Category: Lilja Sigurdardottir

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Cage by Lilja Sigurdardottir – Blog Tour Review.

About The Book

The prison doors slam shut behind Agla, when her sentence ends, but her lover Sonja is not there to meet her.

As a group of foreign businessmen tries to draw Agla into an ingenious fraud that stretches from Iceland around the world, Agla and her former nemesis, María find the stakes being raised at a terrifying speed.
Ruthless drug baron Ingimar will stop at nothing to protect his empire, but he has no idea about the powder keg he is sitting on in his own home.
At the same time, a deadly threat to Sonya and her family brings her from London back to Iceland, where she needs to settle scores with longstanding adversaries if she wants to stay alive.

My Review

With thanks to the publisher for the copy received. Cage is the third book in the Reykjavik Noir trilogy. Unlike Trap and Snare this book mainly focuses on Agla and María. Agla is serving time in prison for banking fraud, she has a fairly easy life there, has certain privileges and is happy to help a younger prisoner, Elísa who is an addict. But when she is released from prison she soon releases that she is hated by many. And she realises the true extent of how bad Elísa’s life is.

María is struggling to rebuild her life after the collapse of her marriage and career. Reluctantly she agrees to work for Agla, she blames her for everything that went wrong, but she needs the money. It was María and Elísa who I had the most liking for, Elísa especially, and as her story is revealed the reader had a clear image of how destructive addiction is.

As well as the regular characters there was also Anton. He was a character who made me more unsettled every time he appeared. I did misunderstand him to some degree but just thinking about what he was planning terrified me.

It is a fantastic finale, I appreciated getting to see more of Agla and a more sympathetic side to her. She obviously missed Sonja, who only features briefly in Cage, but knew she had to move on. These are novels that I do recommend you read in order, if only to appreciate the character development. They aren’t people you would like to meet but you start to understand what forces a decision, whether it be the correct one or not. Nobody more so than Anton, young and in love, but I struggled to comprehend his way of proving that love. He is a character who I will think about for some time.


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Trap by Lilia Sigurdardottir – Blog Tour Review.

 

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About The Book

Happily settled in Florida, Sonja believes she’s finally escaped the trap set by unscrupulous drug lords. But when her son Tomas is taken, she’s back to square one … and Iceland.
Her lover, Agla, is awaiting sentencing for financial misconduct after the banking crash, and Sonja refuses to see her. And that’s not all … Agla owes money to some extremely powerful men, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it back.
With her former nemesis, customs officer Bragi, on her side, Sonja puts her own plan into motion, to bring down the drug barons and her scheming ex-husband, and get Tomas back safely. But things aren’t as straightforward as they seem, and Sonja finds herself caught in the centre of a trap that will put all of their lives at risk…
Set in a Reykjavík still covered in the dust of the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption, and with a dark, fast-paced and chilling plot and intriguing characters, Trap is an outstandingly original and sexy Nordic crime thriller, from one of the most exciting new names in crime fiction.

My Review

I enjoyed reading Snare, the first part in the Reykjavik Noir series last year so was looking forward to catching up with all the criminals again. And to the two who made me smile, Bragi and Tomas. I do advise that you read Snare before this, you won’t appreciate the characters or the plot as much. Sonya especially, a drug smuggler who would you expect to judge for her actions you don’t when you understand why she does it. And I adored her relationship with her son, Tomas and the way she was with Bragi.
There were a couple of new characters, one of who proved me right with my theory that an evil woman was much worse than an evil man. Especially when the author is also female. Nati was absolutely terrifying.
I enjoyed every scene that Tomas appeared in, especially the ones that also featured his father Adam. Just like his mother he could see through the charm. Bragi, near the end of his working life and devoted to his ailing wife knows that he is doing wrong in helping Sonya but would prefer to do that than see his wife somewhere different to their home.
A lot of the financial crime I found complex, even though I am aware that there was a banking crisis in Iceland. But it didn’t stop me from enjoying the book. I’m very curious about what happens next with this little group of people, there has to be potential for more drama. The characters are so fascinating and the writing is mesmerising.

Trap First BT Poster

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Snare by Lilja Sigurdardottir – Blog Tour Review.

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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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