Lilja Sigurðardóttir Books In Order

Publication Order of An Áróra Investigation Books

Publication Order of Reykjavík Noir Trilogy Books

Publication Order of Standalone Novels

About Lilja Sigurðardóttir
An Icelandic author, Lilja Sigurðardóttir is widely respected around the world for her ever intriguing brand of mystery novel. Both a playwright and a crime writer, she focuses on creating compelling mysteries, as well as crafting well written characters. Many of her novels also take place in Reykjavík, which is a city that clearly knows well, with her spending a lot of time there. Getting the feel of the city, her stories are very much grounded in their use of location, whilst also being timeless as well.

Her suspense would also become something that she’d be most noted for, as her use of tension was really something else. Getting her own personal hook early on, she’d offer something different, that was at once fresh and exciting, whilst also being accessible. This has continued to prove to be successful, as she’s become a strong name and brand in both her own country and beyond.

Recently seeing her work translated for an English market, her stories have gone international, as they’ve resonated with readers worldwide. This is, in part, due to the universal nature of her writing, which really speaks to the reader on a personal level, regardless of where they’re from. With a lot more to come, she has a number of books available in English now, as more are expected to follow in the future.

Early and Personal Life:
Born in Akranes, Iceland, Lilja Sigurðardóttir always held a strong passion for both reading and writing from an early age. Starting out after winning a writing contest, this interest of hers would soon see her become a world famous author and household name. Continuing to develop her voice as an author, she’s established herself as one of the best known novelists at the forefront of her field. This carried on throughout her education, as she always found herself coming back to her primary love of writing.

Spending much of her time in Reykjavik, she’d also go on to base many of her novels here in time as well. Always looking for new ideas, she’d constantly be looking to build upon her source material, allowing it to start becoming its own thing. This is something that she continues do, as she applies herself and her voice across a number of different mediums as a writer.

Writing Career:
Lilja Sigurðardóttir’s first English novel was ‘Snare’ in 2017, which was the first in the Reykjavik Trilogy too, also known as the ‘Sonja’ series. It would pave the way for more to come, including her stand-alone thriller ‘Betrayal’ in 2020, which provided yet further stand-out Icelandic noir fiction. Her first book in Iceland would be the well regarded crime novel ‘Steps’, or ‘Spor’, which was released in 2009. This came off the back of winning a competition with the Bjartur publishing house, which was based around the premise of finding the next Dan Brown.

She would go on to become a hugely influential author in her own right though, as her manuscript paved the way to an interesting career. Winning numerous awards, from the Icelandic Theatre Prize Griman back in 2014 for a play, right up to the Glass Key in 2019, she’s not without much acclaim either. With the film rights being sold to her work, along with public appearances and translations across the world, she’s fast becoming one of the biggest most successful voices in the crime genre to date.

Cage
First brought out on the 17th of August in 2019, this would originally be released through the Orenda Book publishing imprint. Translated into English by Quentin Bates, it’s the third title in the ‘Reykjavik Noir Trilogy’ of novels, continuing on from the previous two. Bringing the story of each of the characters forwards, it carries on in much the same vein as before, developing the many narrative arcs and plot-lines.

The characters have come a long way by this point, and it’s fascinating to watch their evolutions fully transform. With conspiracies and political intrigue, it’s a labyrinthine thriller that grips the reader all the way, never losing them at any point. As a writer Sigurðardóttir definitely knows her stuff here, and she really manages to keep on top of it all in an engaging and compelling story.

Left waiting at the prison gates after getting out by her partner Sonja, Agla soon finds herself drawn into a fraud scheme by a group of businessmen. This also sees the drug baron Ingimar looking to protect his empire, but he is completely unaware of what’s about to go down around him. With his power stretching worldwide, Sonya returns from London to Iceland in order to settle some old scores once and for all. How will everything finally go down? What lies in store for each of them? Can they ever manage to escape their cage?

Betrayal
This would also be translated into English by Quentin Bates, with it coming out through the Orenda Books publishing house too. Published on the 1st of October in 2020, it would be a stand-alone novel, with its mystery being entirely self-contained. The book was a mystery thriller with a noir tone to it, much like Sigurðardóttir’s other novels, although she’d provide a different spin on it here.

As a tough noir thriller, this story definitely doesn’t hold back either, as there’s a lot to unpack here with some of the grittier aspects of the genre. Sigurðardóttir deals with it with tact though, as she expertly crafts an intriguing and immersive crime thriller novel. The mood and the ambiance are also handled with ease, as it draws the reader in, holding them there to the very last page.

Returning to Iceland, Úrsula hopes to put the trauma of the past behind her, having seen enough trauma working as an international aid worker. Wanting to do some good again in her new government position, but she finds herself dealing with the difficult case of a young daughter being abused by a policeman. Now it seems that Úrsula is also being stalked by a homeless man, whilst some truths have come to light in relation to her father’s murder. Will she be able to put all the pieces together? What does the homeless man really want? Can she deal with the betrayal?