When Áróra receives a call telling her that a child she’s never met is claiming to be her missing sister reincarnated, she is devastated … as ridiculous as the allegations might seem. For three years she has been searching for her sister without finding a single clue, and now this strange child seems to have new information.
On the same day, Icelandic detective Daníel returns home to find a note from his tenant, drag queen Lady Gúgúlú, giving notice on her flat and explaining that she has to leave the country. Daníel is immediately suspicious, and when three threatening men appear, looking for Lady, it’s clear to him that something is very wrong…
And as Iceland’s long dark nights continue into springtime, that is just the very beginning…
Twisty, intricately plotted and atmospheric, Dark as Night is the highly anticipated fourth book in the addictive An Áróra Investigation series, as Áróra and her friends face unimaginable danger and extraordinary experiences that may change everything, forever.
I'm delighted to be hosting the blog tour for Dark as Night by Lilja Sigurdardóttir today. Many thanks to Orenda Books and Anne Cater from Random Things Tours for inviting me and for my advance copy of the novel.
Dark as Night is the fourth book in Lilja Sigurdardóttir's excellent An Áróra Investigation series. It isn't necessary to have read the previous novels but some earlier storylines conclude, or at least significantly develop here, and so I would recommend reading the others if possible. Perhaps even more importantly, they are all superb reads and fans of atmospheric, intricately crafted crime fiction shouldn't miss out.
This is the most personal instalment since the first book, Cold as Hell introduced Áróra and her search for her missing sister, Ísafold. Áróra hears some bewildering news which, while potentially devastating, also offers her bittersweet hope that she might finally learn the truth about her sister's fate. Despite long having accepted that Ísafold was murdered, she cannot rest until her body is discovered. However, the testimony of a three-year-old girl who claims to be Ísafold reincarnated isn't something she initially believes can be anything but a cruel hoax – until the child tells her things that she couldn't possibly know.
I have to admit to being somewhat sceptical about the subject of past lives, even though when she was two, my own daughter told me about her "other daddy", a man called Lance who died in a plane crash! However, as Daniel and Helena question little Ester Lóa's parents, Lilja Sigurdardóttir gradually ensures that we gladly accept the possibility that she is telling the truth, strange as it may seem.
It's a difficult time for Áróra and her obsession with improving her physical strength sees her make some misguided decisions which ironically leave her more fragile than ever. Lilja Sigurdardóttir's sympathetic portrayal of her flaws renders her a compelling believable protagonist and in spite of her mistakes, readers will always be on her side.
Her boyfriend, Daniel provides stalwart support but his attentions become divided after his friend and tenant, Lady Gúgúlú disappears. I've loved this fabulous drag queen since her first appearance and was thrilled to see her character developed further in Dark as Night. It soon becomes obvious that the people hunting him will stop at nothing and have extensive resources and powerful means of persuasion at their disposal.
The short, pacy chapters which switch between both addictive storylines meant I raced through the book, often with my heart pounding. Both are compulsively tense; the mystery surrounding Ísafold explores the heartbreaking need for some form of resolution, while the subplot crackles with excitement and danger. Meanwhile, the richly atmospheric descriptions of Iceland and the contrast between city life and the remote glacial countryside means it almost becomes a character in its own right. Dark as Night is arguably Lilja Sigurdardóttir's best book to date – although she consistently sets the bar very high indeed! A word of thanks here too for Lorenza Garcia's translation. With its perceptive characterisation and breathtakingly immersive plotting, this is a suspenseful, dramatic and poignant read from start to finish. Very highly recommended!
Dark as Night is published by Orenda Books and can be ordered from their website, further purchasing links can be found here.
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About the Author
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Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurdardóttir was born in the town of Akranesin 1972 and raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland. An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written four crime novels, with Snare, the first in a new series and Lilja's English debut shortlisting for the CWA International Dagger and hitting bestseller lists worldwide. Trap soon followed suit, with the third in the trilogy Cage winning the Best Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year, and was a Guardian Book of the Year. Lilja's standalone Betrayal, was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel. In 2021, Cold as Hell, the first in the An Áróra Investigation series was published, with Red as Blood and White as Snow following in 2022 and 2023. White as Snow longlisted for the Petrona Award for best Scandinavian Novel of the Year 2024. The film rights have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California. Lilja is also an award-winning screenwriter in her native Iceland. She lives in Reykjavík with her partner.
About the Translator
Lorenza Garcia was born and brought up in England. She spent her early twenties living and working in Iceland and Spain. In 1998 she graduated from Goldsmiths with a first-class honors degree in Spanish and Latin American studies. She moved to France in 2001, where she lived for seven years. Since 2006 she has translated and co-translated more than thirty novels and works of nonfiction from the French, the Spanish, and the Icelandic.
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