Trap by Lilja Sigurdardottir

Fiction that makes you late for work

Trap takes us right back to the action at the end of Lilja Sigurdottir's English language debut Snare only this time the noose is even tighter.

The novel begins with Sonia and her son Thomas in hiding in Florida. The pair must move from town to town so as not to leave any trace that her ex Adam might be able to track. Spending time with Thomas is wonderful but Sonia can feel the threat looming every day.  

Back in Iceland Agla tries to come to terms with the end of her relationship with Sonia whilst picking up the pieces of her shattered career following the banking collapse in which she played a major part.

As the story develops Sonia is inevitably drawn back into the trap that this time sees her carrying cocaine into Iceland via Greenland. As with Snare, the chapters are extremely short creating a fierce pace that makes the heart pound. This is fiction that makes you late for work. 

Sigardardottir writes escapist crime fiction that viscerally sets the heart and mind racing as you vicariously experience tension at the extremes of the human condition. Even characters in the novel read Nordic crime fiction before they go to sleep, is there any let up?

Characters are developed in this second installment, most notable Braggi who continues to cooperate with Sonja in order to raise funds to support his terminally ill wife

In Sonia, Lilja Sigurdardottir has created a contemporary LGBT hero who approaches life with the energy and nous to overcome any of the challenges that she face. Sonia knows who she is, what she wants and who she wants around her. Is anyone likely to stop her? Think again.

Trap by Lilja Sigardottir and translated by Quentin Bates published by Orenda, 225 pages