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Unwanted Bride by Rose Amberly #Review #EmglishChannelSeriesBook2 #Giveaway

  Today I am featuring the second in Rose Amberly's English Channel series, Unwanted Bride. You can read my review of the first, Plain Jane Wanted  here  . You can win a signed copy of Plain Jane Wanted. Details on how to enter are at the foot of this post.    Some women were born to wear beautiful wedding dresses, others were born only to make them. Talented bridal designer, Laura loves weddings, but long ago a tarot card reading told her she’s doomed to never marry. Trying to prove this wrong has left her with three broken engagements, an empty bank account and a career in tatters. Finally, she’s accepted she’ll never walk down the aisle. Now she desperately needs to rescue her career. A high profile design commission will make her reputation, it's the only reason she came to La Canette island. She ahs six weeks to make the perfect wedding gown, no time for anything else. Adam, the handsome but allergic-to-marriage doctor has finally found freedom. H...

Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson, translated by Quentin Bates

    Snowblind is the first in Ragnar Jonasson's Dark Iceland series. I always enjoy a classic detective story and this has all the elements I look for: a story which is character driven, an interesting cast, a setting which is full of atmosphere, all wrapped up in skillful prose. I am pleased to say that Snowblind ticks all these boxes. I am a bit late to this party as there have been two further stories published in the Dark Iceland series so I can't wait to explore those. 
    The story is set in the remote north of Iceland in Siglufjƶrưur, a quiet fishing village. No one locks their doors there and it is reached by a tunnel through the mountains. Ari Thór Arason is a new policeman who goes there for his first posting. As the winter descends and the snow envelops the place, mysterious deaths occur. It becomes obvious that some people living there have secrets to hide. Ari is the outsider who is new to his job and the town.
    
c. Books,Life and Everything
   Cleverly plotted, the story is driven by the range of characters we meet. Most have their own backstory. In particular, you come to know Ari as he struggles with the isolation of the place. Not knowing who he can trust, he feels the claustrophobic atmosphere of the town. His loneliness and inability to communicate with his girlfriend back in Reykjavik, means he is cut off physically and mentally. As the darkness of winter descends and an avalanche cuts off the town, he questions where others would prefer not to. The irony is that as the new rookie policeman, his suspicions are somewhat disregarded, at first. 

     Of course, the landscape and the weather dominate the book and are intrinsic to creating the tense, isolated setting. This is a community which is suspicious of strangers yet does not lock its doors. It is the sort of place where you can live there for years and not be accepted: a comer- in. You just know that behind closed doors, there are secrets to uncover. The plot develops gradually, coming to a slow boil as the tension is ratcheted up. I didn't guess the twist and there are plenty of red herrings to keep you occupied throughout. Superb characterisation, a setting which adds to the story and a cracking good plot. What more can you want? Maybe a follow up.

In short: a dark, tense whodunnit with a depth of characterisation and complex plot - brilliant.

 

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