Publication
Vintage, c2006 (2003).
Collection
Series
Status
Available
Description
At a grand Reykjavik hotel, the doorman has been stabbed in the dingy basement room he called home. It is only a few days before Christmas and he was preparing to appear as Santa Claus at a children's party. The manager tries to keep the murder under wraps. A glum detective taking up residence in his hotel and an intrusive murder investigation are not what he needs. As Detective Erlendur quietly surveys the cast of grotesques who populate the hotel, the web of malice, greed and corruption that lies beneath its surface reveals itself. Everyone has something to hide.
Media reviews
I cannot recommend Voices, or its two predecessors, highly enough. To be uplifted in this life, sometimes you have to drink from the well of the melancholic and fractured, and that's what is on the menu here. Arnaldur Indridason and Bernard Scudder have emerged as giants of this genre. But beware,
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the grip of their works is as icy as it is addictive Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member lit_chick
It’s Christmas, and Reykjavik is besieged with international tourists seeking an exotic holiday vacation. The festive mood is interrupted at a five-star hotel when Santa is discovered murdered – his body found in a dingy basement room, and in a most compromising position. Erlendur heads up the
True to form, Indridason has a couple of subplots in the works as well. Eva Lind, Erlendur’s addict daughter, has been straight for some months following a very near brush with death. But she’s struggling again and doesn’t know how much longer she can “hold out.” And Erlendur’s colleagues are working a case involving a young boy whose been badly beaten, allegedly by school thugs. But the facts of the case don’t ring true; and although the boy remains steadfastly silent, the father looks awfully suspect.
Indridason’s trademarks are on full display here: a layered and intricate plot; suspenseful, quick-moving story; varied and interesting characters. Oh, and can’t forget a love interest (or at least the hint of one) for Erlendur. Recommended!
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ensuing investigation which unfolds over five days. He soon learns that Santa, also the hotel doorman, was a child star, an unsurpassed operatic soprano whose original recordings have recently been determined to be worth millions. Motive?True to form, Indridason has a couple of subplots in the works as well. Eva Lind, Erlendur’s addict daughter, has been straight for some months following a very near brush with death. But she’s struggling again and doesn’t know how much longer she can “hold out.” And Erlendur’s colleagues are working a case involving a young boy whose been badly beaten, allegedly by school thugs. But the facts of the case don’t ring true; and although the boy remains steadfastly silent, the father looks awfully suspect.
Indridason’s trademarks are on full display here: a layered and intricate plot; suspenseful, quick-moving story; varied and interesting characters. Oh, and can’t forget a love interest (or at least the hint of one) for Erlendur. Recommended!
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LibraryThing member richardderus
Dear Goddess, can Iceland really be this bleak?! This is one of the grimmest, saddest, most joy-sapping books I've ever read. And I quite simply couldn't put it down. I was vacuumed into the book's slipstream as soon as I read the first page...who uses the word "fracas" to describe a murder
But no way in Hell do I want to make a trip to Reykjavik now! It would be too gruesome, seeing all the places I now know from Arnaldur Indriðason's sad slay-fests. And I'd be looking at every 50-ish redheaded man a little too intensely, just to make sure I didn't cross paths with Mr. Bad Luck Erlendur. *shiver* I get the feeling he'd leach the body heat out of passers-by, he's so frozen inside.
Would I recommend it? Yeah, but not to the tender of spirit. Just no, no, no for the delicate. (mckait, the Terris, Linda) Caro and Mark'll love it. It's a nicely built book, though in common with the first one it's got some very untidy dingle-dangles that make me itch, hence the three stars. I feel like a mystery isn't fully ready for market until the clues are woven up, and if you're gonna tell me more than one story, the second one better be important to the first in SOME way. *grrr*
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investigation?...and it kept me flipping pages until 2:40a EST.But no way in Hell do I want to make a trip to Reykjavik now! It would be too gruesome, seeing all the places I now know from Arnaldur Indriðason's sad slay-fests. And I'd be looking at every 50-ish redheaded man a little too intensely, just to make sure I didn't cross paths with Mr. Bad Luck Erlendur. *shiver* I get the feeling he'd leach the body heat out of passers-by, he's so frozen inside.
