terrific Icelandic police procedural

books:


	• Jar City: A Reykjavik Thriller Arnaldur Indridason Picador, 2005 - 304 pages average customer review:based on 34 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Jar City Review

great suspense. all sites mentioned are authentic providing a sense of realism. Characters are believable.

VIOLENCE AND MURDER, ICELANDIC STYLE

I thought this book was one of the most exciting thrillers of the year. Keeping in mind that it is in translation, the writing is fairly minimalist, leaving out long descriptions and the unnecessary details some authors are prone to. This has the effect of paring down the story right to the action, which never stops moving. Yet so effectively does the author use words that one gets a good picture of Icelandic society, the city of Reykjavik, the different industries, the government and the social structure. Certainly I got enough for a good introduction. The author also provides a note on the use of Icelandic names, which differs from that in other countries, and several maps of the country and of Reykjavik. One might think Iceland might be an idyllic environment, but you come away having learned that they have the same problems with crime, drugs, sexual assault, insensitive police, etc. that are often complained about in the United States. And this in a country with a homogenic population. I was fascinated by this book and have already ordered the sequel. A word of caution if you don't have a strong stomach. This is no British drawing room murder. Parts of the story are gruesome and even morbid. They gave the main character nightmares. Then read a little at a time or skip those parts. Try not to miss the book. This is a hit series internationally.

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Brooding

Not much to add to all the comprehensive reviews here, but I can comment on the tone and atmosphere (above). Don't read it if you're feeling down! Otherwise, quite good, complex, thoughtful -- and contains a repeated phrase that becomes a chorus-like commentary and source of questions in this new world of crime: "an Icelandic murder." Any crime at hand either is, or isn't, a 'typical Icelandic murder.' It takes some attention to get a sense of that phenomenon as the story unfolds.
The subplot reflects some issues raised throughout: the mystery of parenthood, our children's inheritance, and the limits of our control and influence as parents. Another source of existential pre-conscious brooding as we follow the twists and turns of the characters' fates...
And "fate," or chance transformed into fate, seems to exert a strong recurring force in this tale.
As with a previous reviewer, I had imagined Iceland to be a brighter, healthier (if colder) place -- a visual confluence of fire and ice -- a place that I'd want to visit. The setting here evokes a black/gray/white landscape reminiscent of 19th century England. How one keeps reading & caring about the various outcomes amid the gloom is the mystery of this author's attraction. The strength of that attraction has led me to open Silence of the Grave, and explore how to obtain Voices for a reasonable price.

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terrific Icelandic police procedural

In an apartment in Reykjavik, Iceland, Detective Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson looks at the corpse of a seventy years old man whose head suffered quite a blow when his partner Sigurdur Oli and a female officer Elinborg arrive at the scene. The murder object is a large ashtray and the killer left behind the note "I am HIM" adding to the sleuth's thought that a crime of passion occurred. When the victim turns out to be a loner Holberg, who allegedly raped and killed many young females, Erlendur believes passion was actually vengeance.

The three cops quickly learn of a documented alleged Holberg rape case thirty years ago in which the victim reported the crime, but the cop in charge let the accused go while blaming the woman. Meanwhile as the police dig through mountains of records to find more information on Holberg's horrific past, Erlendur struggles with his thirty years old pregnant daughter Eva Lind, who uses drugs in spite of the impact on her unborn; he also worries about his other offspring Sindri Snaer who is barely doing better than her sibling. Two new cases involving an assault of elderly twin sisters and the disappearance of a bride just after she married somewhat pulls Erlendur off the homicide. Still he believes the past holds the key to solving the murder mystery so unhappy Sigurdur and less enthusiastic Elinborg dig through mountains of files seeking names linked to Holberg who Erlendur hopes are available for questioning.

This is a terrific Icelandic police procedural starring a dedicated detective whose personal problems with his daughters lifestyles distracts him somewhat, but not enough from trying to solve the three cases. Readers will appreciate the realism of Sigurdur and Elinborg as they do the menial but critical tasks of going through old files. The vanished bride case contains a fun twist that adds to a wonderful mystery novel.

Harriet Klausner

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Excellent Nordic crime thriller

Iceland native Arnaldur Indridason's "Jar City" is an outstanding police procedural written in a style reminiscent of the superb Scandinavian crime authors Mankell and Wahloo & Sjowall.

Indridason's protagonist Reykjavik police inspector Erlendur is summoned to investigate the bludgeoning murder of a reclusive old man named Holberg is his foul smelling basement flat. Aided by his colleagues Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg they discover a mysterious note on the corpse and a black and white photo of a gravesite.

Erlendur meticulously begins to unravel clues that enable him to gain insight into the identity of the victim. It is determined that Holberg, a truck driver had a sordid past, being accused by not convicted of rape many years ago. As Erlendur peels away more layers of Holberg's past he realizes that there are connections to other unsolved and unreported`criminal acts. Following these leads he is able through modern genetic techniques in criminology to navigate his way towards solving this atypical case.

Indridason sucessfully endows a sense of believability to his characters with a considerable degree of developement to their personnae. Eldendur is portrayed as an "everyman" not a superhero. He's a fiftyish long divorced father of two in declining health, who struggles with the fact that both of his kids are drug addicts.

Indridason creates a sense of reality in his portrayal and gives us a taste of the lifestyle in the remote confines of Iceland.

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, page 4, 5, 6, 7

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