Search results for ""Author Yrsa Sigurdardóttir""

On a cold winter evening in a secluded fjord in Iceland, a neighbour visits the house of a family that has not been seen in a week. No one comes to the door when he knocks. After breaking down the back door, his worst fears are realised. Their home is now an horrific crime scene.Policeman Týr and forensic pathologist Iðunn are called to the house to investigate. As the case advances, harrowing secrets about the family are revealed. Along with a young policeman Karó, the investigative team quickly realise that the case forces them to face their own suppressed past and opens a Pandora''s box to much darker crimes.Can''t Run, Can''t Hide is a masterclass in tension from one of the world''s finest crime writers.

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'Iceland's outstanding crime novelist' Daily ExpressOn a jagged, bleak lava field just outside Reykjavik stands the Gallows Rock. Once a place of execution, it is now a tourist attraction. Until this morning, when a man was found hanging from it...The nail embedded in his chest proves it wasn't suicide. But when the police go to his flat, a further puzzle awaits: a four-year-old boy has been left there. He doesn't seem to have any link with the victim, his parents cannot be found, and his drawings show he witnessed something terrible. As detective Huldar hunts the killer, and child psychologist Freyja looks for the boy's parents, the mystery unfolds: a story of violence, entitlement, and revenge. Praise for Yrsa Sigurdardottir'Iceland's outstanding crime novelist' Daily Express'A magnificent writer' Karin Slaughter'The undisputed queen of Icelandic Noir' Simon Kernick'Believe all the hype - this is crime at its best' HeatNetGalley Reader Reviews'Just as compelling as the previous books in the series. All of Yrsa Sigurðardóttir's books are extremely well written and a joy to read. There is plenty of suspense and twists in this story (. . .) I read this book in one sitting, I was unable to put it down. Highly recommended''There is such a skill to the author's writing, the way in which she creates tension and atmosphere and uses setting to bring and edge to the story, that it is difficult to put down. And she brings such a range of emotions out in me as a reader that I feel slightly battered myself when I finish reading . . . Truly powerful storytelling and characters I have come to love''I was hooked from the very first page and enthralled and completely drawn in throughout the book. (. . .) This is a story which builds and weaves perfectly. It's so twisty' 'Twists galore and a surprising ending, this is a book you'll want to devour in one sitting'

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A terrifying ghost story from the Queen of Icelandic crime, Yrsa Sigurdardottir, author of the Thora Gudmundsdottir novels.'Yrsa is one of the most exciting new voices in the crime thriller world.' - Peter JamesThe crunching noise had resumed, now accompanied by a disgusting, indefinable smell. It could best be described as a blend of kelp and rotten meat. The voice spoke again, now slightly louder and clearer: Don't go. Don't go yet. I'm not finished.In an isolated village in the Icelandic Westfjords, three friends set to work renovating a derelict house. But soon they realise they are not alone there - something wants them to leave, and it's making its presence felt.Meanwhile, in a town across the fjord, a young doctor investigating the suicide of an elderly woman discovers that she was obsessed with his vanished son.When the two stories collide the terrifying truth is uncovered . . .

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THE FIRST PHONE CALL SHOCKS A FAMILY A box of photo albums is found in the attic of a house in Höfn, a small fishing village on the south coast of Iceland. The new owners return it to the man who sold them the house, along with a muddied child''s shoe with a name written on the sole: Salvor. The man is baffled; they never knew anyone called that. Shortly after the phone rings - it''s the nursing home where his mother, an Alzheimer''s patient, lives. She''s suffered a heart attack and the doctors don''t expect her to live much longer. The nurse asks him to let his sister, Salvör, know as well. Their mother has been asking for her. THE SECOND TRACKS TWO MISSING COUPLES Jóhanna is a member of a search and rescue team in Höfn and she''s searching for two couples from Reykjavik. Their phones'' last location has been pinpointed as the road leading up into the highlands. It''s far from clear why these people would have made such a risky

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'A magnificent writer' KARIN SLAUGHTERA murdered woman. A missing child. And a father intent on revenge.On a cold day in Reykjavik, a baby goes missing from her pram. When the child's blanket washes up on the beach, and the mother is found dead, everyone's worst fears seem to have been realised.Eleven years later, and detective Huldar and child psychologist Freyja are now working in the same police building, on the same team. Freyja believes that personal and professional relationships must remain separate, however hard that may be. But when a woman's dismembered body is found in a deserted car, her head missing, and Freyja and Huldar find themselves working on the same case, the secrecy around their affair threatens to crack. And when Freyja is accused of a serious breach of police protocol, will Huldar be able to help her? Meanwhile, their search to identify the body takes the case back into secrets of the past, and the unspoken crimes that bind three separate families.The Silence is the gripping and terrifying new novel from the acclaimed author of international bestsellers The Doll and Gallows Rock.

