Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

Sigurðardóttir has gained recognition both in Iceland and far beyond its borders, primarily for her atmospheric and psychologically intense thrillers. In them, she combines classic detective fiction with elements of horror, the supernatural, and a profound exploration of human nature. However, she began her writing career with children’s books.

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir’s books have now been translated into more than thirty languages, although Ukrainian is not yet one of them, and regularly appear on bestseller lists. Particularly popular are the series featuring lawyer Thóra Gudmundsdóttir and the Children’s House series about child psychologist Freyja and detective Huldar.

Biography of the Author

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, whose full name is Vilborg Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, was born on 24 August 1963 in Reykjavík, Iceland. After graduating from Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík in 1983, she enrolled at the University of Iceland, where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering in 1988. In 1997, she completed a master’s degree in the same field at Concordia University in Montreal, Canada.

After completing her studies, she worked as an engineer and served as a technical manager on one of Iceland’s largest infrastructure projects—the Kárahnjúkar Hydropower Plant. She later became a director at Verkís, one of the country’s leading engineering companies, formerly known as Fjarhitun. For many years, she combined her engineering career with writing, but eventually reduced her office hours and made writing books her main priority.

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir began writing books in the late 1990s, initially focusing on children’s literature. Her first children’s book, Þar lágu Danir í því (The Danes Were in Trouble There—a literal translation of the Icelandic idiom, which may also be rendered as “The Danes Got into Trouble” or “That’s Where the Problem Lay”), was published in 1998.

In 2000, the Icelandic branch of IBBY presented her with an award for the book Við viljum jólin í júlí (We Want Christmas in July). In 2003, she received the Icelandic Children’s Book Prize for her novella Biobörn.

In 2005, Sigurðardóttir published her first crime thriller for adults, Þriðja táknið, translated into English as Last Rituals. The novel launched her acclaimed series featuring lawyer Thóra Guðmundsdóttir and brought the author international recognition.

In her novels, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir skilfully combines classic Nordic crime fiction with psychological horror and supernatural elements. Her books regularly top bestseller lists. In particular, the Children’s House detective series, also known as the Freyja & Huldar series, became the basis for the Icelandic drama series Reykjavík 112, which premiered in early 2025. Her more recent Black Ice series was completed with four novels, the final Icelandic instalment appearing in 2024. In 2025, she published a new standalone novel, Syndafall (A Fall from Grace), which immediately reached number one in Iceland.

As of 2026, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir’s works have been translated into more than thirty languages, with total sales exceeding five million copies.

Books by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

She made her literary debut in the late 1990s as an author of humorous children’s stories, but it was her dark crime novels that brought her worldwide fame. Her adult fiction comprises three major detective series and a number of standalone supernatural thrillers. Yrsa Sigurðardóttir’s distinctive style is characterised by realistic depictions of everyday life in Iceland, close attention to social issues, and a remarkable ability to build psychological tension and terror. Her work is commonly classified as neo-noir.

The author’s literary achievements have repeatedly been recognised with prestigious international awards for crime fiction. In particular, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir has twice won the Petrona Award for the Best Scandinavian Crime Novel of the Year: in 2015 for Brakið (The Silence of the Sea) and later for the novel Ghosts of the Past. Her bestselling novel I Remember You also won Iceland’s leading crime-fiction award, the Blóðdropinn, or “Drop of Blood,” and was nominated for the Glass Key Award, the most prestigious crime-writing prize in the Nordic countries.

Books for Adults

The Thóra Guðmundsdóttir series:

• Last Rituals (Þriðja táknið, 2005);
• My Soul to Take (Sér grefur gröf, 2006) — nominated for the American Shamus Award;
• Ashes to Dust (Aska, 2007);
• The Day Is Dark (Auðnin, 2008);
• Someone to Watch Over Me (Horfðu á mig, 2009);
• The Silence of the Sea (Brakið, 2011) — winner of the 2015 Petrona Award.

The children’s house series (Freyja & Huldar / Children’s House):

• The Legacy (DNA, 2014);
• The Reckoning (Sogið, 2015);
• The Absolution (Aflausn, 2016);
• Gallows Rock (Gatið, 2017);
• The Doll (Brúðan, 2018);
• The Fallout (Fallið, 2019).

