Thank you to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, for a copy of this book for review.

I’m starting this off with the thing that bothered me a lot about this book. I hate and despise cliffhangers. Hate, hate, hate them. And this book ends on one. The major story line was resolved, but the subplot was not.

In spite of my dislike for the cliffhanger, I enjoyed the book. I’m a huge fan of Nordic stories. And ones set in Iceland are some of my favorites. The protagonist, young detective Helgi, was someone the reader can root for. He was a policeman who had some secrets he didn’t want anyone to know about which added an interesting component to his personality. An unexpected dimension to how he interacted with the world.

The story centers on a writer of mystery novels, Elin S. Jonsdottir, who lives alone and has never been married. She has a group of friends who have been in her life long term and they are creatures of habit. Lunching together on certain days of the week and at the same places. She also likes to hike and spend time in the outdoors. She has form for going off on her own and not telling anyone as she is independent.

When she fails to show up for one of the scheduled lunches, one of the friends reports her missing and the investigation ensues. The investigation is on the down low as the friends as well as the police want to keep the media at bay as Elin is a very popular Icelandic writer.

Our detective protagonist is a huge fan of golden age mysteries of the 1930s. He’s excited about the case as he believes he could earn a promotion if he brings her home safely.

The story is full of nuances and a few twists. I saw one coming but I liked how the author got us there. The policeman’s personal life is also interesting with some twists there as well.

The format of the book is unique as well. It skips time periods back and forth and also has a number of scenes that are the crime writer being interviewed. These are the only times we get to learn about her personality as the book progresses. The piecemeal learning about her was enjoyable. This reader enjoys books with different time jumps. It keeps things interesting.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one and if I don’t read the next one, I’ll make up my own ending to the cliffhanger. lol

BLURB:

The next thrilling golden-age-style mystery from #1 Icelandic bestseller Ragnar Jónasson, author of Death at the Sanatorium and Reykjavík.

One winter evening, bestselling crime author Elín S. Jónsdóttir goes missing.

There are no clues to her disappearance and it is up to young detective Helgi to crack the case before its leaked to the press.

As Helgi interviews the people closest to her—a publisher, an accountant, a retired judge—he realizes that Elín’s life wasn’t what it seemed. In fact, her past is even stranger than the fiction she wrote.

As the case of the missing crime writer becomes more mysterious by the hour, Helgi must uncover the secrets of the writer’s very unexpected life.