The Descent by Paul E Hardisty

Today I'm sharing my review of the powerful and hard hitting new novel by Paul E Hardisty, The Descent, the prequel to last year's memorable The Forcing, as part of the blog tour. Big thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invitation and to the publisher, Orenda Books, for my review copy of the book. The Descent comes out on 29th February.

The Blurb

A young man and his young family set out on a perilous voyage across a devastated planet to uncover the origin of the events that set the world on its course to disaster…

Kweku Ashworth is a child of the cataclysm, born on a sailboat to parents fleeing the devastation in search for a refuge in the Southern Ocean. Growing up in a world forever changed, his only connection to the events that set the world on its course to disaster were the stories his step-father, now long-dead, recorded in his manuscript, The Forcing.

But there are huge gaps in the story that his mother, still alive but old and frail, steadfastly refuses to speak of, even thirty years later. When he discovers evidence that his mother has tried to cover up the truth, he knows that it is time to find out for himself.

Determined to learn what really happened during his mother's escape from the concentration camp to which she and Kweku's father were banished, and their subsequent journey halfway around the world, Kweku and his young family set out on a perilous voyage across a devastated planet. What they find will challenge not only their faith in humanity, but their ability to stay alive.

My Review

Last year's The Forcing presented us with a near future when the world is in chaos. From the details in the blurb for The Descent I was confused how it was being marketed as the  prequel to that. But Paul Hardisty has done something clever here - given us both a prequel and a sequel within the same novel, which I loved. We find out what led to the events in The Forcing and the aftermath of them. You could read and enjoy this without having read The Forcing as it has plenty to say but for a more rounded reading experience and fuller picture I would suggest you start there. 

At the end of The Forcing, David Ashworth and his family arrived in Australia and decided to settle there. Some thirty years on this is still where we find his wife, his sons Kweku and Lewis, and their families. Events at their homestead encourages Kweku to take his family and head back out into the seas to explore what remains of the world and to discover some of his history. It is not an easy journey... We also hear from a woman calling herself 'Sparkplug' and she has a horrifying and shocking story to tell...

Through Kweku's journey we discover what is left of the world and it's a sad situation. There has been so much natural devastation, war, sickness, infertility, hunger, riots, looting and death. We humans have destroyed so much of the world, it's utterly heartbreaking. 

Through Sparkplug's transmissions we learn how things came to be this way. She was there. And it is her story that is truly terrible. It begins in an alternative February 2024. For a large group of powerful businessmen making money, and as much of it as possible, is all that matters. And they are leading the way across the world, influencing how people think, how they behave. For them, behaving appallingly is nothing if it turns a profit. Politicians are weak at best, corrupt at worst. Fear, illness and poverty become the norm. So, it's an alternative, parallel world but it's frightening how much of her story rings true. The rich get richer, the poor get poorer, the gap gets wider. Sound familiar? And in the process, the world is being destroyed. 

Forty years on, the Alpha Omega group are still active in places, still living in luxury in small pockets of the world. Reality for normal people, however, is very different as Kweku discovers. Food is in short supply, crime is rife, people are desperate. However, there is hope. Successful communities have grown up, where people are working in harmony with each other and with nature. Although living in some of these communities also means a price to pay, as the family discovers, in one memorable place. 

I was lucky enough to hear Paul Hardisty speak at the Bloody Scotland festival, together with two former journalists in a session entitled 'Ripped from the Headlines'. All three had turned to fiction in the hope people would start to listen in a way they don't when simply presented with facts. Paul is a respected environmental scientist who knows what he's talking about and I was really struck by his passion. This book, and The Forcing before it, might be fiction but they are firmly rooted in reality, facts and science. This could so easily be our future, and certainly our grandchildren's future. This should be a wake up call for us. We should be doing what we can individually to help the planet - I don't subscribe to the 'well, the planet's dying anyway so it doesn't matter if I recycle/reduce my food waste/buy second hand or whatever because the planet's already done' school of thought. If we all act mindlessly like that, our world will be definitely be destroyed. But alongside all of that, and more important, we need to be lobbying the people in power - councils, governments, leaders - to take affirmative action. I know there are a lot of issues going on in the world just now that need to be seriously addressed but this has to be one of them. 

