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A Cornish Winter's Kiss by Jo Bartlett #Review

  It does seem rather early for a festive read but I couldn't resist joining a tour to celebrate Jo Bartlett's latest novel. A Cornish Winter's Kiss was published by Boldwood on July 2nd. It's the most wonderful time of the year...isn't it? Emily Anderson adores romance—both in books and in real life (though her own love life is more ‘tragic subplot’ than ‘happily-ever-after’). As an audiobook narrator, she spends her days bringing love stories to life, convinced that one day, her own perfect romance will come true. Jude Cavendish, thinks romance is a fairy tale for fools. A crime author with a serious case of writer’s block, he’s horrified when his publisher asks him to add a love story to his latest novel. He knows murders, mysteries, and mayhem—not grand gestures and stolen kisses. Desperate for help, Jude reluctantly turns to Emily, whose sunshine personality is the complete opposite of his grumpy cynicism. She’s determined to show him that love is m...

Cage by Lilja Sigurdardottir translated by Quentin Bates #Review #Giveaway


It's great to be back on an Orenda Blog Tour for Icelandic novelist, Lilja Sigurdardottir's third in her Reykjavik Noir Trilogy, entitled Cage. You can read my reviews of the first two books here:  
Snare   |  Trap

I also have a great Giveaway for you to enter to win your own copy of Cage. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post. 

A masterful conclusion to the award-winning, critically acclaimed Reykjavík Noir trilogy, as drug-smuggling, financial crime, political intrigue, love, murder and betrayal come together.


The prison doors slam shut behind Agla, when her sentence for financial misconduct ends, but her lover Sonja is not there to meet her.


As a group of foreign businessmen tries to draw Agla into an ingenious fraud that stretches from Iceland around the world, Agla and her former nemesis María find the stakes being raised at a terrifying speed. Ruthless entrepreneur Ingimar will stop at nothing to protect his empire, but he has no idea about the powder keg he is sitting on in his own home. And at the same time, a deadly threat to Sonja and her family brings her from London back to Iceland, where she needs to settle scores with longstanding adversaries if she wants to stay alive…


The lives of these characters are about to collide in a shocking crescendo, until the winner takes it all…

My Thoughts

What a satisfying final instalment, Cage, turned out to be. I loved the first two in the Reykjavik Noir series and could recognise at once Lilja's tightly constructed writing . It was great to pick up with some of her characters again, especially Sonja, who turned out to be as determined and enterprising as ever. As the story evolved, it became more obvious how the different story threads were intertwined although it never felt contrived. 

    Throughout this series, it has felt as though the characters are trapped in an ever decreasing situation and certainly in this final novel, the trap has closed in and the title, Cage, seems very apt. Imprisoned, either literally or by circumstances or ideas, for some, the options for action are shrinking. Quentin Bates' translation is sympathetic to the characterisation and settings. This is a series with the WOW factor. Nuanced characterisation takes you right into the the perpetrators' minds and at times you can feel their terror. 

In short: A five star series with a fitting finale.

 
About the Author


Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurdardóttir was born in the town of Akranes in 1972 and raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland. An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written four crime novels, with Snare, the first in a new series, hitting bestseller lists worldwide. Translation rights have been sold in eight countries to date, and film rights have been bought by Palomar Pictures in California. Lilja has a background in education and has worked in evaluation and quality control for preschools in recent years. She lives in Reykjavík with her partner. 





You can connect with Lilja here: Twitter  |  Website



 Book links: Amazon UK

Thanks to Karen Sullivan and Anne Cater of Orenda Books  for a copy of the book and a place on the blog tour.


Don't forget to check out these other great bloggers! 
Giveaway (UK only)
 

To win a copy of Cage, just Follow and Retweet the pinned Tweet at @bookslifethings.


Closing Date 31st October 2019 and there is one winner.

*Terms and Conditions –UK  entries only.  The winner will be selected at random via Tweetdraw from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then I reserve the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over.  Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.

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