Dead Sweet by Katrin Juliusdottir

 

Dead Sweet by Katrin Juliusdottir.

Translated by Quentin Bates.

Published 7th December 2023 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

A murder is just the beginning…

When Óttar Karlsson, a wealthy and respected government official and businessman, is found murdered, after failing to turn up at his own surprise birthday party, the police are at a loss. It isn't until young police officer Sigurdís finds a well-hidden safe in his impersonal luxury apartment that clues start emerging.

As Óttar's shady business dealings become clear, a second, unexpected line of enquiry emerges, when Sigurdís finds a US phone number in the safe, along with papers showing regular money transfers to an American account. Following the trail to Minnesota, trauma rooted in Sigurdís's own childhood threatens to resurface and the investigation strikes chillingly close to home…

Atmospheric, deeply unsettling and full of breakneck twists and turns, Dead Sweet is a startling debut thriller that uncovers a terrifying world of financial crime, sinister cults and disturbing secret lives, and kicks off an addictive, mind-blowing new series.

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The body of wealthy civil servant and businessman Óttar Karlsson is found on a beach, after he failed to arrive at his surprise birthday party. The signs point to him having been murdered, but why anyone would want to harm such a respected member of Reykjavik's political set is a mystery.

Young police officer Sigurdís is keen to get involved in her first major case, but having only just returned to active duty after assaulting a member of the public (albeit with good reason), her boss is reluctant to assign her more than administrative tasks. However, when her observational skills bring about the important discovery of a hidden safe in the victim's luxury apartment, she finds herself involved in the thick of an unusual murder investigation.

As the enquiry develops, it becomes clear that Óttar Karlsson's reputation for transparency and integrity was nothing but a sham. The sheer scale of his shady business dealings leads the police to the conclusion that this must be the reason for his murder... but Sigurdís is not so sure. The discovery of an American phone number among Karlsson's paperwork, and a series of payments to a bank account in Minnesota, whisper of an even darker side to Óttar Karlsson, and Sigurdís' own experiences of trauma make her the ideal person to uncover the disturbing truth about the man so many held in high regard...

Dead Sweet is the first in an intriguing new series by debut author Katrin Juliusdottir. At first sight, this is a tale of financial misconduct in the wake of the Icelandic economic collapse, which thrums with the weight of Juliusdottir's political and tech company backgrounds, but it soon becomes clear that she has something much more sinister in mind. Building on a cleverly wrought framework that combines far-reaching domestic and international plotlines, Juliusdottir sows the seeds of an unsettling Nordic noir crime yarn, and before you know it she has subverted the story into one rife with themes of manipulation and abuse that burgeon to encompass, not just the present police investigation, but also Sigurdís' personal life. 

Juliusdottir takes great care with her characters in this story, doing an excellent job of introducing you to their strengths and weaknesses, and all the little shades of grey that make them who they are. This is especially true of the police team and family members surrounding Sigurdís, who I look forward to getting to know and love over the course of this series. Sigurdís is written with lots of depth, and insight, and she discovers a lot about herself as the story progresses. She carries many burdens from the domestic abuse she lived through as a child, and Juliusdottir uses this nicely to explore facets of fear, control, insecurity, and guilt that are also reflected through the lives of many of the other characters - particularly those connected to the 'real' Óttar Karlsson, who she strips back beautifully to their bare bones, as the twists come thick and fast towards the end of the book.

For a debut, this novel shows a lot of promise. Juliusdottir's writing flows well, and she knows how to bring her obvious knowledge to bear to flesh out slick plotlines with authenticity and atmosphere. There is nothing lacking in thrills, spills and suspense, and I love, love, love the way Juliusdottir plays with the aspects of 'Dead Sweet' throughout. I would have liked a touch more bite given the subject matter, but I have no doubt this is something that will come as Juliusdottir hones her craft. Quentin Bates does a great job, as always, keeping the pace and intensity going, which is impressive given the breadth of this story.

It is always such a joy to be in at the beginning of an author's journey, particularly one writing in one of my absolute favourite genres. I predict great things Katrin Juliusdottir, and am really looking forward to book two!

Dead Sweet is available to buy now in hardcover, ebook and audio formats. You can support the very best of indie publishing by buying direct from Orenda Books HERE.

Thank you for Orenda Books for sending me a proof of this book in return for an honest review, and to Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

About the author:

Katrín received the Blackbird Award, an Icelandic crime-writing prize, for her first novel, Dead Sweet in 2020. Her debut novel was reviewed well by critics and hit the best-seller lists in the first weeks after publication. 

Katrín has a political background and was a member of Parliament from 2003 until 2016. Before she was elected to Parliament, Katrín was an advisor and project manager at a tech company and a senior buyer and CEO in the retail sector, as well as the Managing Director of a student union during her uni years. She worked from a young age in the fishing industry, as a store clerk and took night time shifts at a pizza place. She studied Anthropology and has an MBA from Reykjavík University. 

She was raised in Kópavogur, about 15 minutes' drive from downtown Reykjavík. She now lives in the neighbouring town of Garðabær with her family. She is married to author Bjarni M. Bjarnason, who encouraged her to start writing. They have four boys.

About the translator:

Quentin Bates escaped English suburbia as a teenager, jumping at the chance of a gap year working in Iceland. For a variety of reasons, the gap year stretched to become a gap decade, during which time he went native in the north of Iceland, acquiring a new language a new profession as a seaman and a family, before decamping en masse for England. He worked as a truck driver, teacher, netmaker and trawlerman at various times before falling into journalism, largely by accident. 

He is the author of a series of crime novels set in present-day Iceland (Frozen Out, Cold Steal, Chilled to the Bone, Winterlude, Cold Comfort and Thin Ice which have been published worldwide. He has translated all of Ragnar Jónasson’s Dark Iceland series.