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Penguins and People

Marcel Haenen

Struggling to separate her dreams from reality, a young woman investigates the disappearance of her sister ten years earlier ... worried that she might be next. A breathtaking, twisty standalone thriller from the international bestselling author of the Forbidden Iceland series... 'Truly addictive, I inhaled it in a single day' Louise Candlish 'Dark, chilling and so atmospheric' Claire Douglas 'Eva Björg Ægisdóttir just gets better and better' Sarah Pearse 'This is psychological thriller writing of a rare order and evidence that any comments about the demise of Scandicrime are greatly exaggerated' Financial Times 'A complex, increasingly creepy tale of young love, dysfunctional families, long-buried secrets and pen pals who are not what they seem ... Its psychological depth and physical shocks recall the work of the great Ruth Rendell' The Times 'A masterclass of psychological suspense from the superstar of Icelandic noir ... addictively creepy' Daily Express **WINNER of the Blood Drop Award for Iceland's Best Crime Novel of the Year** **SHORTLISTED for the Glass Key Award for Best Nordic Crime Novel** ---------- November, 1967, Iceland. Fourteen-year-old Marsí has a secret penpal - a boy who lives on the other side of the country - but she has been writing to him in her older sister's name. Now she is excited to meet him for the first time. But when the date arrives, Marsí is prevented from going, and during the night her sister Stína goes missing - her bloodstained anorak later found at the place where Marsí and her penpal had agreed to meet. November, 1977. Stína's disappearance remains unsolved. Then an unexpected letter arrives for Marsí It's from her penpal, and he's still out there... Desperate for news of her missing sister, but terrified that he might coming after her next, Marsí returns to her hometown and embarks on an investigation of her own. But Marsí has always had trouble distinguishing her vivid dreams from reality, and as insomnia threatens her san

GenresLiterature & FictionMystery, Thriller & SuspenseThrillers & SuspenseCrimeMysteryInternational Mystery & Crime

300 pages

English edition · First published 2026 by Orenda Books · ISBN 9781917764018

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