Blog Tour: The Ice Swimmer by Kjell Ola Dahl

Today, I’m pleased to be hosting a stop on the blog tour for The Ice Swimmer by Kjell Ola Dahl, published by Orenda Books and translated by Don Bartlett.

Blurb:

The Oslo Detectives are back in another slice of gripping, dark Nordic Noir, and their new colleague has more at stake than she’s prepared to reveal…

When a dead man is lifted from the freezing waters of Oslo Harbour just before Christmas, Detective Lena Stigersand’s stressful life suddenly becomes even more complicated. Not only is she dealing with a cancer scare, a stalker and an untrustworthy boyfriend, but it seems both a politician and Norway’s security services might be involved in the murder.

With her trusted colleagues, Gunnarstranda and Frølich, at her side, Lena digs deep into the case and finds that it not only goes to the heart of the Norwegian establishment, but it might be rather to close to her personal life for comfort.

What I Say:

Dark, atmospheric and full of tense emotion.

Poor Lena, she’s dealing with a recent health scare which she is unable to put out of her mind and a struggling with new boyfriend, journalist Steffen Gjerstad who she suspects has tipped off her colleagues and misled her. Who can Lena truly trust? All this while trying to discover who the dead man is and why he had been murdered. Could it be for political purposes? Or financial reasons? Or is it something more sinister behind the murder?

I loved this detective story, it has everything you need – a sinister web of lies, treachery, superb characters and a twisty mystery.

I did feel really sorry for Lena as much as she tried she seemed to be blocked at every opportunity as she tried to unravel the mystery, but at least she had her colleagues Gunnarstrada and Frolich to help her. I loved their chemistry together and made them all not only likeable but made the story feel very realistic.

This is the first novel in the Oslo detectives series I have read but even so, I felt it could be read as a stand-alone as I was still able to follow previous events. Kjell Ola Dahl has been described as the godfather of Nordic Noir and I can see why. This is definitely a must read.

This is a dark, emotive and twisty mystery which has been tightly woven, full of surprises and lovable characters – such a fab treat for fans of Nordic Noir!

About the Author:

One of the godfathers of the Nordic Noir genre, Kjell Ola Dahl was born in 1958 in Gjøvik. He made his debut in 1993, and has since published eleven novels, the most prominent of which is a series of police procedurals cum psychological thrillers featuring investigators Gunnarstranda and Frølich. In 2000 he won the Riverton Prize for The Last Fix and he won both the prestigious Brage and Riverton Prizes for The Courier in 2015. His work has been published in 14 countries and sold over two million copies. He lives in Oslo.

 

The Ice Swimmer is out on Ebook now but will be released in paperback on 30th April 2018. It be ordered from Amazon here. Or preordered from Waterstones here.

Big thanks to Anne Cater and Karen Sullivan for allowing me to be a part of this tour.

Don’t forget to check out all the other stops on this fab blog tour!

Rooftop Book Club Crime Event

On Tuesday evening I was delighted to attend the Rooftop Book Club Crime evening hosted by Headline Publishers and Crime Files at Carmelite House where Headline Publishers are based.

This was a very intimate event with wine, nibbles and author book signings while boasting a gorgeous view of London’s Skyline. By the end of the event each attendee left with a fantastic goodie bag with FOUR early proof copies of new upcoming crime novels which I am very excited to read!

 

The event itself consisted of two panels made up of six fabulous British crime authors discussing their new novels and all things crime. The first panel featured Elly Griffiths, Claire McGowan, J.S Law and was chaired by Jake Kerridge. The panel discussed the settings in their novels, different communities reflected in their settings, the borderlands and between places, enclosed settings, the benefits of using made up places and the idea of whether the setting should be seen as a character within itself.A Q&A followed each panel – after the first panel a member of the audience asked a great question about settings in future novels and what the authors’ best and worst settings would be? This turned into a lively discussion about locked rooms, weird islands, historical settings, the suburbs and the dreaded places that everyone knows very well like Waterloo Station.

