An Icelandic Mystery

My Soul To Take
A Novel of Iceland
by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

Snæfellsness, Iceland, 2004

Murder mystery novels are a curious form of escapism. They have the power to transport one far from daily cares into a world wherein the reader can identify not only with the protagonist's struggle and victory, but also with the killer's depravity and downfall. The best of both worlds!

In this book, Yrsa's second, we revisit Thóra Gudmundsdóttir, a very clever lawyer who has a knack for getting involved with murders, this time in an isolated area of Snæfellsness. In farmland located between Snæfellsjökull and the sea a new-age hotel has been built upon the foundation of an old farmhouse and is troubled by bad "auras" and the haunting cries of restless spirits. Thóra is called by the owner to get an opinion on resolving these issues with the former owners of the property.

There has been a lot of activity in the Scandinavian crime-fiction lately, I've reviewed no less than five Arnaldur Indriðason titles, and have also covered Yrsa's first book. This one is considerably better, although not really in the bleak Nordic mystery vein. It is more of a traditional, plot-driven mystery, well done and captivating (I read it in one sitting) but not nearly so psychological or atmospheric as I would have liked. Part of the problem may have been me- I've spent some time in the area where the action occurs, and the memory of those places filled my imagination rather than Yrsa's prose.

Thóra is an appealing protagonist; because she is a lawyer rather than a detective she has more freedom in her actions. Interactions with her family, an ex and a lover all help to enrich her characterization. As in Yrsa's first book, there are numerous plot twists with mumerous characters (you might want to write a relationship diagram) with some real sadness in the multi-path story line stretching back over sixty years. There are plenty of suspects and some nice twists which help pave over rough sections in the plot. I didn't think I'd read Yrsa again, but this book was a pleasant surprise.

TOMORROW: Another mystery novel set in Snæfellsness.

Overlooked Yrsa

Someone to Watch Over Me
A Thriller
By Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
Minotaur Books, 2013

I have long had a nagging suspicion that I had missed one of Yrsa’s Icelandic “thrillers.” Recently I saw this book in the library, confirming my suspicion, of course I just had to take it home and read it.

This is one of the “Thora” mysteries, the protagonist is a lawyer who is contacted concerning an incident that happen a few years prior: a group home for for disabled people had been torched, killing several of its inhabitants as well as the night watchman. Jakob, the only survivor, is a young man with Down’s syndrome and had been convicted of setting the blaze and was incarcerated. While in psychiatric prison he meets Jósteinn, a sexual predator. Jósteinn has an trust fund so is able to hire Thora to prove Jakob’s innocence. Thora has her doubts about Jósteinn’s motives but takes the case anyway and soon discovers irregularities in Jakob’s trial.

There are several parallel threads: a hit-and-run accident that killed a babysitter whose death haunts the woman who hired her, a floundering radio talk show host who receives cryptic calls, and a sleazy lawyer who represented both Jakob and Jósteinn. As the story unfolds, Thora uncovers information about the group home residents and their families that leads to a surprising finish. All of this is played out over a background of the fallout from of Iceland’s 2008 economic collapse (the story takes place in 2010) giving an addition dimension to the story.

This is one of the better Yrsa books. It is a bit messy (don’t look too closely at the plot) and the writing certainly isn’t what one might call terse, but it moves along and I was able to follow the large cast of characters fairly well. This is by far the most “Icelandic”of her books, both in setting and culture.

The Legacy

A Thriller
By Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
Translated by Victoria Cribb
New York: Minotaur Books 2018

It is always a treat to follow a good writer who is getting better.

I have read most of Yrsa’s previous books; the Þóra Guðmundsdóttir series as well as the stand-alone The Undesired. This is the start of the new Freyja and Huldar (Children's House) series. First published in Iceland as DNA, Freya is a child psychologist and Huldar is a newly promoted detective, they are unwillingly thrown into a murder investigation (they have had a brief fling together previously) that soon spirals into something much larger.

