Detective Kjeld Nygaard is suspended from his job and avoiding giving a statement to his superiors about his previous case when he gets a garbled message from his father asking for help.  When Kjeld gets to his childhood friend he finds his father is suffering from dementia and his sister Sara is struggling to take care of him and her family.  His father says someone had been killed in the barn where he keeps his ravens but the police don’t find anything.  Then an intruder is spotted in the barn who Kjeld chases but fails to catch.  On his return he and his family discover a skeleton in the barn - his father was telling the truth after all.  Kjeld decides to carry out his own investigation which leads to the discovery of family secrets, secret contracts and secret business deals. 

Really enjoyed this book, a really interesting story.  

Thanks to Netgalley, HQ Digital and Karin Nordin for the ARC of this book in return for an honest review.

This is my very first time reading a Scandi Noir book and it did intrigue me. I liked how, yes, there was a mystery and there was a murder and a body and shady things happening, but at the story's core, it was a family drama. I'm not sure if that is typical of the genre or not, but I thought it added an interesting element that I'm not used to seeing in other mysteries I've read. 

Kjeld Nygaard is a suspended cop who gets a strange phone call from his father. They have been estranged since Kjeld left the house and now his father has Alzheimer's and his memory isn't reliable. He claims to have seen someone murdered in the barn out back on his property. Kjeld rushes up to see if he can figure out what is going on and gets a lot more than he bargained for. 

I anticipated one twist, but the others were not as easy to predict. It's atmospheric, taking place in northern Sweden in a small, insular town that acts almost as if it is a character in its own right. The stories with settings that act as characters are some of my favorites and whether or not it was purposeful, I loved to see that utilized here. Overall, a compelling read and an interesting blend of crime and family drama.

I have to admit it was my partner who encouraged me to read this book. He loves a Scandinavian book and wanted to know how this one was, so I volunteered to read and review before him. Thank you to @HQstories and @KNordinAuthor for this advanced copy of Where Ravens Roost in return for an honest review. Where Ravens Roost is out now and you can get a copy here.

Description 🔖

Detective Kjeld Nygaard grew up in the small town of Varsund and as soon he was able, he was quick to leave. He chose a career in the city over his family and over the years lost touch with his father and sister. Until his father, Stenar calls him and leaves a message saying that there has been a murder in his raven barn.

There is little to no evidence and the local police aren’t interested in investigating further. Stenar’s Alzheimers diagnosis has everyone but Kjeld believing that this is a confused delusion. Kjeld can’t resist investigating and soon finds a body in the barn. The local police turn their focus onto Stenar and therefore it is up to Kjeld to prove that his father had nothing to do with the crime.

General Thoughts 🤔

Mysteries and thrillers are probably the books that I enjoy most so I did enjoy this book. It had secrets and different paths of investigation and I liked that. There were a few action chapters that gave me a drama fix and therefore overall the book was made up of all the things that I look for.

There was something I thought was missing but I can’t quite put my finger on what. The mystery wasn’t quite complex enough maybe? It’s not that the book was predictable but I kind of just felt a little bit of disappointment at the end. A bit like oh, ok, that’s what happened. There wasn’t a big gasp moment for me.

Characters 👫👭👬

Kjeld was very much the main character in the book. I found him to be exactly as you would expect; complicated, moody, dark and fighting demons. I liked him and had some empathy for him at the end. I did feel a little bit like I wanted to know more about him. There are mentions about his past in the book and I spent a while wondering if this was actually a second book in a series. Some pretty big events were mentioned but not much information given. They didn’t add much to the story which is what I think caused my confusion.

Kjeld’s sister Sara is the other character I’d like to mention. I felt sorry for this character for almost the entire book. However the book reveals a lot about her at the end and once I’d read that, I couldn’t match the two Saras together. It was like reading about two different people for me. Maybe I missed some hints about her earlier in the story.

Writing Style ✍️

As I alluded to, I spent the first quarter or so of this book thinking I’d jumped into a series mid-way through. I couldn’t work out why the history about Kjeld was included in the story as I couldn’t make the link between the past and the present. I think there should have been more correlation between the past and present, or the past should have been left out altogether.

What I did like was that when there were chapters full of action, I as a reader was thrown right into them with no warning. I liked that there wasn’t a build up for these scenes as it caught me off guard and kept me alert.

Conclusion & Scoring 🎖️

Overall, I found this to be an enjoyable read but not a book that I will be likely to remember for all time. I will hold my hands up and admit that I read this book in chunks rather than all in one go, so that may have something to do with me feeling like I wasn’t 100% drawn in to the storyline. If you’re looking for an easy read but would still like a thriller fix, then I would recommend this.

I have come to love the Scandi crime stories over the last few years and this one certainly doesn’t disappoint.