Would I recommend it? Yeah, but not to the tender of spirit. Just no, no, no for the delicate. (mckait, the Terris, Linda) Caro and Mark'll love it. It's a nicely built book, though in common with the first one it's got some very untidy dingle-dangles that make me itch, hence the three stars. I feel like a mystery isn't fully ready for market until the clues are woven up, and if you're gonna tell me more than one story, the second one better be important to the first in SOME way. *grrr*
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LibraryThing member msf59
Christmas in Iceland. Lovely hotel, snow-covered boulevards. Sounds seasonably romantic, unless of course a hotel employee, dressed as Santa Claus is found stabbed to death in a basement room and then…well, not so much.
Inspector Erlendur is called in, with his team of investigators. At first
Erlendur has much in common with another popular Scandinavian detective, Kurt Wallander. Both are middle-aged, grumpy loners, dealing with difficult daughters. They are also both excellent police officers.
This is the 3rd of a terrific series. Yes, the tone can be somewhat gloomy but there is enough humor and suspense to keep the pages turning.
Inspector Erlendur is called in, with his team of investigators. At first
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glance, this quiet doorman/handyman is a complete blank slate, even though he has worked and resided at this hotel for over twenty years. Who is this guy? Slowly, Erlendur begins to peel the layers back, and mysteries begin to unfurl, like the petals of a tainted rose.Erlendur has much in common with another popular Scandinavian detective, Kurt Wallander. Both are middle-aged, grumpy loners, dealing with difficult daughters. They are also both excellent police officers.
This is the 3rd of a terrific series. Yes, the tone can be somewhat gloomy but there is enough humor and suspense to keep the pages turning.
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LibraryThing member ctpress
The third in the Erlendur-detective series. Another solid crime from Iceland. A fat doorman is found killed in the basement of an hotel - it turns out he was a famous choirboy as a child - what does his past have to do with the murder?
To me this novel felt more relaxed than the first two, and with
To me this novel felt more relaxed than the first two, and with
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more irony and jokes - almost all of the action takes place at a hotel in Reykjavik during the christmas holiday - and it has an Agatha Christie plot structure where you’re suspecting a lot of persons - the staff, a hotel guest, family member. In Erlendurs own life there’s a blooming love interest and he’s trying to open up about his traumatic past and the death of his older brother. My favorite so far in the series. Show Less
LibraryThing member edwardsgt
Once you get to grips with the Icelandic names and characters this is an engaging and different crime story, set in the run-up to Xmas at a hotel in Rejkjavik, where a doorman and occasional Santa has been murdered. The identity of the murderer had me guessing most of the way to the end.
LibraryThing member ffortsa
A doorman at a fancy hotel is found murdered a few days before Christmas, and the police are initially at a loss to know more about him than his name. But bit by bit, they unearth his past, his family, his secrets, and the secrets of the hotel itself. The detective has some secrets and history of
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his own. The author doesn't shy away from interweaving the investigation and the investigator's private life, as each sheds light on the other. Excellent. Show Less
LibraryThing member stevedore
I hope that Erlundur and his friends and family are not an accurate depiction of Iceland's people - if they are = what a depressing place.
LibraryThing member bhowell
A doorman of a Reyjavik hotel is found stabbed to death minutes prior to his appearance as Santa Claus for a children's event at the hotel. Detective Erlundur investigates with his team during the frantic week before Christmas, taking up residence in the hotel. Highly enjoyable
LibraryThing member cameling
In the week before Christmas, when all is calm and all is bright, someone came into a small room in the basement of a hotel and stabbed the hotel's doorman as he was dressing to play Santa to the children that afternoon. Are doormen so invisible to the rest of the hotel staff that nobody, not even
Inspector Erlendur tries to piece together the background of the victim with the assistance of his team. His list of suspects grow with each day he spends in the hotel. Finding a motive for killing what appears to be an almost homeless elderly man who had just been sacked from his job anyway proves to be a challenge.
In his own inimitable fashion, Inspector Erlendur sifts through the lies most of the people he interviews tell to find the secrets they are trying to hide. Why would a British record collector want with the victim? Why does the dead man's family appear to have no compassion for him? What secrets did the dead man have to hide himself and were they strong enough to warrant his murder?