This is a proper “thriller”, there as several scenes of almost unbearable horror and suspense. The plot is complex, but Yrsa gives the reader plenty to chew on as it twists and turns on its way to a satisfactory conclusion. There are three more novels in the series, not yet translated, English readers will just have to wait. If they are as good as this one, Yrsa is on a path to usurp Arnaldur Indriðason as the leading Icelandic mystery author. She made a good decision to go with dual protagonists; their awkward interaction keeps things interesting.

Although the plot revolves around quirks in Icelandic law and society, it isn’t a very atmospheric book. Those looking for their “Iceland fix” of places and scenery will be disappointed. It could have easily been set in any Scandinavian country, or even Scotland for that matter. Victoria Cribb’s translation is seamless.

Highest recommendation.

Two Icelandic Thrillers

Snowblind
A Thriller
By Ragnar Jónasson
Translated by Quentin Bates
New York: Minotaur Books 2017

Yet another Icelandic mystery series! I went into this one blind—I found it at the library under the catalog heading “Icelandic.” I ordered it with some other titles and when I got it I plowed through it in a day—a breezy read—it would be a perfect airport book. It is set during the Kreppa of 2008-2009 but almost all of the action takes place in Siglufjörður, a small town on the northern coast of Iceland. Ari Thór Arason, a rookie police officer, gets his first taste of solving crime in a close-knit community with its share of secrets. Almost every character gets a complete back-story. This made for a complicated story, almost fiddly at times, but it is all resolved at the end, although the author couldn't finish without a couple of “cheats.”

When I read the authors bio I wasn’t surprised to learn that the author had translated fourteen Agatha Christie novels into Icelandic! If you are a fan of Agatha, you might get a kick out of this. If you aren’t, this might be a little stodgy; it really is old-fashioned. The writing, while competent, is stiff. The translator is an English writer of Icelandic mysteries as well; the work I've read of his wasn’t exactly great literature either.

The Undesired
A Thriller
By Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
Translated by Victoria Cribb
New York: Minotaur Books 2015

I've reviewed Yrsa before, those books had the lawyer/investigator Þóra Guðmundsdóttir as the protagonist. This book is a stand-alone, the plot is driven by the actions of one Oðin Hafsteinsson, a mid-level bureaucrat at the Icelandic State Supervisory Agency. He had recently started this new job as a way to deal with the death of his ex-wife; he has assumed custody of his 11 year old daughter and needs a more regular schedule. His work  is boring until the death of a co-worker thrusts him into case concerning the activities of a  group home/reform school that had closed forty years earlier.

As “thrillers” go, this one is pretty tepid, and it takes its own sweet time to develop as the story shifts between the past and present.  While it is set in Iceland, at first there is little other than the character names to give it a Nordic atmosphere. Toward the end of the book, however, it does reveal a certain “Icelandic-ness” as it picks up speed and expertly comes to its disturbing conclusion. This is the best book of Yrsa’s that I’ve read but, as I mentioned, you have to make a real effort to stick with it to the end. The translation is pretty British, almost to the point of being a distraction at times, but serviceable.

The Reckoning

A Freyja and Hulder Thriller
By Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
Translated by Victoria Cribb
Hodder & Stoughton, 2018

I’ve been following Yrsa’s career for several years now. It has been a mostly uphill journey, each novel has been better than the previous. Until now. Police inspector Huldur and child psychologist Freyja are an odd couple who once had an unsatisfactory fling, the memory of which constantly comes between them as they are repeatedly forced to work together in their respective professional capacities. This conceit worked well for the first book, but has become tiresome in the second. In fact all of the characters are tired tropes, all are completely repulsive (as might be expected in such a sordid story) which made for a long slog to reach the unsatisfactory ending.

The English version is a UK-only book (so far.) I doubt that this series will get picked up in the U.S., it seems to me that Yrsa has lost her spark.

