Dark As Night (An Áróra Investigation: Book Four) by Lilja Sigurdardottir

 

Dark as Night (An Áróra Investigation: Book Four) by Lilja Sigurdardóttir .

Published 10th October 2024 by Orenda Books.

From the cover of the book:

When Áróra receives a call telling her that a child she’s never met is claiming to be her missing sister reincarnated, she is devastated … as ridiculous as the allegations might seem. For three years she has been searching for her sister without finding a single clue, and now this strange child seems to have new information.

On the same day, Icelandic detective Daníel returns home to find a note from his tenant, drag queen Lady Gúgúlú, giving notice on her flat and explaining that she has to leave the country. Daníel is immediately suspicious, and when three threatening men appear, looking for Lady, it’s clear to him that something is very wrong…

And as Iceland’s long dark nights continue into springtime, that is just the very beginning…

Twisty, intricately plotted and atmospheric, Dark as Night is the highly anticipated fourth book in the addictive An Áróra Investigation series, as Áróra and her friends face unimaginable danger and extraordinary experiences that may change everything, forever…

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For three long years, Áróra has been searching for her missing sister Ísafold without success, exhausting every possible lead. When she receives a strange call from a woman claiming that her three-year-old daughter insists she is Ísafold reincarnated, Áróra dismisses it as just another hoax. However, then she meets the child, and realises that somehow this golden-haired tot knows impossible things about her sister and the case. Could this really be the chance to find out what happened to Ísafold?

On the same day, Áróra's partner, Icelandic detective Daníel, has a shock of his own. Returning home, he discovers that his flamboyant tenant, drag queen Lady Gúgúlú, has disappeared, leaving a cryptic note saying he has had to leave the country. Daniel's confusion turns to concern when three mysterious men turn up on his door-step and threaten him with violence unless he reveals his tenant's whereabouts. Lady Gúgúlú is obviously in danger, and Daniel has no idea how to help, but private investigator Áróra might...

The fourth book in the excellent Áróra Investigations series follows two captivating storylines for Áróra and Daniel that have them questioning how much they really knew about their larger-than-life friend Lady, and in an intriguing twist, their beliefs about the circle of life and death.

The novel unfurls through the points of view of Áróra, Daniel, and Lady in an epic mash-up of eerie supernatural mystery, gritty police procedural, and suspense-filled action thriller, against a deliciously atmospheric Icelandic backdrop. Áróra is consumed with the possibility that a small child might hold the key to the mystery of Ísafold's disappearance, despite the skepticism of those around her, but her personal feelings make it difficult for her to see things clearly. In parallel, Daniel's tentative search for Lady is brought to a violent halt, while he is also trying to decide if this weird development in Ísafold's case might really be something interesting. Heightened emotions, doubts and anxieties put Áróra and Daniel's relationship under strain as the threads of their stories weave together (not helped by Áróra's misguided physical training regime), and in a lovely twist, the solution to both their problems proves to be to a division of labour that uses their individual skills to best advantage.

Meanwhile, Sigurdardottir has some lovely surprises in store when it comes to Lady Gúgúlú, who you discover has been leading much more of a double life than simply being a drag queen. His part in the story cuts in and out as he tries to save himself from the consequences of a murky past filled with cutting-edge science, dodgy dealing, astonishing subterfuge, and regrets. I loved how this allows Lady's character to develop like never before, and ties Áróra and Daniel's plotlines together in cross-genre splendour. There are nice little asides into the goings on in the lives of some of the other recurring characters too.

The pace of the book ramps up to fever pitch, swapping relentlessly back and forth between the three main characters as their plotlines reach explosive conclusions. I was kept firmly on the edge of my seat, and tip my hat at translator Lorenza Garcia for making the story flow so well - she also manages to convey the emotional intensity of Sigurdardottir's echoed themes of acceptance, family ties, and enduring love quite beautifully.

Sigurdardottir pulls off the cleverest of tricks to satisfyingly tie off the threads of poignant storylines that have run through the series as well as in this fourth book, while leaving just enough hanging to take Áróra and Daniel into staggering new country in the next book... I cannot wait. Nordic noir at its gripping best!

Dark as Night is available to buy now in paperback, ebook and audio formats. You can support indie publishing by buying direct from Orenda Books HERE.

Thank you to 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:

Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurðardóttir was born in the town of Akranes in 1972, and raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland. 

An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written ten crime novels, including Snare, Trap and Cage, making up the Reykjavík Noir trilogy, and her standalone thriller Betrayal, all of which have hit bestseller lists worldwide. Snare was longlisted for the CWA International Dagger, Cage won Best Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year and was a Guardian Book of the Year, and Betrayal was shortlisted for the prestigious Glass Key Award and won Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year. The film rights for the Reykjavík Noir trilogy have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California. 

Cold as Hell, the first book in the An Áróra Investigation series, was published in the UK in 2021. 

She lives in Reykjavík with her partner.

About the translator:

Lorenza Garcia was born and brought up in England. She spent her early twenties living and working in Iceland and Spain. In 1998 she graduated from Goldsmiths with a first-class honors degree in Spanish and Latin American studies. She moved to France in 2001, where she lived for seven years. Since 2006 she has translated and co-translated more than thirty novels and works of nonfiction from the French, the Spanish, and the Icelandic.