This is set in a fictional place that feels very real.
The setting was very good and the main characters were well developed
I enjoyed this book and will continue with the series

Sadly I had to give up with this book, not sure if it was because of the translation but it was just too slow. Hence 2 stars

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

My thanks to the Author publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
This is a quite brilliant debut, a quality 'Scandi Noir' police procedural set in Doggerland an island between the UK and Denmark. Atmospheric clever descriptive imaginative a totally engaging mystery. Well written with terrific characters especially our brave gutsy no nonsense heroine, gripping from first to last page, a proper page turner, and each time I thought I had the answer to whodunit, wrong another twist. Throw in a tense hold your breath violent finale, and yet another twist, and the first thing I did when I finished the book was check Fantastic Fiction to see if more were to follow. Thankfully book two is on its way.
Completely and utterly recommended.

This is a well paced read that draws you in with every page that you turn, interesting characterisation and a nicely plotted story. Although it is set on a fictional collection of islands it's hard to believe they don't actually exist, the description of the setting is first rate and plenty of twists to keep you guessing.
I would certainly read more by this author.

I have to admit I had no knowledge of the Doggerlands, a series of islands in the North Sea until i read Fatal Isles, that heightened my curiosity to visit its wildly varied landscape and eclectic inhabitants.

In fact it was the inhabitants that were the most intriguing, in particular Detective Inspector Karen Eiken Hornby who we met in what could only be seen as a bit of a predicament. Sleeping with her boss was definitely not in her plans but it allowed Adolfsson to set the tone of her less than friendly professional relationship with Smeed. It was stretched even further when his ex wife, Susanne wound up murdered and Karen found herself promoted to his job and head of the investigation.

It was an investigation that threw up few clues, but gave us the back story to many of its characters, to Susanne’s birth on a commune, the links between its inhabitants and their present circumstances. Yet none of this seemed to help Karen as she faced growing criticism, criticism that showed a police force with little regard for women, for those that kept themselves slightly aloof and thought outside of the box. I liked Karen’s guts and determination to prove them wrong and that grew as Adolfsson slowly unraveled her history, one that was tinged with grief and loss, that made you realise the reasons for her behaviour.

As Karen became more entrenched in the investigation, criss crossing the island, so Adolfsson was able to paint us a brilliantly vivid picture of its landscape of the wealthy seaside houses to the outer inland blocks of flats that housed the less fortunate in its society. It was a world that seemed caught between the modern and the traditional, between those born on the island and those who migrated from mainland UK and Scandinavia, between those who had wealth and a comfortable living and those that did not.

That theme magnified as the investigation continued, as Susanna’s real character emerged, as jealousy and grudges became more apparent, but nothing prepared you for what came next. Adolfsson lulled you into a comfortable plausible conclusion, but just like Karen you didn’t quite believe it, and as the pages turned you sensed the tension building, as the storm clouds descended and that final pieces of the jigsaw finally slotted together.

That may have been the end of the investigation but you got the feeling that Adolfsson was laying the foundations for more, the introduction of the various characters, the relationships both smooth and tension filled along with the mention of another crime that simmered in the background. A crime that sounded horrific, that tweaked your interest and planted the seed that Adolfsson had more in store for Detective Inspector Karen Eiken Hornby.

I am hoping that it will not be too long before we meet again.

I enjoyed this debut from Maria Adlofsson, the protagonist Detective Inspector Karen Eiken Hornby has returned to her roots after spending years in London. Welcome to Heimo one of the main islands of Doggerland, lying between the UK and Denmark.
Possibly one of the most memorable starts to a crime novel as we find Karen coming to in a hotel after a drunken night at the annual Oistra festival. The fly in this ointment is that she wakes with her boss, Jounas Smeed a man she dislikes and despises, however as the day unfolds and Jounas's ex-wife Samantha is found dead, Karen is the only alibi Jounas has.
A police procedural with many threads, twists and turns leading to a climactic end. The essence of living in a close knit community is described beautifully with the dilemma of investigating a crime in a place where everyone knows everyone else.
I am looking forward to reading about Karen's further investigations with thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for access to the ARC.

When Karen Eiken wakes up with an almighty hangover and in the bed of her boss, she doesn't think the day could get worse. She manages to drive home and crash into bed but is awakened by a call into work. A woman has been murdered, the ex-wife of her boss and Karen is to lead the investigation. For the island nation of Doggerland, murder is becoming too frequent but the roots of this murder lie back in the past.
If one reads this as purely another scandi-crime novel then it rates very highly but there is far more. The author has imagined an entire nation that doesn't exist, a group of islands in the North Sea with a distinctly Scandanavian character but close links to continental Europe and the UK. Therefore there is a whole other layer to this book which is phenomenal, the setting and the detail given to different areas, transport links, history and folklore is spot on.