I don't have the right words to describe this book, or enough of them. A novel for our time, The Descent has plenty to say about climate damage, greed, power and corruption, but does so in an engaging thriller full of tension and heartstopping moments. Please don't let anything I've said above make you think this isn't an exciting read, because it absolutely is. I just believe it's a very important one too. It will easily be one of my books of the year and I hope you will give it a try. 

The Author

Canadian Paul E Hardisty has spent 25 years working all over the world as an engineer, hydrologist and environmental scientist. He has roughnecked on oil rigs in Texas, explored for gold in the Arctic, mapped geology in Eastern Turkey (where he was befriended by PKK rebels), and rehabilitated water wells in the wilds of Africa. He was in Ethiopia in 1991 as the Mengistu regime fell, and was bumped from one of the last flights out of Addis Ababa by bureaucrats and their families fleeing the rebels. In 1993 he survived a bomb blast in a café in Sana’a. Paul is a university professor and CEO of the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS). The first four novels in his Claymore Straker series, The Abrupt Physics of Dying, The Evolution of Fear, Reconciliation for the Dead and Absolution all received great critical acclaim and The Abrupt Physics of Dying was shortlisted for the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger and Telegraph Thriller of the Year. The Forcing (2023) was a SciFi Now Book of the Month. Paul is a sailor, a private pilot, keen outdoorsman, and lives in Western Australia.


Be sure to check out the rest of the tour!

All Grown Up by Catherine Evans

Another new author for me on the blog today and a change from my usual crime fare, although there is some dark stuff here! Today I'm sharing my review as part of the blog tour for All Grown Up by Catherine Evans. My thanks to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me and to the publisher for my lovely paperback review copy.

 

The Blurb

Neveah is fifteen. A schoolkid. With a secret life.

She’s a digital freelancer, and is having an affair with her biggest client.

Giles is married. He thinks Neveah is twenty-two.

She’ll do just about anything to stop him from finding out her true age.

But secrets have a way of spilling out.

With devastating consequences.


Purchase Links

UK 
US 

 

My Review

Gosh, there is such a lot to unpack in this novel. It's a story of a middle aged, married man's affair with a much younger lover but it's so, so much more than that. 

Neveah is beautiful, confident, self assured and bright. She runs her own business very successfully, all the while doing well at school and taking care of herself and the house. For Neveah is only fifteen but seems so much older. Her mother is uncaring at best, neglectful at worst. Her father, a musician, is irresponsible. But Neveah is determined to make a success of herself, in spite of all these things. Her most recent, and now biggest, client is Giles, and they have fallen into a passionate affair, although there is clearly genuine feeling on both sides. Giles doesn't realise Neveah is underage... Things get messy, and along the way we meet Neveah's half sister, Giles's wife Christine and their daughter Serena, who is a similar age to Neveah. 

Neveah is a fantastic character, beautifully written. Confident, brave, caring and reliable, she is willing to use what she has to her advantage. But there is a vulnerability to her too. She is older than her years, having had to grow up quickly, but she's still a child, easily hurt. I was rooting for her all the way through. I wanted to bang her mother's head against the wall, she was so frustrating and, frankly, awful. Again this is great writing, because I detested her and really felt for Neveah. Her father deserved a good talking to as well and, in fact, it's his friend who is much more of a father figure to her. 

Giles is also a complex character. One might assume he is uncaring, and he is certainly no saint, but his family life is unsettled. His wife has been dealing with trauma for several years and this has, inevitably, affected their relationship. And he's parenting a teenager, which is not an easy thing to do at the best of times, but in this strained situation... There are all sorts of questions around his relationship with Neveah. He truly believes her to be of age - she looks and acts it, has her own business - so how wrong is his behaviour? If he doesn't know she's underage? 

In a related subplot we get to know Serena, who is dating a man a few years older than her, and feeling the pressure to move things on in their relationship. I was struck by the differences in her experiences and those of Neveah - how they behave and how they carry themselves. 

I have skirted around things because I feel going much deeper into the story will spoil it. But the author addresses some big issues here - race, sexual abuse, neglect, alcohol, drugs, underage sex, trauma, peer pressure and the dangers of social media. I have a love hate relationship with social media - it can be great but, equally, it can be so dangerous. There are all kinds of unhealthy influencers preying on everyone, but particularly young people, and it's so easy to make a private thing very public, just a click and it's done. There's enough pressure on them, they don't need that. I wasn't particularly bad or wayward (very tame, actually) but I'm very glad I lived my teenage years before social media was a thing. 

