Community ties and characters anchor The Long Water

A teenage boy, Daniel, goes missing.

- Charmaine Lim

A body is found, except it is decades old with no identification.

The events shake the county of Nordland, one of the northernmost counties in Norway. Everyone is on edge as accounts of what happened the night Daniel disappeared, and rumours of parties and wild behaviour circulate.

This is the fifth novel by Scottish film-maker and author Stef Penney, best known for her ability to craft rich stories set in the past and in remote locations.

The mystery unfolds through multiple perspectives - misanthropic Svea, her granddaughter Elin, heartbroken teen Benny, lonely teacher Marylen, widower Odd Emil and police officer Hanne Duli Bodogaard. In a place where everyone knows everyone, secrets and tragedies are more intertwined than anyone would like to admit.