Snare

By Lilja Sigurdardottir

A young mother resorts to smuggling cocaine into Iceland, as she struggles to keep custody of her son, with devastating results … First in the addictive, award-winning Reykjavik Noir Trilogy by the Queen of Iceland Noir.

***Longlisted for the CWA International Dagger***

‘Stylist, taut and compelling’ Daily Express

‘Snare will ensnare you’ Marie Claire

‘A taut, gritty, thoroughly absorbing journey into Reykjavik’s underworld’ Booklist

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After a messy divorce, young mother Sonia is struggling to provide for herself and keep custody of her son. With her back to the wall, she resorts to smuggling cocaine into Iceland, and finds herself caught up in a ruthless criminal world.

As she desperately looks for a way out of trouble, she must pit her wits against her nemesis, Bragi, a customs officer, whose years of experience frustrate her new and evermore daring strategies. Things become even more complicated when Sonia embarks on a relationship with a woman, Agla. Once a high-level bank executive, Agla is currently being prosecuted in the aftermath of the Icelandic financial crash.

Set in a Reykjavík still covered in the dust of the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption, and with a dark, fast-paced and chilling plot and intriguing characters, Snare is an outstandingly original and sexy Nordic crime thriller, from one of the most exciting new names in crime fiction.

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'A tense thriller with a highly unusual plot and interesting characters' The Times

‘Tense, edgy and delivering more than a few unexpected twists and turns’ Sunday Times

'Sharp shocks of chapters hit with increasing energy ... a towering powerhouse of read and I gobbled it up in one intense sitting’ LoveReading

‘The intricate plot is breathtakingly original, with many twists and turns you never see coming. Thriller of the year’ New York Journal of Books

'This first novel of a planned trilogy is stylish, taut and compelling and a film adaptation is in the pipeline. With characters you can’t help sympathising with against your better judgement, Sigurdardottir takes the reader on a breathtaking ride’ Daily Express

‘Lilja Sigurdardottir delivers a diabolically efficient thriller with an ultrarealistic plot … We cannot wait for Sonja’s next adventure’ L’Express

‘A smart, ambitious, and hugely satisfying thriller. Striking in its originality and written with all the style and poise of an old hand. Lilja is destined for Scandi super stardom’ Eva Dolan

‘For a small island, Iceland produces some extraordinary writers, and Lilja is one of the best. Snare is an enthralling tale of love and crime that stays with you long after you have turned the last page’ Michael Ridpath

‘Zips along, with tension building and building … thoroughly recommended’ James Oswald

‘Crisp, assured and nail-bitingly tense, Snare is an exceptional read, cementing Lilja’s place as one of Iceland’s most outstanding crime writers’ Yrsa Sigurdardottir

‘Clear your diary. As soon as you begin reading Snare, you won’t be able to stop until the final page’ Michael Wood

‘Snare is a great read and the finale is both shocking and unexpected … a Wizard-of-Oz ending, without the laughs. Terrific and original stuff' European Literature Network

• Language: English
• Publisher: ORENDA BOOKS
• Release date: Aug 1, 2017
• ISBN: 9781910633816

Lilja Sigurdardottir

Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurðardóttir was born in the town of Akranes in 1972 and raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland. An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written ten crime novels, including Snare, Trap and Cage, making up the Reykjavík Noir trilogy, and her standalone thriller Betrayal, all of which have hit bestseller lists worldwide. Snare was longlisted for the CWA International Dagger, Cage won Best Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year and was a Guardian Book of the Year, and Betrayal was shortlisted for the prestigious Glass Key Award and won Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year. The film rights for the Reykjavík Noir trilogy have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California. Cold as Hell, the first book in the An Áróra Investigation series, was published in the UK in 2021. She lives in Reykjavík with her partner.

Reviews for Snare

[jess_reads_books · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Sonja has just been through a messy divorce. She has lost custody of her son and is struggling to make ends meet in her new life. In a time of desperation Sonja was contacted by a lawyer who said he would help her with the divorce, but unbeknownst to Sonja the offer had steep consequences. She now finds herself working as a cocaine smuggler for the same man. Sonja has a plan to get out of the smuggling world, but she needs a little more time. Unfortunately for her, she’s being watched closely by a customs officer named Bragi. One of the few bright spots in Sonja’s life aside from the time she gets to spend with her son is the connection and relationship she has built witn Agla. Keeping in the theme of Sonja’s complicated life, Agla is a former high-level bank executive who worked closely with Sonja’s ex-husband. The prosecution team against Agla for crimes linking her to the Icelandic financial crash are closing in. As the snare tightens around Sonja and those around her, how will she survive? Will she finally be free or is her fate much more complicated than she thinks?SNARE is a completely different arena of crime fiction than I’m typically found reading. There was no detective leading a case or an unreliable narrator stringing me along. Sigurdardottir’s SNARE is a unique and often overlooked aspect of crime fiction, which gives the reader the inside take on the criminal world through a woman who has inadvertently gotten herself involved in the cocaine business. Not only are we treated to the story being told from Sonja’s point of view, but we also get to hear from Bragi, the customs officer hot on Sonja’s trail, and Agla, the woman in a relationship with Sonja who has a much deeper connection than you initially realize. I loved each of these different points of view, as they all added a different side to the story being told, while also allowing me to connect with each individual and find a passion for wanting to know their individual stories as well as their connections to Sonja. The short chapters, alternating narrators, and captivating writing all combine to make SNARE a book you don’t want to put down. I never once found myself bored or distracted, but instead I was glued to my seat, frantically flipping pages to get to the truth. Sigurdardottir has a masterful way of writing that draws the reader in and holds them tight until the very last page.

[pauntley · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Post GFC Iceland. Lesbian love affair between a high class drug mule and a top level banking fraudster in a criminal otherworld in which men call the shots. Moderately engaging plot progression through a multiplication of loose ends towards an unconvincing conclusion.

[karenbayly · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Engaging and gripping tale with flawed characters who still manage to engage your sympathies - can't ask for much from crime fiction.

[atticusfinch1048 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Snare – An Extraordinary Thriller from an Icelandic AuthorOrenda Books are on a roll, they keep finding the best of Icelandic Noir, having Quentin Bates translate, and giving the English reader a new author. Lilja Sigurðardottir is already a successful playwright and author, and she has written a brand-new series and Snare is the first in the series of Reykjavik noir series. Sonja has recently gone through a terrible divorce from her Adam, and she did not get a very good deal from her lawyer. Her son Tomas lives with her ex-husband and only allows him to stay over at Sonja’s rarely and then he complains. With the whole world seemingly against her and the need to earn some cash she has been snared as a drugs mule. Running drugs from Denmark and the UK at regular intervals, and at the same time safely putting some money in a safety deposit box and she also has some product saved too.When she tells her contact she wants out she is beaten up and is in agony, and it does not help that a customs officer, Bragi, is on her trail and has worked out her routine. The more that she wants to get out the more she has been snared and there is no escape. Her love life is in tatters and her lover Agla is in the midst of a trial for share manipulation and the relationship is going down rapidly.Snare is a taut, reassuringly excellent thriller in the best traditions of Icelandic Noir, that once you start you will not be able to put down. There are some great characters, and you will fall for Sonja and have some sympathy for the position she is in. The tension builds throughout the book and gives you a tense ending.This really is an extraordinary thriller.