featuring in a story, knowing the author's love of them. All in all, Dark as Night is a very satisfying read, really enjoyed it. Already looking forward to the final book in the series but also sad it'll be the end and I'll be saying goodbye to these characters. 

The Author

Bestselling 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 ten 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 and been long- and shortlisted for multiple awards. The film rights for the Reykjavík Noir trilogy have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California, and the An Áróra Investigation series is now in production for a major TV series. Cold as Hell was published in the UK in 2021 and reprinted twice, followed by Red as Blood and White as Snow, both number-one digital bestsellers. Lilja lives outside of Reykjavík with her partner and a brood of chickens.

Cold Reckoning by Russ Thomas #Blogathon

We're up to the third book in our Russ Thomas blogathon, in the run up to publication day for  the fourth book, Sleeping Dogs, on 24th October. So welcome to my review of the third book in the DS Adam Tyler series from Russ Thomas, Cold Reckoning. Many thanks to Tracy Fenton for my invitation and to the publisher for my review copy. I also bought my own paperback copy.

The Blurb

THE DARKNESS FROM HIS PAST WILL FINALLY COME TO LIGHT

The death of DS Tyler’s father irrevocably changed his life. As a child, he believed Richard had killed himself but, as the years have passed, Tyler has grown convinced he was murdered.

When a cold case lands on Tyler’s desk, there’s nothing immediately notable about it, apart from the link it has to his father. Richard was investigating the same case shortly before he died.

Finally, Tyler has a tangible link to the past, one that could give him the answers he has been looking for. And while there are dangerous people who will do anything to keep him quiet, he knows he has to keep digging.

Because you’d risk anything for your family – even your life.

My Review

I'm really enjoying this series and if you click through you can read my thoughts on the first two books, Firewatching and Nighthawking. Cold Reckoning finds DS Adam Tyler and colleagues in very wintery, cold conditions with an even colder case to solve. How, if at all, does it link back to the death of Adam's father? There's a current case to trouble the police too, and Tyler's boss, and godmother, has suddenly disappeared. Meanwhile, 13 year old Edith, who is bullied at school and caring for her sick mother at home, finds solace walking in the countryside near her home, even in the cold weather, until the  morning she sees the man with the scary eyes...

There is plenty going on in this book and Adam and his colleagues are certainly challenged, none of them really knowing who they can trust. A new boss has arrived with the absence of DCI Diane Jordan, and that, together with rumours of corruption, has unsettled everyone. 

I'll come back to the action in a moment, but what I love in these books are the people, the interactions, the relationships. Adam Tyler is not an easy man to like (or love, it would seem) - he's quite closed, can be quite blunt and abrupt, doesn't really have relaxed relationships with his colleagues - in short, he's not easy to get close to. But I've enjoyed his changing relationship with Jim Doggett as they look into the circumstances surrounding Adam's father's death, and also in this book we see more of Adam's complicated relationship with his brother Jude. But I think my favourite character is probably DC Amina (Mina) Rabbani. She has really blossomed across the three books and this one, I feel we really see her coming into her own. She's much more confident, and able to respond assertively to her predominantly male colleagues. She's really grown as a police officer and Adam sees that in her and is much more willing to trust her and her instincts. And the story is all the richer for it. 

The storyline is satisfyingly complex, as Adam and Mina investigate a cold case, literally, and Doggett has an interesting current case to deal with. Adam and Jude are trying to build bridges but the past keeps getting in the way. And there's the missing DCI. Slowly things start coming together and interesting links and 'coincidences' come to light. And there is some really interesting information from Adam's nemesis McKenna. It's a lot to tie together but Thomas does it beautifully. And even though this mainly focuses on a cold case, the tension really increases in the run up to the denouement. Cold Reckoning is another strong book in this great series, and I'm looking forward to the release of Sleeping Dogs later this month. 

The Author

Russ Thomas was born in Essex, raised in Berkshire and now lives in Sheffield. After a few 'proper' jobs (among them: pot-washer, optician's receptionist, supermarket warehouse operative, call-centre telephonist, and storage salesman) he discovered the joys of bookselling, where he could talk to people about books all day. Now a full-time writer, he also teaches creative writing classes and mentors new authors.