Lilja Sigurðardóttir’s Snare optioned for television

Lilja Sigurðardóttir is part of the new wave of Icelandic crime fiction, a now burgeoning and internationally-recognised source of mystery and thriller stories.

The island’s crime fiction community is indebted to the likes of pioneers like Arnaldur Indriðason, Árni Þórarinsson and Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, who forged a furrow for the likes of Lilja and Ragnar Jonasson and others to follow.

Although Lilja has written several novels, Snare was the first to be translated into English (by Quentin Bates) and released in the UK last year, by Orenda Books. Now we hear that the novel has been optioned for TV.

Before we hear from the woman herself, Snare…

After a messy divorce, attractive young mother Sonia is struggling to provide for herself and keep custody of her son. With her back to the wall, she resorts to smuggling cocaine into Iceland, and finds herself caught up in a ruthless criminal world. As she desperately looks for a way out of trouble, she must pit her wits against her nemesis, Bragi, a customs officer, whose years of experience frustrate her new and evermore daring strategies. Things become even more complicated when Sonia embarks on a relationship with a woman, Agla. Once a high-level bank executive, Agla is currently being prosecuted in the aftermath of the Icelandic financial crash.

It’s a fresh, modern thriller and reading it you can see it would work well on television.

I managed to catch up with Lilja at the recent Balham Literary Festival.

“Of course, I was thrilled when I heard because I consider myself a very visual writer and see the stories in my mind. I was really hoping for Snare to become a TV series, so when Palomar Pictures in the US said that they wanted to make a TV series I was really pleased. And then they thought maybe it would be better as a film, but then they changed their minds again. So it’s definitely going to be a TV series.

I am also a scriptwriter for TV, so I was really happy and it maybe gives me the option to have something to do with it even if I always think it’s wise to let go of your babies and let other writers get involved because you can get too close. That’s the magic of TV or theatre or film – it’s a combination of people’s talents.

I’m thinking about whether I should be involved, so I’m open to discussion. It’s usually a five-year process and production doesn’t start until it’s fully financed, so we’ll see. I’m excited to see what happens!”

Let’s hope it comes to light, because Snare is a great read and could make for a really good series.

Saga Norén’s Porsche 911 to be offered for auction

We’re only a few episodes away from the end of The Bridge, but for the cast and crew it’s long gone. One of the questions that many have asked Sofia Helin was whether she was able to keep any of Saga’s props, including her iconic 1977 Porshe 911S.

The car, which has appeared in the show right from the very start, does now have a future – it’s going to be auctioned in the UK in July: it’s to be offered at Bonhams Festival of Speed Sale on 13th July at Goodwood, with proceeds going to international charity WaterAid courtesy of the producers of the hit series, Filmlance, part of Endemol Shine Group, and Nimbus Films.

The Porsche has inspired a cult-like following amongst fans of The Bridge, with dozens of forums dedicated to unravelling the story behind the car and its provenance. Imported to Sweden from San Francisco in 2009, the car is finished in Jäger Grun – an olive green – and has become one of the programme’s undisputed stars.

It was introduced in the first series of the show, known as Bron/Broen in Sweden, and is driven by the show’s main protagonist, the beautiful and enigmatic homicide detective Saga Norén. Her exotic choice of car always aroused jealousy among her co-workers at the Malmö police station and fuelled rumours surrounding the mysterious Norén’s past, which, obviously, were explained in the final series. 

Sofia said: “Saga’s Porsche is not only a big part of my own acting life but has also become part of Swedish TV history. I’m so pleased the sale of this car will go to such a good cause. Through my work with WaterAid, I’ve seen first-hand the difference clean water can make to people’s health, education and livelihoods. Just £15 can provide one person with water so the money raised from the auction will have a huge impact.”

So, time to get saving…

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Channel 4/All4 announce transmission date for Spanish series Night And Day

After the torrid but hugely entertaining time I Know Who You Are put us through we’re keeping an eye open for any new Spanish crime drama.

The next to arrive on our shores is Night And Day (Nit i Dia) thanks to Walter Presents.

It tells the story of Sara Grau, a forensic pathologist married to a high-flying corporate executive named Lluis. Although Lluis and who is desperate to start a family. Sara is secretly unsure and unbeknown to Lluis, has been frequently sleeping with nameless men she meets out late at night. One day, Sara is called to the scene of a car crash in which a woman and a man have died. When Sara is performing an autopsy on the man’s body she recognises a tattoo on his arm – the same tattoo on a man she had a one-night stand with a few weeks back. Very soon, Sara finds herself embroiled in a dangerous web of torture, abuse and scandal with all roads pointing to a serial killer with a penchant for pensioners – known to the police as ‘The Granny Killer’.

Night And Day: Sunday 1st July, 10pm, Channel 4 (then all episodes on All4)