This was ok, 3 stars. I have to admit I found the plot a bit confusing but that’s in me. I might read another book by this author.

Thanks to the publisher and author for the copy I received via NetGalley.

On a freezing January day in Gotland, Sandra accepts a lift home from a stranger. By the end of the day, one man is dead, his wife has been left a widow and his lover has been left devastated and begins her path to total destruction, but this is only the tip of the iceberg. Murder, rape, stolen money, blackmail, drugs, hidden identities and missing people are just some of the issues the cast of this story have to contend with in the time that follows the deadly accident.

Black Ice feels a bit like a horror anthology with lots of separate stories which all begin to link together and turn out to be one big interwoven mystery and I really enjoyed this unusual format. What’s so great about this approach is that you get to see the same incident from lots of different perspectives and the way outcomes can completely differ depending on how different people interpret situations.

My only issue with this book was that because there were a number of different protagonists who were all being discussed by each other or investigated or targeted, I did find myself confused at one point about who was who and who knew what about certain aspects of the plot. It’s definitely a book you need to concentrate on!

Dark, complex and full of shocking revelations – I really enjoyed seeing how all of the different elements of the story came together in the final reveal.

The word "mystery" is all throughout this novel. This group of strangers was brought together by a tragic tragedy four years before, and it was enough to alter their lives forever. Sandra's day began with an uneventful trip to the mall, which was interrupted by a random act of kindness from a stranger. An erotic encounter with her affluent boyfriend was the catalyst for Jeanette's journey. However, only one was in the automobile that crashed and killed the driver, leaving the other to perish in the snow by himself. This was a page turner and had me on edge the whole time

I'm pushing through this one but honestly not very hooked on this story. Too many people introduced at once. I'm hoping it gets better. The cover is what had be wanting to read this!

i heard such good things about this book & i tried really hard to like it. let’s just say it definitely sounded better than how it turned out. the plot twists were ok but i was bored and confused which took me longer to read this. it’s a good story, just thought nothing new was happening?

a huge thanks to netgalley & scarlet suspense for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Black Ice was a book definitly out of my comfort zone but it's an amazing examination of perspectives and how extremely they can differ even based on the same variables. It's woven decently well between all the characters. Surprises enough to keep the reader well engaged. Each character carries their own secrets and their own perspective and many are unknown to each other until circumstances pull them together causing someone to be willing to kill to keep secrets and reputations safe.
Full review to come on my YouTube channel.

This is the first book I have read by Carin Gerhardsen and it is certainly full of twists and turns. Five people are tied together by something that took place four years prior and ends up coming back to haunt them. The novel covers the jouney on someone not wanting the truth to come out and the events that transpire causing guilt for some of the women present. The author shifts perspectives so you can follow the characters mindset. I gave this book four stars because I thought there were times the authors writing style lost the flow but overall a great read and loved the storyline.

Black Ice by Carin Gerhardsen takes place on Gotland, a Swedish island in the Baltic Sea. It is wintertime and the roads are dangerously icy. A vehicular accident occurs and a crime is committed. These events will have serious repercussions for three women who are unknown to each other: Sandra, Jeanette and Kerstin. The story develops over a period of four years, during which time the women’s lives will intersect, for good and for bad. Not much can be divulged about the plot, so as not to reveal spoilers. The characters in Black Ice are flawed in a fascinating way. The plot is unusual and original and makes this a challenging mystery. Black Ice is so interesting and enjoyable that I will probably read it again, to solve the puzzles all over again. This is a fast-paced story full of secrets and will satisfy the curiosity of most mystery readers. Highly recommended. Thank you to Penzler Publishers, NetGalley and the author for the e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Sorry I didn't get to read it before the time ran out. I didnt know you couldnt renew once archived. I was looking forward to reading it aswell

Told in alternating points-of-view by different participants, the novel begins in January of 2014, when a man dies a terrible and agonizing death in a hit-and-run accident on one of the island’s back roads. As one driver flees the scene, the other is left at the bottom of a deep ravine, barely alive, trapped in his crushed vehicle and needing immediate rescue. For their own selfish and crime-related reasons, the three other observers on the scene fail to report the accident. The car is covered in snow and goes undiscovered for four days, and the investigating the police write it off as a single car accident.
Over the next four years, all four individuals who know about the crash live their ordinary lives, until one of them attempts to blackmail the drunk driver who fled the scene . . . and sets off a wave of crimes, including kidnapping, torture and murder. By using different perspectives from each of the various players and only revealing small plot details at a time, the author keeps ratcheting up the pressure with every chapter of this psychological thriller that will leave readers eagerly anticipating the next one from Ms. Gerhardsen, while singing her praises to their friends . . . Black Ice is nail biting suspense at its very best!

Three women and two men tied together by an accident. Four years later, their lives become intertwined and someone has come forward to taunt them. Someone doesn’t want the truth to come out and not everyone will survive. This was a roller coaster of a book with twists and turns galore. While there were a few too many coincidences, it was still quite entertaining. Told in four different voices we learn what really happened on that icy stretch of road and the repercussions that will follow them for the rest of their lives.

Translated from the Swedish, Black Ice by Carin Gerhardsen is a standalone crime thriller by the author of the Hammarby series. Told from two perspectives, we meet Sandra, a telephone contact line counsellor and Jeanette, a married woman having an affair. A car accident on a well-marked stretch of road sets off a chain reaction and causes much grief and murder. As the stories of the two women unfold, a third voice Jan is introduced, a man who claims innocence while seemingly committing despicable acts of a criminal nature. A totally gripping read with interconnecting narratives that build to an unforeseen climax. This is quintessential Nordic noir at its best with a second bizarre twist after the ending, that makes it a five-star must read book. With thanks to Penzler Publishers and the author for an uncorrected proof for review purposes.

