Lilja Sigurðardóttir

Die Privatermittlerin im Bereich Wirtschaftskriminalität Áróra Jónsdóttir lebt in London und hat schon seit geraumer Zeit keinen Kontakt mehr zu ihrer Schwester Ísafold. Als ihre Mutter sie bittet, nach Island zu fahren und nach ihrer Schwester zu schauen, die sich nicht mehr meldet, ist Áróra wenig begeistert. Dennoch macht sie sich auf den Weg. Bei ihren Nachforschungen bekommt sie aber weder vom Lebensgefährten der Schwester noch von den Nachbarn brauchbare Auskünfte. Daher wendet sie sich an den Polizisten Daníel, der das alles auch sehr seltsam findet. Was sie dann herausfinden, ist erschreckend.
„Höllenkalt“ ist Der Auftaktband der Áróra-Reihe von Lilja Sigurðardóttir. Auch wenn ich oft meine Schwierigkeiten mit den uns so fremden Namen habe, so lese ich sehr gerne Bücher, die in Island spielen. Auch bei diesem Krimi wurde ich nicht enttäuscht, denn die Schauplätze sind sehr gut beschrieben und ebenso die besondere Mentalität der Menschen dort. Erzählt wird die Geschichte aus unterschiedlichen Perspektiven und Rückblenden erlauben einen Einblick in die Familienverhältnisse der Schwestern. Der Schreibstil lässt sich gut lesen.
Áróra und Ísafold sind Schwestern. Sie sind nicht nur charakterlich sehr verschieden, sondern auch äußerlich. Während Ísafold elfengleich wirkt, ist ihre Schwester groß und robust und lässt sich nicht bange machen. Immer mehr zeigt sich, warum das Verhältnis der Schwestern so schwierig ist. Áróra war mir nicht auf Anhieb sympathisch, aber als Ermittlerin ist sie sehr fähig. Sie erkennt, dass sie ihre Schwester vielleicht nicht richtig kannte. Aber auch die anderen Personen sind gut gezeichnet und sehr individuell. Den sympathischen Daníel mochte ich von Anfang an. Die unabhängige Áróra mag den Polizisten und muss sich ihren Gefühlen stellen. Neben ihrem persönlichen Fall versucht Áróra aber auch noch einer anderen Sache auf den Grund zu gehen.
Ich hatte frühzeitig eine Ahnung, wie sich die Geschichte entwickeln wird. Doch es gab auch immer wieder Wendungen, die mich nicht sicher sein ließen und die Spannung aufrecht hielten.
Mir hat dieser interessante und vielschichtige Island-Krimi gut gefallen und nun bin ich gespannt auf den nächsten Band.… (meer)

This is the third book in the Áróra Investigations series, following Cold as Hell and Red as Blood. I’m glad I read Red as Blood just before White as Snow because there is some overlap. Criminal elements that Áróra, a financial investigator, encounters in it make an appearance in this novel as well.

Five women are found in an abandoned shipping container; only one, Bisi Babalola, is alive. Daníel Hansson, a police detective and Áróra’s friend and romantic interest, becomes involved in this human trafficking case. He is assisted by his colleague Helena who plays a key role in helping Bisi. Meanwhile, Áróra is asked to investigate Sergei, the lover of Elín, Daníel’s ex-wife and Áróra’s cousin. Sergei is pushing for marriage, but Elín has some doubts stemming from secretive conversations he has in Russian, a language she does not understand. From the beginning, I correctly guessed the connection between the two investigations, but it was interesting to read how the links are uncovered.

Readers of the previous novels will be happy to encounter familiar characters, though I found that Áróra is not as involved as in previous cases. My favourite character, Lady Gúgúlú, makes several appearances. She helps to provide some lighter moments in a book that examines the dark side of humanity. The conversations about chick peas and the “step-mother” are welcome relief when abductions, human trafficking, sexual exploitation, and murder are crimes being investigated.

