In Jar City 2004 we are first introduced to Erlandur, his boss Marion and his two sidekicks. The first four listed are my favourites, perhaps because they were the first I read. Indridason’s other books are Jar City, Silence of the grave, Voices, The draining lake, Hypothermia, Outrage, Black skies, Strange shores, Reykjavic nights. Iceland and Icelandic culture are unknown, so distant from everywhere else in the world that an atmosphere of other permeates the books. The stories are enhanced by the setting of Iceland itself. The human situations revealed also appear real and part of the darker underbelly of life. He is a typical police detective obsessed with his work to the exclusion of all else. Nevertheless, I am fond of Indridason, partly because of the obsessive Erlandur and also his colleagues, children and difficulty with social relationships. But, perhaps this is because I have read the rest of his crime novels before this one.

I was struck by the formulaic relationships and the casual description of his obsession with the past in this novel. It is perhaps not as good as others I’ve read. This book is about the murder of a young Thai boy and explores the issues of racism and immigration in Iceland. Despite all this Erlandur is a rather endearing point of view character. He feels guilty for his indifference to them, but also powerless to do much about it. He is also upset by his relationship with his drug addict daughter and estranged son. Erlandur is obsessed by and guilty for losing hold of his younger brother in a blizzard when he was a child. I think I’ve read all of these Icelandic crime novels featuring the depressive, gloomy and anti-social Inspector Erlandur and his underlings Sigidur Oli and Elinborg. 2008.Īn excellent website for Indridason is Crime fiction lovers. Breadtag Sagas ©: Author Tony, April 2015Īrnaldur Indridason Arctic Chill (2005), Eng transl.

Voices indriðason novel