''Superior crime fiction set in Iceland'' The Times

''As chilling as an Icelandic winter'' S. J. Bolton

Snowed in with a couple of psychopaths for the winter . . .

When two small-time crooks rob Reykjavik''s premier drugs dealer, hoping for a quick escape to the sun, their plans start to unravel after their getaway driver fails to show. Tensions mount between the pair and the two women they have grabbed as hostages when they find themselves holed upcountry in an isolated hotel.

Back in the capital, Gunnhildur, Eiríkur and Helgi find themselves at a dead end investigating what appear to be the unrelated disappearance of a mother, her daughter and their car during a day''s shopping, and the death of a thief in a house fire.

Gunna and her team are faced with a set of riddles but as more people are quizzed it begins to emerge that all these unrelated incidents are in fact linked. And at the same time, two increasingly desperate lowlifes have no choice but to make some big decisions on how to get rid of their accidental hostages...

The fifth gripping and atmospheric thriller in Quentin Bates''s Icelandic crime series. A dark page-turner perfect for fans of Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell and Søren Sveistrup''s The Chestnut Man.

Praise for Quentin Bates:

''A great read - leaves you craving the next installment'' Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

''A perfect book to curl up with in front of the fire'' The Bookbag

''Well written and absorbing'' Woman''s Way

''Captures the chilly spirit of Nordic crime fiction . . . Fans of Arnaldur Indridason''s Reykjavík mysteries will want to add Bates to their reading lists'' Booklist

''[A] crackling fiction debut ... palpable authenticity'' Publishers Weekly

''A superb new series''Eurocrime