I'm rambling but what I'm trying to say is that All Grown Up is a timely, powerful and often brutal novel. The author should be commended for including these difficult topics and doing so in a way that will make you think. It's not a book you will forget in a hurry. 

The Author

Catherine Evans is an author and publisher. She’s the editor of fictionjunkies, which publishes book and short stories online by authors around the world and the co-founder of Inkspot Publishing which has now released four titles. She’s a trustee of the Chipping Norton Literary Festival, and lives in Oxfordshire. She’s married with a daughter and three stepdaughters.


Author/Publisher Social Media Links

Websites: www.cathyevans.com, www.inkspotpublishing.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/inkspotpub  

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/inkspotpublishing 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/Inkspotpub
LinkedIn: inkspot-publishing

Keep Your Friends Close by Joanne Ryan

Today is my stop on the blog tour for Keep Your Friends Close by Joanne Ryan, a new author to me. Many thanks to Rachel Gilbey at Rachel's Random Resources for the invitation and to the publisher for my review copy, which I received via Netgalley.

The Blurb

She knows your darkest secret… Can she keep it?

It’s a normal sunny day when Mia sees her ex-boyfriend on the street where she lives. But she knows that’s crazy. She knows it can’t possibly be him. She knows… because she killed him.

Mia and Carrie have been best friends since school. They share everything: clothes, shoes, a home… and their secrets.

Only Carrie knew what Mia did that night. Where everything went wrong and Mia’s boyfriend attacked her, so she attacked him right back.

Carrie made the problem go away. Like she always would for her best friend. They’ve got on with their lives. Mia’s even met someone new – a man she thinks she could be with forever.

But now it looks like her ex is back. Alive and well. So either Mia is losing her mind, or somebody very close to her has been lying…


Purchase Link 

My Review

Carrie has been Mia's best friend for years, despite the difference in their backgrounds. And Carrie has always been there for Mia, especially at her worst moments. Like when she killed Marco in self defence. She was such a mess, Carrie took over and sorted everything out despite her own shock at what had happened. Eight months on, life has moved on, but Mia owes Carrie so much for the support she gave her that night. And Carrie can't understand why Mia thinks she's seen her ex when it just can't be true... 

So, Mia is not that easy to like, or she wasn't for me anyway. Financially comfortable, she is enjoying life and living it to the full. Which would be fine if she hadn't killed someone less than a year earlier, but she seems to have conveniently pushed that to one side. She's beautiful, got an often glamorous job (that she doesn't need), a handsome beau and loves to party. It would seem that Carrie is still the responsible one in the relationship! All of that said, when things start to turn a little strange for Mia I did really feel for her. Something is clearly very wrong but the only person she can turn to is Carrie because she's the only one who knows the truth. If I'd been in that situation, I'd have struggled not to spill the beans to anyone else! 

Conversely, I really felt for Carrie. She's had to work so much harder than Mia to succeed in life, and continues to work hard to get to improve her situation. And she carries as much of a burden of responsibility for some of the events of eight months previous as Mia does, and it seems to weigh heavier for her. It's clear she doesn't approve of some of Mia's current lifestyle decisions but she's her best friend, and always stands by her. 

Whilst there are other characters involved in the story, although special mention to Sebastian, who I initially loathed but grew fonder of, this is very much about these two friends, and the depth of their relationship - its strengths and weaknesses. As a result, it feels quite claustrophobic, which I felt suited the storyline. 

I can't go into too much detail about the plot without giving away spoilers, which I obviously don't want to do! But I felt that Liz's growing sense of confusion and unease was nicely handled, and really helped to ramp up the tension. I did guess some of what was going on but there were still surprises aplenty! Keep Your Friends Close is a neatly written quick read - a tale of friendship, trust and betrayal. 

The Author

Joanne Ryan is the author of several well-reviewed psychological thrillers. Previously published by Tamarillas Press, she lives in Wiltshire. Her first thriller for Boldwood is Keep Your Friends Close.


Author Social Media Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1929779393871097/user/100089068085573/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/authorjoanneryan/
Bookbub profile: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/joanne-ryan

Halfway House by Helen Fitzgerald

Today I'm sharing my review of Halfway House by Helen Fitzgerald for my stop on the blog tour. Huge thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and to the publisher for my review copy.

