Cold As Hell by Lilja Sigurðardóttir BLOG TOUR @lilja1972 @OrendaBooks T.@graskeggur #ColdAsHell #AnÁroraInvestigation #BookReview #IcelandNoir

 

Icelandic sisters Áróra and Ísafold live in different countries and aren‘t on speaking terms, but when their mother loses contact with Ísafold, Áróra reluctantly returns to Iceland to find her sister. But she soon realizes that her sister isn’t avoiding her … she has disappeared, without trace. 

As she confronts Ísafold’s abusive, drug-dealing boyfriend Björn, and begins to probe her sister’s reclusive neighbours – who have their own reasons for staying out of sight – Áróra is led into an ever-darker web of intrigue and manipulation. 

Baffled by the conflicting details of her sister’s life, and blinded by the shiveringly bright midnight sun of the Icelandic summer, Áróra enlists the help of police officer Daníel, as she tries to track her sister’s movements, and begins to tail Björn – but she isn’t the only one watching…

Slick, tense, atmospheric and superbly plotted, Cold as Hell marks the start of a riveting, addictive new series from one of Iceland’s bestselling crime writers.

Cold As Hell by Lilja Sigurðardóttir is published in paperback by Orenda Books on 28 October 2021 and is translated by Quentin Bates.  My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour 

It is always such a joy to begin a new book from a favourite author, and when that book is the start of a whole new series, it's even better. Cold As Hell is book one in the Áróra Investigation series and it's an absolute belter of a read. I am so excited about this new series.

Áróra and Ísafold are sisters, they are of mixed heritage, their mother is English and their father is from Iceland. Áróra lives in Edinburgh and works in financial investigation whilst Ísaford, the eldest, spends most of her time in Iceland. She's been in a relationship with Bjorn for quite a while now but Áróra has had to rescue her from his fists on more than one occasion in the past. 

When their mother calls to say that she's not heard from Ísaford for over two weeks, Áróra reluctantly agrees to fly to Iceland once more to see what has happened this time. The sisters have always had a fractious relationship, differing not only in appearance but also in temperament. In fact, Ísaford blocked Áróra on Facebook some time ago. 

What follows is a complex but thrilling tale that combines the missing person mystery with up-to-date relevant social issues. There's a cast of characters who range from the man who is repulsed by his own hair to the elderly lady who is trying to recapture motherhood, and they all have a link to Ísaford. However, none of them are willing to give away any information willingly and this clever author keeps her readers guessing and anticipating with every page. 

Told in short snappy chapters, along with snippets from the past, Cold As Hell is a book that screams Icelandic / Nordic Noir. Brilliantly translated by Quentin Bates, there's such a feel of Iceland about this one, from the sulphur smelling water that streams from the shower, to the dependency on the strongest coffee to get through the day, it's so authentic. 

Whilst Iceland may only be a small country, it certainly has an interesting recent history, especially around financial crime and fraud and Áróra's career in financial investigation is a fascinating way to explain this, like most crime though, there are links to other things and these are slowly uncovered as the story develops. 

Lilja Sigurdardóttir excels in character creation, especially strong female leads and Áróra is tremendous. She is quite enigmatic, not always pleasant, very focussed, but with a vulnerability that she does her best to hide. It is the little hints of her softer character that really endeared her to me, she's one of those people who have so much more to give and I think we readers are in for great things from this series. 

I loved this one, it could be my favourite from this author yet.  Highly recommended. 

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 four crime novels, with Snare, her 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 was 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 in California. 

Lilja is also an award-winning screenwriter in her native Iceland. She lives in Reykjavík with her partner.

www.liljawriter.com

Twitter @lilja1972

Instagram @sigurdardottirlilja

Red As Blood by Lilja Sigurdardóttir BLOG TOUR @lilja1972 @OrendaBooks #RedAsBlood #AnAroraInvestigation #BookReview

 

When entrepreneur Flosi arrives home for dinner one night, he discovers that his house has been ransacked, and his wife Gudrun missing. A letter on the kitchen table confirms that she has been kidnapped. If Flosi doesn’t agree to pay an enormous ransom, Gudrun will be killed. 