Snow Day

Flippist World Headquarters, April 14, 2018

I try not to talk about the weather here on FITK, but this is ridiculous. Last weekend an inch of sleet was followed by a foot of snow (with more on the way). In other words, a perfect excuse to curl up with a Nordic thriller. Fortunately, this spring storm did not deter my faithful postman who delivered, through a raging snowstorm, the Icelandic mystery novel Why Did You Lie? by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir.

As far as I know, this is her newest book in the US market. There are newer ones but in UK only release. Yrsa keeps getting better in both her series novels and the stand-alones. This is one of the latter group, a story with three overlapping and parallel time-lines: a trio of maintenance workers and a photographer are helicoptered to a remote lighthouse on a tiny crag on the Icelandic coast, a grieving policewoman is assigned to a make-work job in the department’s archive, and a couple and their son return from a trip to Florida to their house that had been occupied by an American couple in a house-swap arrangement.

From the beginning, nothing is quite “right”, yet for a long time there is no hard evidence that any crimes have been committed. Like her previous novels, Yrsa likes to stretch out the exposition. She has a good eye for the mundane, giving commonplace items a sinister significance. This trick is used in the service of a fairly complex plot that left me guessing until the final “wow” of a denouement. The Icelandic setting is more pronounced here than in some of her other work and the psychology of the characters is definitely filtered through a Icelandic sensibility.  Victoria Cribb’s translation is first-rate. I read a preview copy intended for a UK audience and while it was a bit “English” in its idioms, they weren’t enough to detract from the over-all reading experience.

Highest recommendation.

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

The Doll
A Huldar and Freya thriller
By Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
Translated by Victoria Cribb

Another mystery from "The Queen" of Icelandic crime fiction. I found it in the Keflavík airport on my way home from my recent trip. At 450 pages, it is really a bit hefty for an airplane book, I needed a few days at home to finish it.

A mysterious doll is hauled up from the ocean bed in the Faxaflói bay that abuts Reykjavík. Five years later skeletal fragments are found in the same spot. Those unidentified remains, a missing teen-aged girl and forays into the underbelly of Reykjavík’s drug scene make this a complicated case for Huldar, lead investigator for Reykjavík’s serious crimes unit. Because the girl was in the foster care system, Freya, a child psychologist (and once upon a time Huldar’s lover) is called into the case which quickly expands with additional murders revealed, including some that were initially deemed to be accidents.

Overlaid on all this plottage are vivid descriptions of various locales in Reykjavík. If you are familiar with the city you should get a kick out of them, if not, it won’t be a hindrance. Because the plot is so convoluted, there is a lengthy denouement which does tie up all the loose ends, albeit in a somewhat tedious fashion. This is one of Yrsa’s better novels, if you are a fan of her work you should enjoy it. Qualified recommendation.

Ashes to Dust

by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Philip Roughton (Translator), Minotaur Books, New York, 2012

The third of the Þóra Guðmundsdóttir series (anglicized to Thóra Gudmundsdóttir in the US edition), this mystery continues the adventures of the Icelandic lawyer/sleuth who is drawn into the investigation of four old murders and one modern one. Most of the action takes place in the Westmann Islands where houses which had been buried since the 1973 Eruption are being unearthed for a "Pompeii of the North" attraction. The discovery of three bodies and a head in one of the buildings sets off a chain of events concerning the usual family and small town secrets which are Yrsa's stock in trade. Competently written, although Phillip Roughton's translation is a bit clunky at times, the multiple characters and the minutæ of plot elements remained clear throughout. Not so well handled was any sense of plausibility. The story wrapped up a bit too neatly for all of its messy details.

I've already reviewed to first two entries in the series; this one is a little better that the second (My Soul to Take) and much better than the first (Last Rituals). If your taste in mysteries tends toward the "jigsaw puzzle" type, these books might be just the thing you are looking for. The Icelandic references ring true, especially how the unique set of circumstances around the eruption created a massive upheaval in the lives of those who were present. Just after I finished this book, Rúv broadcast a feature on an actual house which had recently been uncovered! (In Icelandic.)

