One True Word - by Snæbjörn Arngrímsson Paperback

Book Synopsis

A #1 bestselling hypnotic psychological thriller from Iceland, in which a woman abandons her husband on an uninhabited island.

"So gripping I simply couldn't put it down. . . Atmospheric and original with an ending I did not see coming" -- Eva Björg Ægisdóttir, author of The Creak on the Stairs

Why did she do it?

After a day of simmering tension on a trip to an uninhabited island, Júlia finally reaches breaking point. In a fit of fury she makes a reckless decision--leaving her husband Gíó marooned in the middle of a freezing fjord in the depths of the Icelandic winter. As the cold dark of night swiftly approaches, she leaves without looking back.

When she regrets her decision and returns, he is nowhere to be found. There is no trace of him, and no sign of where he may have gone. The police launch a manhunt, but soon their suspicion falls on his wife. In an attempt to shield herself from their speculation, Júlia weaves an elaborate net of lies, trying to convince the police--and herself--of her innocence. But as her story starts to crumble, dark secrets start coming to light.

As time runs out, Júlia races to discover what really happened. But is Gíó alive or dead? In hiding or hunting her down? And can Júlia get to the truth before it destroys her?

One True Word is a #1 bestseller in Iceland that has been acclaimed by authors such as Katrín Jakobsdóttir, the former Icelandic Prime Minister.

Review Quotes

"It's a good bet for thriller fans seeking something off the beaten path"
--Publisher's Weekly

"A good psychological thriller for fans of Ruth Ware's The Lying Game and Alice Feeney's Sometimes I Lie"
--Library Journal

About the Author

Well-known to Icelandic audiences as a children's author, award-winning translator, and a prominent publisher both in Iceland and abroad, author Snæbjörn Arngrímsson has written three mystery novels for young readers. One True Word is his first thriller.

Larissa Kyzer is a writer and prizewinning Icelandic to English literary translator whose work has been supported by cultural institutions in Iceland, the US, and Europe.