this was my first Icelandic novel, I picked one at random just to understand the fuss about Nordic authors and I wasn't disappointed. However, all the "minor" stories combined with the main plot could sometimes be a little bit confusing at the beginning, in particular the details about the detective's personal life (but it's partly my fault I guess since I didn't start with the author's first novel). Overall, it's an entertaining book, worth reading Detective Erlandur investigates a suicide of a woman depressed by the recent death of her mother and convinced she will contact her from the grave. The case is an quickly ruled an open and shut suicide but Erlandur has nagging doubts and becomes obsessed with following them up on his own time. At the same time, he investigates the long forgotten cold cases of two young people who disappeared around the same time years ago without a trace. The father of the young man is in ill health and desperately wants to find out what happened to his missing son before he dies. Erlandur, who lost his little brother in a blizzard when they were children, understands and empathizes with his grief only too well and becomes determines to find what happened to both missing youth. A fictional detective I read somewhere made the key point that it's not what you suspect but what you can prove. This becomes the true test for Erlandur who is working these cases solo, off the books, for the express purpose of exacting justice for the suicide victim and the missing and presumed dead, teenagers. Driven by his obsession with finding the truth, Erlandur risks his livelihood by pursuing these unauthorized cases wherever they lead in a sort of, one man crusade. Which of course, is what makes him such an fascinating protagonist.
What do You think about Kälteschlaf (2007)?
Another tense thriller from Anraldur Indridason.
—GennJackson