Mondays in Iceland - #63

The Silence of the Sea
by Yrsa Sigurðardóttir
A Þóra Guðmundsdóttir Thriller
Victoria Cribb, translator

This is the sixth entry in the series centered on an Icelandic lawyer who has a knack for getting involved in gruesome multiple murders. This is the fourth book of Yrsa's that I've reviewed. They've always struck me as being competent, if somewhat uninspired. The strong point in all of these is the plotting, their weakest points are in character psychology and atmosphere. The interaction between Þóra and her assistant Bella is particularly awkward.  Because the story is fairly complex, a good deal of time must be spent in exposition and going over chronological details. This is an important consideration; if you like your mysteries to be nebulous and beguiling you won't enjoy this. Conversely, if you like to have all your "ducks in a row," you will appreciate this novel. 

It is a "ghost ship" mystery—a repossessed luxury yacht crashes into the Reykjavík's Faxaflói Bay with no crew or passengers aboard. The missing passengers, a bank representative and his wife and their twin daughters, were aboard, ostensibly to return it to Iceland, where it could resold by the bank. The story switched between the current investigation and the events aboard the yacht. There are several unnerving incidents aboard ship and as the story progresses things become gruesome. I think that this story would be better experienced as a movie. Nevertheless, it is a compelling read, although I was somewhat disappointed by its ending.

The Absolution

By Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

A Freyja and Huldar Thriller
Minotaur Books, New York, 2016

Another Yrsa novel!

She has been cranking them out for fifteen years now and I’ve reviewed most of them, including five of her Þóra Guðmundsdóttir series, three of her stand-alone efforts, and two other Freyja and Huldar entries.

Freya is a child psychologist and Huldar is a low-ranking detective who have previously had brief fling and are (again!) unwillingly thrown into the murder investigation of a teen-age girl. The deceased girl’s friends are interviewed and it soon becomes apparent that there is much more to this case than meets the eye. When a teen-age boy is violently abducted the focus shifts to his friends and soon a pattern of cyber-bullying emerges in both groups of teens, although they are not connected with each other.

This is definitely one of her better efforts, although I think the stand-alones are better novels. All of her series books have their moments but are oddly hampered by the lack of personality in the main characters. This novel is no exception to that rule, but it is elevated by its unpredictable plot and a good use of its setting in Reykjavík and the surrounding areas. There is also a definite sub-theme on the shallowness of the modern Icelandic social scene and it even throws in a few chuckles at the expense of Freyja’s inept attempts at dating.

Recommended.

Bad Girls and Wild Women

   

Blame it all on the full moon.

This weekend was spent wallowing in pop culture, with a focus on the darker side of femininity. Two films, two books, with some unusual parallels and some striking contrasts between them.

First up: Black Snake Moan. This 2007 film is a morality play of sorts, with Christina Ricci and Samuel L. Jackson both seeking some sort of redemption. Set in the modern south, it would be a mistake to watch this as a "realistic" drama. Almost every scene is charged with symbolism and layered with centuries of meaning. Ricci's character, Rae, is a sexual addict with a bad family history. Jackson's Lazarus is a blues man turned farmer whose wife has just left him for his brother. They meet through fate and the rest of the film has them struggling with each other and the voids in their lives. Despite having Ricci's character clad only in underwear and a 40 pound chain for the middle third of the movie, this is a serious examination of race, gender and relational abuse. It ends with some hope of redemption for its characters, but no promises. The whole cast (even Justin Timberlake!) is excellent. The DVD has a feature about the making of the movie which really adds a lot to understanding some of the themes. A big surprise for me and well worth renting.

