The Ice Princess

The Ice Princess is the Swedish crime writer Camilla Lackberg's 2003 debut novel. The English translation came in 2008. I liked this one. It was an easy read and had likble, interesting characters. The setting is well-described so that I felt I could actually picture everything in my mind. I thought the plot devoted too much energy to the growing romantic relationship between 2 of the main characters, but that's just my personal preference. I didn't like it well enough to seek out more of the author's work.

from the dust jacket:

Returning to her hometown of Fjallbacka after the funeral of her parents, writer Erica Falck finds a community on the brink of tragedy. The death of her childhood friend, Alex, is just the beginning. Her wrists slashed, her body frozen in an ice-cold bath, it seems that she has taken her own life.

Erica conceives a book about the beautiful but remote Alex, one that will answer questions about their own shared past. While her interest grows into an obsession, local detective Patrik Hedstrom is following his own suspicions about the case. But it is only when they start working together that the truth begins to emerge about a small town with a deeply disturbing past....

Already a sensation across the globe, Camilla Lackberg and her penetrating portrayal of human nature at its darkest are sure to place her alongside Scandinavian greats like Henning Mankel and Stieg Larsson.

Euro Crime calls it "a comfortable, cosy read" and says, "I shall definitely read the next one and maybe the personal relationship side between Erica and Patrik will have moved to the background a little and the mystery angle will be to the fore." Kirkus Reviews calls it "rather formulaic" but "Still, good reading for the beach, if not the sauna."