Review of NIGHT SHADOWS by Eva Björg Ægisdóttir (New Release)

4 Stars

This is the third in the Forbidden Iceland series after The Creak on the Stairs (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2021/08/review-of-creak-on-stairs-by-eva-bjorg.html) and Girls Who Lie (https://schatjesshelves.blogspot.com/2021/11/review-of-girls-who-lie-by-eva-bjorg.html). 

After a fire in a house in Akranes, the body of a young man, Marinó Finnsson, is found in his bedroom.  The fire is quickly determined to be the result of arson, and it seems that Marinó was dead before the fire was started.  The investigation, conducted by Elma Jónsdóttir, her partner Sævar, and her boss Hörður of West Iceland CID, focuses on a small group of young people who were friends of Marinó and his twin sister Fríða:  Ísak, Andri, and Sonja.  One case becomes two when police find a phone belonging to Lise Ragnarsdóttir Visser in Marinó’s room.  Lise was from the Netherlands and had served as an au pair for Andri’s younger sisters; she left the family’s employ to return home but seems to have gone missing. 

As with the first two books, there is a subplot involving Elma’s personal life.  She is facing a particular challenge which will have consequences for not just her future.  What I liked is that her private conflict doesn’t receive so much focus as to draw attention away from the police investigations.  Hörður is also experiencing private struggles.  The additional information about the personal lives of the characters serves to create fully rounded individuals whom the reader feels s/he knows and understands well. 

Elma is a very likeable protagonist.  As before, she continues to show her intelligence, determination, and work ethic.  Her personal challenge reveals more of her softer side.  What is also emphasized is that she is not perfect; she has a tendency towards impetuous behaviour:  “a tendency to act spontaneously on her hunches” which can lead her into danger.  In other words, she is a very believable character. 

There is one character whose behaviour I found particularly despicable and disturbing.  As I was reading, I kept thinking that this person had to be responsible for what happened to Marinó and Lise.  Ultimately, the message perhaps is that a person can be morally responsible without being legally guilty.  The reference to this character in the News Flash near the end of the novel left a sour taste.  But all this is a testament to the novel’s complexity. 

On the topic of complexity, I especially appreciated how several threads (e.g. Elma’s life-changing event, Hörður’s loss and gain, Lise’s loss, characters’ motivations) all suggest a central theme.  Like the important clues scattered throughout, these threads contribute to a cohesive whole.   

The pace of the novel could best be described as slow and steady, but with regular revelations and twists so interest never wanes.  The perspective of Elma and the police investigation is given, but so is that of various people connected to the case.  Several of these people have something to hide so there is no shortage of suspects.  Apparently, the British press has dubbed Eva Björg Ægisdóttir the “Icelandic Ruth Rendell” and I think this is a fitting description.

Readers looking for a meticulously plotted police procedural with engaging characters and psychological and thematic depth need look no further.  Though the book can be read as a standalone, I highly recommend reading the books in order.