White as Snow by Lilja Sigurðardóttir tr. Quentin Bates #bookreview #WhiteAsSnow #IcelandNoir #AnAroraInvestigation 

Daníel and Áróra hunt a brutal killer when a shipping container with the bodies of five women is found outside Reykjavik, as Áróra continues the search for her missing sister. Book three in the addictive, chilling An Áróra Investigation series.
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…

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Hi and welcome to my review of White as Snow!

God, I love this series and it just gets better with every instalment! Truth be told, I’m a big fan of this author’s work so my expectations going in are always off the scale but she never fails to deliver. White as Snow is no different, if anything I loved it even more than I thought I would.

White as Snow is the third book in the An Áróra Investigation series, featuring Áróra, a private investigator, and Daníel, a police detective. Should you read Cold as Hell and Red as Blood before tackling White as Snow? I mean, why wouldn’t you, they’re fab! However, while I do think you get a richer reading experience having prior knowledge of the main characters, I’m sure you’d be able to enjoy White as Snow without it.

Áróra initially came to Iceland to look for her missing sister, but in White as Snow, that investigation is put on the back burner because there is just too much other stuff going on. Her friend and potential love interest Daníel gets her involved in a private investigation that turns out to be a lot bigger than either of them suspected at the onset. Meanwhile Daníel himself is up to his eyeballs in a murder investigation with multiple victims, and that, too, is just the tip of the iceberg.

As to be expected from this author, White as Snow is carefully and cleverly plotted, with a few well-timed twists and reveals along the way. Told in short and snappy chapters alternating the various points of view, White as Snow makes for some highly addictive reading. It should come with its own warning on the cover! Beware, you won’t be able to put this down once you pick it up! 

Due to the nature of the investigations, White as Snow is particularly chilling. It’s also scarily plausible, which makes it all the more chilling. However, it’s also highly entertaining, and there are enough lighter elements to prevent it from getting too dark and heavy.

I love that White as Snow is not your typical police procedural, thanks to Áróra. And she is just such a fantastic protagonist, as is Daníel. I really don’t want to wait another year to find out what happens to them next! And Bisi! What a fantastic character she is, she felt like a real person and I was rooting for her every step of the way.

Once again expertly translated by Quentin Bates, White as Snow was an absolute pleasure to read, I flew through it entirely effortlessly. It’s a thrilling ride, super addictive, fast-paced and atmospheric with a great sense of setting. And the finale is literally breath-taking! Highly recommended.

White as Snow is out on 12 October. Pre-order it directly from Orenda Books here.

Massive thanks to Orenda Books for the digital ARC. All opinions are my own.