I don't usually go for this type of book, but the description really drew me in. Really glad I gave it a try because I thoroughly enjoyed it. The storyline was very interesting, everything you could want in a great murder mystery.

I can see why these novels have been so popular that they have finally been translated into English for a wider audience, the island of Doggerland may not exist, but Maria makes it totally believable and realistic.

Balanced between several cultures and languages, Doggerland is a no man's land and a melting pot of differing European states whilst being entirely their own place. And the sense of time and place is brilliantly conjured by an author who keenly observes both the claustrophobic and yet sparse nature of island life.

Karen Hornby is a well drawn detective, she is introduced to us readers following the drunken decision to have a one night stand with her married boss. Her attempts to sneak away and keep the remaining shreds of her dignity are ones I think many readers would recognise and brings a brief glimpse of her as a protagonist as well as launching the story with wry humour.

This contrasts neatly then with the revelation that her boss, Jounas Smeed, is being accused of murder. And Karen is his alibi...

Her position as a detective needs to be upheld and maintained whilst trying to clear her name and backtrack over this error of judgement and, being on an island, there are a limited number of suspects. The race is on to re-establish her integrity whilst navigating the things which make Doggerland so unique-the cultural mix can make for tricky interviewing and toes to be stepped on.

It's a strong, female led police procedural with integrity, reality and superb plotting, I can see how this writer has become such a huge success in her native language because the investigation is so involving as you try and solve the mystery of who wanted Suzanne dead and why. Hours pass without even noticing as you are fully engrossed in the whys and wherefores of the situation that Karen finds herself in. I am very much looking forward to reading Book 2, and hope it is not long in being published!

A Strong, Striking and Engaging Debut Novel

Fatal Isles is the debut breakout novel by Maria Adolfsson, and promises to be the first of an engaging and exciting trilogy.

I was excited to dive into this book, I have to admit. Having spent two years recently living in Denmark, I was looking forward to seeing if the setting and writing would take me back to a country that intrigued me. Those who have lived or travelled to Denmark will understand why Scandi Noirs sell so well, it's impossible not to be totally engrossed by the surroundings and inspired to write deep, dark, and gritty crime thrillers.

I was not to be disappointed with Adolfssons work.

Although Fatal Isles is set on the fictional collection of islands between Denmark and the UK called Doggerland, you would never believe in a million years that this place doesn't exist unless you looked for it on a map. The descriptions of the location leave you yearning to visit and I have to admit, Adolfsson created a unique character in the setting alone.

There are very few female police detectives on Doggerland, and Detective Inspector Karen Eiken Hornby has worked incredibly hard to be one of them, so waking up in the morning and trying not to rouse the sleeping man beside you, who just happens to be your boss, is one of the most relatable yet genius openings to what was set to be a thrilling read.

When her boss's ex-wife is found dead, Karen is put on the case... and she is the alibi for the main suspect. With very few other suspects to chose from, it's up to Karen to dig into the pasts of others to clear her boss's name.

The aspect of this book that I enjoyed the most, was the pacing. It's unusual to read a police procedural that takes a slow and considered pace rather than rushing a reader through a hectic maze of twists and turns. Fatal Isles is considered. Slow and deliberate. It doesn't rush you, but draws you in.

I truly enjoyed the fact that Adolfsson does not only create a fabulous character in DI Honrby, but she also takes the time to explore the idea of sexism and discrimination within the police force. She touches on subjects that enable you to feel truly connected to the characters and the world they live in. To truly immerse yourself in a world she has created entirely in her own imagination.

With twists that will keep you guessing, characters that are engaging, and a setting that makes you wish Doggerland would rise from the sea, Fatal Isles is a very promising debut for Adolfsson who sure to become a truly well recognised name in crime fiction.. I very much look forward to reading more.

Many Thanks to Tracy Fenton at Compulsive Readers and Zaffre Books for inviting us on this Blog Tour.

What a fantastic opening to a book, with an extremely hungover Karen trying not to wake the occupant of the bed as she searches frantically for her clothes the morning after the Oyster Festival. We soon learn she has good reason for not waking him as it turns out he is her boss.

However it only goes downhill from there as her boss’s ex wife is then found murdered and she is his alibi. Not great when you are the Detective Inspector assigned to the case. With the police all sticking by her boss even though it was an acrimonious marriage and he is a pretty horrible man, is that enough for murder? With very few suspects Karen starts digging into the victim’s past.

Having to fight against sexism in the workplace Karen has a tough job on her hands. The locals shut down and become insular, trying to protect their secrets.

It made a pleasant change to read from the point of view of a woman my age rather than the normal green and much younger police officers. It lent the book some gritty realism even when the setting was completely imagined, not that it ever felt fictitious.

