Gallows Rock

Helgi Fredrikkson has been found hanged from Gallows Rock - at first it is thought he’s committed suicide but the nail, fired from a nail gun, in his chest shows that it was murder.  When detectives go to his flat a four year old boy is discovered there. The boy doesn’t know where he lives or what his parents are called; only that he was taken there by a man who told him not to do anything until an alarm clock went off.  The police investigation leads them to a video shared on a porn site - the woman turns out to be the young boy’s mother and the man is Helgi.  The police are searching for the woman and her husband - especially as she is eight months pregnant.  

Fantastic read from start to finish - love Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s books. 

Thanks to Netgalley, Hodder & Stoughton and Yrsa Sigurdardottir for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

Just as compelling as the previous books in the series.  All of Yrsa Sigurðardóttir's books are extremely well written and a joy to read.  There is plenty of suspense and twists in this story.  The ending is an excellent surprise.  I love the characters and the tensions between them.  I read this book in one sitting, I was unable to put it down.  Highly recommended.

Thank you to Netgalley and Hodder and Stoughton for sending me a reading copy.

When a man is found hanging at a tourist attraction named Gallows Rock, suicide is ruled out when a nail is found embedded in his chest.
A further mystery awaits when the police find a four year old boy abandoned in the dead man’s flat. His parents can’t be found and he has no link to the dead man ...

This is the fourth in the Freyja and Huldar series but the first book I've ever read by Yrsa Siggurdardottir. However, you can read it as a standalone story - I was aware that there were back stories between the characters, but not knowing them didn't lessen any of the pleasure of reading it for me.

It might be my first introduction to Yrsa Siggurdardottir but it certainly won't be my last (I've already ordered a copy of her first book) as I was hooked from the very first page and enthralled and completely drawn in throughout the book

I had my thoughts on where several of the directions the book was heading but in the majority, most of them completely took me by surprise. And that to me, is was makes the perfect crime fiction novel.

This is a story which builds and weaves perfectly. It's so twisty. The end chapters in particular are so twisty that you really don’t know where the story is heading. And just when everything seems nicely tied up - BAM! - another genius twist is added. Ending on an open note that leaves you wanting more, but not so open that you don’t feel sated.

A fantastic cast of characters. It was clear that there had been links and relationships between the characters that I knew nothing of (having not read the previous titles) but I soon got the gist of where the land lies between everyone.
I liked Huldar despite his clear inability to form long-lasting relationships but I feel like I didn't quite get the full measure of Freyja.
One of the minor characters - the ever eager and punctilious Lina, the student on work experience - was actually my favourite character and I'd love to see her character developed further and for her to feature more in future books.
But of course, the main spotlight has to shine on the formidable Erla. Terrifying as she is,  she’s also at the centre of some of the more darkly humorous moments in the book - when she’s interviewing a suspect named Tomas and also a scene which had me laughing out loud involving her colleagues obvious fear of her - "Huldar doubted the staff in IT had exactly been competing for the job of discussing porn with Erla. They’d probably drawn straws and this poor sod had lost".

Twists galore and a surprising ending, this is a book you'll want to devour in one sitting.

Having long been a fan of Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s writing, this new book in the ‘Children’s House’ series further cements her reputation as master of the dark, gripping ‘Nordic Noir’ genre. The book begins with a murder and an apparent kidnap and adds further disappearances and intrigue, taking the reader through the twists and turns of police investigations and coming to a brilliantly unpredictable resolution.  Every character is convincingly drawn, and every one is real and believable, whether likeable or not. The descriptions of place are also compelling, making the bleak Icelandic landscapes clearly visible. The plot is complex but always clear and engaging, keeping the reader gripped throughout. The translator (from the original Icelandic) Victoria Cribb must also share in this praise, as the writing is excellent throughout, with a deadpan character which suits the style and content superbly. Although this book stands very well on its own, reading the other books in the series first would help supply background and give the reader a chance to be gripped by even more of this exceptional writer’s work.

I really do enjoy the Children's House series by Yrsa Sigurdardottir. Well ... enjoy might be the wrong way of phrasing it, but the blend of the dark line with excellent characters and plotlines that keep you absolutely gripped just work perfectly, even if those same plotlines also have the ability to make you feel wholly uncomfortable and bring forth a myriad of emotions towards some of the books victims, and I am not necessarily referring to those who are murdered. As you can guess, from the theme of Children's House, the sub-stories do not always make pleasant reading and there is a sense, at times, that the 'victims' are not necessarily the most sympathetic of characters. That is certainly so of the victim in this latest offering, Gallows Rock, but, to start with, we just don't know why.

Now I am used to the author's stories being full of quite graphic murders and scenes that make me either do a double take or audibly utter an ewww to my rather perplexed cats. By those standards the murder in this book is actually quite tame, but no less forgettable. A hanging at an Icelandic tourist spot which, as the name suggests, was formally used for executions. Suicide or foul play? Well - we know the answer to that, present as we are as the man is led to his death, but why would anyone want to kill him? And why has a young boy been left alone in his apartment? Needless to say that it sets all minds whirring as to just what the dead man may have been up to.

Now this is the next instalment in the Huldar and Freyja series but, in truth Freyja really takes a back seat in this tale, her interactions with the young boy key but only really secondary to what is happening. This story focuses more on Huldar and the police team as they try to get to the bottom of a very dark and complex case. There are so many layers in this investigation, so many seemingly unconnected events that seem to contradict each other and to bring so many things into question. The  things we find out about the victim are quite disturbing, but the boy remains as the one things that really doesn't fit all of the things they are learning about him, the square peg in the deep and dark round hole. That uncertainty, the need to know what has really happened, kept me completely hooked to the story despite it being less gruesome than I have been accustomed too. Sometimes the most abhorrent acts don't have to come soaked in blood and gore to make an impact and that is certainly true here.

I do love the interaction between Huldar and Freyja, the chemistry that exists between them, and this time around there seems to be a slight thawing in relations. Not that there was ever an issue from Huldar's side, but Freyja definitely keeps him at arms length, and it always brings a smile to my face watching the ever optimistic Huldar making one more play. Even Freyja's family gang up on her this time around, her young niece taking a shine to the Detective, understandably so as he is a wonderful character. Dedicated, honourable (mostly) and fun and yet ultimately professional when he needs to be. And there is some much needed light relief in the story when it comes to Freyja's domestic situation. WIth her brother returning home she is in need of a new apartment and the one she finds comes with a rather unorthodox condition attached to it. It definitely has the potential to put the brakes on any budding romantic link with Huldar ...

Although a bit slower in pace than the previous books, and certainly less gruesome, this book still kept me rapt. There is such a skill to the author's writing, the way in which she creates tension and atmosphere and uses setting to bring and edge to the story, that it is difficult to put down. And she brings such a range of emotions out in me as a reader that I feel slightly battered myself when I finish reading. In this story it is often that which is undisclosed that has the highest impact, the idea of sacrifice and family and the bond between parents and child that means they will do anything to protect or avenge them. Truly powerful storytelling and characters I have come to love. What more can you ask for?

100%, loved this.

I'm new to this sub genre of crime fiction, but scandinavian is now my go to when I need a new read. 

This was not a disappointment in any way, I loved the continuation of the series. Revisiting Huldar and Freyja and their tumultuous relationship. 

Not as gruesome as her previous books, Yrsa seems to reign in the gore factor here, with a hanging. Still quite uncomfortable to read but gripping all the same.

I loved this and can't wait for another.