Forbidden from contacting the police, he gets in touch with Áróra, who specialises in finding hidden assets, and she, alongside her detective friend Daniel, try to get to the bottom of the case without anyone catching on.

Meanwhile, Áróra and Daniel continue the puzzling, devastating search for Áróra’s sister Ísafold, who disappeared without trace. As fog descends, in a cold and rainy Icelandic autumn, the investigation becomes increasingly dangerous, and confusing. 

Chilling, twisty and unbearably tense, Red as Blood is the second instalment in the riveting, addictive An Áróra Investigation series, and everything is at stake…

Red As Blood by Lilja Sigurðardóttir is the second in the Áróra Investigations series and was published in paperback by Orenda Books on 13 September. It was translated from the Icelandic by Quentin Bates. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour 

Back in October last year I read and reviewed Cold As Hell, the first in this series, and said at the time that it was probably my favourite book from this author.

Here we have Red As Blood, number two in the Áróra Investigates series and it's another wonderful read, I love this series, I hope it goes on for years and years and years! 

Despite her initial reluctance to return to Iceland to search for her missing sister, Áróra is still in the country, in fact she's bought a flat there and whilst she's loathe to tell her mother this, she is determined that she will stay until the mystery of where Isafold disappeared to is solved. Áróra's job as a financial investigator means that she can work from anywhere, she has many contacts and she can be very useful to local authorities too. 

Áróra is contacted by local businessman Flosi. He's returned to his home to find that his wife Gudrún is missing. There's a note demanding two million Euros and strict instructions not to call the police. Flosi does have access to money, but will need Áróra's help and expertise to get it into Iceland. Whilst it's clear that the people who have Gudrún want no police involvement, Áróra knows that Daniel, the local detective who worked on Isafold's disappearance can help, and so an overt and undercover mission begins. 

Whilst I have never been to Iceland, I really feel as though I know it very well and that's down to the sublime writing of this very talented author. Her descriptive prose, of the people and the places, the customs and the cultures are so so well done and give such a feeling of authenticity to the story. 

It's a complex case with many layers and things are never quite what they seem in Flosi's life. As Áróra, Daniel and the rest of the team start to investigate, they uncover things that Flosi would have preferred to keep quiet. I had my suspicions about the why and the who but these changed constantly as the author threw another twist into the mix. 

I have loved getting to know more about the characters too, we get such an insight into their private lives which goes a long way to explain how they carry out their professional work too. A varied, eclectic and interesting bunch of folk who work so well together on the page. 

As always, translated wonderfully by Quentin Bates, this is just brilliant. I loved every page and was utterly glued to it throughout. I cannot wait for the next instalment. 

Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurdardóttir was born in the town of Akranesin 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 new 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 was a Guardian Book of the Year. 

Lilja's standalone Betrayal, was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel. 

In 2021, Cold as Hell, the first in the An Áróra Investigation series was published, with Red as Blood to follow in 2022. 

The film rights have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California. 

Lilja is also an award-winning screenwriter in her native Iceland. 

She lives in Reykjavík with her partner.

Quentin Bates escaped English suburbia as a teenager, jumping at the chance of a gap year working in Iceland. 

For a variety of reasons, the gap year stretched to become a gap decade, during which time he went native in the north of Iceland, acquiring a new language a new profession as a seaman and a family, before decamping en masse for England. 

He worked as a truck driver, teacher, netmaker and trawlerman at various times before falling into journalism, largely by accident. 

He is the author of a series of crime novels set in present-day Iceland (Frozen Out, Cold Steal, Chilled to the Bone, Winterlude, Cold Comfort and Thin Ice which have been published worldwide. 

He has translated all of Ragnar Jónasson’s Dark Iceland series.

White As Snow by Lilja Sigurdardóttir BLOG TOUR @lilja1972 t. @graskeggur @OrendaBooks #IcelandNoir #AnAroraInvestigation #Giveaway #Win #Competition #Prize

 

On a snowy winter morning, an abandoned shipping container is discovered near Reykjavík. Inside are the bodies of five young women – one of them barely alive.

 As Icelandic Police detective Daníel struggles to investigate the most brutal crime of his career, Áróra looks into the background of a suspicious man, who turns out to be engaged to Daníel's former wife, and the connections don’t stop there…

 Daníel and Áróra’s cases pit them both against ruthless criminals with horrifying agendas, while Áróra persists with her search for her missing sister, Ísafold, whose devastating disappearance continues to haunt her.