DI Kjeld Nygaard is suspended from his job over an incident in his previous case. But then he receives a cryptic message from his father about a murder in his barn. But as his father has Alzheimer’s is this a delusion, or is it something that has actually happened. Kjeld drives to his fathers isolated property to investigate. There is only one major employer near where his father lives a Normalm Industries they are trying to merge with another company Minecorp, the rest of the area is remote forest area.

The prologue opening with Stenar, Nygaard’s father being awakened by the Ravens gave me the creeps, the description of the birds Caws getting louder as he approached the barn, then the voices, this had me hooked. It is twelve years since father and son had seen each other.

There is a lot of tension between Nygaard and his sister as she tells him his father is in the last stages of Alzheimer’s she is angry and bitter to her brother as she has had to deal with the father. It doesn’t help that the local police don’t believe Nygaard when he tells them what his father has seen and heard, mainly due to his health how do they know if it was real or not. So it’s up to Nygaard to look into things himself as he looks around the old barn and rookery he finds a human tooth in a ravens nest. He begins to be convinced his father was telling the truth and it’s not long before human remains are found and things start to become a little more dangerous for Nygaard

This is a brilliantly written engrossing debut novel, drawing you in, with perfect plot twists that make you want to keep reading, it’s a very dark read, set in a deep woodland area, which adds a claustrophobic atmosphere. The plot flows with Nygaard being a great character despite his flaws, his troubled family and work relationships Along with maybe a few skeletons hidden in his closet. It will be interesting to see where he goes next and how the character grows. Getting to know more about him.

Definitely one for scandi noir lovers, I highly recommend this. I would like to thank #netgalley and HQ Digital for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest fair and unbiased review.

Really enjoyed this book, the familar dective theme was given a twist and quite an atmospheric feel by the setting. Woud recommentd.

This is my first book review on NetGalley and I thank them and HQ Stories for an ARC in return for an honest review.
In my opinion this Scandi debut by Karin Nordin is very well written with a tight plot and satisfying finale. 
In short it is a story about a troubled detective returning to his home which he never thought he would return to following an argument with his dad and what transpires is that this sleepy town in the middle of nowhere is suddenly woken up by it’s shady past... family, loyalty & money! As Kjeld accurately says, ‘some things never changed while others were never the same’.
Thoroughly enjoyed ‘Where Ravens Roost’ and I’m hoping that this is the start of a series featuring Kjeld & his partner Esme.

Detective Kjeld Nygaard has returned to his hometown in disgrace.  He is being investigated as he shot a serial-killer, a serial killer who had been a personal friend.  So when his estranged father calls him Kjeld chooses to go back to visit the remote family home.  His father Stenar is suffering from dementia but is insistent that he has witnessed a murder in the old barn, the old barn where the family ravens live.  As Kjeld investigates he uncovers family secrets long hidden away.
This is a solid enough first novel which took me a while to engage with.  however once into the story I really enjoyed it.  The setting is atmospheric and the plot interesting with the idea of a dementia-sufferer as the key witness.  Although very rooted as Scandi-noir, the author is actually American so it is a very clever homage to the genre.

From Good Reads:
A brooding detective with a troubled past and present comes home to his bleak hometown  - did his ailing father really witness a murder.
Plenty of twists along the way to keep us going. Most interesting character was Kjeld himself - not quite fleshed out yet. Looking forward to finding out more about him in the future.

I enjoy Scandi Noir books but sometimes they can be an intense read, this was in that genre but is a more enjoyable faster paced book.
The characters were described very skilfully and by the end of the book you felt as though you know them well. The cold weather and the remoteness of the family home was also vividly portrayed.
 I did get a little fed up of the constant reminders that Kjeld and his father did not have a good relationship. I understand that it is a relevant part of the story but there were just a few too many references for me.
Other than that I found the book to be eminently readable and enjoyable. It was atmospheric, especially with the ravens, and the ending had surprise elements alongside some that could be anticipated.
I hope that this is just the start of reading about Detective Kjeld Nygaard.

I'm not always a fan of scandi-noir as a genre, but I didn't think this one tried to be too clever. The dark, snowy area in North Sweden where the book is set created an environment fitting for high drama and very creepy goings on. Kjeld Nygaard's father, from whom he has been estranged for 12 years, calls him to say he has witnessed a murder in his barn - which is home to the ravens of the title. Kjeld, a Detective Inspector in Gothenburg, who is currently suspended following a case that we are only teased about, is intrigued enough to make the long journey home. He finds his father with Alzheimer's and in a more confused state than he realised, and his very stressed sister, Sara, looking after him. Add in Kjeld's complicated relationships, romantic and otherwise,  a greedy mining corporation and long buried secrets and it all makes for a great story. I predicted some of the outcome, but not all, and it didn't detract from the enjoyment of the book. #netgalley #whereravensroost

This book was recommended to me and I couldn’t be happier that it was.