As Inspector Erlendur grapples with the dark and seedy side of Iceland, we also learn of an incident in his childhood that left a deep scar within him.
A well crafted murder mystery with twists and turns at every corner.
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the hotel manager, knew anything about his habits, his background or even where he came from? And why would someone want to kill Santa?Inspector Erlendur tries to piece together the background of the victim with the assistance of his team. His list of suspects grow with each day he spends in the hotel. Finding a motive for killing what appears to be an almost homeless elderly man who had just been sacked from his job anyway proves to be a challenge.
In his own inimitable fashion, Inspector Erlendur sifts through the lies most of the people he interviews tell to find the secrets they are trying to hide. Why would a British record collector want with the victim? Why does the dead man's family appear to have no compassion for him? What secrets did the dead man have to hide himself and were they strong enough to warrant his murder?
As Inspector Erlendur grapples with the dark and seedy side of Iceland, we also learn of an incident in his childhood that left a deep scar within him.
A well crafted murder mystery with twists and turns at every corner.
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LibraryThing member miyurose
Though I enjoyed the first two books in this series, I found this one to be a little dull. I couldn’t get interested in the plight of Gudlaugur, the murdered Santa. We never got enough of a sense of who he really was to develop any sort of feelings about him. Despite the looming Christmas
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holidays and the transient nature of Erlendur’s pool of suspects, there was no sense of urgency or danger. Indridason likes to combine a couple of different storylines, and even the secondary plot, the mystery of the abused boy that Elinborg was investigating, fell flat. There was nothing to tie it into the overall story, and no solid resolution at the end. We did learn a little more about Erlendur as he stumbles through his life in his socially inept way, but even there there wasn’t much progress made, other than a little more understanding between him and his troubled daughter Eva Lind. If you’d like to try Indridason, I recommend his previous book, Silence of the Grave, but you can give this one a pass. I’ll probably read the next book because I enjoy reading about Indridason’s Iceland, but I’ll be hoping for a whole lot more. Show Less
LibraryThing member bcquinnsmom
This may be Indridason's best yet...it is simply outstanding. I thought the last one (Silence of the Grave) was excellent, but I liked this one even more. It is one of the darkest mysteries I've ever encountered and the time flew by as I was reading. I couldn't put it down. Most highly recommended
Voices begins with the discovery of a dead ex-doorman in his basement room at the hotel where he used to work. It's Christmas time in Reykjavik, and the doorman has been found wearing a Santa suit (he was supposed to play St. Nick at a hotel Christmas party), the pants down around his ankles and stabbed through the heart. There is very little for the police to go by except for a condom. As he begins his investigation, Erlendur, along with his team Sigurdur Oli and detective Elinborg, realizes that there is no one who really knew the dead man at the hotel, even though he had worked there for years. Obviously this makes his job more difficult. He begins delving into the life of the doorman and his investigations lead him into the doorman's rather strange past -- but does it have anything to do with his death? That's what Erlendur must discover. There's also some strange happenings at the hotel, a case of severe child abuse, and Erlendur has his own daughter Eva Lind to contend with as well. And it's Christmas -- a depressing time for many people.
It's a police procedural but it's also a psychological look at what makes families tick & why family relationships are often the way they are. It's humorous in spots, but overall, this is a bit morose and dark. The mystery is solid and readers will not be disappointed. Highly recommended.
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-- for serious mystery readers and those who enjoy Scandinavian mysteries and haven't yet discovered this author. You may wish to read them in order, however. Voices begins with the discovery of a dead ex-doorman in his basement room at the hotel where he used to work. It's Christmas time in Reykjavik, and the doorman has been found wearing a Santa suit (he was supposed to play St. Nick at a hotel Christmas party), the pants down around his ankles and stabbed through the heart. There is very little for the police to go by except for a condom. As he begins his investigation, Erlendur, along with his team Sigurdur Oli and detective Elinborg, realizes that there is no one who really knew the dead man at the hotel, even though he had worked there for years. Obviously this makes his job more difficult. He begins delving into the life of the doorman and his investigations lead him into the doorman's rather strange past -- but does it have anything to do with his death? That's what Erlendur must discover. There's also some strange happenings at the hotel, a case of severe child abuse, and Erlendur has his own daughter Eva Lind to contend with as well. And it's Christmas -- a depressing time for many people.
