White as Snow by Lilja Sigurdardóttir

Happy happy Thursday! Today I'm a stop on the Random Things tour for the third in Lilja Sigurdardóttir's series, White as Snow. 

A shipping container has been found on public land containing the bodies of five women. Except upon further investigation, one of the women is hanging on by a thread. Malnourished and suffering from terrible frostbite, the police do their best to keep news of her survival out of the press. As their main witness, they understand all too well that the people responsible for putting her there will do anything to find her and keep her quiet. 

Daníel was supposed to be spending the next ten days with his children, but a case this big can't be pawned off. But he also knows that something this dark and twisted is going to loom heavy over him for a while. 

At the same time, Áróra, still trying to figure out where she stands with Daníel, has been asked to look into his ex-wife's new partner. The man, Sergei, is quite a bit younger than Elín, an artist who happens to be Áróra's own father's cousin. Though Elín is admittedly smitten, her father is insisting on a pre-nup to protect her assets. And yet Sergei is not only pushing for marriage, under the auspices of needing to be an official resident to get a job, he's against the pre-nup as well. And so it's Áróra's job to find out if there's something shady about the Elín's love interest.

As both Daníel and Áróra's cases go on, there becomes hints of a connection. At first, it's an old case that both worked on in the past and links to the shipping container. But as they move forward, the links between the two cases become even stronger. 

So first off, the thing on just about every series reader's mind: yes, if you're new to Lilja Sigurdardóttir's work, you can start here fairly easily. You are missing character development, particular in the case of Áróra as her sister's disappearance continues to be a main focus of hers. Some spoilers, but you can easily read White as Snow as a lead in to the series. 

Technically this is referred to as the third in the Áróra Investigation Series (Cold as Hell, Red as Blood, White as Snow). But what seems to be common with Nordic Noir in particular is the fact that the series does not focus exclusively on Áróra herself, but rather a whole cast of characters. Daníel and his fellow officer, Helena, get just as much page time as Áróra herself. Which is something that I really love because you not only get backstory on all of them, but the interactions between them become more rich and detailed. 

In this particular outing, you also get Bisi, the survivor. A Nigerian cut off from her family and seeking refuge, she falls prey to the worst kind of people. Her story comes out in two parts: past (before the container) and present. And she plays her cards close, in part because she's reliant on the officers and immigration to keep her safe. 

White as Snow is an excellent addition to what is a fantastic series! If you haven't discovered it yet, do dive in here. Or start from the beginning and read them in order (my recommendation!) for the full experience!