The Blurb

They’re the housemates from Hell…

When her disastrous Australian love affair ends, Lou O’Dowd heads to Edinburgh for a fresh start, moving in with her cousin, and preparing for the only job she can find … working at a halfway house for very high-risk offenders.

Two killers, a celebrity paedophile and a paranoid coke dealer – all out on parole and all sharing their outwardly elegant Edinburgh townhouse with rookie night-worker Lou…,

And instead of finding some meaning and purpose to her life, she finds herself trapped in a terrifying game of cat and mouse where she stands to lose everything – including her life.

Slick, darkly funny and nerve-janglingly tense, Halfway House is both a breathtaking thriller and an unapologetic reminder never to corner a desperate woman…

Halfway House is published by Orenda Books and comes out on Thursday of this week.

My Review

This is the fourth book I've read by Helen Fitzgerald. You can read my reviews of Ash Mountain and Keep Her Sweet but I am still to review Worst Case Scenario.

Lou's relationship with a married man in Australia has ended. She had been a waitress, but more recently hadn't worked and had a lifestyle, and apartment, funded by her lover. Now it's over, she's heading to Scotland, her cousin Becks, and a fresh start. The only job she's been able to get is in a halfway house for offenders, and even that was achieved with a slightly dubious reference. She throws herself into life when she arrives, even meeting a new lover. Then when the time comes to start her job, it doesn't seem that hard. Until the third night, when things quickly unravel...

Lou is not likeable. I couldn't really find one redeemable thing about her. She's selfish, entitled, ungrateful to those around her. She is particularly bad with her cousin, who has shown her nothing but kindness. Although, I must say, Becks's flat does sound a bit of a nightmare, given her penchant for collecting waits and strays. But I was still invested in what happened to Lou, because all the unlikable stuff about her contributes to making her a disaster waiting to happpen! The majority of the characters are male - I particularly liked Tim, also Neil and Cam. But all the characters are described vividly, particularly, of course, the residents of the halfway house. Even though you know they're a bad lot, they're a joy to read because they are just so colourful and interesting. And either creepy or threatening!

The author sets the scene well, with Lou's arrival in Scotland, settling in to Beck's flat, finding a lover, preparing for the new job. And then the largest part of the book takes place over just three shifts as we can't help but be carried along with the action as things get stickier and stickier for Lou. I enjoyed the madness of it all. There was a slightly cartoonish feel to some scenes which meant I was smiling as well as grimacing at the whole situation. Bonkers. It does end quite suddenly, I felt, and would've loved to know what the future held in store for some of these characters.

Halfway House is a madcap, darkly funny tale of one unprepared young woman's experience with a colourful group of desperate men... It's a lot of fun and I enjoyed it but don't think I'll be taking a job in a halfway house anytime soon! Not one like this, anyway! 


The Author 

Helen FitzGerald is the bestselling author of thirteen adult and young-adult thrillers, including The Donor (2011) and The Cry (2013), which was longlisted for the Theakstons
Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year and adapted for a major BBC drama. Her 2019 dark comedy thriller Worst Case Scenario was a Book of the Year in the Literary Review, Herald Scotland, Guardian, Sunday Times, The Week and Daily Telegraph, shortlisted for the Theakston’s Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year, and won the CrimeFest Last Laugh Award. The critically acclaimed Ash Mountain (2020) and Keep Her Sweet (2022) soon followed. Helen worked as a criminal-justice social worker for over fifteen years. She grew up in Victoria, Australia, and now lives in Glasgow with her husband.

The Guests by Agnes Ravatn (translated by Rosie Hedger)

Happy New Year everyone! Hope you are all well, had a great Christmas if you celebrated and have had a good start to 2024. In true Suze Reviews style, I will be sharing my end of year review late. 😂 But in the meantime, I have a review for you lovely people! Today I'm helping to open the blog tour for The Guests by Agnes Ravatn and translated into English by Rosie Hedger. My thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and to the publisher for my review copy.

The Blurb

An exquisitely dark, sharply funny psychological drama by the international bestselling author of The Bird Tribunal.

