Black as Death

By: Lilja Sigurðardóttir

Narrated by: Colleen Prendergast

When the fate of Áróra's missing sister, Isafold, is discovered, Áróra is relieved that she can halt a search that has taken over her life, even if the mystery remains unsolved. But when Isafold's boyfriend – chief suspect in her disappearance – is found dead in the same place that Isafold's body was found, Áróra begins to lose her grip on reality. To distract herself, she dives headfirst into a money-laundering case that her friend Daníel is investigating. But she finds that there is more than meets the eye, and once again, all leads point towards Engihjalli, the street where Isafold lived and died, and a series of shocking secrets that could explain and endanger everything…

©2023 Lilja Sigurðardóttir (P)2025 Isis Audio

Excellent scandi noir-style tale

I began this series a while back when I'd run out of new books in familiar series, and found it quirky and, as regards the forensic financial detecting, pretty interesting. Since then each book has got better and better, with this last proving very satisfying indeed. I appreciate the regular ingredients the writer preferences - diversity, flawed characters, domestic violence, the background reality of police and criminal life, etc. If you like some gore, some police procedural, some wild landscape, and a woman who can successfully stand up to almost anyone, then the Arora series is for you. Lilja Sigurðardóttir deserves much wider recognition.