The second panel featured Janet Ellis, Sarah Hilary, Antonia Hodgson and was chaired by Antonia Senior. The panel was titled London past and present and discussed the wonderful city of London with its unique smell, anonymity, those weird places on the outskirts, different London boroughs, the rich versus poor and how they researched the different areas of London featured in their novels. Sarah Hilary went on to beguile the audience with tales of Battersea Power station, Janet Ellis discussed Primrose Hill in Georgian England and Antonia Hodgson spoke about how revolting London was during the Georgian period with its vomit, blood, guts and a big sense of desperation which she has described within her two novels.

This was a lively and fun evening jam packed with crime authors, publishers, bloggers and like-minded crime readers. There will be similar events from the Rooftop Book Club so don’t forget to follow them on twitter @RooftopBookClub to keep up to date with more fantastic evenings.

And now for the featured authors:

Elly Griffiths, @ellygriffiths, author of the riveting Dr Ruth Galloway series set in windswept Norfolk and the Stephens and Mephisto series set in 1950s Brighton.

Claire McGowan,@inkstainsclaire, author of the captivating Paula Maguire series, standalone novel The Fall and writer of Women’s general fiction under the pen name Eva Woods.

J. S Law, @JSLawBooks, debut author of Tenacity, a novel set in a Submarine. This will be part of a series featuring Lieutenant Danielle Lewis.

Janet Ellis, @missjanetellis, debut author of The Butcher’s Hook set in the summer of 1763 which has been shortlisted for the Desmond Elliot Prize 2016.

Sarah Hilary, @sarah_hilary,author of the amazing DI Marnie Rome series.

Antonia Hodgson, @AntoniaHodgson,author of the Devil in the Marshalsea and the Last Confession of Thomas Hawkins novels.

Thriller Review: Someone Else’s Skin by Sarah Hilary

First line: ‘They’ve cordoned off the house by the time she gets home. A uniformed stranger is unwinding police tape, methodically.’

What the blurb says: Called to a woman’s refuge to take a routine witness statement, DI Marnie Rome instead walks in on an attempted murder.

Trying to uncover the truth from layers of secrets, Marnie finds herself confronting her own demons.
Because she, of all people, knows that it can be those closest to us we should fear the most. . .

This is the first novel in the DI Marnie Rome series which starts off with a bang – it opens with her visiting the crime scene of her parents’ murder. Fast forward five years and DI Marnie Rome and DS Noah Jake go to question a potential witness at a women’s refuge only to walk-in on an attempted murder. As the novel progresses both officers becoming increasingly embroiled in the lives of the women in the refuge and what started off as a simple routine case turns into a fight for life and death.

I particularly find the character of Marnie Rome fascinating. She is a strong, tough new female officer who is battling her own conscience about her parents’ murder and has a vulnerable side – which makes her very likeable and down-to-earth. The novel evokes a lot of sympathy for the characters but I think it is largely due to the character of Rome who has a real sense of empathy for others which gets her into trouble at times.

I loved this book which creates a lot of imagery and provides vivid detail about domestic violence but still manages to keep it relevant to the plot. It is a story packed full of pace, suspense and tension with a tightly weaved plot which takes the reader on a thrilling yet emotional ride.

This is a must-read and it’s easy to see why this won the Theakston’s Crime Novel of the Year in 2015. I can’t wait to read the next instalment in the Marnie Rome series.

To buy this book on Amazon click here

To buy this book on Waterstones click here

To find out more about Sarah Hilary follow her on Twitter @sarah_hilary or visit her website here 

Chiller Review: Behind Closed Doors by B A Paris

First line: ‘The champagne bottle knocks against the marble kitchen counter, making me jump. I glance at Jack, hoping he won’t have noticed how nervous I am.’

