Turn Up the Heat: Novels Set Somewhere Cold

When I saw this Turn Up the Heat challenge, my first thought was Scandi-Noir – that subgenre of crime fiction set in the Nordic north, often making the most of the cooler climate and snowy landscapes. Think Jo Nesbo’s Harry Hole series, Ragnar Jonasson’s Hidden Iceland series or Jorn Lier Horst’s mysteries following detective William Wisting. To name but three. Outside this genre, there are many top reads that also have chilly settings.

The Hunting Party by Lucy Foley is a brilliant page-turner, soon hooking you into the story of a group old university friends celebrating New Year together at a hunting lodge in Scotland. For sure Scotland in New Year’s going to be cold, but a blizzard ramps up the tension. When one of the party is found dead two days later, secrets and grievances begin to emerge.

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx is a modern classic about Quale, a newspaper reporter who brings his daughters to his ancestral home in Newfoundland, a stark and uncompromising spot. Here he confronts his demons but it’s always darkest before the dawn. A slow burn of a novel, beautifully written with an unforgettable main character and a wonderfully atmospheric setting brought to life.

The Glass Woman by Caroline Lea is a historical novel that takes you to Iceland in 1686, where Rosa is suddenly betrothed to Jon Eiriksson and brought to live in a remote village. Jon has buried his previous wife, something that is never talked about, while Rosa feels a sense of evil in her new environment. So here we have mystery, superstition and a snowy landscape – plenty to put shivers down your spine.

Another historical novel, Elisabeth Gifford’s A Woman Made of Snow, takes us back to Scotland with a dual timeline story. First, we have Caroline in 1949 at her husband’s inherited castle delving into family archives. She discovers a mystery around her husband’s great-grandmother with no record of who she was. The story slips back in time to a perilous expedition to the Arctic Circle. A brilliant read if you like family secrets and evocative settings.

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is an chilly, psychological thriller set during a London winter. But there’s also a chill in the clinical setting of a mental health facility where forensic psychotherapist Theo Faber treats Alicia Berenson. Accused of shooting her husband, Alicia has not spoken since. A clever, twisty atmospheric read.

The Bell in the Lake by Lars Mytting is the first of a historical trilogy set in a small town in Norway, beginning in 1880. It’s full of wonderful characters, like sparky, ambitious Astrid and new arrival, Pastor Kai Schweigaard, plus a local legend about the church bell, one of a pair, said to have magical powers. A brilliant novel that will have you aching to read the next two books in the series.

We’re next in Maine, 1789, with The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon. The novel is based on the true story of local midwife, Martha Ballard, who is called to examine a body pulled from Kennebec River as it freezes over. She recognises the man as one of two accused of rape. The story gives you lots of insight into the period, small town prejudices, the legal process as well as the caseload and midwifery of an extraordinary woman.

Agatha Christie’s classic, Murder on the Orient Express has the train of the title stuck in a snowdrift when a murder takes place in the sleeping car. Luckily Hercule Poirot’s on hand to interview the suspects, twelve in total, and all of whom just happen to have a grudge against the victim. A morally complex story published in 1934, this is a cracking whodunit which has been adapted for the screen several times, capturing the era of luxury train travel.

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse, is a mystery set in a hotel in the Swiss Alps. Here Elin takes a break from her job as a detective to attend her brother Isaac’s engagement party. As a storm threatens, guests arrive, but something else makes Elin feel nervous. It might be the atmosphere of the hotel, which previously had been an abandoned sanatorium. And then Isaac’s fiancée disappears. A nice, creepy, gothic kind of mystery.

These are all terrific reads, great for Turn Up the Heat, or anytime. And there’s always Scandi-Noir for some Nordic thrills – pop into a library for a booklist. Happy reading!

Posted by JAM

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