 As the temperature drops and the 24-hour darkness and freezing snow hamper their efforts, their investigations become increasingly dangerous … for everyone.

 Atmospheric, twisty and breathtakingly tense, White as Snow is the third instalment in the riveting, award-winning An Áróra Investigation series, as crimes committed far beyond Iceland’s shores come home…

 Shortlisted for The Blood Drop – Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year, 2022

White As Snow by Lilja Sigurdardóttir was published by Orenda Books on 12 October 2023 and is volume three in the Arora Investigation series. It was translated by Quentin Bates.

As part of this Blog Tour, I am delighted to offer a give away today. I have one paperback copy to give away. Entry is simple, just fill out the competition widget in this blog post. UK entries only please.

GOOD LUCK! 

One copy of White As Snow by Lilja Sigurdardóttir

Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurdardóttir was born in the town of Akranesin 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 new 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 was a Guardian Book of the Year. 

Lilja's standalone Betrayal, was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel. 

In 2021, Cold as Hell, the first in the An Áróra Investigation series was published, with Red as Blood to follow in 2022. 

The film rights have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California. 

Lilja is also an award-winning screenwriter in her native Iceland. 

She lives in Reykjavík with her partner.

Quentin Bates escaped English suburbia as a teenager, jumping at the chance of a gap
year working in Iceland. 

For a variety of reasons, the gap year stretched to become a gap decade, during which time he went native in the north of Iceland, acquiring a new language a new profession as a seaman and a family, before decamping en masse for England. 

He worked as a truck driver, teacher, netmaker and trawlerman at various times before falling into journalism, largely by accident. 

He is the author of a series of crime novels set in present-day Iceland (Frozen Out, Cold Steal, Chilled to the Bone, Winterlude, Cold Comfort and Thin Ice which have been published worldwide. 

He has translated all of Ragnar Jónasson’s Dark Iceland series.

Black As Death by Lilja Sigurðardóttir t. Lorenza Garcia BLOG TOUR @LiljaWriter @OrendaBooks @liljawriter.bsky.social #Iceland #BookReview @orendabooks.bsky.social

 

A final reckoning…

With the fate of her missing sister, Ísafold, finally uncovered, Áróra feels a fragile relief as the search that consumed her life draws to a close. But when Ísafold’s boyfriend – the prime suspect in her disappearance – is found dead at the same site where Ísafold’s body was discovered, Áróra’s grip on reality starts to unravel … and the mystery remains far from solved.

To distract herself, she dives headfirst into a money-laundering case that her friend Daníel is investigating. But she soon finds that there is more than meets the eye and, once again, all leads point towards Engihjalli, the street where Ísafold lived and died, and a series of shocking secrets that could both explain and endanger everything…

Atmospheric, dark and chilling, Black as Death is the breathtaking finale to the twisty, immersive An Áróra Investigation series, as Áróra and her friends search for answers that may take them to places even darker than death…

Perfect for readers of Camilla Läckberg, Karin Slaughter, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir and Jo Nesbø.

Black As Death by Lilja Sigurdardóttir was published by Orenda Books on 23 October 2025 and is the fifth and final instalment in the Áróra Investigation series. It is translated by Lorenza Garcia. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this blog tour.

The Áróra Investigation series has been wonderful, each book has been something to look forward to over the past five years and whilst I was eager to read the latest, it has been quite a sad experience too. It's always difficult to say goodbye to characters that one loves. 

Lilja Sigurðardóttir’s Black as Death delivers a powerful and emotionally charged conclusion to the Áróra Investigation series; five books that have explored the murky underbelly of Icelandic crime, but also obsession and loss. Atmospheric and taut, this final story combines classic Nordic noir with a very clever character-driven mystery.

At the heart of the novel is Áróra, still reeling from the devastating truth about her missing sister Ísafold. The discovery of what really happened should bring closure, but instead it leaves Áróra devastated.

