In I REMEMBER YOU, Sigurdardottir explores the history of an isolated Icelandic village through the lens of three newcomers: city dwellers who buy a run-down home in the isolated village, with plans to renovate it and turn it into a summer guest house for tourists. I REMEMBER YOU is her most supernatural-heavy book that I’ve read yet (coming in second place: THE UNDESIRED), but I truly never for a moment wished away this story’s haunted and haunting mystery. Let’s begin with the question I’m sure will be on many a reader’s mind: if this is a ghost story, does that mean it has supernatural elements? Yes, it does-but don’t write it off just yet! If you’ve been around Crime by the Book for a while, you’ll know that I tend to be wary of thrillers that lean towards the supernatural… and you’ll also know that I consistently find Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s use of the supernatural the most authentic and downright entertaining around. When the two stories collide, the shocking truth becomes horribly clear. Meanwhile, in a nearby town, a young doctor investigating the suicide of an elderly woman discovers that she was obsessed with his vanished son. But they soon realize they are not as alone as they thought. In this terrifying tale, three friends set to work renovating a rundown house in a remote, totally isolated location. You know that feeling when you’re loving a book so much, you just want to savor every single page? That was me with I REMEMBER YOU.

I REMEMBER YOU is slow-burning, immersive, utterly chilling suspense-I was glued to this book from the first page to the last. But as they settle in and begin their work, it becomes clear that something on the island doesn’t want them to stay. In this hair-raising story of suspense, a group of friends set out to a remote Icelandic village in order to renovate a house they have recently purchased. I REMEMBER YOU is, in fact, better described as a ghost story than a crime novel, though at its heart it certainly has a compelling mystery for readers to unravel. A hallmark of Yrsa’s crime writing is her ability to blend strong mystery writing with truly dark, almost horror-inspired plotlines-and in I REMEMBER YOU, she puts her dark imagination on full display. Sigurdardottir is known as Iceland’s Queen of Crime, and every single book of hers that I read reinforces just how well-deserved this title really is. Yrsa Sigurdardottir is a just-plain-incredible talent. The Verdict: goosebump-inducing horror from Iceland’s Queen of Crime

I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir