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The Legacy

A Dark and Engaging Thriller Which is Impossible to Put Down

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The Legacy

By: Yrsa Sigurdardottir, Victoria Cribb - translator
Narrated by: Lucy Paterson
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Translated from Icelandic by Victoria Cribb

Selected by the Sunday Times as one of the 40 best crime novels published 2015-2020

The first in an exciting series from 'Iceland's outstanding crime novelist' (Daily Express) Yrsa Sigurdardottir.

THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER
THE INTERNATIONAL PRIZEWINNER

'Believe all the hype - this is crime at its best.' Heat

Detective Huldar is out of his depth. His first murder case is like nothing he's seen before - a bizarre attack on a seemingly blameless woman.

The only evidence is a list of numbers found at the scene, and the testimony of the victim's eleven-year-old daughter, who isn't talking.

While his team attempt to crack the code, Huldar turns to child psychologist Freyja for her expertise with traumatised young people.

Because time is running out...and the one thing they know for certain is that the murderer will strike again.©2014 Yrsa Sigurdardottir Crime Fiction Psychological Suspense Thriller & Suspense Crime Fiction Mystery
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Critic Reviews

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
Iceland's outstanding crime novelist
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
5*s - Believe all the hype - this is crime at its best.
If you like your crime fiction dark and engaging, look no further. THE LEGACY is as brutal as it gets. A cracking start to a new series by Yrsa Sigurdardottir.
Another tour de force from Sigurdardottir that cements her reputation as the queen of Nordic noir
The conclusion is even more astounding, thanks to her white-hot plotting.
The connecting thread in all the writer's work is her astuteness in observing human relations, the everyday mixed with the dark and devious.
A tale of elegant twists and turns, which surprised me at least three times in the last fifty pages
No one does crime fiction quite like Icelandic author Yrsa Sigurdardottir... THE LEGACY is a masterful procedural infused with the author's dark imagination.
The deeper Sigurdardottir delves into the dark corners of her imagination, the more her creative talents thrive.
This is a compelling read for anyone with an appetite for the macabre and the cryptic.
Solid characters and great complex plot...If you haven't already met the Queen of Icelandic Crime fiction start here, because this is her best novel to date
The Icelandic queen of Nordic Noir, Yrsa Sigurdardottir's writing manages to be both spare but sinister. Expect goosebumps to sprout while reading this tale of murder, abuse and other worldly shenanigans in rural Iceland.
The stories share an underlying menace that is at once disturbing and compelling.
All stars
Most relevant
Yrsa crafts a story in a way most writers can only dream of. The thread is always there, it’s just a matter of following to where it leads. Absolutely captivating, I found it difficult to stop listening. If you like a good tale, that’s also a thriller, I cannot recommend this enough.

A captivating tale

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Cleverly plotted classic crime, albeit
with a taste of twisted gore. First novel of hers to date and going back for more.

Great crime. Sigurdardottir my pick of Scandinavia

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Intricate plot, interesting characters, grim Scandi Noir atmosphere. Enjoyed it a lot! Perfect for a lazy long weekend!

Gripping

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First book by this author really enjoyed the narration and the drawing out of the characters. Excellent plot looking forward to the next book

Twists turns tension

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I really enjoyed the characters and storyline of The Legacy. I think I was looking for a little more description of Icelandic culture and its unique environment, and like I said, some of the horrifying detail could have been left out.

Enjoyable but the horror seems gratuitious

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