Áróra throws herself into a financial crime case with her partner, Daníel, a money-laundering scheme that proves to be anything but straightforward. As the threads of corruption, betrayal, and violence begin to intertwine, the novel takes the reader back to Engihjalli, the street in Reykjavík that has seen so many secrets. The setting is described excellently and almost becomes a character in its own right. 

The author's prose is tight and so well developed, every detail is needed, nothing is gratuitous. Iceland’s landscape; all dark waters, brittle ice, and little light. Yet amid the bleakness, there are glimmers of connection and hope. 

Black as Death balances two intertwined mysteries: one deeply personal, the other procedural and financial. The pacing is deliberate, building tension throughout. The use of flashbacks, told in the voice of Ísafold is brilliant, giving the reader the opportunity to feel that they know her more personally. 

While it can be read as a standalone, the novel’s full emotional impact comes from having followed Áróra’s journey across the series. 

Black as Death is an elegant, haunting, and deeply satisfying conclusion to Lilja Sigurðardóttir’s series. It’s a crime novel that understands grief as intimately as it understands deception — and it leaves you with the uneasy sense that some mysteries, especially those of the heart, can never be fully solved.

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 eleven 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 Glassriver. 

Cold as Hell, the first book in the An Áróra Investigation series, was published in the UK in 2021 and was followed by Red as Blood, White as Snow and Dark as Night. 

TV rights to the series have been bought by Studio Zentral in Germany. 

Lilja lives in Reykjavík with her partner and a brood of chickens.

Lorenza Garcia spent her early adulthood living and working in Iceland, Spain and
France. She has been a full-time literary translator since 2008 and has translated and co-translated over forty novels and works of non-fiction from French, Spanish and Icelandic. 

She currently lives in South London with her Tibetan Terrier.

Dark As Night by Lilja Sigurdardóttir BLOG TOUR #DarkAsNight @LiljaWrites @OrendaBooks #BookReview

 

Icelandic investigator Áróra receives strange and devastating news about her missing sister, while her detective friend Daníel looks into the disappearance of a family friend. The twisty, addictive, award-winning series continues....

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…

Dark As Night by Lilja Sigurdardóttir was published in paperback by Orenda Books on 10 October 2024 and is the fourth book in the Áróra Investigates series. The book is translated by Lorenzo Garcia. My thanks to the publisher who sent my copy for review as part of this Blog Tour 

I have absolutely devoured every book in the Áróra Investigation series, and Dark As Night is my favourite so far. 

Lilja Sigurdardóttir is probably my favourite Icelandic author, she never fails to produce a story full of action and tense plots, with characters that are relatable in an incredibly described, and very evocative setting. 

Áróra Jónsdóttir and her sister Ísafold were brought up in England by their late Icelandic father and their British mother who still lives in the UK. Ísafold disappeared some years ago; and Áróra has always believed that she was murdered by her violent boyfriend, a man who has since also disappeared. Her body has never been found, despite Áróra's many attempts to find her. She will never leave Iceland until she knows what happened to her sister. 

Áróra works for the Directorate of Tax Investigations, tracking down monies that corporations have tried to hide away. She's something of a loose cannon at times, obsessed with pumping weights, not shy of using steroids to help her build strength and tearing around in her powerful Tesla. Her boyfriend, police officer Daníel tries his best to keep her on the straight and narrow, but it's a daily struggle. She's a strong woman who has one aim ... to discover what happened to her sister. 

Sigurdardóttir writes in short snappy chapters that really appeal to me. Despite the length of the chapters, and the overall novel, there's such a lot packed into this story, it's breathtaking in its energy at times. The reader is treated to more and more as each page flashes by, it's intriguing and tightly plotted. 

There are two main threads to the plot line. We have a very young child who claims that she is Ísafold reincarnated. This is a difficult, emotional time for Áróra, her head tells her that it's nonsense, yet her heart tells her that there may be something in it. The toddler knows so much about her and her sister, about their life with their late Father, it's puzzling. Daníel is doing his best to investigate these claims whilst also comforting her as she struggles with dealing with it. 

Daníel has his own issues. His long-term tenant and good friend, drag queen Lady Gúgúlú has upped and left after four happy years of living with him. Just a short note, with little detail is left and when Daníel is visited by three mysterious men who are looking for Lady, it soon becomes clear that there's a whole lot of danger in store. 

