Whenever I go on holiday I like to read a book set in the place I’m visiting. So a cruise round the Norwegian Fjords seemed like the perfect opportunity to try the first of the Hildur series by Satu Ramo (Yes I do now realise that it’s not actually the same Fjords but geography has never been my strong point!)

The Clues in the Fjord introduces us to Hildur, the only detective working on the West Coast of Iceland. She is given a new trainee Jakob and it soon becomes clear that in their own ways they are both trying to run from their pasts. When a local man is found with his throat slit buried in an avalanche they need to work together before the killer strikes again.

Despite me getting the wrong Fjords this was the perfect holiday read. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters of Hildur and Jakob. This book was clearly written knowing it was going to be the first of a series so it spent quite a bit of time dealing with the backstories of the characters and introducing the setting but that gave the book a real depth of character. It also meant that you very quickly came to care about the main pair which made it all the more gripping.

The story was full of twists and some shocking scenes that were also incredibly sad. Yet it felt almost hopeful in places too. Whilst the story felt a little disjointed at first with lots of different strands and characters they soon all came together. It was quite a fast paced read that cleverly intertwined all the strands without getting lost in detail. The writing was atmospheric, helped by the fact I was sailing amongst the Norwegian Fjords at the time!

I enjoyed this book and will definitely by reading the rest of the series as I can’t wait to find out what happens next.