The Ice Princess (novel)

Erica Falck has returned to her family home in Fjällbacka after her parents died. While coping with the death of her parents, she is trying to work on a biography of Selma Lagerlöf, a Swedish author and the first female writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Patrik Hedström, a detective, is assigned to investigate a case in which the victim, Erica's childhood friend Alex, is frozen in a bathtub. The investigation shows that the young woman's death occurred before she was placed in the tub, allowing the liquid to freeze around her as the temperature dropped far below freezing inside her apartment. Exactly when the furnace went out-of-order is a timely coincidence to the alleged suicide.

At the prompting of Alex's parents, Erica begins to investigate the death of their daughter. Her breakthrough comes when she meets a police officer who is also investigating the mystery; together the two uncover dark secrets within the town.[2] Erica and Patrick's fascination gives way to deep obsession as they struggle to determine the true circumstances surrounding the death.[3] Erica visualizes a memoir about Alex, one that will answer questions about their missing friendship.[4][5]

The difficulty of parent-child relationships is a recurring theme in The Ice Princess.[6] True to the genre of Scandinavian crime fiction (often called Nordic noir), a heavy emphasis is given to characterization and (especially in Lackberg's instance) the development of the small town where the crime occurs. The importance of the location is emphasized by the inclusion of a map of Fjällbacka, and the depictions of the landscape are both colorful and integral to the plot.[7]