What the blurb says:

Everyone knows a couple like Jack and Grace. He has looks and wealth, she has charm and elegance. You might not want to like them, but you do.
You’d like to get to know Grace better.
But it’s difficult, because you realise Jack and Grace are never apart.
Some might call this true love. Others might ask why Grace never answers the phone. Or how she can never meet for coffee, even though she doesn’t work. How she can cook such elaborate meals but remain so slim. And why there are bars on one of the bedroom windows. Sometimes, the perfect marriage is the perfect lie.

This is a breathtaking debut novel from B A Paris which centres around the characters of Grace and Jack. They are the perfect couple who are devoted to one another with the perfect house and the perfect life. Jack is a successful and charismatic lawyer who specialises in domestic abuse cases and Grace is the devoted and elegant housewife who cares for her little sister Millie, who has Down’s Syndrome. But this is merely the image they present to the outside world –  because none of their neighbours, friends or families truly know the horror that happens behind closed doors.

The novel is told from the point of view of Grace and has two different timelines set in the immediate present and the not too distant past chronicling how they met, Grace’s life before her marriage to Jack, and their married life together which merge together at the end.

The story is an easy one to be pulled into with the reader going on an emotional journey with Grace showing her thoughts and feelings which I felt made her tale believable. The author doesn’t hold back on any details and exposes the true reality of her situation which made for a very gripping read.

This is a great fast-paced debut psychological thriller to dip into.

To buy this book on Amazon click here

To buy this book on Waterstones click here

To find out more about B A Paris follow her on Twitter @BAParisAuthor

Chiller Review: The Kind Worth Killing By Peter Swanson

First Line: “Hello there,” She said. I looked at her pale, freckled hand on the back of the empty bar next to me in the business class lounge at Heathrow Airport, then up into the stranger’s face.’

What the blurb says: Delayed in London, Ted Severson meets a woman at the airport bar. Over cocktails they tell each other rather more than they should, and a dark plan is hatched – but are either of them being serious, could they actually go through with it and, if they did, what would be their chances of getting away with it?

Back in Boston, Ted’s wife Miranda is busy site managing the construction of their dream home, a beautiful house out on the Maine coastline. But what secrets is she carrying and to what lengths might she go to protect the vision she has of her deserved future?

 After a chance meeting in an airport bar Ted spills his secrets to Lily, the stranger he just met about his discovery of his wife’s infidelity and how he wishes her dead. Without missing a beat Lily offers to help Ted to kill his wife. As they arrange to meet again a dark plan is soon hatched but would they really do it? And if so, would they get away with it?

This is a new twist on Patricia Highsmith’s classic strangers on a train. The novel is told from the perspective of each of the main characters with frequent flashbacks of their lives which I found a very effective device. As a reader I was able to find out little titbits of information which kept me hooked into the story and left me wanting more.

The characterisation in this novel is superb. Each character has its own twisted logic of death which makes for a boiling pot of deceit and betrayal. The novel is jammed packed full of pace with twists and turns at every corner which I found I couldn’t put down.

The intricate plotting, a great mid-point twist – which you won’t see coming and a surprise ending make this a very gripping read.

To buy this book on Amazon click here

To buy this book on Waterstones click here

To find out more about Peter Swanson follow him on Twitter @PeterSwanson3 or visit his website here

Killer Review: The Dead Ground by Claire McGowan

The Dead Ground by Claire McGowan

First Line: ‘It starts with the smallest thing: the beat of your heart. When everything around you is horror, you focus on that.’

What the blurb says: Stolen. Missing. Dead…

Forensic psychologist Paula Maguire, already wrestling with the hardest decision of her life, is forced to put her own problems on hold when she’s asked to help find a baby taken from a local hospital.

Then the brutal, ritualistic murder of a woman found lying on a remote stone circle indicates a connection to the kidnapping and Paula knows that they will have to move fast if they are to find the person responsible.