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A chilling new case for Thora Gudmundsdottir, from Iceland's answer to Stieg Larsson.When all contact is lost with two Icelanders working in a harsh and sparsely populated area on the northeast coast of Greenland, Thora is hired to investigate. Is there any connection with the woman who vanished from the site some months earlier? Why are the locals so hostile? And could one of the team staying at the site with Thora be responsible for the disappearances?Already an international bestseller, this fourth book to feature Thora Gudmundsdottir ('a delight' - Guardian) is chilling, unsettling and compulsively readable.

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On a cold winter evening in a secluded fjord in Iceland, a neighbour visits the house of a family that has not been seen in a week. No one comes to the door when he knocks. After breaking down the back door, his worst fears are realised. Their home is now an horrific crime scene.Policeman Týr and forensic pathologist Iðunn are called to the house to investigate. As the case advances, harrowing secrets about the family are revealed. Along with a young policeman Karó, the investigative team quickly realise that the case forces them to face their own suppressed past and opens a Pandora''s box to much darker crimes.Can''t Run, Can''t Hide is a masterclass in tension from one of the world''s finest crime writers.

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The Sunday Times top crime read of the year. A journalist on the track of an old case attempts suicide. An ordinary couple return from a house swap in the states to find their home in disarray and their guests seemingly missing. Four strangers struggle to find shelter on a windswept spike of rock in the middle of a raging sea. They have one thing in common: they all lied.And someone is determined to punish them...WHY DID YOU LIE is a terrifying tale of long-delayed retribution from Iceland's Queen of Suspense.

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WINNER OF THE 2015 PETRONA AWARDA Sunday Times '100 best crime novels and thrillers since 1945' pick!The most chilling novel yet from the Queen of Nordic Noir, not to be missed for fans of Jo Nesbo and Stieg Larsson.'Mummy dead.' The child's pure treble was uncomfortably clear. It was the last thing Brynjar - and doubtless the others - wanted to hear at that moment. 'Daddy dead.' It got worse. 'Adda dead. Bygga dead.' The child sighed and clutched her grandmother's leg. 'All dead.' A luxury yacht arrives in Reykjavik harbour with nobody on board. What has happened to the crew, and to the family who were on board when it left Lisbon?Thora Gudmundsdottir is hired by the young father's parents to investigate, and is soon drawn deeper into the mystery. What should she make of the rumours saying that the vessel was cursed, especially given that when she boards the yacht she thinks she sees one of the missing twins? Where is Karitas, the glamorous young wife of the yacht's former owner? And whose is the body that has washed up further along the shore?

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'I love the Children's House series and Yrsa delivers again with The Doll. Such engaging characters and a compelling, twisted and creepy mystery - I couldn't put it down!' SHARI LAPENA 'Yrsa is a wonderful storyteller. Her stories are atmospheric, mysterious and brilliantly plotted ... you will never see the twists coming' MARI HANNAH'A magnificent writer' KARIN SLAUGHTERIt was meant to be a quiet family fishing trip, a chance for mother and daughter to talk. But it changes the course of their lives forever.They catch nothing except a broken doll that gets tangled in the net. After years in the ocean, the doll a terrifying sight and the mother's first instinct is to throw it back, but she relents when her daughter pleads to keep it. This simple act of kindness proves fatal. That evening, the mother posts a picture of the doll on social media. By the morning, she is dead and the doll has disappeared.Several years later and Detective Huldar is in his least favourite place - on a boat in rough waters, searching for possible human remains. However, identifying the skeleton they find on the seabed proves harder than initially thought, and Huldar must draw on psychologist Freyja's experience to help him. As the mystery of the unidentified body deepens, Huldar is also drawn into an investigation of a homeless drug addict's murder, and Freyja investigates a suspected case of child abuse at a foster care home.What swiftly becomes clear is that the cases are linked through a single, missing, vulnerable witness: the young girl who wanted the doll all those years ago. Taut, terrifying and impossible to put down, The Doll cements Yrsa Sigurdardottir's reputation as a master of storytelling tension and surprise.

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'I love the Children's House series and Yrsa delivers again with The Doll. Such engaging characters and a compelling, twisted and creepy mystery - I couldn't put it down!' SHARI LAPENA'Yrsa is a wonderful storyteller. Her stories are atmospheric, mysterious and brilliantly plotted ... you will never see the twists coming' MARI HANNAH'A magnificent writer' KARIN SLAUGHTERIt was meant to be a quiet family fishing trip, a chance for mother and daughter to talk. But it changes the course of their lives forever.They catch nothing except a broken doll that gets tangled in the net. After years in the ocean, the doll a terrifying sight and the mother's first instinct is to throw it back, but she relents when her daughter pleads to keep it. This simple act of kindness proves fatal. That evening, the mother posts a picture of the doll on social media. By the morning, she is dead and the doll has disappeared.Several years later and Detective Huldar is in his least favourite place - on a boat in rough waters, searching for possible human remains. However, identifying the skeleton they find on the seabed proves harder than initially thought, and Huldar must draw on psychologist Freyja's experience to help him. As the mystery of the unidentified body deepens, Huldar is also drawn into an investigation of a homeless drug addict's murder, and Freyja investigates a suspected case of child abuse at a foster care home.What swiftly becomes clear is that the cases are linked through a single, missing, vulnerable witness: the young girl who wanted the doll all those years ago.Taut, terrifying and impossible to put down, The Doll cements Yrsa Sigurdardottir's reputation as a master of storytelling tension and surprise.

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'Iceland's outstanding crime novelist' Daily ExpressOn a jagged, bleak lava field just outside Reykjavik stands the Gallows Rock. Once a place of execution, it is now a tourist attraction. Until this morning, when a man was found hanging from it...The nail embedded in his chest proves it wasn't suicide. But when the police go to his flat, a further puzzle awaits: a four-year-old boy has been left there. He doesn't seem to have any link with the victim, his parents cannot be found, and his drawings show he witnessed something terrible.As detective Huldar hunts the killer, and child psychologist Freyja looks for the boy's parents, the mystery unfolds: a story of violence, entitlement, and revenge.Praise for Yrsa Sigurdardottir'Iceland's outstanding crime novelist' Daily Express'A magnificent writer' Karin Slaughter'The undisputed queen of Icelandic Noir' Simon Kernick'Believe all the hype - this is crime at its best' HeatNetGalley Reader Reviews'Just as compelling as the previous books in the series. All of Yrsa Sigurðardóttir's books are extremely well written and a joy to read. There is plenty of suspense and twists in this story (. . .) I read this book in one sitting, I was unable to put it down. Highly recommended''There is such a skill to the author's writing, the way in which she creates tension and atmosphere and uses setting to bring and edge to the story, that it is difficult to put down. And she brings such a range of emotions out in me as a reader that I feel slightly battered myself when I finish reading . . . Truly powerful storytelling and characters I have come to love''I was hooked from the very first page and enthralled and completely drawn in throughout the book. (. . .) This is a story which builds and weaves perfectly. It's so twisty'

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'Yrsa is a magnificent writer' Karin Slaughter'The queen of Icelandic thriller writers' Guardian A chilling note written by a thirteen-year-old predicting the deaths of six people is found in a time capsule, ten years after it was buried. Can it be a real threat?Detective Huldar turns to psychologist Freyja to help understand the child who hid the message. But the discovery of the letter coincides with a string of murders. All of the victims match the initials from the note. Huldar and Freyja must race to identify the writer and the murderer, before the rest of the targets are killed... 'One of the best books I've read for a long time: dark, creepy, and gripping from beginning to end.' Stuart MacBride 'Will give you thrills and chills in equal measures.' Cosmopolitan

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A chilling modern horror novel from the author of THE SILENCE OF THE SEA, winner of the 2015 Petrona Award - perfect for fans of Let the Right One In.The light spilling in from the corridor would have to do. Though weak, it was sufficient to show Aldís a boy sitting in the gloom at the furthest table. He had his back to her, so she couldn't see who it was, but could tell that he was one of the youngest. A chill ran down her spine when he spoke again, without turning, as if he had eyes in the back of his head. 'Go away. Leave me alone.''Come on. You shouldn't be here.' Aldís spoke gently, fairly sure now that the boy must be delirious. Confused, rather than dangerous.He turned, slowly and deliberately, and she glimpsed black eyes in a pale face. 'I wasn't talking to you.' Aldis is working in a juvenile detention centre in rural Iceland. She witnesses something deeply disturbing in the middle of the night; soon afterwards, two of the boys at the centre are dead.Decades later, single father Odinn is looking into alleged abuse at the centre following the unexplained death of the colleague who was previously running the investigation. The more he finds out, though, the more it seems the odd events of the 1970s are linked to the accident that killed his ex-wife. Was her death something more sinister?Yrsa Sigurdardottir is a huge European bestseller both with her crime and horror novels. You might want to sleep with the light on after reading THE UNDESIRED . . .

