Black as Death (2023)
2023
266 pages
Crime Fiction
Crime Highlights
A clever and compelling thriller about threat and violence, deception and trust.
Arora feels better since her sister’s body was found in a hollow in a lava field in Reykjanes – she can finally stop searching. But the case is still unsolved, the boyfriend who was believed to have killed Isafold was found in the same place, also murdered. And when Arora learns of a gruesome detail about the discovery of the bodies, she nearly loses her grip on reality. To distract herself, she dives head-first into a money laundering case that her friend Daniel is investigating. However, she finds that there is more than meets the eye and once again all the leads point towards Engihjalli, the street where Isafold lived and died.
Reviews
"A page-turner with a modern heroine you simply have to love! Áróra is the smart and positive icelandic sister of Lisbeth Salander. We are exited to adapt Lilja Sigurdardottir`s addictive books as a thrilling high end series set in the fantastic landscape of Iceland."
MORITZ MIHM, PRODUCER, STUDIO ZENTRAL
“Violence takes on a new and hideous shape in Black as Death … The book centers on Isafold and Bjorn’s relationship and the domestic violence that thrives between them. She doesn’t put up a fight, wanting to believe that he’s the right man for her, that she’s his little darling, and has become a lost cause thanks to this codependency … Lilja’s writing is solid and straight-forward with natural dialogue between the characters. Deep as Death is like a cross-section of society’s woes. The cracks are showing wherever you look, and all manner of offenses are perpetrated. Women are not assigned value, and within the police force thrives a culture of bullying, just as it does elsewhere in society. Some points are rendered very well, most notably the apathetic attitudes towards domestic abuse. The message doesn’t get any clearer than this.”
STEINTHOR GUDBJARTSSON, MORGUNBLADID DAILY
“Black as Death, Lilja Sigurdardottir’s newest book, puts all her talent on display. In keeping with Lilja’s style, we encounter several loose threads that subsequently unravel and become intertwined. … Lilja has mastered the art of holding the reader’s attention as she ingeniously finds ways to move the plot forward with a series of new clues. Anyone who has read her previous books about Arora knows the character well, but this book provides us with even keener insights into Isafold’s mind and we also get to know Bjorn better. In the end we solve the puzzle of Isafold’s disappearance but the question remains whether that’s enough for Arora to find peace and put down roots in Iceland.”
LIFDU NUNA MAGAZINE
“… the most exciting voice in Icelandic noir … Lilja Sigurdardottir is rapidly becoming my favourite Icelandic writer. She doesn’t waste a word as she creates her twisty mysteries and her sly sense of humour highlights her clead-eyed view of human nature.”
MARK SANDERSON, THE TIMES, UK
Rights Sold
FinlandDocendo
World English - Orenda Books
TV RightsStudio Zentral