Thanks to HQ digital and Netgalley for an advance copy of this.
Kjeld Nygaard's life isn't going well - he is suspended from his job with Gothenburg PD after a case that's gone horribly wrong and needs its own investigation. He's separated from his partner and rarely sees his young daughter. He gets a phone call out of the blue from his estranged father so drives hundreds of kilometres north toward the Finnish border, into the deepening winter, to work out whether what his father says is true. There he finds darkness and family secrets that he may wish he'd left alone.
So far, so generic Scandi Noir with a dysfunctional cop protagonist? Not at all. This was a slow burn family story with a suspenseful plot, a terrific sense of place and some very finely drawn characters, including the small town and its inhabitants, Kjeld, his increasingly confused and frail father and Kjeld's put-upon sister who is trying to hold everything together. The weather, the ravens, the dampness of forgotten basement junk, all add to the menace.
An assured debut - I hope Ms Nordin is bringing Kjeld back to readers sometime.

This is a new scandie Noir that had me gripped from the start. It pulled me in the with mystery of the murder and the pace of the book kept me going. Some of the twists were guessable but that didn't detract from the story itself. Pulling the past of the detective into his present the story kept me interested and the conclusion was Excellent. Brilliant debut and look forward to reading more

Inspector Kjeld Nygaard had been estranged from his father, Stenar, for more than a decade but when he got the rather muddled phone call from him saying that he'd seen a murder in the barn on his land he didn't hesitate to drop everything and go to Varsund. Actually, 'drop everything' rather overstates the situation. Nygaard was on suspension following the shooting of a suspect in the Aubuchon murder enquiry. There had been a complication: the Kattegat Killer turned out to be Nils Hedin, Nygaard's best friend. Still, the ten-hour drive from Gothenburg in the south of Sweden to Varsund in the far north shouldn't be underestimated.

When Kjeld got to the Norrland Farmhouse in Jamtland, he found his sister, Sara, who was obviously very harassed and not without good cause. She'd been trying to look after her own two children, work, cope with the fact that her husband was unemployed and seemingly incapable of looking for a job - and deal with her father who was in the advanced stages of dementia. Her reaction wasn't that she was glad to see her brother but anger that he'd done so little to help. She wasn't alone in having this reaction to Kjeld: his husband felt much the same and was trying to stop him having access to his daughter, Tove.

About the only person who was supporting Nygaard was his partner, DS Esme Jansson of the Violent Crimes Division, Gothenburg City Police, but his sudden departure from Gothenburg has left her to prepare the submission to the enquiry into the Kattegat Killer on her own. She's not pleased either. His father seems to have forgotten the phone call he made: there's no pleasure in seeing his son and all he's worried about is the wellbeing of his ravens which live in the barn. Kjeld wants nothing to do with the birds: he still has the torn ear from when they attacked him as a child.

Then a body turns up when an intruder starts digging up the floor of the barn.

Varsund is largely supported by Norrmalm Industries, a mining conglomerate. It's currently being run by Roland Lindqvist, in the absence of his elder brother, Peter, who seems reluctant to return from a sabbatical he took after the death of his wife and child. Roland's attempting to sell the company: his son David is all for this. He's keener on the money than actually doing any work at Norrmalm Industries.

It's the north of Sweden, not far from Finland and only twenty miles from the Norwegian border. Life is hard in the unforgiving climate with only limited daylight for six months of the year. The contrast with the south of Sweden is marked and the area around Varsund is a character in its own right. The main characters are strong and well-drawn but I occasionally had trouble remembering who was who amongst the minor characters. That's a minor quibble though as this is a good read and an excellent starting point for a new series.

You'd like to know about the plot, though, wouldn't you? Well, it's very good. There's one twist which I guessed fairly early on but the reveal about the killer is jaw-dropping. The clues were there but I hadn't spotted them at all. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series and I'd like to thank the publishers for letting Bookbag have a review copy.

As Scandi fiction goes, this noir is as good as it gets! This is my first dabble in Swedish fiction and no going back if this is anything to go by.

