New crime novel set in Iceland’s Westman Islands

The Westman Islands’ ‘Pompeii of the North’ excavations are the setting for critically acclaimed Icelandic crime writer Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s new novel ‘Ashes to Dust’, which is released in the UK on 22 July.

In 1973, the Westman Islands, located seven miles off the south coast of Iceland, experienced one of Iceland’s most devastating volcanic eruptions lasting over five months and covering nearly a third of the original town of Heimaey.

Today, visitors can witness the massive impact of the eruption by looking around some of the abandoned homes and buildings that were covered by volcanic ash and lava at the “Pompeii of the North” project.

The ‘Ashes to Dust’ plot focuses on investigations in Heimaey thirty years after the eruption, when human remains are discovered at one of the excavated houses.

‘Ashes to Dust’ is Yrsa Sigurdardottir’s third novel and published by Hodder and Stoughton. It is available from all good book shops and online retailers from 22 July.