The book focuses on human trafficking. What I appreciated is that the book examines the toll both on victims and investigators. Because Bisi’s perspective is included, we learn, through her flashbacks, how she fell victim to traffickers and the impact her horrific experience has on her. The introduction of Rita later in the novel only emphasizes the latter. Daníel is traumatized by what he sees in the shipping container, so much so that he doesn’t want to be in charge of the case.

Helena works closely with Bisi and I enjoyed reading about how Bisi comes to trust her. It is because of Helena that Bisi begins to cooperate with the police. I was so pleased with myself for correctly guessing the reason for Bisi’s not wanting to return to her home country. And it was great to learn about the development in the relationship between Helena and Sirra which is introduced in Red as Blood.

There is mention of Áróra’s looking for her missing sister, but that search is not concluded, so I assume there will be more books in this series. There’s also the relationship between Áróra and Daníel to develop further. I look forward to the next installment in the series, a series I recommend. Its short, snappy chapters and quick pace make for a fast but enjoyable read.

Note: Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DCYakabuski).… (meer)

This is the second installment in the Áróra Investigations series following Cold as Hell (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2022/01/review-of-cold-as-hell-by-lilja.html).

Áróra, a financial investigator from the U.K. who specializes in finding hidden assets, has extended her stay in Iceland to continue the search for her sister Ísafold. She becomes involved in a case involving a wealthy businessman named Flosi.

Flosi arrives home to discover his wife Guðrún has been abducted. A ransom note demanding €2 million is left with strict instructions not to involve the police or Guðrún will be killed. Flosi contacts his accountant who asks Áróra to go and see Flosi. She realizes that Flosi needs more help that she can provide so she contacts Daníel, the police detective who has been working on Ísafold’s case. So as not to alert the kidnappers, a secretive police operation is set up. Who is responsible for Guðrún’s disappearance?

The novel is well-plotted. It quickly becomes obvious that Flosi keeps secrets about both his personal and professional life; at one point he is described as someone “’who has definitely hidden information and never offers anything unless it’s forced out of him.’” Of course, he’s not the only suspect because there are a number of people who have plausible motives.

The novel has four points of view: that of Áróra, Daníel, Flosi, and Helena, one of Daníel’s colleagues. This narrative approach works well for both plot and character development. Certainly, Helena, who is described as reliable if “a little inexperienced and not as intuitive as she might be,” provides an interesting perspective. She sees Daníel as a mentor so we learn about his investigative techniques which she tries to emulate.

Áróra is a complex, authentic character – flawed but likeable. She is intelligent and determined and I love her pride in her “troll-and-Viking blood.” At times she seems cold and calculating, but we get to see her caring and vulnerable side as well. She regrets her estrangement with her sister and feels guilty for not coming to help when Ísafold had asked; as a consequence, she is very much motivated by a need for atonement.

It is not necessary to have read Cold as Hell, but I would definitely recommend starting there for background. The relationship between Áróra and Daníel, for instance, can be better understood knowing what happens in the first book. I especially enjoyed the reappearance of Lady Gúgúlú, “’the sexiest and also the most daring queen to be found north of the Alps.’”

The book touches on several crimes: abduction, extortion, assault, murder, intimidation, tax evasion, and money laundering. People lie and cheat and steal and engage in violence. So there is plenty of action and several twists. And the short, snappy chapters just add to the quick pace.

I’ve enjoyed both books in this series and will be next reading White as Snow, the third book.

Note: Please check out my reader's blog (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/) and follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/DCYakabuski).… (meer)

I've had a passing interest in Iceland since Sigur Rós, and I think it was between that and seeing that the main character is a lesbian that I decided to go with this one. That and a weird kind of nostalgia for the volcanic eruptions that set off my asthma from several thousand km away, back in 2010 (when the book is set). It was at the Book Festival in Edinburgh that I bought it - a shame I didn't have more time to mooch around and see some authors live, but time was shorter than I expected while I was back this summer. Anyway, the story satisfied, getting chillier and chillier metaphorically and literally (I see what you did there, Lilja, setting your book in the winter), and the twists near the end weren't completely unprecedented, but still shocked me. Basically what I want out of a Scandi-thriller - not that I've read that many before. Good job.… (meer)