Alfa - by Lilja Sigurdardóttir (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

When Mekkin's brother-in-law is found murdered in a society built to prevent violence, her investigation spirals into danger and secrecy, drawing her family into the center of a crime that should not exist ... An utterly gripping standalone speculative mystery from the bestselling author of Cold as Hell...

**Shortlisted for Icelandic Crime Book of the Year**

"Icelandic crime-writing at its finest" --Shari Lapena

"Icelandic crime queen Lilja Sigurðardóttir goes from strength to strength" --Financial Times

________

Reykjavík, 2052. Europe is peaceful, prosperous and almost crime-free, governed by Alfa, the artificial intelligence that manages infrastructure, safety and daily life. Mekkín works at the Ministry, close to the core of the system that keeps society running. She lives with her partner, Sabína, an artist.

When Sabína's brother Birkir, a committed dissident who lives beyond the reach of Alfa, is found brutally murdered, that fragile sense of order begins to fracture. Violent crime has effectively been eliminated, and Birkir's death is not just shocking, but inexplicable. What was he involved in, and who would dare to commit murder in a world designed to prevent it?

As the investigation unfolds, Sabína is drawn ever deeper into the case. Mekkín's position at the Ministry brings scrutiny she cannot escape, their relationship begins to fracture, and their teenage son's recent integration into the system places him uncomfortably close to the forces now circling the family. As Sabína pieces together Birkir's final days, the answers begin to point far closer to home than either of them ever expected, forcing her to decide what she is prepared to sacrifice to uncover the truth...

__________

About the Author

Icelandic crime-writer Lilja Sigurðardóttir was born in the town of Akranes in 1972 and raised in Mexico, Sweden, Spain and Iceland. An award-winning playwright, Lilja has written ten crime novels, including Snare, Trap and Cage, making up the Reykjavík Noir trilogy, and her standalone thriller Betrayal, all of which have hit bestseller lists worldwide. Snare was longlisted for the CWA International Dagger, Cage won Best Icelandic Crime Novel of the Year and was a Guardian Book of the Year.

Larissa Kyzer is a writer and Icelandic-English literary translator. Her translation work has earned her the American-Scandinavian Foundation's Nadia Christensen Translation Prize, the Icelandic Bookseller Association's Incentive Award, and a Pushcart nomination. She has also received support from the National Endowment for the Arts, the European Union Prize for Literature, Fulbright, the American-Scandinavian Foundation, the Icelandic Literature Center, Reykjavík UNESCO City of Literature, and Finland's Kone Foundation.