A wealthy Icelandic family gathers for a reunion in a remote hotel on the isolated lava fields, but when someone goes missing, dark secrets are exposed and everyone is a suspect … the chilling, gripping prequel to the addictive, award-winning Forbidden Iceland series…

‘A country house mystery worthy of Agatha Christie’ The Times Crime Book of the Month

‘As storms rage, people fall prey to a sinister figure. A canny synthesis of modern Nordic Noir and Golden Age mystery’ Financial Times

'In a Forbidden Iceland novel, there's no terrain more treacherous than the mind … a deep-dark thriller to read with the lights on' A J Finn

'Riveting, exciting, entertaining and packed with intrigue … like Succession on ice' Liz Nugent

**WINNER of the STORYTEL AWARD for Crime Book of the Year***

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The wealthy, powerful Snæberg clan has gathered for a family reunion at a futuristic hotel set amongst the dark lava flows of Iceland's remote Snæfellsnes peninsula.

Petra Snæberg, a successful interior designer, is anxious about the event, and her troubled teenage daughter, Lea, whose social-media presence has attracted the wrong kind of followers. Ageing carpenter Tryggvi is an outsider, only tolerated because he's the boyfriend of Petra's aunt, but he's struggling to avoid alcohol because he knows what happens when he drinks … Humble hotel employee, Irma, is excited to meet this rich and famous family and observe them at close quarters … perhaps too close…

As the weather deteriorates and the alcohol flows, one of the guests disappears, and it becomes clear that there is a prowler lurking in the dark.

But is the real danger inside … within the family itself?

Masterfully cranking up the suspense, Eva Björg Ægisdóttir draws us into an isolated, frozen setting, where nothing is as it seems and no one can be trusted, as the dark secrets and painful pasts of the Snæberg family are uncovered … and the shocking truth revealed.

Succession meets And Then There Were None … A Golden Age mystery for the 21st Century, with a shocking twist.

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'A tense, twisty page-turner that you'll have serious trouble putting down' Catherine Ryan Howard

'Your new Nordic Noir obsession' Vogue

'Confirms Eva Bjorg Aegisdottir as a leading light of Icelandic noir … a master of misdirection' The Times

Praise for the Forbidden Iceland series

**Winner of the CWA John Creasey (New Blood) Dagger**
**Shortlisted for the Petrona Award for Best Scandinavian Crime**
**Shortlisted for the CWA Crime in Translation Dagger**
**Shortlisted for the Capital Crime Award for Best Thriller**

'Chilling and addictive, with a completely unexpected twist … I loved it' Shari Lapena

'Beautifully written … one of the rising stars of Nordic Noir'
Victoria Selman

'Fans of Nordic Noir will love this' Ann Cleeves

'Eerie and chilling. I loved every word!' Lesley Kara

'Creepily compelling' Heidi Amsinck

'Elma is a memorably complex character' Financial Times

'Exciting and harrowing' Ragnar Jónasson

'Fantastic' Sunday Times

'So atmospheric' Heat