It started with a lie…

Married couple Karin and Kai are looking for a pleasant escape from their busy lives, and reluctantly accept an offer to stay in a luxurious holiday home in the Norwegian fjords.

Instead of finding a relaxing retreat, however, their trip becomes a reminder of everything lacking in their own lives, and in a less-than-friendly meeting with their new neighbours, Karin tells a little white lie…

Against the backdrop of the glistening water and within the claustrophobic walls of the ultra-modern house, Karin’s insecurities blossom, and her lie grows ever bigger, entangling her and her husband in a nightmare spiral of deceits with absolutely no means of escape…

The Guests is published (in English) by Orenda Books and comes out on 18th January 2024.

My Review

This is the first book by Agnes Ravatn that I've read, (although you can find an extract from The Seven Doors here), so went into this not knowing what to expect, which is always an adventure! The first thing I noticed was that Ms Ravatn doesn't use speech marks around dialogue. It's not the first time I've seen this, of course, although I tend to avoid it. So it threw me a little and I wasn't sure I could enjoy the book but was surprised how quickly I forgot about it and got involved in the story. 

Karin and Kai's two boys are staying with their grandparents so the adults have a week to themselves and have been offered the use of a cabin on the coast. When I say cabin I don't mean a basic log affair but a luxury one with top quality furnishings. It will be a bit of a working holiday for Kai but with plenty of time to enjoy himself. But Karin is strangely reluctant to head to this coastal idyll. However, she does, and on a walk one day encounters their nearest cabin dwelling neighbour Per, and tells a small lie. But as they interact more with Per and his wife, the lie becomes  bigger and bigger...

I struggled to warm to Karin, I must admit. I understood some of her insecurities but not others, and thought she probably wasn't the most likeable of people. All that said, for a large portion of the book she isn't herself, and she never relaxes, so that will all be part of it. Kai, on the other hand, is wonderfully relaxed and laid back, and very likeable, regardless of the face he wears. Per and Hilma  were very interesting characters - initially slightly closed off, as they open up a bit more we find out their outwardly lovely life is not without its problems. 

All the action is centred around these four characters and takes place in the two cabins and surrounding area, other than a bit of backstory, so there is a bit of a claustrophobic feel to things. The area sounds beautiful, though, the scene setting is descriptive and vivid. The storyline pulls us along as the lie gets bigger and I was dying to see how it all ended up. And that ending wasn't what I expected at all. 

The Guests is a really interesting study of emotional fragility and the feelings we get that somehow we're not enough. It's also a cautionary tale about lying, and where that can lead you! An interesting, funny, well written and very enjoyable book, and a slightly different kind of read for me, and that can only be a good thing! 

The Author

Agnes Ravatn is a Norwegian author and columnist. She made her literary debut with the novel Week 53 in 2007. Since then she has written a number of critically acclaimed and award-winning essay collections, including Standing, Popular Reading and Operation Self-discipline, in which she recounts her experience with social-media addiction. Her debut thriller, The Bird Tribunal, won the cultural radio P2’s listener’s prize in addition to The Youth’s Critic’s Prize, and was made into a successful play in Oslo in 2015. The English translation, published by Orenda Books in 2016, was a WHSmith Fresh Talent Pick, winner of a PEN Translation Award, a BBC Radio Four ‘Book at Bedtime’ and shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award and the 2017 Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year. Critically acclaimed The Seven Doors was published in 2020. Agnes lives with her family in the Norwegian countryside.

Yule Island by Johana Gustawsson (translated by David Warriner)

One Christmas gift I hadn't bargained on and could really, really have done without is Covid, so feeling very sorry for myself just now! But one Christmas present that I was delighted to treat myself to was a copy of the new book from one of my favourite authors. Welcome to my blog tour stop for Yule Island by Johana Gustawsson and translated into English by David Warriner. Huge thanks Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for inviting me and to the publisher for my review ebook.

The Blurb

The number one bestselling, haunting new gothic thriller from the 'Queen of French Noir', this is the first in a series and based on true events.

Art expert Emma Lindahl is anxious when she's asked to appraise the antiques and artefacts in the infamous manor house of one of Sweden's wealthiest families, on the island of Storholmen, where a young woman was murdered nine years earlier, her killer never found.

Emma must work alone, and with the Gussman family apparently avoiding her, she sees virtually no one in the house. Do they have something to hide?

