The Legacy

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What to expect

The first in an exciting new series from the author of THE SILENCE OF THE SEA, winner of the 2015 Petrona Award for best Scandinavian Crime Novel.

The only witness to a shocking murder is the victim's ten-year-old daughter, Margret. The police turn to the Children's House for their expertise in childhood trauma.

The manager Freyja doesn't much like the police - especially the detective in charge, Huldar. But she does want to help them protect Margret.

And when more people die - their murders heralded by strange messages, texts, and strings of numbers - they will have to work together to crack the riddle before they become targets themselves.

(P)2017 Hodder & Stoughton

Critics Review

  • The queen of Nordic crime shows her considerable chops with an introductory murder that hikes the tension
    to cardiac-arrest levels, then introduces a new detective, the baggy-eyed Huldar, to sort it out. Icelandic noir
    at its reliably gripping best

    The Sunday Times
  • Iceland’s outstanding crime novelist

    Daily Express
  • The Legacy takes us into a world where secrets are buried deep, only to reappear decades later and inflict harm on people who have no idea that they’re connected by past horrors. Yrsa is a magnificent writer who envelops her stories with atmosphere so thick that only care and a bit of luck can see through it. Her characters spring vividly to life as they try their best to do just that, knowing that any mistake could be deadly for another innocent person. Impossible to put down.

  • The Legacy is the start of an exciting new direction for Yrsa Sigurdardottir. The horror of a decades-old family separation provides the catalyst for dark crimes and a complex investigation. The Children’s House promises to be an outstanding series.

  • We have always been able to rely on Yrsa Sigurdardóttir for a good story well told, and The Legacy is no exception. A strong sense of place, interesting characters and a chilling plot make The Legacy a novel to savour.

  • Yrsa remains the queen of Icelandic thriller writers

    Guardian on THE LEGACY

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