When animals appear in a book’s title they are frequently more metaphorical than physical, but these menacing black beasts play an important part of the story in this character-driven slow-burn Swedish mystery. These ravens are pets – of a kind – kept by the father of police detective Kjeld Nygaard. Their apparently aggressive inclinations, savagely sharp talons and brutal beaks quite literally scarred young Kjeld for life. His return to the family farmstead as a troubled adult in a difficult situation is shaded by everything the ravens represent – and by their gradual neglect and decline with the passage of time.

Although it’s billed as the first in the series, Kjeld already has a substantial and controversial back story. The author avoids acres of exposition but instead gradually reveals the complex conflicts which both motivate and undermine this intriguing character. The story is set in an isolated community in the far-flung reaches of northern Sweden, close to the borders with Norway and Finland and a far cry from Kjeld’s chosen home of cosmopolitan Göteborg in the ‘civilised south’. It’s the perfect scenario for small-town claustrophobia and bitter life-long rivalry.

The subject of an aging relative suffering from cognitive decline has become a staple of much crime fiction in recent years – undoubtedly reflecting a reality which many readers experience. Here, the uncertainty about Kjeld’s father’s state of mind is adroitly employed (but not exploited) to muddy already mysterious waters. Can you believe a confused old man when he says he’s witnessed a murder? And if you then find a body… can you believe that the old man is entirely innocent of any involvement in the crime?

Ravens is not without episodes of intense peril and devious misdirection although the plot sometimes takes its own sweet time to get to an obvious conclusion. It’s typical of its genre in focusing on the shameful secrets of previous generations, the sins of the father that warp the psyche of their offspring. This is a multi-generational mystery, one which drags corporate corruption and shameful family secrets out of the shadows and into the icy light of understanding. The perfect mystery for a chilly winter.

8/10

Excellent thriller! 
Kjeld is on suspension due to a complicated case involving his best friend who happened to be a murderer.  After twelve years of no communication,  his dad, Stenar, call him, rambling about a murder in his barn. 
Kjeld drives home convinced Stenar, suffering from Alzheimer's had a moment of clarity. The local police brush it aside - an old friend from childhood and the police academy. 
Yet Kjeld finds a tooth in an old crow's nest. Someone is lurking in the barn - trying to dig up a body. 
Family secrets and dynamics drive this addictive plot. 
Loved the characters - descriptions,  interactions,  sibling relationships,  marriage. Spot on. Great suspense and twists.

I very much enjoyed this book. There are interesting characters, intriguing backstories and a plot including twists that I didn't see coming.

The main character, Kjeld, is returning to his father's home after receiving a message from his father claiming that he has witnessed a murder. Kjeld is a cop and is currently off work after an incident that we learn more about as the book progresses.

Immediately there is a mystery over Kjeld's family and why he hasn't been home for 12 years. Over time we meet Sara, his sister, and Stenar, his father who is struggling with dementia, and build up a picture of their family. 

There's a real sense of claustrophobia as Kjeld returns home to a small town place that he was glad to escape from. The fact that there's perpetual gloom and barely any hours of daylight adds to the mood.

I liked how the author doesn't fall into stereotypes in how she portrays her character, particularly with women characters. Kjeld meets someone he used to know when he was younger, Hanna, and they sleep together, but this doesn't result in complications or stress on either side.

Sara is great as someone who you can completely understand in terms of her frustration in feeling left to look after her dad and her kids while Kjeld enjoys his freedom. But while you understand where she is coming from, because the early parts of the book are from Kjeld's perspective, you also see how bitter and unpleasant she can appear to others.

The plot is really nicely planned out, and there's an ease with which the story unfolds. There are plenty of surprises along the way. And the story is also touching in terms of exploring the misunderstandings that can exist within families and why people matter to us even while we try to escape them.

I was impressed to learn this is the author's first novel - it reads as a very accomplished and confident story. I would definitely recommend it and look forward to future novels from Karin Nordin.

My first  Scandi-noir read, a dark story that has family history running through out. The booked started slow and then kept at a steady pace of suspense and mystery. overall a enjoyable read

Family emergency brings a Swedish detective from Gothenburg to his rural home. The ravens of the title are an unsettling theme throughout the book and Kgeld's father has devoted his life to looking after them and the environment.

Any fictional detective has to have a messy life and Kgeld  is no exception to this rule. Their last big case had ended  badly but his current partner broke off from the resulting enquiry to help Kgeld  after a body was found in the raven's enclosure.