I loved the brooding, complicated personality of Kjeld Nygaard and the plausible complexities of his life.

An out of character call from dad Stenar, plunges Kjeld back into the family he tried so hard to escape. Tackling his founded fear of his fathers rookery, Kjeld finds a tooth. With a body soon to follow Kjeld cannot but assume that his father is somehow involved in these murky happenings on his own land.

With Stenar however, in the grip of Alzheimer’s, Kjeld struggles to make sense of things even with his experience as a detective. The truth does out but without pleasantries and the sting in the tale hurts throughout.

Karin Nordin’s characterisations display a maturity rarely met in a debut novel and her no frills approach powers the chill to the end while still allowing us to gather sympathy where due.

Many thanks to Karin Nordin and NetGalley for providing me with the opportunity of enjoying such an engaging book. I wouldn’t hesitate in highly recommending Where The Ravens Roost.

This is a perfectly creepy, atmospheric thriller set in Sweden, with a frazzled police lead and a complicated crime to solve.

I whizzed through this one once I had started and couldn't put it down. It follows detective Kjeld Nygaard, as he receives a call from his slightly estranged father, to come home and investigate a murder he has witnessed in his barn,

Kjeld returns and finds not only his father in a declining state of Alzheimer's, but also a human tooth.

The atmosphere is eerie and the bare Nordic landscape only adds to the already desolate feel this debut novel has.

It definitely feels as though this could be the beginning of a series, with Kjeld at the helm. He is a troubled detective with the requisite broken past that all the best scandi leads have. The slow burn, but ramped up tension, will have you turning the pages with eager anticipation. I thoroughly enjoyed this one and can't wait for another by Nordin. Congratulations.

I would recommend this to fans of nordic noir, creepy/atmospheric thrillers and general mystery fans.

Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this book

This is book 1 but had the feel of a book in the middle of a series. Lots of half explained back story. Other than that I really enjoyed it, though it didn’t help me be any less creeped out by ravens.

I don’t quite know what it is about this book but there’s something about it that I struggled with. Kjeld was an interesting character, for the most part. Not someone I would usually hope to read about (I didn’t really like him as a person), or enjoy spending time with in real life. It’s good to push out of my comfort zone with characters, though, so this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The story itself was intriguing, the complex relationships between several of the characters only made it more so. I did struggle to find any connection with many of the other characters, I feel we didn’t get to see enough redeeming factors for them, or reasons to be on their side, or enjoy learning about their lives. They just felt a little flat. That being said, I really enjoyed Esme, and though I didn’t particularly like Stenar, you could really get a feel for the kind of person he was underneath the confusion. Another not so likeable character but there was certainly some depth. The mystery of the book had some great twists and turns (even if some were a little predictable) and I enjoyed it for the most part, though wasn’t entirely happy with the justification over the resolution. It’s not a book I would read again, but if someone asked me if they should read it, I certainly wouldn’t turn them away from it. I’m not sure it was entirely my cup of tea, and I really didn’t like any of the characters that much, but maybe someone else would feel very differently.

This is a very accomplished first book. The depths of a Scandinavian autumn set a scene of discomfort and family tensions, allied to an old mystery that no one has ever addressed.
A message from his father, whom Kjeld has not spoken to for 10 years, sets him off on a 10 hour journey north to try to find the truth of the message.
His father is not welcoming and his sister distressed by caring for him with an increasing level of Alzheimers disease. The situation Kjeld discovers when he arrives is far from comfortable.
The mystery gets deeper and darker and the reader is drawn in more and more to the story,
A very good winter read with lots of snow.