This story is full of mystery, family history, relationships, birds, murder and lots of twists. I didn’t see the ending coming and I loved how it all unraveled and made perfect sense, very satisfying.

I appreciated the very real and raw account of Alzheimer’s and the struggles that it brought to the family and situation.

The book is well paced and had enough substance to keep you interested the whole way through. I would recommend.

I think the last Scandi crime novel I read was Will Dean's Black River, but I have to say, Karin Nordin's Where Raven's Roost was as evocative, compelling and intriguing as Dean's Tuva series and I can't wait to read more about Detective Kjeld Nygaard. 
Where Ravens Roost appealed to me on so many levels, but what really appealed was the diverse characters in the novel - something that the crime fiction fraternity really needs to get a grip on. First of all we have Kjeld Nygaard, a detective with ghosts from his past haunting him. He's many things - a prodigal son, an absent father, a not so good friend, bisexual, traumatised, dogged, angry and determined. His father, Stenner, has a history with his son that preys on Kjeld's mind, yet, because his dad has Alzheimer's, it's difficult to resolve their past issues and to uncover the secrets that have been kept hidden for decades. 

Set in Sweden near the Norwegian border, Nordin manages to evoke the chill, harshness and remoteness of the setting, which in turn increases the tension as slowly we begin, with Kjeld, to unpick the past. The ever present darkness makes it all the more brooding and threatening.  At times when I was reading, I had to reach for another jumper as the chills reverberated through my body from my toes to my nose. 

Then there's those damn ravens - I don't mind birds, but there's just something very ominous and symbolic about the raven's that Kjeld hates so much, whilst his dad dotes on them and there presence at the heart of the narrative again keeps the supense growing. 

The narratives from the points of view of Kjeld trying to unravel the past and from the point of views of a solicitor and the owner of a local mining community keep the story pacy, whilst dropping in clues at a steady past (as well as the few red ravens - do you see what I did there?) 

If you've not already sussed it out yet - I LOVED THIS BOOK!

It's definitely a highly recommended read and I have no hesitation in giving it 5 whopping stars!

The ravens in this novel carry the same aura of evil and threat that the crows do in Alfred Hitchcock's "Birds". Nordin overlays this sense of ever-present danger onto a background of a truly remote Swedish community where little has changed in 30 years. Returning to this world, at the request of his father, Detective Nygaard finds himself dealing with a body buried in the barn where his father keeps his parliament of rooks. Inevitably Nygaard gets drawn into trying to establish what really happened. The answers open old sores within his family history and, ultimately, force Nygaard to re-examine and face up to his past. Cleverly layered writing ensures this novel keeps the reader deeply involved and - rest assured - the beady red eyes of those rooks - shall stay with you long after the book is back on the shelf!

There are many positives about this book and it will appeal to the fans of Scandi Noir. There is a sense of bleakness throughout. The cold, desolate landscape is painted well and as a reader, I was convinced of first hand knowledge. The ravens provided a spooky air and in fact at times it felt like crossing over into horror (especially the first chapter).

The protagnoist (Kjeld) is OK. I didn't warm to him, but his backstory is good. Better was his aggressive, angry sergeant, Esme. She appears briefly at the start and I personally would have reintroduced her before half way since she has potential to be a great character since there's conflict between her and Kjeld. I was less keen on the sister and Hanna (girlfriend). Probably because some of the dialogue with them seemed mundane. There are long discussions with the sister which reveal very little except their problems. And when Kjeld met Hanna, they have a long chat before he takes her home. An experienced writer would have cut much of these down.       

I'm afraid I got a little irritated by the writing. There are many cliches and phrases that a good editor should have picked up. Examples of the cliches were "a straw to break the camel's back" and "a breath of fresh air". 

During a fight scene at night, I felt no tension. The actions were all described and it felt like I was being told about  a fight by someone who had never experienced one.  This was also the section that made me groan out loud. The author used the phrase "He was on top. Gravity was on his side." I'd expect this sort of description in a school kid's story. A previous example was when he was underwater and the sound of yelling made him think of the Doppler Effect. However you need a frequency (like a siren) to get the Doppler Effect. Yelling in water wouldn't do it.

I was confused about two things. Firstly, Kjeld's ex-partner is referred to as a 'he' at one point. Either this was a typo or Kjeld is bisexual. It wasn't clear and not knowing Scandi names, I couldn't tell. Secondly, Kjeld's father, Stenar, was in hospital. After the fight, he's talking in his kitchen with the man who saved him (no spoilers here!) and (I think) Esme. They refer to Stenar as though he's not there. Then, after many pages, he miraculously appears on a sofa.

And then there was the blunder: Kjeld was speaking Swedish but uses the play on words "joke" vs "yolk". This doesn't work in Swedish!