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A creepy, compelling thriller, SOMEONE TO WATCH OVER ME is the fifth Thora Gudmundsdottir novel from Yrsa, 'Iceland's answer to Stieg Larsson' (Daily Telegraph). A young man with Down's Syndrome has been convicted of burning down his care home and killing five people, but a fellow inmate at his secure psychiatric unit has hired Thora to prove Jakob is innocent. If he didn't do it, who did? And how is the multiple murder connected to the death of Magga, killed in a hit and run on her way to babysit?

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Selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 40 best crime novels published 2015-2020The first in an exciting new series from 'Iceland's outstanding crime novelist' (Daily Express) Yrsa Sigurdardottir.THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLERTHE INTERNATIONAL PRIZEWINNER'Believe all the hype - this is crime at its best.' HeatDetective Huldar is out of his depth. His first murder case is like nothing he's seen before - a bizarre attack on a seemingly blameless woman.The only evidence is a list of numbers found at the scene, and the testimony of the victim's eleven-year-old daughter, who isn't talking.While his team attempt to crack the code, Huldar turns to child psychologist Freyja for her expertise with traumatised young people. Because time is running out...and the one thing they know for certain is that the murderer will strike again.

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The new novel from the internationally bestselling, prizewinning, queen of Icelandic crime. All he wants is for them to say sorry. The police find out about the crime the way everyone does: on Snapchat. The video shows the terrified victim begging for forgiveness. When her body is found, it is marked with a number 2...Detective Huldar joins the investigation, bringing child psychologist Freyja on board to help question the murdered teenager's friends. Soon, they uncover that Stella was far from the angel people claim - but even so, who could have hated her enough to kill? Then another teenager goes missing, and more clips are sent. Freyja and Huldar can agree on two things at least: the truth is far from simple. And the killer is not done yet.A brilliantly suspenseful story about the dark side of social media, The Absolution will make you wonder what you should have said sorry for...Praise for Yrsa Sigurdardottir 'Iceland's outstanding crime novelist' Daily Express 'A magnificent writer' Karin Slaughter'The undisputed queen of Icelandic Noir' Simon Kernick 'Believe all the hype - this is crime at its best.' Heat

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The first Thora Gudmundsdottir novel from Yrsa Sigurdardottir - 'Queen of Icelandic crime'.'Yrsa is one of the most exciting new voices in the crime thriller world.' - Peter JamesA young man is found brutally murdered, his eyes gouged out. A student of Icelandic history in Reykjavik, he came from a wealthy German family who do not share the police's belief that his drug dealer murdered him. Attorney Thora Gudmundsdottir is commissioned by his mother to find out the truth, with the help - and hindrance - of boorish ex-policeman Matthew Reich. Their investigations into his research take them deep into a grisly world of torture and witchcraft both past and present, as they draw ever closer to a killer gripped by a dangerous obsession...

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A chilling crime novel from the Queen of Icelandic crime and author of the highly-acclaimed LAST RITUALS.If I die before I wake . . .A grisly murder is committed at a health resort situated in a recently renovated farmhouse, which turns out to be notorious for being haunted. Attorney Thora Gudmundsdottir is called upon by the owner of the resort - the prime suspect in the case - to represent him. Her investigations uncover some very disturbing occurrences at the farm decades earlier - things that have never before seen the light of day . . .MY SOUL TO TAKE is a chilling, dark and witty crime novel, and a welcome return for Thora, the heroine of the highly-acclaimed LAST RITUALS.