As she goes about her painstaking work and one shocking discovery yields clues that lead to another, Emma becomes determined to uncover the secrets of the house and its occupants.

When the lifeless body of another young woman is found in the icy waters surrounding the island, Detective Karl Rosén arrives to investigate, and memories of his failure to solve the first case come rushing back. Could this young woman's tragic death somehow hold the key?

Battling her own demons, Emma joins forces with Karl to embark upon a chilling investigation, plunging them into horrifying secrets from the past – Viking rites and tainted love – and Scandinavia's deepest, darkest winter….

My Review

Johana Gustawsson is one of my go to authors, an automatic buy, because I've loved everything of hers I've read. So much so that I bought a limited first edition hardback copy of Yule Island, having not read it first (as I did with her previous book, The Bleeding). Yes, I was excited. She is also just one of the loveliest people too, although her books are, by contrast, very dark and often chilling. And as this one is set in the dead of winter, it is even more so! 

The book opens in 2012 with policeman Karl Rosén heading to Storholmen, a small island just a short crossing over the water from Stockholm where the body of a young woman has been discovered. Fast forward to 2021 and art and antiquities expert Emma is apprehensive about heading over to Storholmen to value the contents of the Gussman manor house as she knows they are one of the wealthiest families in Sweden. And the whole country knows of 'The Hanging Girl' from nine years earlier, a story which causes Emma to shiver. Settling into regular visits to the island and her work there she is struck by just how silent it is. It's quite unnerving in the early days. A shocking discovery in the manor house leads her to cross paths with Karl, back on the island to investigate the death of another young woman. Events lead them down a path they could not have foreseen...

It's not often I lead with scene setting over characters but I want to give special mention to the island of Storholmen, because it absolutely makes for a character itself, and to know it's a real place only makes it better. Some of the characteristics of the real island may have been exaggerated here, but I was struck by its seemingly overwhelming silence, eerie at the beginning, more comforting as time goes on. I know there are no cars on the island but there seems to be an absence of most noise. Perhaps because there is nowhere for visitors to stay not much for them to do. But it really piqued my interest.

Emma is young and enthusiastic but professional, determined to make a good impression with her new clients despite a certain sense of imposter syndrome. She doesn't seem to have many friends, save for the fabulous Lulu, but warms to a few islanders - l loved water taxi pilot Lotte. Emma makes discovery upon discovery in the manor house, many of which she really struggles with, and it's really no wonder! Karl has been a policeman for a good while, knows the law, knows right from wrong. He's full of sadness over an unsolved murder from the past and can't help fearing that this one is related in some way. But both of the main characters have their own demons to deal with, and their stories are skilfully teased out through the book. 

I'm sorry, this review is clunker than I'd hoped cos I've got brain fog but will aim for a neater wrap up! Whilst there are shocks early on, the full horror of the story builds throughout the book meaning the tension ratchets right up. And due to the insular nature of the setting, it feels very claustrophobic. I tell you, you won't want to put it down! It's beautifully written with endearing, well drawn protagonists from very different worlds. I know this is the beginning of a series but I don't know if either or both will be making a return in the follow ups but I would to see this. Whilst it's well known I like my crime on the dark side, I can only enjoy if it's balanced by some light moments. There aren't loads here, particularly with the sense of mounting dread, but they are handled well with some genuinely touching moments. 

Full of twists and turns, Yule Island had me wincing, grimacing, even gasping out loud. A tale crossing time, it touches on family, relationships, love and folklore. And it's dark. Devilishly dark. I loved it, easily one of my favourites of the year. 

I'm not organised enough to have posts already scheduled and given as I'm not well, there is unlikely to be anything from me before next Monday, so I'll take this opportunity to wish those of you who celebrate a very happy Christmas and best wishes to everyone for the new year, in case I'm not back before then! 

The Author

Born in Marseille, France, and with a degree in Political Science, Johana Gustawsson has worked as a journalist for the French and Spanish press and television. Her critically acclaimed Roy & Castells series, including Block 46, Keeper and Blood Song, has won the Plume d’Argent, Balai de la découverte, Balai d’Or and Prix Marseillais du Polar awards, and is now published in nineteen countries. A TV adaptation is currently under way in a French, Swedish and UK co-production. The Bleeding was a number one bestseller in France and received immense critical acclaim across the globe. Johana lives in Sweden with her Swedish husband and their three sons.

