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 realizes 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 crime novel about families and relationships, secret bank accounts, and deluded love.
- The best new crime fiction for October 2021, selected by The Times
- Shortlisted for the Crime Fiction Lover Awards 2021, UK, as Best Crime Novel in Translation
- February’s Best International Crime Fiction 2022, selected by CrimeReads, UK
- Shortlisted for The Petrona Award 2022, UK
R E V I E W S
“Icelandic crime writing at its finest … the latest from Lilja Sigurdardottir is immersive and unnerving.”
Shari Lapena, internationally bestselling author of five NY Times and Sunday Times bestselling thrillers
“Lilja Sigurdardottir just gets better and better … Árora is a wonderful character: unique, passionate, unpredictable and very real.”
Michael Ridpath
FOUR STARS
“Ice cold thrills in Iceland … Sigurdardottir’s secret sauce is constructing satisfying narratives from diaphanous strands of plot and fleeting glimpses of her characters’ contrary natures. The result? Another bleak, unpredictable classic.”
P.C., Metro
“Lilja is a standout voice in Icelandic Noir, and this book does not disappoint …
Cold as Hell is her best yet.”
JAMES OSWALD
“COLD AS HELL, the first novel in a new slick series, introduces Áróra who returns from UK to her homeland Iceland following the disappearance of her estranged sister Ísafold. She uncovers a corrupted world of dark secrets but needs help from her policeman uncle to navigate an Icelandic society with which she is now unfamiliar. The author creates a chilling and tense atmosphere where the midnight sun hides crimes and all relations are tested. The richness and intensity of the writing makes the investigative accountant Áróra, who will stop at nothing to understand and trace her sibling, a thoroughly modern and captivating protagonist in a league of her own.”
PETRONA AWARD 2022 – SHORTLIST, JURY’S COMMENTS
“Lilja Sigurdardottir has really nailed that Icelandic Noir vibe. Her other novels have gradually ramped up those ice shadows and dark stains on the Icelandic snow but OMG, this is Icelandic Noir magnified. … Each chapter is well developed and uniquely chilling.”
Booktrail.com, UK
“A smart, creative series start from one of Iceland’s bestselling crime writers at the top of her game. … My verdict? Buy it! … Cold as Hell belongs on your must-read list.”
Crimefictioncritic.com, UK
“The best new crime fiction for October 2021 … Lilja Sigurdardottir 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. … Reading Cold as Hell sometimes gives you “the bizarre feeling of having been struck by a hand that had previously been so gentle”. Isn’t that what all crime writers should aim for? The good news, my “cuddle dumplings”, is that Arora will be back.”
Mark Sanderson, The Times
“Smart writing with a strongly beating heart.”
Big Issue, UK
“Best-selling Icelandic crime-writer Sigurdardottir has built a formidable reputation with just four novels, but here she introduces a new protagonist who is set to cement her legacy. … The blinding midnight sun in Iceland’s summer is beautifully evoked as Arora establishes herself as a heroine to move the heart.“
Geoffrey Wansell, Daily Mail, UK
“Sigurdardóttir is adept at peppering the plot with twists and changes of direction, and Áróra is a wonderfully imperfect risk-taker still blighted by her familial past, and the characters she chances upon in her investigation prove colourful and entertaining, when not downright evil. A great introduction to a new, complex heroine and which could turn out to be a winning series in the making.”
Maxim Jakubowski, Crime Time, UK
“The writing is intense, taut and spare, the plot lines intriguing and involving. … In Cold As Hell, Lilja Sigurdardóttir is asking how much control we have over the things that happen to us, and how well we can hang on to the vestiges of decency in a corrupt and corrupting world. A perfect blend of social critique and jaw dropping thriller.”
Paul Burke, Crimefictionlover.com, UK
“… the start of a superb new series … an enviable ability to create truly credible, compelling situations, with such engaging characters and a strong sense of place that readers are drawn into her worlds from the opening line, and Cold as Hell marks a new high water mark in Lilja’s superb writing. … what sets Lilja’s work apart is her ability to thread dark atmospheric tension throughout her writing and to keep the tale so taut that, once you’ve started reading and are drawn into her perfectly weighted web of intrigue and manipulation, putting Cold as Hell down is just not an option. … a slick, refreshing, glacial blast of a thriller and there’s more great work coming down the line from this uber-cool Queen of ice-cold crime.“
Paul Blezard, lovereading.co.uk
“Lilja tells a story and it is a success. She points out acute problems and connects them to the passing times.“
Steinthor Gudbjartsson, Morgunbladid daily
“… highly entertaining and cleverly plotted. …”
Vikan Weekly
“An excellent mystery novel with interesting characters and a fascinating plot.”
Bryndis S. Palmadottir, Frettabladid daily
“A stunning addition to the icy-cold crime genre.”
Foreword Reviews
“Clear your diary. As soon as you begin reading … you won’t be able to stop until the final page.”
Michael Wood