So overall, I think many will enjoy this book. It's not bad as a debut, but it had too many rough edges for me. Like I said, a good editor was needed to fix them. I'll give it 3 grey daggers, mainly because I think there's potential here.
Thank you to Netgalley and HQ Digital for the advance reader copy in return for an unbiased review.

Thankyou to netgalley and the publisher for allowing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.  A brilliant debut, Where Ravens roost follows Kjeld Nygaard whos returns home when his estranged father, who suffers from dementia, calls him about witnessing a murder in his barn, I was hooked all the way through this book, it was atmospheric and i loved the characters. Highly recommend.

Keep the pages turning and be ready to stay up at night until you're done!   I love a good Scandinavian mystery, and this one doesn't disappoint.  A nice mix of character study, town secrets, class privilege, and resolving family history all woven around a murder mystery.- I found the family preoccupation with ravens a really interesting sub-story as well.   An author to watch.

A well written debut novel, introducing a complex, selfish, lonely detective suspended from his job. His father, who sent him packing many years before, suddenly contacts him asking him to return home having witnessed a murder. His father suffers from dementia, his sister is angry with him and he is uncomfortable returning to the small town he grew up in. One element of the story I identified quite early in the tale but it didn't detract from the story and there were still some surprising twists and turns. The ravens play a frightening and atmospheric part in the story.
Look forward to reading more by this author.
Three and a half stars for me.
Many thanks to Netgalley/Karin Nordin/HQ for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Atmospheric, claustrophobic and noir, this story set in Northern Sweden brings Detective Kjeld Nygaard home after more than a decade. Finding his father, in the later stages of Alzheimer's, and his sister furious is not what he wants with his career is imploding, estranged from his family, and his relationship in tatters. 

This is an intense story with some noir elements, both in terms of crime and relationships. The Ravens provide excellent visual imagery that gives the story an eerie ethos. The plot is pure Scandi noir with complex characters, dysfunctional relationships and a forbidding and oppressive setting that immerses the reader into  Nygaard's world.

The plot unfolds with several twists and poignant moments. Backstories, weaved into the text, illuminate the main protagonists' motivations and keep the reader interested.

This is a story that fulfils its potential.

I received a copy of this book from HQ via NetGalley in return for an honest review.

Where Ravens Roost by Karin Nordin
I enjoyed this book by a Karen Nordin which is her debut novel.  It concerns Kjeld, a taciturn detective, who has moved to the big city from Varsund.  Varsund is a mining town in the north of Sweden which is gradually becoming less and less populated.  As Hanna notes they even let girls play in the football team as there are so few boys left.  
Kjeld has returned home for the first time in many years whilst embroiled in the midst of a controversy about his last case in Gothenburg.  His relationship with his husband, Bengt has broken down and his daughter, Tove, feels cut off from him.  He argued with his father many years ago and vowed never to return then he gets a phone call from him out of the blue.  His father claims to have witnessed a murder in the barn where the ravens roost.
The local detective, with whom Kjeld has history, has investigated but found nothing.  Kjeld unearths a human tooth in a raven’s nest and he begins to believe that maybe his father did in fact witness something. 
The storyline is gripping and I found the character of Kjeld engaging.  The plot has plenty of surprising twists and although you can spot some of them it is still intriguing. There are two apparently different story threads and these are linked together particularly well as the hidden truths emerge. The isolation of the north Swedish landscape, with its long dark winters, add to the unnerving atmosphere. Throughout the novel the ravens provide an air of menace and evil.
I am looking forward to reading more about this interesting detective and would like to thank the author, the publishers and Net Galley for the opportunity to read the book in return for an honest review.

When Detective Nygaard returns to his rural family home, he finds his father in the later stages of dementia. After being absent from the family for years, his father's mental decline only adds to the tension between the two and also his sister who was left to pick up the pieces after a massive argument tore the family apart.

To complicate matters further, Nygaard's father insists he has seen a murder on the property. Taking into account his current condition, it is unclear whether the detective should be investigating a current or historic crime, or if he saw anything at all.

As the investigation unfolds, a rich family who own the local mining company become involved, and Nygaard tries to uncover the connection they had with his parents up to thirty years earlier. Family history and relationships, local politics and detective Nygaard's own personal demons all play a part in this twisted web of secrets and lies, leading to an unpredictable conclusion.

As a debut novel I was really impressed with Where Ravens Roost. It did have many of the Scandi Noir elements that I love, but wasn't as dark as a lot of these types of novels. The plot focused more on the history and family tensions rather than gory details and murder scenes.

I was a fan of the main character Kjeld Nygaard and thought his back story was really interesting. I would love to read a prequel which explores an incident that was referenced throughout the story and how this situation unfolded. At the same time, there were relationships left open at the end of the story that would be interesting to explore in further instalments. A fantastic start to what should be a promising series!