Trap – Lilja Sigurdardóttir
Happily settled in Florida, Sonja believes she’s finally escaped the trap set by unscrupulous drug lords. But when her son Tomas is taken, she’s back to square one … and Iceland.
Her lover, Agla, is awaiting sentencing for financial misconduct after the banking crash, and Sonja refuses to see her. And that’s not all … Agla owes money to some extremely powerful men, and they’ll stop at nothing to get it back.
With her former nemesis, customs officer Bragi, on her side, Sonja puts her own plan into motion, to bring down the drug barons and her scheming ex-husband, and get Tomas back safely. But things aren’t as straightforward as they seem, and Sonja finds herself caught in the centre of a trap that will put all of their lives at risk…
Set in a Reykjavík still covered in the dust of the Eyjafjallajökull volcanic eruption, and with a dark, fast-paced and chilling plot and intriguing characters, Trap is an outstandingly original and sexy Nordic crime thriller, from one of the most exciting new names in crime fiction.
I received a copy of the audiobook from the publisher, Orenda Books, so I could provide a review.
Last week I attended the Orenda Roadshow in Edinburgh and during the course of the evening we were treated to Lilja Sigurdardóttir reading from Trap. She read a passage about a dream her lead character, Sonia, was having and it was beautifully haunting. But Sonia explains it was a potent of troubled times ahead and, unfortunately for Sonia, she was right.
Sonia is a drug smuggler. She had tried to flee her native Iceland with her young son, Tomas, as she hoped to start a new life for herself away from the drugs and her ex-husband (it was her ex that arranged the shipments she had to smuggle).
For Sonia her freedom will be short lived and she finds herself back in Iceland with access to her son being withheld from her. If she wants any time with Tomas then she needs to start bringing drugs back into Iceland.
Sonia’s life is complex and fraught with tension. She crosses paths with some disreputable characters who add a wonderful depth to her trials. Her lover, Agla, is a financial genius who uses her talents to exploit loopholes and deceive the authorities to increase her personal gain. Agla has previously come unstuck and is waiting for sentencing for crimes committed prior to the 2008 Global Financial Crisis (an event which caused her good work to come undone).
Agla worked with Sonia’s husband and is more than a little happy to have won Sonia’s affections away from the man who is in part to blame for the predicament she finds herself in. This triangle of strong characters is fascinating as circumstances through the story change their attitude towards each other – the evolving dynamics making for great (and frustrating) interchanges.
The networks of crooks are terrific supporting characters. The drug runners. The suppliers. The financial criminals. Each faction have their pawns who also feed into the story and these pawns all hold some small power over their masters as one wrong word at the wrong time could bring an end to the best laid plans – that could mean prison time for Sonia or Agla. Readers feel the tension which the author builds into the schemes her characters have to develop to achieve their goals.
The events in Trap seem to propel Sonia from one crisis to another. The scenes where she is planning her travels (with cargo) build up to hugely tense set pieces as she risks discovery at customs checks. I felt I was living the fears she was experiencing, so caught up in the story was I!
Narration duties are a vital part of audiobook enjoyment and the pleasing news was that Trap was one of the best Nordic thrillers I have listened to. The story is wonderfully delivered by Suzannah Hampton who was a delight to listen to each day. The original text was translated to English by Quentin Bates and he gives Suzannah Hampton a terrific script to read from.
It should come as no surprise to find that I really enjoyed the time I spent with Trap. While the focus is mainly on the drug smuggling, I work in Financial Services so Agla’s story of financial misdemeanors was particularly enjoyable. More books featuring Sonia and Agla would be most welcome – particularly if they are even half as good as Trap.
Trap is published by Orenda Books and is available in paperback, digital and audiobook format. You can order a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Trap-Reykjavik-Trilogy-Lilja-Sigurdardottir/dp/1912374358/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?crid=GW14M3BASK6M&keywords=trap+lilja+sigurdardottir&qid=1552416298&s=gateway&sprefix=trap+lil%2Caps%2C143&sr=8-1-fkmrnull