Next was In This Our Life, a 1942 melodrama starring Bette Davis and Olivia de Havilland. Set in Richmond Virginia, it was based on the Pulitzer-prize winning novel by Ellen Glasgow and was directed by John Huston. Davis' character Stanley Timberlake (how about that coincidence?) steals her sister Roy's fiance in her frenzied pursuit of attention. The implied incest with her rich uncle suggests the cause of the sexual hysteria present in Stanley's behavior. There is also a racial theme, quite progressive for its era, with a grim, moralistic outcome. This movie is quite "stagey", but Davis really tears into her role.

Turning from the screen to the page, I was thrilled to discover that Lise Erdrich (Louise Erdrich's sister) is also an exciting author in her own right. Night Train is a collection of 31 short (some very short) pieces of "flash fiction" full of wild imagery and uncensored expression. There is a strong undercurrent of American Indian experience. Perhaps best taken in small doses. Were this a blog I'd definitely link to it. Strong stuff, a real trip.

Finally, Last Rituals is a mystery novel by the Icelandic author and civil engineer Yrsa Sigurdardóttir. In it, Þora Gudmunsdóttir, a struggling lawyer and single mother in Reykjavík, is asked to assist a wealthy German family investigate the bizarre, ritualistic murder of their son. This book was a bit of a let-down for me, the writing, while competent, was a bit mundane, thin on psychology; the story's Icelandic backdrops were not very atmospheric. As a mystery there were a few too many quirky plot details resulting in a bit of a messy, improbable ending. It's worth a look- I thought it better than most mysteries I've read lately- but my perception may have been tainted by Arnaldur Indriðasson's superior Inspector Erlendur series.

Two Out of Three

Snare
by Lilja Sigurðardóttir
Translated by Quentin Bates
London: Orenda Books, 2017

A pair of Icelandic crime-thrillers today.

Lilja Sigurðardóttir (sister of Yrsa?) is a new ripple in the wave of Scandinavian crime-fiction writers. Her writing is definitely in the Elmore Leonard vein—taut, no nonsense, and to the point. Sonja, a single mother in Reykjavík, becomes enmeshed with a smuggling group that includes her estranged husband who is trying to wrest all parental rights away from her. Sonja also has a love interest in Agla, a woman being prosecuted in the aftermath of the 2008 Icelandic economic meltdown. Sonja also enters in a economic relationship with Bragi, an aging customs inspector who is willing to turn a blind eye to make some cash to help take care of his ailing wife. All of this leads into the next book:

Trap
by Lilja Sigurðardóttir
Translated by Quentin Bates
London: Orenda Books, 2018

Taking up where Snare left off, Trap gives us the further adventures of Sonja and Agla, as both the smuggling and financial capers ratchet up in intensity. The mastermind of the smuggling ring, Mr. José, takes a special interest in Sonja, and Agla plans the biggest fraud yet to cover-up the smaller ones that she had been perpetuating. All of this is well and good, although the money laundering schemes are fairly abstruse and the smuggling incidents begin to lose appeal after the third or fourth iteration. There is also a third book in the series, Cage, which has just been released. It leaves the drug smuggling behind and focuses on the banking shenanigans. I might skip that one.

The translator for all three of these books is Quentin Bates, who is also a writer of Icelandic crime fiction. It is a serviceable translation but, like the rest of Bates’ work, unexceptional.

Icelandic Book Reviews

Links to FITK reviews of books by Icelandic authors:

Alda Sigmundsdóttir

Arnaldur Indriðasson

Auður Ava Ólafsdóttir

Bergsveinn Birgisson

Bragí Ólofsson

Guðrún Mínervudóttir

Hallgrímur Helgasson

Halldór Laxness

Hildur Knútsdóttir

Jón Gnarr

Jón Kalman Stefánsson

Kristín Eiríksdóttir

Kristín Omarsdóttir

Maria Alva Roff

Oddný Eir

Olaf Olafsson

Ragnar Jónasson

Sigríður Hagalín Björnsdóttir

Sjón

Yrsa Sigurðardóttir

Þórbergur Þórðarson