Detective Erlendur series (book 5)

This book is included in The Icelanders Cometh crowdfunding campaign run by the Jolabokaflod Book Campaign to raise money for UK libraries to spend on titles translated into English by Icelandic authors to mark World Book Night and UNESCO’s World Book and Copyright Day.

Synopsis

A dark-skinned young boy is found dead, frozen to the ground in a pool of his own blood. The boy’s Thai half-brother is missing; is he implicated, or simply afraid for his own life?

While fears increase that the murder could have been racially motivated, the police receive reports that a suspected paedophile has been spotted in the area.

Detective Erlendur’s investigation soon unearths the tension simmering beneath the surface of Iceland’s outwardly liberal, multi-cultural society while the murder forces Erlendur to confront the tragedy in his own past.

Reviews

‘What is it with those Scandinavians? For many years they have been producing crime novels of the most chilling and engrossing nature. However, one man stands out for his sense of highly believable drama, suspense and an almost effortlessly simple, yet captivating delivery. He is Arnaldur Indriðason … one of the brightest sparks on the international crime writing circuit.’ Daily Mirror

‘An utterly absorbing detective story. In Erlendur – morose, grouchy, but hugely likeable all the same – Indriðason has created a character in the Morse/Rebus mould who could stand comparison with either.’ The Scotsman

‘Trenchantly written … stripped-down, sinewy prose’ The Independent

‘Indriðason is as interested in exploring the personalities and the relationships between them as he is in unravelling the mystery…a rounded, suprerior example of the genre.’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Its humanity and insight make it truly memorable’ Sunday Times