I haven’t read much translated fiction, sometimes they work sometimes they don’t. This is very much in the former category and I look forward to returning to Doggerland.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel, which might be best described as a Scandinavian police procedural, but isn’t, really... FATAL ISLES by Maria Adolfsson was originally published in Sweden as ‘Felsteg’ (The Wrong Step in apparently the literal translation and is, for me, a better title; the only thing I didn’t like about the book was the title). It is the first novel in the Doggerland series about DI Karen Eiken Hornby, who we first meet as she sneaks away from an ill-advised post-Oyster Festival liaison with a man who turns out to be her boss. When the boss’s wife is found murdered later that morning, Eiken’s life becomes even more complicated.
The plot is not rushed. It takes its time, is full of twists and turns, and is populated by a large cast of characters, all well-drawn and convincing. The story is dark and gripping but there are occasional moments of humour, particularly in the interactions between some characters. But it is to the author’s, and translator’s, credit that FATAL ISLES’s greatest strength is its sense of place. Doggerland is perhaps the most realistic character in the book, possibly surprising as it doesn’t actually exist. Or, rather, doesn’t really exist anymore. What I initially thought to be one of the Danish islands is actually Maria Adolfsson’s reimagining of the last part of the land bridge which one connected Great Britain to Continental Europe, and which sank into the North Sea over 7000 years ago.
The author creates a place with elements of both UK and Scandinavian society. She describes the history, geography and geology, the customs, the people, even the town planning and zoning, with a verisimilitude that is stunning and very subtle, all done within the confines of, and serving, the story. Karen Eiken too reflects the pluralism, having left Doggerland for a life in London, returning years later with her own emotional burden. She is an intriguing character and will, along with the way Adolfsson brings the story to a satisfying conclusion while building a supporting cast of equal intrigue, bring me back for further instalments. I hope it’s not too long.

What a surprising read! Slow paced and full of interesting characters, Fatal Isles keeps you glued to the story without even noticing! The case seems quite easy, a woman with troubles with her ex-husband appears dead. Of course, the main suspect will be the ex-husband, the only problem is that he is a police officer and has a tight alibi for the moment of the killing. So, who had motives to kill her? Is the husband really innocent?
This had been a very addictive read, seen from Detective Inspector Karen Eiken perspective, we will see how everyone in this little community keeps secrets from each other, for fear or shame, but they hide some really dark secrets.
I was surprised how is it possible that in this case, in which the wife appeared dead and the main suspect is the husband, all the police thinks that he is innocent. Jounas is not an easy man or very likable, the marriage was hell, but is this motive enough to kill? They have been divorced for a long time, so, why now?
Sexism and women discrimination is always present on this story, Karen has to fight it everyday, from her colleagues and bosses, but it makes the reader realize how we all sometimes don’t pay enough attention or ignore the comments and we should answer more to it. Because it seems that if we (women) stay silent, they continue provoking us, maybe it’s time that we say stop, we don’t like this type of comments or abuse!
I like when a book tries to provoke some type of reaction and believe me, this one has done it. From now on, I won’t stay as quiet as I was before on sexism comments, enough is enough! This is the first book of the series “Doggerland” and I can’t wait to read the next one!
Ready for “Fatal Isles”?

Fatal Isles is the debut novel and first in a promising new series by author Maria Adolfsson. Introducing DI Karen Eiken Hornby, a flawed character with a troubled past, it’s a dark and atmospheric thriller that keeps you guessing throughout. With a fascinating plot and unique setting, this is a book that kept me thoroughly entertained from beginning to end.

When the ex-wife of Karen’s boss is found murdered, the finger of suspicion points to only one person. But the suspect has what appears to be an airtight alibi – Karen herself. Reluctant to come forward, the DI knows she must do everything in her power to find the killer before it’s too late. With shockwaves echoing throughout the tight knit community, the island of Doggerland and its history becomes the focus of the investigation as secrets slowly begin to come to light.

Fatal Isles is a gripping and atmospheric thriller with twists, turns and surprises throughout. DI Karen Eiken Hornby is a fascinating but flawed character, with a troubled past that’s slowly revealed as the story progresses. I loved the beautiful but rugged setting, the island almost becoming a character in its own right as the mysteries that lie beneath the surface of this small community start to emerge.

Maria Adolfsson has written an impressive debut that I hope is only the first of many stories to feature DI Karen Eiken Hornby. With interesting characters and an intriguing storyline that will keep you turning the pages, Fatal Isles is a dark and atmospheric thriller that I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend.

I was originally drawn to this book as my Dad used to listen to the Shipping Forecast and the names used to really capture my imagination.