My thoughts about Karin Nordin's Hardhiting Stunning Nail Biting Debut Crime Thriller Was Extraordinary Brilliant. Where Ravens Roost,is a stunning debut thriller,that has full of suspense and mystery, that has twists and turns that makes this a fantastic read. Where Ravens Roost tells the story of Detective Kjeld Nygaard, who is suspended from his current job as a police officer in gothenburg, while on suspicion Kjeld's father sends a message on Kjeld's phone that he has witnessed a murder in his barn, that's when Kjeld decides to drive up to his fathers home in the Sweden, and to take a look what is happening, as soon he gets there, he soon discovers a dead body, he calls the police, when the police arrive, they point fingers at Kjeld's father Stener, who is suffering from alzheimer's, it's a race against time for Kjeld to find the truth about the murder, and who is really responsible, was just incredible. Debut Author Karin Nordin, has written a powerful story, that also reveals some dark secrets of Kjeld's family which blow me away. A smashing debut that is well written, and presented, that is going to take you on a rollocoster ride, with its unique story, suspense and the characters. Take a bow Karin Nordin, Where Ravens Roost is a great start of your crime fiction journey which is highly recommended. I would like to say thank you to Author Karin Nordin, Publisher's HQ Stories, And Netgalley for giving me a chance to read and review this outstanding hard hitting thriller.

I quite enjoyed this book by a new author (to me). I believe this is her first book and look forward to more. The book takes place in the snowy wilderness of Varsund, a fictional town in Sweden which is sparsely populated. Although the mystery wasn't exactly hard to work out, the characters were likeable and I found myself invested in their outcomes. I do feel that the phrase "...pursed his/her lips" was definitely overused, to little effect. There were a few typos as well that were distracting, but nothing major.
I would be interested to read another book by this author, and will recommend it to others who want an engaging winter tale of murder. Thanks to Netgalley and HQ Digital for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I would like to thank Netgalley and HQ for an advance copy of Where Ravens Roost, a debut novel set in Jämtland, central Sweden.

Inspector Kjeld Nygaard is suspended pending investigation into his last case when his estranged father phones him to tell him he saw a murder in his barn. Unsure what to make of it as his father has Alzheimer’s he decides to visit his father after a 12 year absence and perhaps investigate. His curiosity is aroused when he finds a tooth in the rookery housed in the barn.

I thoroughly enjoyed Where Ravens Roost which is a quietly compulsive tale of family secrets and Kjeld’s journey of discovery and self acceptance. It is told entirely from Kjeld’s point of view in the third person and this is an ideal format for the content. It allows the reader to identify with him and get immersed in the story, but reinforces his personality of holding people at arm’s length. It also gives the reader room to speculate as they know no more or less than he does. I did guess some elements of the plot but mostly was totally clueless.

It is difficult to believe that this is a first novel as it seems so polished. I was glued to the pages with the slow burn of the plot. The reveals seem to come in the right places, at the right time. The plot itself seems to fit the small town atmosphere, it’s not a big, splashy affair but more a series of poor judgements and self interest and there is a feeling of amateurishness about the characters’ actions, no planning, just reaction. Throughout it all Kjeld has to re-assess both his relationships with others and his attitude to life, because, at times, he’s not a very nice man, being reckless and self centred.

Where Ravens Roost is a good read that I have no hesitation in recommending.

4.5 stars
Detective Kjeld Nygaard is currently on suspension after an incident that is currently under investigation. So, he decides to make the long journey home. To his father, Stenar, and sister, Sara. A family he has been estranged from for a while. But one he needs to reconnect with after a rather worrying call with his father not so long since. He arrives and is not really welcomed by his sister as she really doesn't want him rattling the ship that is his father's health. But rattle he seems to have done as his father mentions a murder he witnessed in the barn where he keeps the ravens.
Meanwhile, in the same town, the main employer is the mining company MineCorp. Run by two brothers - one, Peter, currently on hiatus, the other, Roland, wanting to sell up and retire. But to do so, Roland needs to declare his brother dead. And just after he starts this process, Peter sends an email.
And then a body turns up in the barn... And Kjeld has to try and piece together the past to make sense of the present and try and help his father.
This is a cracking read. A great storyline played out by some well drawn characters that are easy to connect to. I especially found Stenar's journey with Alzheimer's to be very profound and moving and well portrayed. His lucid moments were so powerful in between his moments of fuzziness. Also I need to mention the ravens. They brought a whole other level of creepiness and evil to the proceedings.
And the story itself kept me on my toes throughout. With its twists and turns as Kjeld tries to get to the truth, as he peels back the layers, as he talks to more people, as he unearths shock after shock. Until finally it's all out in the open and the past becomes a whole other thing to a lot of people.
This is billed as a debut book and I can't see too much more about it or the author but I would suspect, and indeed hope, that this could be the start of a series featuring Kjeld and his partner Esme who joins him towards the end of this book. I'd definitely be up for reading the next one if that is the case.
My thanks go to the Publisher and Netgalley for the chance to read this book.