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'Mesmerising and atmospheric, with entrancing descriptions of landscape' *** A SUNDAY TIMES CRIME BOOK OF THE YEAR ***THE FIRST PHONE CALL SHOCKS A FAMILYA box of photo albums is found in the attic of a house in Höfn, a small fishing village on the south coast of Iceland. The new owners return it to the man who sold them the house, along with a muddied child's shoe with a name written on the sole: Salvor. The man is baffled; they never knew anyone called that. Shortly after the phone rings - it's the nursing home where his mother, an Alzheimer's patient, lives. She's suffered a heart attack and the doctors don't expect her to live much longer. The nurse asks him to let his sister, Salvör, know as well. Their mother has been asking for her.THE SECOND TRACKS TWO MISSING COUPLES Jóhanna is a member of a search and rescue team in Höfn and she's searching for two couples from Reykjavik. Their phones' last location has been pinpointed as the road leading up into the highlands. It's far from clear why these people would have made such a risky trip in the middle of the harsh winter, and they soon find the first dead body. More troubling, Johanna senses her team is being tracked out in the snow.A THIRD FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE? Hjörvar works at the Stokksnes Radar Station in the highlands. He is alone when the phone connected to the gate rings. It's the first time it's done so since he began working there five months ago. He picks up the phone but can hear only interference and what sounds like a child's voice asking for her mother.How are these events connected? And what may be searching for its prey out on the ice?'A nail-biting, ice-cold tale of horror. Twisty, twisted and scary as hell' C.J. TUDOR'Sigurdardottir is a skilled hand and ties all her threads and twists together neatly, but it's her thrilling tale of a struggle to survive in freezing temperatures, under a sky that never seems to lighten, that provides the real chill factor here' OBSERVER'Atmospheric, twisty' HEAT'An extraordinarily creepy mystery. Sigurdardottir can make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up whether describing the weird and wintry terrain of southern Iceland or the odd behaviour of a cat called Puss. The outer darkness reflects that within the characters. One of the doomed hikers asks herself: "Was there no end to the wretchedness and cruelty of the world?" The answer she receives will make your blood run cold' THE TIMES'Dark, creepy, and gripping from beginning to end' STUART MACBRIDE'Yrsa gets better with each book' LIZ NUGENT'Such engaging characters and a compelling, twisted and creepy mystery' SHARI LAPENA'Atmospheric, mysterious and brilliantly plotted' MARI HANNAH

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Discover the utterly terrifying, chilling and gripping new novel from international bestseller YRSA SIGURDARDOTTIR, author of THE DOLL and GALLOWS ROCK'Lyrical landscape descriptions combine with intimations of terrible events in the past in this haunting story' SUNDAY TIMES'A generator of fear quite as adroit as Stephen King' THE INDEPENDENT'A magnificent writer' KARIN SLAUGHTER_________THE FIRST PHONE CALL SHOCKS A FAMILY.Kolbeinn has been called to his old home. The new owners uncovered some photos, and a muddied child's shoe bearing the name 'Salvor'. A name Kolbeinn doesn't recognise. Soon after, he hears news of his mother's deteriorating health. Her carers say she has been asking for her daughter, his sister: Salvor. THE SECOND TRACKS TWO MISSING COUPLES. Jóhanna is working with the search and rescue team in Höfn to find two couples from Reykjavik. Their phones' last location has been pinpointed to the road leading up into the highlands. In a harsh winter, the journey is treacherous, and they soon find the first body. More troubling, Johanna senses her team is being tracked through the snow. A THIRD FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE? Hjörvar works at the Stokksnes Radar Station in the highlands. He's alone when the phone connected to the gate rings: the first time it's done so since he began working there five months ago. When he answeres, he can only hear interference, and what sounds like a child's voice asking for her mother. How are these events connected?And what may be searching for its prey out on the ice? _________ Praise for Yrsa Sigurdardottir's: 'Dark, creepy, and gripping from beginning to end' STUART MACBRIDE 'Yrsa gets better with each book' LIZ NUGENT 'The queen of Icelandic thriller writers' GUARDIAN 'Such engaging characters and a compelling, twisted and creepy mystery' SHARI LAPENA 'Atmospheric, mysterious and brilliantly plotted' MARI HANNAH 'Keeps us on the edge of our seats' INDEPENDENT 'Pacy dealing out of plot twists' SUNDAY TIMES CRIME CLUB

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The third crime novel from international bestseller Yrsa Sigurdardottir, ASHES TO DUST is tense, taut and terrifying - not to be missed for fans of Nordic Noir. Thora peered at the floor, but couldn't see anything that could have frightened Markus that much, only three mounds of dust. She moved the light of her torch over them. It took her some time to realize what she was seeing-- and then it was all she could do not to let the torch slip from her hand. 'Good God,' she said. She ran the light over the three faces, one after another. Sunken cheeks, empty eye-sockets, gaping mouths; they reminded her of photographs of mummies she'd once seen in National Geographic. 'Who are these people?''I don't know,' said Markus . . . Bodies are discovered in one of the excavated houses at a volcanic tourist attraction dubbed 'The Pompeii of the North'.Markus Magnusson, who was only a teenager when the volcano erupted, falls under suspicion and hires attorney Thora Gudmundsdottir to defend him - but when his childhood sweetheart is murdered his case starts to look more difficult, and the locals seem oddly reluctant to back him up . . .

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