Áróra has returned to her birthplace, Iceland, to find her missing sister, Ísafold. Now, she has come to realize that she is probably looking for her sister’s body.

Áróra, who lived in Edinburgh, is a financial investigator, though to make her life simpler she tells everyone she is an accountant. She has recently purchased a flat in Iceland to facilitate her search for her sister.

In the last book, Áróra met up with her uncle (by marriage), named Daníel Hansson. Though he is fifteen years her senior, they are strongly attracted to one another. Now life is complicated. Daníel is a policeman, now divorced, and he has promised to help her find Ísafold. The case has grown cold now and Áróra and Daniel have fallen out of touch… until

Áróra is called in to an investigation of an abducted woman. Due to the serious nature of the crime, coupled with the ransom demand of two million euros, Áróra calls Daníel to apprise him of the case.

Icelandic businessman/entrepreneur Flosi arrived home from work to find his wife Guðrún missing and on the kitchen table a ransom note demanding two million euros. It was obvious that she was taken whilst preparing supper as the oven was on and the food left out on the counter. The couple are in their mid fifties and have been taking each other for granted. Now, with her missing, Flosi realizes just how much her cares for her and wants her back. However, he seems less than completely forthcoming and the reader wonders just what he could be hiding.

Warned in the note NOT to involve the police or his wife Guðrún would be killed, he reluctantly enlists Áróra for support – she then involves Daníel who begins an investigation undercover so as not to alert the kidnappers.

The investigation takes many twists and turns before it is resolved…

The second Áróra Investigation, and the follow-up to the fabulous “Cold As Hell“, this thriller was a tense and twisty reading experience.

Throughout the first novel, I was a bit torn as to whether I liked Áróra or not. It took me the entire novel to decide that yes, yes I do. She is a ‘badass’. She is tall, strong, and knows her own place in her world. Sometimes her moral compass seems a bit off, but she resonates as a ‘good’ person. I liked her even better in this book.

The Icelandic settings were well described, though the author seems to have a love/hate relationship with the country – as does her protagonist, Áróra.

This novel would make a great movie. With themes of abduction, money laundering, infidelity, tax evasion, and missing persons, this book has a lot going on. All that, and the potential Áróra/Daníel backstory, make this both a thrilling and compelling read.

Highly recommended to all readers who enjoy a well executed crime thriller. I’m loving this series and look forward to the third installment.

This review was written voluntarily and my rating was in no way influenced by the fact that I received a complimentary digital copy of this novel from Orenda Books via Anne Cater in order that I could participate in this blog tour.ISBN: 9781914585326 –  ASIN: ‎ B09YMMMDKH –  276 pages

Published October 13, 2022 by Orenda Books

Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurdardóttir was born in the town of Akranes in 1972 and raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland. An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written four crime novels, with Snare, the first in a series and Lilja’s English debut shortlisting for the CWA International Dagger and hitting bestseller lists worldwide. Trap soon followed suit, with the third in the trilogy Cage winning the Best Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year, and being chosen as a Guardian Book of the Year. Lilja’s standalone Betrayal was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel. The film rights have been bought by Palomar Pictures. Lilja is also an award-winning screenwriter in her native Iceland. She lives in Reykjavík with her partner.

Connect with Lilja Sigurdardóttir via her website, Twitter, or Instagram.

“Red As Blood” was expertly translated by Quentin Bates.