𝗕𝗹𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝗜𝗰𝗲 is a domino effect of choices, each leading to bigger and bigger consequences.

This story starts as a big knot, and as you continue to read, tugging at all the extruding strings you begin to unravel the knot, finding out which ends are actually connected, and slowly the whole thing comes together, until…

I’m blown away. Like many seasoned mystery/suspense readers, I often see a twist a mile away, but wow… Carin Gerhardsen got me - she got me good. I definitely found myself surprised multiple times.

The dual timeline and a multiple point of view narrative explored the fateful night of the accident and the days that followed from everyone’s perspective. As the story slowly unravels the reader learns not everyone is as reliable as they may seem and everyone has something to hide. Even though it was a bit slower paced than I prefer, Black Ice still was shocking that it definitely needs to be a 𝗺𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 for all mystery/suspense lovers - I know for sure I’m adding Gerhardsen to my auto buy list.

I’m thoroughly impressed by this book. You may start off with an impression of what role each character plays, but each chapter reveals more twists and secrets until the reader realizes that nothing is as it seems.

I really enjoyed how the plot unfolded, and thought Black Ice was perfectly paced. The alternating POVs were the perfect way to tell this story. At times we saw multiple perspectives of the same scene, and at others we jumped back and forth between past and present. I was never bored and was constantly surprised--although I did guess one culprit successfully.

I will say that I did do a lot of flipping back and forth to re-read previous scenes once I read a new plot twist, so I would definitely recommend reading a physical copy of this book rather than an ebook or audiobook. I had to do a little bit of reminding myself who was who, because my perspective of the characters was constantly changing.

Black Ice just goes to show how much of an impact one person’s actions can have on the lives of so many people. This one brief moment changed so many lives irrevocably, and the ripple effects of that one night carry out five years in the future.

I’m not sure what else to say without giving away spoilers, but this book is definitely worth the read. I just wish I had read it in winter in the middle of a blizzard!

Lots of twists and suspense: how could I be so misled?😯

4.5🌟 stars
I loved that this suspenseful story kept me on tenterhooks to see whether justice is served and that three civilian, ordinary women are the ones who make things happen. An icy, January day on the Swedish island of Gotland leads to violence, massive guilt and death that bring huge repercussions for Sandra, Kerstin and Jeanette for years to come.

This story worked in spades for me and I loved the shifting perspective so the reader gets a view into the mind (and conscience) of all of the main players. With plenty of murky questions to be answered and twists coming throughout the story I was really delighted with the author's ability to lead me astray and then reel me back to the right path.

Thanks to Scarlet/Penzler Publishers and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion.

My thanks to Penzler Publishers, Carin Gerhardsen and Netgalley.
This was a rollercoaster of a book! Twists, turns and a who the heck?
Finding out the real identities and their place in the scheme of things was fun, and tense!
The viewpoint of the character's was intense. They made me shift my likes to dislikes, and vice versa!
I would definitely read more from this author!

This story follows several threads, which to begin with can be a bit confusing. However, the story is very good and kept me reading until I reached the end.
Events four years before are brought to the forefront when someone phones a helpline and the person answering the phone recognises events from a day that a bad thing happened to her.
When someone else admits to being close to the events that day, two women work on a plan of revenge which
could cost them everything they've got if it goes wrong.
A roller coaster of a read, just when you think you know what happened, something happens to change that.
This kept me guessing until the end.

I absolutely loved this book! With each Nordic Noir book I read, I fall more and more in love with the dark atmosphere and chilling settings.

Black Ice starts out with the occurrence of multiple crimes which leaves a group of people connected in ways you won't see coming. It can be a little confusing in the beginning as the novel flashes back-and-forth between vague opening scenes of different characters but then everything starts to come together as these crimes unravel piece by piece.

Some characters I loved and some I hated but either way, I really enjoyed getting to know this unique cast. Black Ice is a slow-burn mystery but had a few shocking reveals along the way. I did see part of the ending coming but I loved the story and was pleased with how it all played out.

I already picked up The Gingerbread House by Carin Gerhardsen and I'm looking forward to diving in soon!

4.5 stars rounded up for me!

Unusual storyline for a Scandinavian crime noire involving the lives of 4 people rape murder and deceit all rolling into one *a fascinating gripping story very cleverly written an intriguing read.

I can't rightly do justice to the intricacy of this plot: half a dozen characters are connected to each other in various ways, most of which are incredibly satisfying when they pay off. The beginning 40% or so of the book could be argued to be a little slow, or at least a little slow to come together, but once the second twist hits at about 55%, the story really picks up speed, zooming toward a finale that is genuinely hard to put down. There are definite thrills in this thriller.

The characters, too, are well drawn in their complexities and contradictions, though I couldn't honestly say I was particularly attached to any of them. Gerhardsen does tackle the idea of whether a person who has committed a horrific crime can ever redeem themselves, in yet another twist that might challenge the values of some readers, but after all, isn't that what good literature is about?

One thing I wasn't thrilled about, and which may not have been Gerhardsen's fault at all, is how stilted some of the prose sounds in places. Every character seems to speak alike, from ex-jailbirds to three-year-olds, and very rarely do they sound like real people. Translator Giles also seems a little over-fond of the dreaded 'said-bookisms' - a character 'clarifies' and 'confirms' in the space of a paragraph - and there's an overabundance of telling the reader how a character feels. The effect is a little distancing: the characters, while well-drawn and complex, aren't particularly likeable, and it's generally surprising but not upsetting when tragedy befalls them.

Overall, a solid Scandi thriller from a writer I'll be looking out for in future.

Full review at my blog, Naomi Reads: https://naomireviews.dreamwidth.org/492.html