Review: The Creak on the Stairs (Forbidden Iceland #1)

4 stars. You know what? I really liked this! I can totally see why the reviews are very middle of the road for this debut, but for a debut, I have to give it another star for simply being unpredictable. While I guessed a few of the twists, I didn't feel certain about the identity of the murderer until the reveal. And I absolutely loved the brisk pace, the tight dialogue, and the shallow characterization (not all of us want to read Tana French all the time).

The Creak on the Stairs features a couple of true crime tropes: a cop who returns to her small town after suffering a tragedy in her personal life; the small town; don't forget about secrets!; also flashbacks, a few alternative perspectives, and the very slight smell of UST between partners. When a woman's body is discovered at the sight of an isolated lighthouse, Elma has to use her big city skills to navigate solving this horrendous crime, unweaving a decade's old web of lies and wrestling with her identity as a former resident.

It's very dramatic, very noir, very crime-y: basically a police procedural. But the writing is quite clear and fast-paced, and the short chapters keep things moving. I especially loved the Icelandic details... the descriptions of the setting (which is basically a character here), the names, the cultural elements that drove both character and plot. Iceland is truly like another planet, and happens to be one of my very favorite places on this one - so I'm as biased as I am charmed - but I think this will appeal to fans of crime fiction everywhere.

I will definitely be reading the next in this series.

The Creak on the Stairs on: Amazon | Bookshop.org | Goodreads