by Sólveig Pálsdóttir
Translated by Quentin Bates
Cover Design by Cade Roach
Published by Corylus Books
If you haven't ventured over to Corylus Books yet, now is the time to start! There's such a great list.
This is another gem.
*A retired, reclusive woman is found on a bitter winter morning, clubbed to death in Reykjavik's old graveyard. Detectives Guðgeir and Elsa Guðrún face one of their toughest cases yet, as they try to piece together the details of Arnhildur's austere life in her Red House in the oldest part of the city.
Why was this solitary, private woman attending séances, and why was she determined to keep her severe financial difficulties so secret?
Now a stranger keeps a watchful eye on the graveyard and Arnhildur's house*
With a fascinating cast of characters adding spicy intrigue with their own back stories, readers will be drawn in instantly & want to dive deeper into the details.
There are several layers to this venture & we might not be able to untangle the carefully knotted threads easily but what would a Sólveig Pálsdóttir crime thriller be without some level of misdirection?
Amongst a wide mix of evidence types, a few old school elements of police work - fingerprints - meeting technology in the form of memory sticks, crossover details might cloud the air. Add in some deception & money drama & we're all set.
Brace yourself!
With limited or questionable evidence & new assignments cropping up, it's never going to be as clean-cut as anyone might hope.
The details in the characters really lend themselves to the gritty style of this writing. Once again the Quentin Bates translation lets us immerse ourselves in a story that grabs you & keeps hold with the Icelandic setting as its own unique character.
Check out other titles from Corylus Books. They're all 100% recommended.
Thank you for having me on this tour.
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