The Black ice series:

• Can’t Run, Can’t Hide (Lok lok og læs, 2021);
• The Wake (Gættu þinna handa, 2022; English edition published in 2025);
• The Depths (Frýs í æðum blóð, 2023);
• Close Your Eyes (Ég læt sem ég sofi, 2024).

Standalone supernatural thrillers:

• I Remember You (Ég man þig, 2010) — winner of the Blóðdropinn, or “Drop of Blood,” Award and nominated for the Glass Key Award;
• The Undesired (Kuldi, 2012) — winner of the Petrona Award;
• Why Did You Lie? (Lygi, 2013) — longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award;
• The Prey (Bráðin, 2020) — winner of the Blóðdropinn Award;
• A Fall from Grace (Syndafall, 2025) — reached number one in Iceland immediately after its release in late 2025.

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir also works as a screenwriter. In addition to the numerous screen adaptations of her own bestselling crime novels, she has contributed directly to Icelandic television productions, writing individual episodes of well-known series.

Television series she has written for:

• Trapped (Ófærð) — Baltasar Kormákur’s internationally acclaimed Icelandic crime series. Yrsa Sigurðardóttir joined the writing team and contributed to the development of its storylines;
• The Press (Pressa) — a successful Icelandic crime drama centred on journalistic investigations in Reykjavík. Sigurðardóttir wrote several episodes of the series.

Children’s books

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir’s writing career began with works for children and young adults, which she originally wrote for her own children. She created adventurous, educational, and humorous stories that quickly became popular with Icelandic families.

The recognition she received from IBBY and the prestigious Icelandic Children’s Book Prize for her early children’s books gave her confidence as a writer and encouraged her to continue writing—this time for adults.

List of children’s works:

• The Danes Got into Trouble (Þar lágu Danir í því, 1998) — her debut book, built around amusing adventures and linguistic idioms;
• We Want Christmas in July (Við viljum jólin í júlí, 1999) — received an award from the Icelandic section of IBBY in 2000;
• Holidays with Ghosts (Barnið sem hvarf, 2000);
• The Snow Fortress (Snafnakallinn, 2001);
• The Children of the Cinema (Biobörn, 2003) — winner of the 2003 Icelandic Children’s Book Prize;
• The Mystery of the Old House (Sér grefur gröf handa öðrum, 2004).

Iceland Noir Festival

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir is also a co-founder of Iceland Noir, an international literary festival held annually in Reykjavík during the darkest time of the year, in November.

The festival was founded in 2012, with the first event taking place in 2013, by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir together with another popular Icelandic author, Ragnar Jónasson, and British writer Quentin Bates. The idea emerged during their visits to international book forums, where the authors were repeatedly asked why Iceland—the home of dark Nordic noir—did not have a festival of its own. Initially conceived as a small, one-day gathering exclusively for fans of crime fiction, the event has grown over the years into a four-day international cultural festival that explores “darkness” in all its forms, from classic thrillers and horror to poetry, cinema, and television series.

Today, Iceland Noir is regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious literary events. Over the years, its high-profile speakers have included internationally renowned figures such as Dan Brown, Neil Gaiman, Bernardine Evaristo, George R. R. Martin, Richard Osman, and even Hillary Clinton. The festival has become one of the defining features of Reykjavík’s winter cultural scene.

Personal Life

Despite her international fame, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir leads a fairly private life and rarely shares details about her family in interviews. She prefers the public’s attention to remain focused on her books rather than her private life, although a few details are known.

Yrsa has been happily married to her husband, Ólafur, for more than forty years. They met while studying at university. The couple raised two children—a son, Sigurður, and a daughter, Þorbjörg. It was for them that Yrsa originally began writing her first children’s adventure books. She now also has grandchildren, with whom she enjoys spending her free time.

The family lives in a quiet suburb of Reykjavík. The author has often noted that the peaceful and safe life she enjoys in Iceland provides the perfect contrast to the chilling and violent storylines she creates.

For many years, her main hobby was sport, particularly running, which helped her switch between technically demanding work at an engineering company and writing crime novels at night. Her engineering career and book-promotion tours have taken her on extensive travels. According to interviews, she loves Iceland’s wilderness, which often becomes a fully developed character in its own right in her thrillers.

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