Don’t you just love the title? And it’s so true, Zane manages to paint really vivid pictures of the Icelandic landscape – very dramatic. It takes a while to get into the plot but then it builds to a good, exciting twist. However, this is a literary thriller and, in between, the passages of love, loss and persistent light are beautifully told. Comparison: Christopher Brookmyre, James Hawes, Colin Bateman. Similar this month: Andrew Greig, Anthony Horowitz.
Callum looked out over ReykjavÃk, its colourful dolls' houses snuggled together, their rooftops so sharp and precise against a blue-screen sky. He loved this daft capital, this gale-blown toy town with whalebones under its flagstones...
But Callum Pope cannot escape the horrors of his past.
He has fled his native Glasgow to make a fresh start in Iceland with BÃrna Sveinsdóttir, the pretty glaciologist who is slowly thawing his heart.
He has moved in with BÃrna, her indomitable mother (who happens to believe in fairies) and her eleven-year-old daughter – who refuses to believe in Callum. He tries hard to adjust to this new life among three generations of singular females, however, the dark secret Callum is hiding is about to raise its malign head, threatening not only to destroy his relationship but also the life of a young girl…
Zane Radcliffe was born in Bangor, Northern Ireland in 1969. After graduating from Queen’s University Belfast he moved to London in 1994 to become an advertising copywriter. He is now a Creative Director at Newhaven, a really good advertising agency in Edinburgh. His first novel, London Irish (2002), earned him the WHSmith 'People's Choice' New Talent Award. This follows the success of his first short story, My Dog (1974), which was awarded a B+ and a Big Red Tick by Miss Hasard at Ballyholme Primary School. His second novel, Big Jessie, is also published in Black Swan.
