Camilla Lackberg is Sweden’s bestselling female crime author – and for her international fans, we now have the latest book in her series that loosely follows true-crime author Erica Falck, but also spends time with her police officer husband Patrick, her family, her friends, and the community of the small seaside town of Fjallbacka that they reside in. There are backstories to everyone in Fjallbacka, and no one just passes through a scene but gets their own moment to flesh out the story into one that you realise impacts an entire town.

Local family man Kjellner has gone missing, and at this point, is presumed dead. His family is trying to move on and find closure, as is the police force. But there have been no body, no clues, nothing, until Magnus’s friend Christian publishes his new debut novel, The Mermaid, and is subsequently haunted by threatening letters and memories of a past that he’s done everything to keep buried. As his mentor, Erica is determined to find out what’s going on, despite Christian’s reticence to help – but then a body is found underneath the ice, and everything else rises to the surface.

Lackberg tends occasionally to melodrama in her writing, but the story powers along at high speeds, and the final page will have you biting your nails with anxiety waiting for the next book.

Fiona Hardy sells books and talks too much to customers at Readings Carlton, and puts together Dead Write for the Readings Monthly. She blogs haphazardly about movies and books (and sometimes music) and you can follow her on twitter - @readwatchtweet.