When another child is taken and a pregnant woman goes missing, Paula finds herself caught up in a deadly hunt for a killer determined to leave no trace, and discovers every decision she makes really is a matter of life and death…

The Dead Ground is the second novel in the Paula Maguire Series which doesn’t disappoint. Forensic Psychologist Paula is back in her hometown of Barryterrin, Ireland, to help find a missing baby who has been snatched from a local hospital. When a woman is killed, another child is taken and a pregnant woman goes missing, Paula realises this is no ordinary killer and must rely on her instincts to solve the case. But when the killer seems to be one step ahead of Paula every time and she herself is struggling to make a decision that which will change her life – can she really find the missing in time?

The novel is told from the point of view of Paula a strong, independent woman who questions everything and doesn’t stick to the rules. The characterisation in this novel is very strong with many of the characters recurring from the previous book. There is a lot of tension between the characters who are all deliciously flawed in their own way which made it very easy to get sucked into to the story.

The setting really comes to life for me in this novel with the differing landscapes in winter and the backdrop of the ‘troubles’ in Ireland which sets the picture but doesn’t overpower the plot. There is also a lot of raw emotion within the story which made it a great read. Some of the storylines which start in the first book of the series, The Lost, carry over into this book so if you haven’t already I would recommend reading it beforehand. This novel is packed full of pace and suspense with many twist and turns which hooked me from the very beginning – I cannot wait to read the next instalment in the series.

A very gripping and thrilling plot with a captivating cast of characters that will keep you guessing who the real culprit is.

To buy this book on Amazon click here

To buy this book on Waterstones click here

To find out more about Claire McGowan follow her on Twitter @inkstainsclaire or visit her website here

Chiller Review: You by Caroline Kepnes

You by Caroline Kepnes

First Line: ‘You walk into the bookstore and keep your hand on the door to make sure it doesn’t slam. You smile, embarrassed to be a nice girl.’

What the blurb says: When aspiring writer Guinevere Beck strides into the bookstore where Joe works he is instantly smitten. Beck is everything Joe has ever wanted: tough, razor-smart and sexier than his wildest dreams. He’d kill to have her.

Soon Beck can’t resist her feelings for a guy who seems custom made for her. When a string of macabre incidents tears her world apart there is only one person she can turn to. But there’s more to Joe than Beck realises and much more to Beck than her perfect facade. The obsessive relationship quickly spirals into a whirlwind of deadly consequences…

This debut novel by Caroline Kepnes is a perfectly chilling read which centres on the character of Joe Goldberg, a sociopath who becomes obsessed with Beck, a beautiful aspiring writer whose life is lived through social media. This novel is told from the second person narrative in the point of view of Joe as he does anything and everything he can to be Beck’s perfect man.

The unreliable narrator of Joe has a very strong narrative voice which carries the story. The novel did have a few unlikeable characters but I think this is what made me as a reader sympathise with Joe. The author uses original techniques to tell the story through the second person point of view and incorporates a number of Tweets giving this novel a very contemporary feel to it. This is a book which some people may dislike due to the many contemporary references which some readers may not be familiar with, fortunately I like the TV show Girls and found this very refreshing.

The story hooked me in straight away with Joe’s wit and observations of life builds great characterisation throughout which made me root for him by the end. This novel is pack full of pace and suspense which really encompasses the genre.

A very exciting but creepy psychological thriller that will keep you awake until the very end.

To buy this book on Amazon click here

To buy this book on Waterstones click here

To find out more about Caroline Kepnes follow her on Twitter @CarolineKepnes

Hidden Bodies, the next book in the Joe Goldberg series is available to buy now.

Killer Review: Nightblind by Ragnar Jónasson

First Line: ‘Unsettling. Yes, that’s the word. There was something unsettling about that ancient, broken-down house.’

