Dead Sweet by Katrín Júlíusdóttir
A murder is just the beginning…
When Óttar Karlsson, a wealthy and respected government official and businessman, is found murdered, after failing to turn up at his own surprise birthday party, the police are at a loss. It isn't until young police officer Sigurdís finds a well-hidden safe in his impersonal luxury apartment that clues start emerging.
As Óttar's shady business dealings become clear, a second, unexpected line of enquiry emerges, when Sigurdís finds a US phone number in the safe, along with papers showing regular money transfers to an American account. Following the trail to Minnesota, trauma rooted in Sigurdís's own childhood threatens to resurface and the investigation strikes chillingly close to home…
Atmospheric, deeply unsettling and full of breakneck twists and turns, Dead Sweet is a startling debut thriller that uncovers a terrifying world of financial crime, sinister cults and disturbing secret lives, and kicks off an addictive, mind-blowing new series.
About the author
Katrín is a Policy advisor and author. She received the Blackbird Award, an Icelandic crime-writing prize, for her first novel, Sykur (en: Sugar) in 2020. Her debut novel was reviewed well by critics and hit the best-selling lists in the first weeks after publication.
She was the Managing Director of Finance Iceland from 2016-2022. She has a political background and was a member of Parliament from 2003 until 2016. The Minister of industry, energy and tourism from 2009-2012 and Minister of finance and economy from 2012-2013. She served as the Social Democratic Alliance’s vice-chair from 2013-2016.
Before she was elected to Parliament, Katrín was an advisor and project manager at a tech company and a senior buyer and CEO in the retail sector, as well as the Managing Director of a student union during her uni years. She worked from a young age in the fishing industry, as a store clerk and took nighttime shifts at a pizza place. She studied Anthropology and has an MBA from Reykjavík University.
She was raised in Kópavogur, about 15 minutes’ drive from downtown Reykjavík. She now lives in the neighbouring town of Garðabær with her family. She is married to author Bjarni M. Bjarnason, who encouraged her to start writing. They have four boys.
Review
‘Dead Sweet’ is a blistering start to a brand-new series from Iceland! I do love getting in on a series from the beginning and I think I am going to love this one. It's a brilliant debut novel and a great piece of Icelandic Noir. It's full of captivating characters and the protagonist has an interesting backstory to boot. Katrín Júlíusdóttir drew me straight into the story and I flew through it in one day!
When Ottar Karlsson, a wealthy and respected government official is found dead on a remote beach after failing to turn up for his surprise 50th birthday party, the police are at a loss for the reason why! It isn't until a young police officer, Sigurdis finds a hidden safe that they get a lead. As Ottar’s shady business dealings emerge, a second line of enquiry emerges that links Ottar to America, with a phone number and transactions to an American bank account. As Sigurdis follows the trail to Minnesota she also needs to deal with traumatic reminders to her personal life. Will she be able to figure out who the killer is?
Oh, I adored getting to know Sigurdis and I was rooting for her to succeed right from the very beginning! We meet her as she is trying to reestablish her career in the police after a violent encounter with a member of the public. As we learn more about her background we begin to understand her actions and reactions to certain events in the book. She is still a rookie when it comes to serious crime investigations but she seems to have a natural talent for it and is willing and wanting to learn more about the process. I loved her!
The crimes and themes are quite brutal and are serious heavy topics. There were times I felt quite uncomfortable reading the pages but this shows that Katrín Júlíusdóttir‘s standard of writing is top-notch. It managed to move me, and upset me and yet I still wanted to read more. This was an engrossing me and I absolutely flew through it. I love police procedurals, especially ones with female protagonists and I believe that this is going to become one of my favourites!
Let me know if you pick this one up!
