I like books set in Iceland. This one was ok, not fabulous. ( )

This is a very well written book.
The author passes seamlessly from events about 20 years in the past to
The current day mystery of a dead woman outside a lighthouse.
She maintains an atmosphere of dread….that creak on the stairs mentioned in the title and used effectively in the opening, as a character lies terrified in bed, listening to the approaching danger, is maintained throughout.
There are a couple of connecting threads that are surprisingly woven together, but without them feeling particularly forced.

I’d have given it a five but there is so much abuse and assault of women and children that , had I not been so impressed with the author’s skill, I might have gone down to a two. Read at your own risk. ( )

Cuando unos jóvenes encuentran el cadáver de una mujer en el faro de la ciudad islandesa de Akranes, pronto resulta evidente que la víctima es alguien de la zona.
Elma, una policía que, tras el fin de una relación sentimental, acaba de regresar a Akranes, su ciudad natal, empieza una inquietante investigación con sus colegas, Saevar y Hörour, y juntos descubre un espeluznante secreto en el pasado de la víctima que tiene graves repercusiones en la actualidad...
Al remover el pasado, Elma y su equipo sacan a la luz unos crímenes ocultos durante mucho tiempo y se enfrentan al rechazo de la conmocionada comunidad local. Cribando entre los recuerdos de la gente del pueblo, tendrán que esquivar amenazas cada vez más graves y buscar justicia... antes de que sea demasiado tarde.

Most Scandi-Crime novels seem to involve abuse of women or children or both, and this is no exception. I found the story a bit slow to start, but it is the first in a projected series and foundations are useful. It takes place in a small seaside town near Rekyavik (sp), in two different decades and several different voices, but it's not hard to follow. The murder and its solution are well supported by this mechanism.

But it's pretty grim. And to my surprise, the ending is, while technically correct, very unsatisfying. Maybe the next in the series will close some gaps. ( )

An excellent addition to Scandicrime/ Nordic Noir. Elma moves from the Reykjavik police to the more remote area of the Akranes following a difficult breakup. There she joins the Arkranes Police force. In this normally quiet town, the body of a young woman washes up the shore near a lighthouse. With her new colleagues, Saevar and Hordur, Elma investigates this death. Was it a suicide, an accident or a murder ?

We discover the backstories of the characters and that of the victim. The victim's past was especially harrowing, and we learn about it in two time lines, 1989 ,and the present, 2017. The characters are well rounded and layered, and the plot is engaging, disturbing and suspenseful. I loved this story and am eager to read more in this series. ( )