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.