Much family history has to be disinterred before the case is solved.

This is a very good debut novel in the Scandinavian noir genre. Inspector Nygaard is currently suspended when he receives a phone call from his estranged father. He drives across Sweden to find his father has witnessed a murder in his barn. it's a slow burner of a tale, with good characterisation and beautiful descriptions of the wild landscape, with family secrets unfolding. My thanks to Net Galley for my ARC.

Where Ravens Roost is the first instalment in the Scandi-noir Detective Kjeld Nygaard series, set in Jämtland, Sweden. The story centres around Kjeld Nygaard, a troubled police detective inspector who has escaped his home town of Varsund, a mining community in a remote part of western Sweden and is now based in Gothenburg. The prologue opens with Nygaard's estranged father, Stenar, being rudely awakened by the call of ravens shortly after 11 PM one evening. He unlocks the door and feels the cool Autumn air rush in before beginning the long walk through the claggy mud and debris in the yard between the house and the old barn and rookery that was dimly lit under the sliver of a crescent moon. As he approaches the barn the birds' caws become ever more pronounced so with torch in hand he steps towards the entrance but stops in his tracks when he hears a voice. Angry. Cackling almost maniacally. Then another altogether different voice. Sharp and trill. He was sure he knew that voice. Then as quickly as they had arrived they ceased along with the sound of the ravens. What he had witnessed both shocked and confused him. A short time later, Kjeld receives a muddled and sinister voice message from his father stating that he has witnessed a murder in the barn and is reluctantly compelled to return to Varsund despite the twelve years that have elapsed since they last spoke. In part to bring some relief from his mounting troubles in Gothenburg, including the  "temporary leave of absence" from PD as a result of reckless behaviour — shooting — during an arrest, but also to try to rebuild burned bridges.

He makes the 10 hour drive up to his northern Swedish hometown, a stones throw from both the Norwegian and Finnish borders. Upon his arrival he finds everything in disarray and his resentful and bitter sister informs him that Stenar is in the last stages of Alzheimer's. Nygaard rapidly reports the matter to the police but a lack of evidence coupled with his father's illness, lead the local police to quickly dismiss the claims. But Kjeld has a hunch and decides to go rooting around in the old barn and rookery, and on discovering a human tooth in a raven's nest in the barn, is convinced that there may be some truth in his father's story. It doesn't take long before more human remains are discovered... and things become increasingly dangerous for Kjeld. This is a compulsive and engrossing work of Scandinavian crime featuring the best elements of the Scandi noir genre yet the story remains fresh and interesting, with plot twists that keep you reading. It's a dark, atmospheric read set in a farmhouse in the remote countryside surrounded by dense woodland that translates into a unsettling and claustrophobic undertone that runs the length of the mystery. There's plenty of intrigue, mystery and a plethora of twists and turns with a wild and chilling plot. There is never a dull moment and the narrative never fails to keep you engaged and captivated throughout. Nygaard is a larger than life character who is deeply flawed making him relatable and human with both strained family and work relationships and more than a few skeletons in his closet. I can't wait to see him develop and evolve as a character as we come to know more about him. Highly recommended.

This is an enjoyable murder mystery set in the northern part of Sweden. It’s almost winter, it gets dark close to noon, it’s a small town where people rarely get away. Think dark, bleak, hopeless. The setting helps echo the difficulties our main character has. Kjeld, a detective who works further south in a large city, returns to his remote northern home after a desperate and panicked voicemail message from his long-estranged father. Kjeld navigates strained family dynamics while grappling with his father’s advanced Alzheimer’s, past hurts and grievances, oh and a possible murder on his family’s property.

On top of all that, Kjeld is in trouble with his own police department, has difficulties forming healthy relationships of any kind, and is quite selfish. Nevertheless, flaws and all, he’s an enjoyable character to follow and root for, and the mystery is interesting. I did figure out one twist extremely early on. It was so obvious I sort of wondered if the author purposely revealed that one, just to get the reader thinking about what it meant on a larger scale. It certainly did not hinder my enjoyment of the story, and there were other nice surprises. The final reveals were not at all shocking, but more of a natural progression of logical events. I would call this more of a character study/murder mystery than tightly wound suspense; I enjoyed reading it.

Oh and yes there really are ravens, who are pretty integral to the story. They lend a nice symbolism of family dynamics with them appearing as precious and wonderful to one character and scary and terrifying to another. That dichotomy is at the root of Kjeld’s difficulties with his father. And, they lend a nice creepy vibe to the story and setting.

This is a fantastic debut novel, it is well-written and completely gripping. I have been captivated and unable to put this one down. 
This wonderful debut, is unpredictable and completely filled with suspense and twists. I have devoured this wonderful book in just one sitting. This read has been one that I didn't expect to be as pulled into. 
I adore the cover of this one, it is what initially drew me to this book. It definitely hasn't disappointed and I feel that Nordin has a very strong and promising career ahead as a write. I have definitely been converted as a fan following this book. 
This is an atmospheric read which has completely pulled me in and been utterly impossible to put down. I have loved this book from start to finish.

I love a good Scandi-noir, and this doesn’t disappoint with an entertaining tale about a slightly-disgraced Swedish detective who feels compelled to visit his long-estranged father in the rural countryside. He heads to the home where for years his father has kept ravens in a barn, but is now suffering from dementia and is talking about having witnessed the murder of someone.

We get deep into the weeds of family history, local politics and the reasons why Kjeld Nygaard left the area in the first place. Nygaard is an interesting character – with lots of backstory hinted at, but left to be explored.

The portrait of a small town, miles from anywhere, and heavily reliant on local industry, adds to the overall tone of the book. You can certainly feel the place. 

All in all, an entertaining read.

Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC.

Where Ravens Roost by Karin Nordin

I'd call Where Ravens Roost Scandi Domestic Drama Noir. Yes, there are crimes and there is a body and a murder, but I feel like the real story is the inner workings of Detective Kjeld Nygaard, his family, and his relationship with every single person he knows. He's always felt like his dad didn't love him, thought he was worthless, didn't care what happened to himself. This story is dark because the days are icy wet, extremely short and getting shorter, and there is a sense that everything in the Varsund is falling apart, decaying, returning to the earth. 

Kjeld's estranged father calls him, saying he's seen a murder. Kjeld can't make sense of what his dad is saying and drives to his family home to find out from his sister that his father is suffering from Alzheimer's. Still, Kjeld thinks that his father really did see something, at some time, and he wants to get to the bottom of his father's concern. Soon a body is found, the police are investigating Kjeld's ailing father for murder, and someone is trying to kill Kjeld. 

Underlying all of this is that fact that Kjeld has burned to the ground his relationships with almost anyone he's known. Kjeld's thoughts are dark, his mood is black, he won't talk to the people he needs to talk to the most. People do care about Kjeld but he's his own worst enemy and won't see that fact or allow it to be true. I hope that this isn't the first story of Kjeld and his career, which is in smothers because of happenings that would make another really good book. 

Thank you to HQ Digital and NetGalley for this ARC.

I think this was my first venture into reading crime novels set in Sweden - and it's also written by a Swedish author which was a bonus - and I can happily say that I wasn't disappointed by what I read. Although it had a marginally slow start I saw this as a gradual lead-up to the reveal of what the whole novel is centred around, which turned out to be a complex mystery that kept me so gripped that I finished the whole thing within a few hours! 
I really enjoyed seeing snippets of the family's past throughout; the reasons for why things are the way the are between Kjeld and his family - the fact that the title actually corresponds with an element of the story and made sense when I was reading. As someone who has friends in this community, and am a big supporter of, I also appreciated the LGBTQIA+ representation in the story through the main character Kjeld, who I found loveable despite his flaws and whose character development definitely shone through for me. The  mystery, as I have said, was gripping, and by the end I was sitting on the edge of my bed to find out if my guesses on the answers to certain questions, were right. Great first book in the series; if arcs of the sequels become available on Netgalley, I will definitely request to read them, as I'm intrigued to see where the author will take me next in Kjeld's story.

This is a great read. 
Inspector Kjeld Nygaard has grown apart from his father, Stenar, and it’s been more than a decade since he saw him or his sister. 
Kjeld gets a muddled call from his father saying he's seen a murder in the barn, so he heads home to find out what’s going on. 
He’s given a cool reception from his sister as she has been coping with their father’s dementia as well as looking after her own family. 
Kjeld calls the local Police but they say there’s no evidence of a murder, even though he’s found a tooth. 
Someone returns and when Kjeld gives chase he loses them but when his father looks in the barn, the body has been unearthed. 
The local Police are more willing to help this time, but want to arrest Stenar. 
This is a bit of a slow burner which follows Kjeld, a suspended detective as he tries to unravel the death and the mysteries from the past surrounding this. 
Thanks to HQ and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC of Where Ravens Roost by Karin Nordin.  This story was artfully woven, unpredictable and with great character build.   This mystery was an enjoyable read.

