Hypothermia
""Arnaldur Indridason has captivated readers with his depiction of the Icelandic landscape." "
Synopsis:
At a summer cottage by Lake Thingvellir in Iceland, Maria, a depressed and bereaved woman, is found hanging in her living room. For Erlendur, the detective involved in investigating the death, it appears to be clear case of suicide - a verdict supported by the victim's husband and friends. But Erlendur has a strong sense of there being something wrong with the case, which is reinforced when Karen, the dead woman's friend, hands him a recording of a séance that Maria attended.
Although deeply sceptical about the séance, the drama that unfolds in the recording throws up questions about the tragic drowning of Maria's father thirty years earlier. Soon Erlendur is embarking upon an unofficial investigation that inadvertently stirs up ghosts of previous missing persons cases which have spanned his career. Will the solving of Maria's murder also bring to a close decades old mysteries? And can Erlendur remain objective when he is still mourning the loss of his brother in the Icelandic snowstorm of his childhood?
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Review:
Arnaldur Indridason has captivated readers with his depiction of the Icelandic landscape. His crime novels are consistent best sellers and each new book is eagerly awaited. This new one certainly does not disappoint. The character of Erlendur is at the heart of the book. He is driven by his own personal demons, which resonate with the reader but are never allowed to get in the way of the mystery. Indridason finds a way of interweaving some of the detective's previous cases to provide a link between them and the current investigation without straining the readers incredulity. Erlendur's personal life, particularly his relationship with his daughter, is also quietly developed without overshadowing the narrative. But what makes Indridason's books stand out is his depiction of his homeland. His evocation of Iceland both past and present shows a land rooted in its natural environment, yet also beset by modern day problems. It is a country where nature can kill but can also mitigate some of the worst effects of modern day urban life.