The Ice Princess

The Ice Princess by Camila Lackberg is the first book in her Patrik Hedstrom series capitalizing on the popularity of Scandinavian noir. Erica Falck has returned to her hometown of Fjallbacka, Sweden to deal with the estate of her parents, leaving behind an unsuccessful career and unfulfilled dreams in the big city. Shortly after her return, she discovers the body of her childhood best friend, Alex, frozen in the bathtub, apparently dead by suicide. The two women hadn't spoken in years, but Erica is still driven to discover, at first, why Alex, who seemed to have a perfect life, would kill herself, and later to find the identity of Alex's murderer. Sparks fly between Erica and police detective Patrik, and the two bond over the investigation. The case brings up long buried secrets of the community, including secrets about Erica's own childhood. Lackberg's writing pulls the reader into the story through detailed scenes and creating great tension. She leaves the impression that everyone in this small town is hiding secrets, making Sweden seem very dark and mysterious, the perfect home for noir. The story was compelling and will keep readers guessing. Patrik is a strong lead for future books in the series, and I look forward to reading them!

Thank you to Simon and Schuster for providing me with a copy of this book for review!