Personal relations for Detective Kjeld Nygaard are complicated and he has a tendency to run away from dealing with the conflict. But when his father calls out of the blue saying that he’s witnessed a murder, he runs headlong into open family wounds without a care about the consequences. A crime may have been committed but suspicion is creeping closer to home and his father maybe implicated.  But how is this mysterious incident linked to a mining deal and the entitled family that will benefit?  The past is about to come crashing into the present with this brooding thriller. 

The opening for the book is compelling and very atmospheric.  The descriptions of the ravens and the way they loom over the events are quite eerie. You feel for Nygaard with his dislike of the birds and his reluctant acceptance that his father seemed to care more for them than him. 

I really enjoyed this introduction to a flawed detective who has a lot of potential.  Nygaard is at times unlikeable, but there is a spark of something in his character that draws you in and makes you want to see how he evolves.  The enfolding mystery was engrossing and it respectfully dealt with the emotional subject of a parent with Alzheimer’s.    I can’t wait to read the next case with Nygaard.

A very enjoyable book set in Sweden.  Kjell, a police inspector, gets a call from his estranged  father, who suffers from Alzheimer, that there is a body buried in his barn.  Kjell is currently on suspension for shooting a suspect so decides to return home.  Uncovering what happened in the barn unravels a lot more than he could realise.  
The story is well written and moves at a good pace.  There is a back story about his suspension that is never fully explained so hopefully this is the first in a series.  I look forward to it.

Karin Nordin has got it right, an exception piece of writing, full of suspense and intrigue. 
Wonderful characters that are easy to imagine and the descriptions of the countryside etc bring you right into the story too.
Definitely a must read.
A received this book for free from NetGalley and wanted to give an honest review.

My thanks to the Author publishers and NetGalley for providing me with a Kindle version of this book to read and honestly review.
I am a big fan of 'Scandi Noir ' books and this debut is up there with some of the best, perhaps not in the league of 'The Millennium Trilogy ' or 'Mercy' but a quality read. Atmospheric absorbing clever and well written, engaging from start to finish. Excellent characters who you could relate to, and so descriptive at times i could actually feel the cold, hopefully Kjeld and partner will appear again with more books to come in this series. Also call me an old romantic but I would also hope that Hanna will also make a return.
Totally recommended.

I was excited about this book, however it just wasn’t  for me, although I did finish it. 
Kjeld returns to his family home when he receives a call from his father to say he’s seen a murder in the Raven shed. But his father has dementia so kjeld isn’t sure if he’s telling the truth. 
Most of the story is about Kjeld revisiting his past, building new relationships with family and friends, but not much time was spent working out what happened. It wasn’t a complicated plot and I’d already guessed part of it halfway through. I felt it dragged too much and there wasn’t much suspense.

This is a murder-mystery set in Sweden, so one automatically think: “Scandi Noir”.  However, this book is not quite in that genre, no serial killer, no gruesome details; more “Scandi Gris”, if there was such a subdivision.  It is, however, a well written story, authentic in its depiction of the short days and long nights in the wilderness area in the far North of the country and a sensible and rational plot with believable characters.  
Kjeld Nygaard, a Detective Inspector in Gothenburg is currently on a ‘temporary leave of absence’ for overstepping the line during the arrest of the perpetrator in his most recent (successful) arrest.  While trying to avoid his erstwhile partner he gets a worrying call from his father, Stenar – worrying because it is garbled but claims that there has been a murder, and worrying because he has been estranged from his father for the last twelve years.  Partly to escape his troubles in Gothenburg, he decides to follow up the strange message and returns to the family home, a Farmhouse hidden in the forest.  He finds his father is in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, with his sister calling in everyday to look after the old man.  He is confused but with random burst of lucidity, so the question is: did he really see a murder?
The murder supposedly occurred in the barnlike roost next to the house, where Stenar keeps his collection of Ravens – a hobby started by his grandfather.  Kjeld had been attacked by them as a child and had retained a fear which affects some of actions.  The police, represented by an old colleague of Kjeld,  have checked, but there is no evidence of such an event.
In the background, but becoming more prominent, is the Mining company who operate in the adjacent area and who may be encroaching on Stenar’s land.  One of their partners is missing!  The author does a fine job in pulling these strands together and the ending is very satisfactory.
I would like to thank NetGalley, the publishers and the author for providing me with a draft proof copy for the purpose of this review.