About the Book.
After a messy divorce, attractive young mother Sonia is struggling to provide for herself and keep custody of her son. With her back to the wall, she resorts to smuggling cocaine into Iceland, and finds herself caught up in a ruthless criminal world. As she desperately looks for a way out of trouble, she must pit her wits against her nemesis, Bragi, a customs officer, whose years of experience frustrate her new and evermore daring strategies. Things become even more complicated when Sonia embarks on a relationship with a woman, Agla. Once a high-level bank executive, Agla is currently being prosecuted in the aftermath the Icelandic financial crash. Set in a Reykjavik still covered in the dust of the Eyjafjallajokull volcanic eruption, and with a dark, fast-paced and chilling plot and intriguing characters, Snare is an outstandingly original and sexy Nordic crime thriller, from one of the most exciting new names in crime fiction.
My Review.
I wasn’t entirely sure what to expect when I first started to read Snare. I am only vaguely aware of the Icelandic banking crisis. I can remember that many people faced ruin but that was all. But the banking scandal is only one part of this novel.
Agla, is a high-ranking bank employee who has been made scapegoat by her colleagues. She is in a relationship with the ex-wife, Sonia, of another colleague whose hands are just as dirty as hers are. Agla is not a character I cared for. I found her brittle, snobbish and at times cruel. Mainly to Sonia who seemed to have strong feelings for her.
Sonia, struggling financially since the collapse of her marriage is smuggling cocaine. initially the amounts are only small and she is confident of getting through customs without raising suspicion. But the amounts she has to bring in are increased, threats are made against her son and she is starting to be noticed by customs. But she is determined to provide a decent life for her and Tomas.
Finally there is Brago, a customs officer who is close to forced retirement. It was his character who I liked most. I loved his devotion to his wife who was in ill-health in a nursing home that could have been better. And his approach towards Sonia’s predicament.
The novel showed the worst side of people. Agla seemed to have no feeling for the people who had lost everything. Sonia, who had suffered for years living with an abusive husband chose the worst possible way to get a better life. Some of the people she had to deal with were very intimidating. There were quite a few scenes where I cringed at the hazards of smuggling drugs.
I’ve not read anything like this before. Most crime novels are told from the police point of view not the criminal’s. Nor have I read a novel where a person is getting covered in volcanic ash as they go about their daily activities.
With thanks to the publisher for the copy received.
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