Book Review: Red As Blood, An Áróra Investigation Book 2, Lilja Sigurðardóttir, translated by Quentin Bates
Mystery: Red As Blood, An Áróra Investigation Book 2, Lilja Sigurðardóttir, translated by Quentin Bates
Blog Tour October 7, 2022
The odds of my learning Icelandic are marginally better than the odds of my going to Mars. If by some incredible linguistic magic I do learn Icelandic, though, the first thing I plan to do is buy every book by Lilja Sigurðardóttir in her native language.
Before I get to the book itself, though, I should again express my appreciation to Quentin Bates. I sincerely doubt that I will ever master any language. I’m an American, after all. Even our English is suspect. Bates, though, masterfully translates Sigurðardóttir’s stories. How he can keep the Icelandic flavor while creating flowing English prose amazes me every time. I am not sure I have ever found a better author/translator pairing.
Áróra is thrown into the apparent kidnapping of a businessman’s wife. Flosi returned home to find his dinner only partially made: seafood spoiling uncooked on the counter and bread burning in the oven. A ransom note sat on the table. Flosi’s Edinburgh accountant called Áróra to work with Flosi on the ransom. Although the note warned against involving the police, Áróra convinces him that the police have to be involved and she calls her friend Daníel to meet with Flosi.
There are numerous twists and turns through the story. Flosi has numerous secrets he is hoping to keep secret. These may, or may not, have relevance to the kidnapping. In the process of working with the accountant, Áróra uncovers some of those secrets–which begins an entirely new set of problems for some of the characters. The truth doesn’t always set someone free. Sometimes it just changes the color of paint in the prison.
Our thanks to Anne Cater of Random Things for our copy of Red As Blood, provided so we could participate in this blog tour. The opinions here are solely those of Scintilla. For other perspectives on this novel, check out the other bloggers on this tour.
Book Review: Red As Blood, An Áróra Investigation Book 2, Lilja Sigurðardóttir