In last year’s penultimate instalment, Dark As Night, we finally discovered the fate of Áróra’s long-missing sister, Ísafold. Consumed by the unresolved mystery of her sister’s disappearance, financial investigator Áróra only found partial peace when Ísafold’s body was discovered hidden in a suitcase. Yet the circumstances of her death remain to haunt Áróra; especially as the prime suspect was also found murdered in the same spot.

In this concluding instalment, Áróra is determined to find answers, but Sigurđardóttir’s plot diverts us from a straightforward investigation. Cleverly weaving in a current Europol case into potential money laundering by an Icelandic coffee shop chain, the novel gradually reveals the truth about Ísafold’s tragic end through flashbacks.

Áróra’s professional curiosity is piqued when her boyfriend, Daniel, is invited to investigate the new coffee chain Kaffikó, whose suspiciously high profits stand in contrast to more established rivals. How are these cafés in less popular districts of Reykjavík reporting cash transactions far exceeding their apparent footfall?

As Áróra and Daniel probe deeper, darker sides of the Icelandic community are exposed, and connections to Ísafold and her abusive partner soon emerge. It becomes clear that Ísafold’s life was even more tragic than first portrayed. Trapped in a controlling, brutally violent relationship, she is also drawn into the world of backstreet drug dealers who exploit her vulnerability. Sigurđardóttir spares none of the brutality – it’s laid bare on the page – but neither does she absolve Ísafold of responsibility. Blinded by love and flawed in her own right, Ísafold repeatedly ignores opportunities to escape her downward spiral of abuse and addiction. These lost chances drive the dramatic tension of the flashback chapters, where each glimpse of possible escape is extinguished by inevitable doom.

Sigurđardóttir’s decision not to centre the plot on the direct investigation of Ísafold’s murder may seem unusual, but it proves a masterstroke. By focusing on a parallel case, the gradual unveiling of the truth becomes deeply satisfying. Rather than an explosive late twist, the revelation is subtle yet devastating.

The novel carries a pounding sense of inevitability, underscored by the prior discovery of the body, and a darkness that threatens to engulf everything. Yet Sigurđardóttir balances this bleakness with fleeting glimmers of hope. There is resolution, but not a Disney “happily ever after”. While Áróra finally gains the answers that have haunted her for years, no magic wand erases her pain. The series closes with Áróra at a crossroads: the books may be over, but her future remains uncertain.

It is a testament to any writer’s skill to sustain such a compelling narrative across five novels, yet Sigurđardóttir achieves this with remarkable ease. From the opening of Cold As Hell through to the conclusion of Black As Death, this has been an epic tale told with intimacy and unwavering command.

Black As Death by Lilja Sigurđardóttir, translated by Lorenza Garcia, is published by Orenda Books on October 23 2025.

With one of the highest per-capita coffee consumptions in the world, it’s not surprising that Iceland’s coffee shop business is thriving. In Black As Death, the much-anticipated final instalment of Lilja Sigurđardóttir’s Áróra Investigates series, the simple coffee shop could hold the clue to this long-running mystery.

In last year’s penultimate instalment, Dark As Night, we finally discovered the fate of Áróra’s long-missing sister, Ísafold. Consumed by the unresolved mystery of her sister’s disappearance, financial investigator Áróra only found partial peace when Ísafold’s body was discovered hidden in a suitcase. Yet the circumstances of her death remain to haunt Áróra; especially as the prime suspect was also found murdered in the same spot.

In this concluding instalment, Áróra is determined to find answers, but Sigurđardóttir’s plot diverts us from a straightforward investigation. Cleverly weaving in a current Europol case into potential money laundering by an Icelandic coffee shop chain, the novel gradually reveals the truth about Ísafold’s tragic end through flashbacks.

Áróra’s professional curiosity is piqued when her boyfriend, Daniel, is invited to investigate the new coffee chain Kaffikó, whose suspiciously high profits stand in contrast to more established rivals. How are these cafés in less popular districts of Reykjavík reporting cash transactions far exceeding their apparent footfall?

As Áróra and Daniel probe deeper, darker sides of the Icelandic community are exposed, and connections to Ísafold and her abusive partner soon emerge. It becomes clear that Ísafold’s life was even more tragic than first portrayed. Trapped in a controlling, brutally violent relationship, she is also drawn into the world of backstreet drug dealers who exploit her vulnerability. Sigurđardóttir spares none of the brutality – it’s laid bare on the page – but neither does she absolve Ísafold of responsibility. Blinded by love and flawed in her own right, Ísafold repeatedly ignores opportunities to escape her downward spiral of abuse and addiction. These lost chances drive the dramatic tension of the flashback chapters, where each glimpse of possible escape is extinguished by inevitable doom.

Sigurđardóttir’s decision not to centre the plot on the direct investigation of Ísafold’s murder may seem unusual, but it proves a masterstroke. By focusing on a parallel case, the gradual unveiling of the truth becomes deeply satisfying. Rather than an explosive late twist, the revelation is subtle yet devastating.

The novel carries a pounding sense of inevitability, underscored by the prior discovery of the body, and a darkness that threatens to engulf everything. Yet Sigurđardóttir balances this bleakness with fleeting glimmers of hope. There is resolution, but not a Disney “happily ever after”. While Áróra finally gains the answers that have haunted her for years, no magic wand erases her pain. The series closes with Áróra at a crossroads: the books may be over, but her future remains uncertain.

It is a testament to any writer’s skill to sustain such a compelling narrative across five novels, yet Sigurđardóttir achieves this with remarkable ease. From the opening of Cold As Hell through to the conclusion of Black As Death, this has been an epic tale told with intimacy and unwavering command.

Black As Death by Lilja Sigurđardóttir, translated by Lorenza Garcia, is published by Orenda Books on October 23 2025.