Written with such style and flair, with the accompanying descriptions of the Icelandic landscape, both the busy city and the isolation of the glacial areas, this is such a thrill packed and exciting read. The various plot lines work seamlessly together, creating a novel that is twisty and just fabulous. 

Highly recommended by me. 

Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurdardóttir was born in the town of Akranesin 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 new 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 was a Guardian Book of the Year. Lilja's standalone Betrayal, was shortlisted for the Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel. In 2021, Cold as Hell, the first in the An Áróra Investigation series was published, with Red as Blood to follow in 2022. The film rights have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California. Lilja is also an award-winning screenwriter in her native Iceland. She lives in Reykjavík with her partner.

X @LiljaWriter

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.

Fatal Isles by Maria Adolfsson @AdolfssonMia BLOG TOUR #FatalIsles @ZaffreBooks @Tr4cyF3nt0n #Extract

 

In the middle of the North Sea, between the UK and Denmark, lies the beautiful and rugged island nation of Doggerland.

Detective Inspector Karen Eiken Hornby has returned to the main island, Heimö, after many years in London and has worked hard to become one of the few female police officers in Doggerland.

So, when she wakes up in a hotel room next to her boss, Jounas Smeed, she knows she's made a big mistake. But things are about to get worse: later that day, Jounas's ex-wife is found brutally murdered. And Karen is the only one who can give him an alibi.

The news sends shockwaves through the tight-knit island community, and with no leads and no obvious motive for the murder, Karen struggles to find the killer in a race against time.

Soon she starts to suspect that the truth might lie in Doggerland's history. And the deeper she digs, the clearer it becomes that even small islands can hide deadly secrets . . .

Fatal Isles by Maria Adolfsson is published today, 18 February 2021 by Zaffre. I'm delighted to share an extract from the book with you today, as part of the Blog Tour, organised by Tracy from Compulsive Readers.

Extract from Fatal Isles by Maria Adolfsson

She knows before she even opens her eyes. This is wrong. All of this is terribly wrong. She should be in a different bed, any bed, just not this one.

The light snoring from the other side should be someone else’s, anyone’s, just not his. And with an absolute certainty that slices through all other thoughts, she knows she has to get out. Immediately, this second, before he wakes up.

Slowly, and as silently as she can, Karen Eiken Hornby folds back the duvet and sits up without glancing towards the other side of the wide bed. She scans the hotel room, registering her knickers and bra on the floor next to her bare feet, her dress next to her green suede jacket in a pile on the coffee table, her handbag discarded on an armchair. Beyond them, she can just make out her trainers, peeking out behind the half-open bathroom door.

She plans every movement in order to get out of the door as quickly as possible, listening to the deep breathing behind her back, her own silent and shallow. She does a quick run-through of the necessary steps in an attempt to quell a wave of anxiety churning in her stomach. Then she takes a deep breath before breaching for her knickers and pulling them on in one motion. Carefully, to avoid jostling the mattress, she gets to her feet and feels the room spin. She waits, breathes. Then a series of hunched-over steps to snatch up her bra and tights with one hand and pick up her dress and jacket with the other. Nausea mounting, she continues into the bathroom and quietly pulls the door shut behind her. Hesitates for a split second, then turns the lock. She instantly regrets it when she hears the tiny click from the bolt, quickly pressing her ear against the door. But any sound on the other side is drowned out by her thumping heart and the blood rushing to her head.

Then she turns around.

The eyes that meet hers in the mirror above the sink are blank and strangely unfamiliar. Heavy with self-loathing, she studies her flushed cheeks and the mascara that’s flaked and settled in dark circles under her eyes. Her brown hair is hanging limply on one side, while the rest is still tied back. Her long fringe is sticking to her clammy forehead. Resignedly, she studies the devastation and whispers with a gluey, dry mouth: ‘You fucking idiot.’

Something turns in her stomach; she only just has time to bend down over the toilet before the vomit starts coming. This’ll wake him for sure. She listens helplessly to her own retching, panting as she waits for the next cascade, closing her eyes so as not to have to look at yesterday’s left overs in the toilet bowl.

