Description
When a woman’s body is discovered at a lighthouse in the Icelandic town of Akranes, investigators discover shocking secrets in her past.
First in the disturbing, chillingly atmospheric, addictive new Forbidden Iceland series. **WINNER of the Storytel Award for Best Crime Novel 2020****WINNER of the Blackbird Award for Best Icelandic Crime Novel****SHORTLISTED for the Amazon Publishing Readers Award for Best Independent Voice****SHORTLISTED for the Amazon Publishing Readers Award for Best Debut Novel****LONGLISTED for the CWA New Blood Dagger**’Eva Bjoerg AEgisdottir’s accomplished first novel is not only a full-fat mystery, but also a chilling demonstration of how monsters are made’ The Times’Fans of Nordic Noir will love this moving debut from Icelander Eva Bjoerg AEgisdottir’s.
It’s subtle, nuanced, with a sympathetic central character and the possibilities of great stories to come’ Ann Cleeves’An exciting and harrowing tale from one of Iceland’s rising stars’ Ragnar Jonasson_________________When a body of a woman is discovered at a lighthouse in the Icelandic town of Akranes, it soon becomes clear that she’s no stranger to the area. Chief Investigating Officer Elma, who has returned to Akranes following a failed relationship, and her collegues Saevar and Hoerdur, commence an uneasy investigation, which uncovers a shocking secret in the dead woman’s past that continues to reverberate in the present day … But as Elma and her team make a series of discoveries, they bring to light a host of long-hidden crimes that shake the entire community.
Sifting through the rubble of the townspeople’s shattered memories, they have to dodge increasingly serious threats, and find justice … before it’s too late. For fans of Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Ruth Rendell, P D James, Sarah Hilary and Camilla Lackberg_________________’Elma leaves Reykjavik CID for a job with the police in her hometown of Akranes, deeming it “every bit as quiet as it appeared to be” – until the discovery of a murdered woman starts to unravel a thread of long-buried crimes hidden deep in the community.
Elma is a fantastic heroine’ Sunday Times’We’re used to Icelandic writers lowering the temperature – in more ways than one – and AEgisdottir proves to be adept at this chilly art as any of her confreres (and consoeurs).
Elma is a memorably complex character, and Victoria Cribb’s translation is (as usual) non-pareil’ Financial Times’A deserted lighthouse and a murdered woman set the scene for this haunting and compelling mystery where the dark secrets of a small town are shockingly exposed.
As chilling and atmospheric as an Icelandic winter’ Lisa Gray, author of Thin Air’The setting in Iceland is fascinating, the descriptions creating a vivid picture of the reality of living in a small town.
The Creak on the Stairs is a captivating tale with plenty of tension and a plot to really get your teeth into’ LoveReading’At each stage, AEgisdottir is not giving us information but asking things of us.
She’s getting us to think through the implications: what if it’s him, what if it’s her, what would it mean?
We’re involved, we’ve got skin in the game and we can’t ask for more as readers’ Cafe Thinking
