Lilja Sigurdardóttir
I’ve spent the last two weeks reading the first three books in this series, back-back.
Set in Iceland with a main protagonist who is half British, half Icelandic, the story in each book is brilliant, as is the running story which continues in the background of the second two, having being the main story in the first.
Áróra is a financial private investigator who specialises in identifying where people hide money, whether it’s for a messy divorce, or a corporate crime. Her favourite outcome to each case is to take her commission in cash and roll around in it, on her bed.
Cold as Hell
When her sister goes missing in Iceland her mother insists she goes to find her. Explaining to her mother that she is not that type of investigator hold no grounds with her mom, so she catches a FI light to meet a “relative” who is a Police Officer who has volunteered to help.
The Officer, Daniel, is only a distant relative, and that is by a marriage that has long ended in divorce, but they click, and start the hunt for her sister.
They start with the boyfriend. is an abusive bully who has beaten Ísafold on multiple occasions, but she keeps returning. Suspected of not only taking, but also dealing drugs Björn is the obvious suspect, but proving it is going to be difficult.
They are not the only one that has concerns about Björn and his treatment of Ísafold. And he is out for revenge, but does this help or hinder Áróra and Daniel’s investigation
It’s no spoiler to say that Ísafold is never found, and it’s Áróra’s hunt for her that continues through the other two books.
Red as Blood
Áróra is still on the island looking for her sister when an accountant she works for contacts her to tell her he needs help with a client in Iceland.
Entrepreneur Flosi has returned home to find his wife had been kidnapped. Told not to inform the police, but to arrange for a 2 million euro ransom to be paid in cash he has contacted his accountant in England.
The accountant wants Áróra to act as liaison and to fly to the U.K. to courier the cash.
Inevitably the police do get involved and it’s Daniel’s team lead the investigation.
Áróra however finds links to Russian mafia in Flosi’s businesses, he’s not the innocent entrepreneur, and the kidnapping isn’t all that it seems.
White as Snow
The story centres on people smuggling. When a container is found abandoned in Iceland with four dead bodies inside an investigation is launched.
There is one survivor, a Nigerian woman that had been living in France. At first she doesn’t know how she ended up in the container but the book contains her backstory in some of the chapters. As this unfolds so does the investigation in Icleland.
Again the Russian Mafia seems to be at the heart of everything.
Daniel has stepped back from leading the investigation, finding it harrowing, having found the survivor, but continues in a support role.
Áróra starts to follow the money, putting herself in more danger than she appreciates.
I read these books because I read a review of the 4th book which is due out later this year. I’m glad I did but now I find myself having to wait months for the next episode in what I’ve found to be an enthralling series.
Publisher: Orenda Books. Print lengths: 309, 315 and 319 pages.
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