Doggerland is a small group of Islands between UK and Denmark which is now submerged by water . The author has fictionalised this which I found fascinating that she went to so much detail to create this setting. I loved the descriptions of Doggerland :

She never thinks of the sea as blue. Down on Frisel and even in Dunker and along the entire west coast up toward Ravenby, the sea is different from here. There, white breakers skip merrily across deep blue seas and white cotton-ball clouds drift across the clear blue sky. There, the rolling hills are green and the trees grow tall and lush.

The story is also engaging, Karen wakes up in bed next to a man and she knows she has messed up big time. She sneaks out while he is asleep but it is not long before we discover the man is her boss ! She goes home and then gets called by the chief of police to tell her she needs to lead an investigation into the brutal death of a woman Susan Smeed, who happens to be the ex wife of the man she slept with last night.

Beaten to death with a poker Karen has to uncover why this woman has been murdered. This means interviewing Jounas her boss as he is a suspect, he is not happy about this at all.

This was quite a slow paced crime novel which had lots of details and also some surprises. I liked Karen as a character and I would be interested in reading more about this fictional setting and Detective. She works hard and has experienced sexism at work as a woman in the police force and her latest boss is part of prominent family in Doggerland.

This was a good read which kept me interested, I was not convinced that Jounas had killed his wife but the evidence does seem to be pointing towards him.

A great debut and introduction to a new series.

4 stars ****

I read quite a lot of translated fiction and Fatal Isles was the best that I have read for a long time. I thought the island was fictional but after research I discovered that Doggerland was a submerged area of land in the North Sea. But the setting, the inhabitants, customs and often inclement weather all came from the author’s imagination.

The storyline was absolutely fascinating. The murder of an extremely unpopular woman who was also the ex wife of a leading detective. You would think there would be any number of suspects, with the number of people who didn’t like her but the small team are only concerned with one and that is to prove innocence rather than guilt. The suspect does have an alibi in Karen but understandably when you get to know more about him you can see why she is reluctant to come forward. Because of his personality as well as his position in the force.

Karen was a different character to what I expected, older for one thing and far from perfect. Like many she has a troubled past, details of this are revealed towards the end of the novel. But she is loyal, caring and willing to help many that others would judge or ignore.

The police team in this book are all hardworking but not close. There are grudges and some resentment, a few of them are not that likeable but they were there for each other when needed. I am definitely interested in seeing how the relationship dynamic progresses further into the series.

An excellent first book in a projected series. I loved how we slowly learned all the important details about the main characters and what makes them unique individuals.

So often a book advertises itself by talking about unexpected twists. Well this book really has them. Looking back everything is there telling you what will happen but only when the cover is ripped away and the denouement revealed does it all make sense.

I’m already looking forward to the next book in the series.

I would like to thank Netgalley and Bonnier Books for an advance copy of Fatal Isles, the first novel in a projected trilogy set in the fictional island nation of Doggerland and featuring Detective Inspector Karen Eiken Hornby.

Karen is put in charge of the murder investigation into the death of Suzanne Smeed, because her ex-husband is the head of CID and the chief person of interest. The case drags and Karen begins to suspect that the answers lie deep in Suzanne’s past.

Fatal Isles is a mixed bag of good and not so good. At its heart it is a police procedural with an interesting and worthwhile plot but it gets bogged down in extraneities which sometimes make the plot hard to find and definitely slow it down.

The novel is mostly told from Karen’s point of view so the reader can speculate along with her and gradually get to know her and her history. This is well done as she has a story to tell and a continual fight against the misogyny in her department, which, incidentally, she is well able to counteract. The downside is that the reader has to plough through pages of unnecessary detail about her everyday life and how she came to meet her friends. Yes, it adds to the picture of her character, but it slows the impetus of the investigation. I don’t feel the author has the balance right.

There are chapters of the novel that skip back to 1970 and cover the relationship between Per and Anne-Marie. I came to find them fascinating and as the story unfolds on point about human behaviour. In fact I think the author is very astute at human emotions and situations- I could feel Karen’s excruciating embarrassment when she did her walk of shame after her one night stand with her boss.

Doggerland makes me think of crime fiction’s Iceland although it is several islands. The mixture of urban and its associated blights and with the rural in all its judgemental glory, wealth vs poverty etc. is fully played out. At the same time it is situated in the same place as the prehistoric Doggerland before it submerged, bang in the middle of the North Sea between England, The Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. I think this is supposed to suggest a cultural, albeit it white European, melting pot, but what you really get is insularity and a suspicion of outsiders. I don’t think it works particularly well as something unique.

Fatal Isles is a slow read and it doesn’t make for compulsive reading but it is worth it for the final twists.

Fatal Isles is a police procedural thriller by Maria Adolfsson however, whether due to the translation or the writing, I found the book to be very slow and laborious with sometimes pages used to describe small things

Sorry not for me