Cold as Hell, 1

Icelandic sisters âArâora and âIsafold live in different countries and aren’t on speaking terms, but when their mother loses contact with âIsafold, âArâora 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 âIsafold’s abusive, drug-dealing boyfriend Bjèorn, and begins to probe her sister’s reclusive neighbours - who have their own reasons for staying out of sight - âArâora 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, âArâora enlists the help of police officer Danâiel, as she tries to track her sister’s movements, and begins to tail Bjèorn - but she isn’t the only one watching.

Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurdardóttir was born in the town of Akranes in 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 being chosen as a Guardian Book of the Year. Lilja’s standalone Betrayal was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel. The film rights have been bought by Palomar Pictures. Lilja is also an award-winning screenwriter in her native Iceland. She lives in Reykjavík with her partner.