The wealthy, powerful Snæberg clan has gathered for a family reunion at a futuristic hotel set amongst the dark lava flows of Iceland’s remote Snæfellsnes peninsula.
Petra Snæberg, a successful interior designer, is anxious about the event, and her troubled teenage daughter, Lea, whose social-media presence has attracted the wrong kind of followers. Ageing carpenter Tryggvi is an outsider, only tolerated because he’s the boyfriend of Petra’s aunt, but he’s struggling to avoid alcohol because he knows what happens when he drinks … Humble hotel employee, Irma, is excited to meet this rich and famous family and observe them at close quarters … perhaps too close…
As the weather deteriorates and the alcohol flows, one of the guests disappears, and it becomes clear that there is a prowler lurking in the dark.
But is the real danger inside … within the family itself?
Masterfully cranking up the suspense, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir draws us into an isolated, frozen setting, where nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted, as the dark secrets and painful pasts of the Snæberg family are uncovered … and the shocking truth revealed.
Succession meets And Then There Were None … A Golden Age mystery for the 21st Century, with a shocking twist.
I'm delighted to be hosting the blog tour for You Can't See Me today. Many thanks to Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, Orenda Books and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me and for sending me an advance copy of the novel.
Eva Björg Ægisdóttir's Forbidden Iceland series has become one of my favourites and I know I'm guaranteed a literary thriller of the highest quality whenever I pick up a book by this talented author. You Can't See Me is a prequel novel set just before Elma moves back to Akranes to join West Iceland CID but although her future colleagues, Sævar and Hörður are involved in looking into a sudden death, this mystery is more domestic suspense than a police investigation. Despite this change, You Can't See Me still has all the elements I love in Eva's writing – the richly atmospheric descriptions, astute characterisation and the intelligent plotting which invariably keeps me compulsively turning the page.
Although readers swiftly become aware that a death has occurred, the identity of the victim isn't revealed and while there are a few scenes following the investigation, most of the book alternates between the perspectives of four main characters. As the wealthy, prominent Snæberg family congregate in an exclusive, ultra-modern hotel on the remote Snæfellsnes peninsula, chapters follow one of their most well-known members, interior designer Petra Snæberg, her teenage daughter, Lea, and two characters who are outsiders of varying degrees – Tryggvi is the boyfriend of Petra's aunt and so has been invited to the gathering while Irma is a hotel employee.
Petra is the perfect representation of Eva Björg Ægisdóttir's exceptional development of complex, flawed characters. Despite her professional success, she obviously still bears the emotional scars of her past and is a complicated woman whose self-absorption means she's frequently a rather infuriating figure, who consequently fails to recognise her daughter's difficulties. It's quickly evident that though Lea may appear to have been gifted with all the privileges of money and power, it's a poisoned chalice which has already badly impacted her young life and which leaves her glaringly vulnerable. Readers will immediately recognise the potential danger she puts herself into and it's painful to see how easy it can be to elicit the trust of particularly young people on social media. While Petra and Lea are the faces which attract scores of followers, Irma lies on the flip side of the transaction and epitomises the sort of person who idolises the apparently perfect lives they see on sites like Instagram or TikTok.
She constantly compares her own upbringing as the child of a single mother with what she believes they have, but being in such close contact with these people allows Irma to see a different, much less polished side to their family dynamics. Their heavy drinking and awkward, even hostile exchanges mean the reunion isn't the glamorous event she'd imagined. It becomes increasingly evident that there are numerous secrets as well as unfinished business tarnishing the surface glitter of the Snæbergs and the ominous sense of foreboding is heightened still further as it seems as though it's not just the family who have something to hide. Tryggvi is a wonderfully unsettling character; on the one hand he's the patient, loving partner of an alcoholic but he's enveloped by a shroud of regret and there are mentions of a darker side to his personality and what he knows he's capable of. Eva Björg Ægisdóttir cleverly elicits our sympathy for him as she captures the barely concealed snobbery and indifference of his girlfriend's family but as with Irma, there's always a sense of doubt as to who they really are.
Although You Can't See Me isn't a fast-paced thriller, it's certainly not short on tension or intrigue and the short chapters allow for plenty of cliffhangers and tantalising hints about past transgressions. The bleak striking landscape which inspired tales of elves and trolls is a stark contrast to the innovative hotel; as the weather becomes ever more inclement and somebody goes missing, the menacing claustrophobia is terrifically suspenseful. The entire storyline takes place over a couple of days, which results in a grim countdown to the tragedy we know occurs. As the victim and the events leading to their death is finally revealed, the truth is twisted and melancholic and Victoria Cribb's translation allows the skilfully structured storyline to flow effortlessly. You Can't See Me is an outstanding mystery, a beautifully observed tale of obsession and a terrifying reminder to be careful what you wish for. Very highly recommended.
You Can't See Me will be published by Orenda Books on 6th July and can be purchased from the publisher's website. More purchasing links can be found here but please support independent bookshops if possible.
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About the Translator
Thanks for the blog tour support x
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