A review by yvo_about_books
Red as Blood by Lilja Sigurðardóttir

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

4.5

Finished reading: February 16th 2024


"Every time life punches you to the ground, it knocks away some of the arrogance and the illusion of self-importance, and that makes it easier to understand the circumstances others find themselves in."


Lilja Sigurðardóttir is without a doubt one of my favorite Icelandic noir authors, and I'm still not sure why it took me this long to finally pick up the An Áróra Investigation series. I loved my time with the first book earlier this year, and I decided to continue with the series ASAP. Red As Blood is book number two, and I loved it just as much as the first one. It's the perfect dose of Nordic noir! There is just something highly addictive about her writing, and I literally couldn't stop reading. The short chapters only added to the speed, and I enjoyed how the plot offered you multiple POVs to help explore all the different angles. One of the things I love about this series is the fact that the main character Áróra isn't a detective, but instead a freelance financial investigator. This means that she doesn't exactly follow the rules, and it gives the series in general an unique touch. I do have to say that it is important to read the books in order, because you will find major spoilers for the developments in Áróra's personal life otherwise... That said, I liked those developments, and with how everything ended I'm already looking forward to pick up the next book. The case itself in Red As Blood has its predictable side and it's kind of hard to properly feel sorry for Flosi, but he does make for an interesting character. The plot twists themselves are well handled, and there were definitely some I didn't see coming. If you are looking for an excellent dose of Nordic noir, I can highly recommend this series! 
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