Dead Sweet by Katrín Júlíusdóttir (translated by Quentin Bates)

Come with me as I travel to Iceland for today's blog tour stop. Debut novel Dead Sweet is written by Katrín Júlíusdóttir and translated into English by Quentin Bates. The death of a notable man is just the start of the mystery. Many thanks to Anne Cater at Random Things Tours for the invite and to the publisher for my review copy.

The Blurb

A murder is just the beginning…

When Óttar Karlsson, a wealthy and respected government official and businessman, is found murdered, after failing to turn up at his own surprise birthday party, the police are at a loss. It isn't until young police officer Sigurdís finds a well-hidden safe in his impersonal luxury apartment that clues start emerging.

As Óttar's shady business dealings become clear, a second, unexpected line of enquiry emerges, when Sigurdís finds a US phone number in the safe, along with papers showing regular money transfers to an American account. Following the trail to Minnesota, trauma rooted in Sigurdís's own childhood threatens to resurface and the investigation strikes chillingly close to home…

Atmospheric, deeply unsettling and full of breakneck twists and turns, Dead Sweet is a startling debut thriller that uncovers a terrifying world of financial crime, sinister cults and disturbing secret lives, and kicks off an addictive, mind-blowing new series.

Dead Sweet is published in the UK by Orenda Books and came out on 7th December 2023.

My Review

Óttar Karlsson's partner has gone out of her way to make his surprise 50th birthday party perfect in every way, so when he doesn't turn up for it she is devastated. More so when he is found murdered. But as the investigation into his death progresses, it seems there was a lot more to Óttar than she, or most people, in fact, realised. And not necessarily in a good way. Keen to be actively involved in this case is young policewoman Sigurdís who has been assigned to limited duties following a violent altercation with a member of the public. But she has good instincts, something her boss can't ignore forever, especially after she discovers a well hidden safe in the dead man's apartment... 

The investigation into Óttar's death is complex, interesting and intriguing. He was a popular, well liked man, but seemed to have very few, if any, real friends. There are secret business dealings, a web of financial transactions, a secret life in America, several suspects and a number of red herrings. Sigurdís's work on the case is consistently good and it was great to see that she wasn't afraid to take the initiative when she felt it as necessary, even if she knew she might get into trouble for it. 

I loved getting to know Sigurdís and learning what has brought her to this point, and  looking a little bit as to why she lashed out in public. She has experienced significant trauma in her life and struggles to relax, particularly around colleague Unnar. Speaking of colleagues, as well as wanting to keep Sigurdís out of trouble, boss Garðar clearly has her best interests at heart, with a sometimes almost paternal attitude, and it was interesting to see just how that has come about. And, throughout, I was rooting for her to succeed.

There are some dark themes explored here but never in a gratuitous way. Everything fits into the story. There were moments, and revelations that made me angry, and some that made me sad. Interspersed amongst the main chapters are short passages from an unknown narrator and these made me uncomfortable and desperate to know how they tied in with the main storyline. 

Whilst this isn't a high action storyline, there is plenty going on and the momentum does let up. There are a lot of police procedures out there but this feels fresh. That's thanks to the writing and the excellent translation from Quentin Bates but in Sigurdís, Katrín Júlíusdóttir has created an engaging protagonist with her own strengths and flaws. An assured debut and an assured start to a new series. I look forward to reading more about Sigurdís in the future! 

The Author

Katrín Júlíusdóttir received the Blackbird Award, an Icelandic crime-writing prize, for her first novel, Dead Sweet in 2020. Her debut novel was reviewed well by critics and hit the best-seller lists in the first weeks after publication. Katrín has a political background and was a member of Parliament from 2003 until 2016. Before she was elected to Parliament, Katrín was an advisor and project manager at a tech company and a senior buyer and CEO in the retail sector, as well as the Managing Director of a student union during her uni years. She worked from a young age in the fishing industry, as a store clerk and took night time shifts at a pizza place. She studied Anthropology and has an MBA from Reykjavík University. She was raised in Kópavogur, about 15 minutes' drive from downtown Reykjavík. She now lives in the neighbouring town of Garðabær with her family. She is married to author Bjarni M. Bjarnason, who encouraged her to start writing. They have four boys.