Gives it a while longer, but her insides seem to have calmed down. Temporarily relieved, she straightens up, turns on the tap and fills her cupped hands. Rinses out her mouth and lets the water cool her face, realising it will probably make the black circles under her eyes worse and deciding it doesn’t matter. There are no limits to this particular hell. At almost fifty, she’s really reached new lows this time. She feels like seventy.

A quick escape is all she has left to hope for now. To get home so she can lie down and die. In her own bed. But first, she has to get out of here, get in her car and go straight home without talking to anyone, without being seen by anyone. Then a faint glimmer of hope when she realises that on this particular day of the year, she might have a chance of slinking out of town unseen. At quarter past seven in the morning, the day aft er the oyster festival, all of Dunker is out cold.

She fills one of the toothbrush glasses with cold water and downs it quickly while she disentangles her hair tie with the other hand, noting that it pulls a few long hairs out with it. She refills the glass, pulls on her dress, shoves her bra and tights into her handbag and is just about to put her hand on the door handle when she stops. She has to flush. Even though the sound is bound to wake him, she has to; she can leave no trace of herself behind. With eyes screwed up tightly and a grimace of dread, she listens to the sound of water rushing down into the bowl, followed by the sound of the cistern refilling. She hangs back for a few more seconds, until the sound has subsided to a soft tinkling, then pulls the strap of her handbag over her shoulder.

Then she takes a deep breath and opens the bathroom door. He’s on his back with his face turned to her and for a second, she freezes. Backlit, he looks like he’s watching her. But then another thunderous snore fills the room; she jumps as the spell is broken.

Six seconds later, she’s gathered up her shoes and opened the door to the hallway. And there, on the cusp of freedom, something makes her turn around. Driven by the same kind of compulsive urge that people have when they pass an accident on the motorway and don’t really want to look but have to anyway, she lets her eyes take in the man in the bed. Studies the slackly open mouth, listens to the faint gurgling that accompanies each exhalation.

With a feeling of unreality, Karen studies her boss for three seconds before closing the door behind her.

Maria Adolfsson (b. 1958) lives in Stockholm where she, until recently, worked as a communications
director and now writes full-time. 

The Doggerland series has been sold in to 18 languages to date, and has sold over 250 000 copies in Sweden alone.

A Dangerous Fossil by John J Delaney BLOG TOUR #ADangerousFossil @DelaneyJohn @RandomTTours #BookExtract

 

Fossils aren't dangerous, are they?

Jemma didn't think so.

When 'Jurassic' Jemma Thorne and her dog, Dino, find an incredible fossil on a Dorset beach, she doesn't realise that it will lead to a trail of greed, jealousy and murder.

As the guilt of her past comes back to haunt her, Jemma must fight to protect her family, her friends, her town and herself.

Can she overcome her demons and escape from the danger surrounding her?

You’ll love this gripping mystery, because everybody loves reading a book that they can’t put down.

A Dangerous Fossil by John J Delaney was published in November 2022. As part of this #RandomThingsTours Blog Tour I am delighted to share an extract from the book with you today. 

Extract from A Dangerous Fossil by John J Delaney 

The work continued frantically as the sea lapped the section being cleared. Jemma stopped measuring and just dug like mad. The helpers grabbed the bones from her and loaded them onto the handcart but they struggled to manoeuvre it over the stones so they left it by the van and used their arms to carry the next batch.

Then a larger wave splashed into the hole where Jemma was digging. She panicked and jumped. ‘Bloody hell! We need to build a wall of rocks to protect this last bit.’

From where she was working, Sally shouted over to Jemma, ‘You’re not King Canute, you know, we should leave now. We’re in danger of getting cut off. Can’t we give up with this section and come back tomorrow?’

What a lightweight. Jemma frowned. ‘No way, it’d be destroyed by tomorrow. We’re nearly done. We can’t give up now we’re so close.’ She felt exhausted but was determined to move all the fossil before the sea commenced its demolition job.

Vincent placed some bones straight into a sack. ‘This is going to take some sorting out in the workshop.’ He handed some more sacks to the lads for them to carry off, as the waves crashed around their feet.

Jemma worked in a pool of cold seawater, which the waves kept topping up. As she struggled with the last few bones, she saw Sally stand and put her tools back in her bag. ‘You done, Sally?’