What the blurb says: 

Siglufjörður: an idyllically quiet fishing village on the northernmost tip of Iceland, accessible only via a small mountain tunnel.
Ari Thór Arason: a local policeman, whose tumultuous past and uneasy relationships with the villagers continue to haunt him.
The peace of this close-knit community is shattered by the murder of a policeman – shot at point-blank range in the dead of night in a deserted house. With a killer on the loose and the dark arctic winter closing in, it falls to Ari Thór to piece together a puzzle that involves tangled local politics, a compromised new mayor, and a psychiatric ward in Reykjavik, where someone is being held against their will. Then a mysterious young woman moves to the area, on the run from something she dare not reveal, and it becomes all too clear that tragic events from the past are weaving a sinister spell that may threaten them all.

This is a brilliant novel in the Dark Iceland series which sees the return of Ari Thor, a local policeman, in the small town of Siglufjörður, with his girlfriend and ten-month old son which is set five years after Snowblind – the first book in the series.

When the new inspector, Herjólfur, is killed – the first time a policeman has ever been murdered in Iceland, Ari Thor is faced with the impossible task of finding out what really happened. But as Ari Thor delves deeper into the investigation he is drawn into local politics and long buried family secrets where nothing is as it seems as he struggles to keep his own personal life at bay long enough to uncover the killer.

It was so easy to be sucked into this novel; with the brooding character of Ari Thor fraught with insecurities about his own abilities as a policeman, the dark and surprising twists in the investigation and set within the stunning but creepy atmosphere of Iceland makes for a very exciting read.

This is a classic murder mystery infused with dark undertones which really brings the beautiful and eerie setting of Iceland to life.

I am very much looking forward to the next book in the series out, Blackout, which is out later this year.

With thanks to Karen Sullivan at Orenda Books for my copy of Nightblind.

To buy this book on Amazon click here

To buy this book on Waterstones click here

To find out more about Ragnar Jónasson follow him on Twitter @ragnarjo or visit his website here

Chiller Review: The Crooked House by Christobel Kent

The Book’s First Line: “When it starts again she is face down on her bed with her hands over her ears and she feels it more than hears it. A vibration through the mattress, through the flowered duvet, through the damp pillow she’s buried her face in.”

What The Blurb Says: Alison is as close to anonymous as she can get: with no ties and a backroom job, hers is a life lived under the radar. But once Alison was someone else: once she was Esme, a teenager whose bedroom sat at the top of a remote house on a bleak estuary. A girl whose family, if not happy, exactly, was no unhappier than anyone else’s – or so she thought.

Then one night violence was unleashed in the crooked house, in a nightmare that only Alison survived and from which she’s been running ever since. Only when she falls for the charismatic Paul does Alison realise that to have any chance of happiness, she must return to her old life and face a closed community full of dark secrets. As she seeks to uncover the truth of what happened that terrible night, Alison begins to question everything she thought she knew. Is there anyone she can trust?

Thirteen years ago Esme Grace was the only survivor of a horrific attack which left her family dead. Now with a new identity and haunted by the events of her past, Alison must return to the scene of her childhood to face the terrifying truth about what really happened that night.

The novel is told from the point of view of Alison, an isolated, and secretive young woman struggling with her made up life and the pain of losing her family.

The novel starts with an effective opening which really grabbed my attention. The narrative is made up of both the present day and flashbacks of Esme as a teenager leading up to the terrifying night that changed everything. The characterisation is very effective within this novel with the constant internal struggle of Alison and her sense of grief and pain make this story both compelling and believable.

I felt the setting of the strange and eerie coastal village where everyone knows each other’s secret really came to life for me. I liked that the characters were all part of a closed knit community who closed ranks and regarded Alison/Esme as an outsider even when she was a child.

The underlying secrets and lies which litter the story make this a very atmospheric read and set both a paranoid and unsettling tone for the novel.

An effective and twisty psychological mystery set in a mysterious close-knit community.

To buy this book on Amazon click here

To buy this book on Waterstones click here

To find out more about Christobel Kent visit her publishers website here