Where The Shadows Lie

Magnus Iceland Mysteries: Book 1

Amid Iceland’s wild, volcanic landscape, rumours swirl of an eight-hundred-year old manuscript inscribed with a long-lost saga about a ring of terrible power.

A rediscovered saga alone would be worth a fortune, but, if the rumours can be believed, there is something much more valuable about this one. Something worth killing for. Something that will cost Professor Agnar Haraldsson his life.

Untangling murder from myth is Iceland-born, Boston-raised homicide detective Magnus Jonson. Seconded to the Icelandic Police Force for his own protection after he runs afoul of a drug cartel back in Boston, Magnus also has his own reasons for returning to the country of his birth for the first time in nearly two decades – the unsolved murder of his father.

And as Magnus is about to discover, the past casts a long shadow in Iceland.

Binding Iceland’s landscape and history, secrets and superstitions in a strikingly original plot, Where The Shadows Lie is a thrilling first book in a new series from an established master.

Here is a brief article on why I wrote Where The Shadows Lie.

“Michael Ridpath is on the war path, trouncing the Scandinavians on their home turf. This is international thriller writing at its best, fine characters, page turning suspense and a great, fresh location.”
Peter James.

“a superbly entertaining thriller… Michael Ridpath, no stranger to big sales figures, has another hit on his hands.”
Mike Ripley, Shots.

“A clever blend of murder mystery, myth and up-to-the-minute mayhem … Whether you’re a fan of orcs, Gimli and Legolas or Elmore Leonard and The Sopranos, there’s something in this quixotic, atmospheric alternative thriller for you.”
Peter Millar, The Times.

“A five-star effort as an entry in the select genre called ‘Icelandic novels written by non-Icelanders’”
IceNews.

“This is a good story set in a fascinating place and spiced with some sharp observation.”
Jessica Mann, Literary Review.