Sally looked down at her filthy clothes. ‘Yep. I’ve finished the tail section. Time to get off the beach before we’re all cut off.’

‘Thanks, Sally,’ Jemma said. ‘I’m almost done here too.’

A larger wave came splashing in and knocked Jemma over. She got up spitting out water and waited for the wave to retreat before pulling out the last piece of bone. She climbed back to her feet, ‘Job done. Everybody off the beach. Stay close to the top on the way back as the rocks will be slippery and we don’t want anyone washed into the sea. Freddie, will you help me take the tools back, please?’

‘Yeah, course I will,’ he replied. 

The tired, wet workers carried the remaining sacks back to the van. Billy went with them to open it and help load them up.

‘Thank God, we’re done.’ Sally shook her coat. ‘This is filthy and my boots are full of water. Come on, Vincent, let’s go and have a drink in the Anchor.’ 

‘Good idea,’ he said and they walked off together.

Jemma waved to everybody. ‘Thanks for the help,’ but her words were blown away by the wind. She had a last look round before leaving. Even in the rain the beach looked beautiful.

As the muddy workers retreated down the beach, she turned to Freddie. ‘Do you think the landlord will let them in?’

He laughed. ‘I bet he’s used to sandy tourists and wet dogs.’

‘Talking of dogs, where’s Dino?’ Jemma asked.

Freddie pointed. ‘He’s sniffing around at the base of the cliff.’

From where she stood, she could see his tail sticking up. ‘Come on, Dino! We’re off.’

Dino ignored her to carry on investigating interesting smells.

She shouted again. ‘Dino, I’m not messing about. We need to go.’

Her dog’s selective deafness seemed to have returned.

‘Bloody stay there then. Drown for all I care.’

Jemma and Freddie took down the rope cordon and grabbed the last few tools. As she put them in her rucksack, she saw that the others had reached the car park at the end. ‘Wow, they can shift themselves when the pub’s calling.’

Freddie laughed. ‘Time for us to follow.’

Jemma picked her way along the top of the shingle and Freddie followed behind. ‘You OK?’ She kept an eye on the waves breaking ever higher up the beach.

‘Yes,’ he said. ‘I’d say I’m ready for a shower.’

A wave crashed right in front of where they were walking so they hung back and dashed across before the next one could break.

Jemma shouted over her shoulder, ‘Dino, come on, keep up.’

Just then there was a rumble and a loud crashing noise as a nearby section of the cliff collapsed onto the beach.

She grabbed Freddie’s hand. ‘Run.’

They scrambled over the rocks away from the falling stones. A few smaller pieces flew through the air and hit them on the legs. Once they were clear of the dust they turned and saw a new pile of debris behind them.

There was a large mound of rocks, mud and smaller stones, all mixed together and piled up on the beach.

Jemma had turned pale. ‘My God! That’s a massive chunk of the cliffs that’s come down. I’m glad Sally wasn’t here to see that or I’d never hear the last of it.’

Freddie realised he was still holding her hand and pulled away embarrassed. ‘I’ve never seen a rockfall that big before.’

She turned and looked around. ‘We’d better shift ourselves in case there are any more slips.’

Freddie panted. ‘I can’t believe how close that was. If we’d been standing where you found the fossil, we’d have been flattened.’

‘I didn’t find it, Dino did.’ Jemma looked at Freddie in horror. She screamed, ‘Dino!’

Since 1999 John has written plots for forty murder mystery party games (boxed and downloadable) with worldwide sales in excess of 100,000 copies, mainly in the UK and USA.

John has written the book for three musicals (Directions, Dream Home and 68 The Musical ) and a pantomime. He has also written the libretto for an opera called Tir na Nog  and one of the arias from the piece,  This Mortal Man, was included on the composers album which reached number 1 on the Classical charts in the UK and number 18 on the USA Billboard chart. 

A Dangerous Fossil is John’s first novel and features sassy fossil hunter ‘Jurassic’ Jemma Thorne.  A tale of discovery, greed and murder set on Dorset’s Jurassic coast.  John is currently planning a sequel with more adventures for Jemma and her dog Dino.

Twitter @DelaneyJohn

Instagram @john.j.delaney.author