I really enjoyed this crime novel. Set in the far north of Sweden, the extreme beauty but also bleakness is described so well you feel like you're there. Nygaard is a very flawed character and I alternated between loving him and wanting to slap him, he's so wrapped up in himself.
I hope that this is the first in a series as I'd like to follow his story further.

Detective inspector Kjeld has been suspended from his job due to a case he was working on. He gets a cryptic call from his father Stemar saying that he has witnessed a murder in his barn. Kjeld has not seen his father for years and is shocked when he drives down to stay with him, to find that his father has Alzheimer’s.

When Kjeld finds a human tooth in his father’s barn he starts to think that there may be some truth,in what his father had seen and starts to investigate.

A great gripping debut set in a small town where there are secrets, family disputes and gossip galore!!

Thank you to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a review.

Where Ravens Roost is the debut novel by Karin Nordin and despite it being Scandi Noir it was not a book I could get into.

It started very slowly and didn’t grab my attention at any time.

Not for me

A promising first dive into the series. Following Detective Kjeld Nygaard who travels down to the Swedish mining town of Varsund when he receives a distressing call from his estranged father. This leads him to the discovery of a dead body in his fathers ravens rookery. But when he quickly discovers his father has dementia and might have rung him in a more lucid movement, he finds he has a murder mystery on his hands to uncover.

I found the ravens so creepy and chilling and loved the cold Swedish landscape. I also loved the grumpy non binary protagonist Kjeld and I am excited to carry on with the series when the next book is out.

Thanks to the author Karin Nordin,HQ stories and Netgalley for a review copy in exchange for an honest review.

Kjeld Nygaard, a detective in Stockholm is on suspension.

He is drawn back to the mining village where he grew up by a strange phone call from his estranged father who claims he has witnessed a murder in the family bar.

Upon his arrival, he finds his father suffering from Alzheimers and local opinion divided on what happened.

The secrets of this small town come bubbling to the surface, doe shis father know something or is it a product of his mind?

A stunning debut novel from Karin Nordin that keeps you on the edge of your seat

A truly bleak murder mystery in Scandi-noir fashion complete with brooding Detective currently on suspension from his last case which ended with the death of his friend. He returns to the far north of Sweden following a call from his father with whom he hasn't spoken for decades. An old murder, a very closed mining town, the 'Big Family' who own the mines, his father suffering from Alzheimers and a sister who has the world on her shoulders. All this in early winter when daylight is a few grey hours. The feel of the small town - physically and the attitudes - is so true to life up there when you begin to imagine that the sun will never return despite the beauty of twilight on the snow and the trees. Bring in the father's pet ravens makes it even more spooky. Hope the author produces more. Thanks to NetGalley and HQ Digital for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

A new Scandinavian Noir series.

It has been a while since I read anything in this genre and I thought this one was very good, considering it is a debut. It has all the main ingredients of scandi noir, right down to the brooding, broken detective with a past. I look forward to reading on in the series.

Shelf hasn't spoken to his father for years but when he receives a garbled phone message about an attack in the barn where his father keeps his ravens, he decided to head home and try to make sense of what's going on. His father now has dementia, and there is no sign of disturbance but things aren't quite right. Liked has to do some digging to find out what has happened and how it is connected to the mining company that borders his father's land.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy of this in exchange for an honest opinion.*

This book is Scandi Noir at it's finest. Brilliantly written story that keeps the reader gripped and absorbed from start to finish