It's a police procedural but it's also a psychological look at what makes families tick & why family relationships are often the way they are. It's humorous in spots, but overall, this is a bit morose and dark. The mystery is solid and readers will not be disappointed. Highly recommended.
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LibraryThing member TrishNYC
Santa is found dead a few days before Christmas in one of Sweden's high end hotels. Detective Erlendur is called in to investigate the crime and as he delves deeper into the hotel and its staff he finds lies, secrets, drug addicts, blackmail and possible thieves.
This is book three in a mystery
This is book three in a mystery
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series that features Detective Erlendur and though I have not read the previous two books, I did enjoy this book very much. It is dark, sad, gloomy and extremely pessimistic but still manages to be hopeful and enjoyable at the same time. I was glad to read a book where police officers did not feel the need to shoot anyone or brandish weapons. Though the storyline of the haunted detective with many personal problems has been so done, it is still fresh here. As you read, you find that though you are extremely curious to find out how Santa died, you are also interested in the back stories that surround the victim, the suspects and even the police officers investigating. The book is really sad and contemplative while speaking to the mistakes we make as we try to navigate life, the people we hurt along the way both intentional and by accident and most importantly the loneliness that plagues many. The mystery was also well done and though I wish there was a bit more to it, I am not complaining. Show Less
LibraryThing member EdGoldberg
Whe a hotel doorman who also plays Santa for the children of the hotel's employee's at their annual party is found in his bed in his tiny basement closet of a room, with his pants down around his ankles and wearing a condom, Erlendur and team are called on the case. As with the first two books in
Indridason certainly comes up with interesting plots, this one involving collecting vinyl recordings. As always, Erlendur's daughter, Eva Lind plays a recurring role, having been roused from the coma she was in in the last episode.
The Inspector Erlendur series is a steady series, always interesting. As I said before, he's almost like Columbo in his rumpled clothing. The books are fast reads (2-3 days tops). So enjoy yourselves.
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the Erlendur series, the crime is impacted by events decades earlier and the book goes back and forth between past and present.Indridason certainly comes up with interesting plots, this one involving collecting vinyl recordings. As always, Erlendur's daughter, Eva Lind plays a recurring role, having been roused from the coma she was in in the last episode.
The Inspector Erlendur series is a steady series, always interesting. As I said before, he's almost like Columbo in his rumpled clothing. The books are fast reads (2-3 days tops). So enjoy yourselves.
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LibraryThing member ansate
5 stars means "I'm going to read it again."
I think the thing that strikes me most is the dialogue - confusion, empathy and sarcastic humor all manage to come across mainly through what people say instead of through the brute force of character description. Even when we do get character description
The only thing that stuck me as off were the scenes with Marion Briem - probably because they are meant to be outside the normal flow of the investigation. They just feel like a running joke from the author that I'm not in on.
This has the true hallmark of a good mystery - I didn't figure out whodunit, but it made sense when revealed. (The previous book in the series seems more of a procedural - I didn't think I had enough clues to try to guess. That's fine too, but I do like a good mystery.)
I'm looking forward to the American edition of the next book!
I think the thing that strikes me most is the dialogue - confusion, empathy and sarcastic humor all manage to come across mainly through what people say instead of through the brute force of character description. Even when we do get character description
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it's usually more about what else they do than a list of adjectives. I can identify with Elinborg's baking, Sigurder Oli's stress about getting home to his wife, and Erlender's solitairy reading habit. The only thing that stuck me as off were the scenes with Marion Briem - probably because they are meant to be outside the normal flow of the investigation. They just feel like a running joke from the author that I'm not in on.
This has the true hallmark of a good mystery - I didn't figure out whodunit, but it made sense when revealed. (The previous book in the series seems more of a procedural - I didn't think I had enough clues to try to guess. That's fine too, but I do like a good mystery.)
I'm looking forward to the American edition of the next book!
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LibraryThing member caitemaire
It is the week before Christmas and we are in the far north, almost guaranteed a snowy, white holiday. But it you looking for a cozy mystery perhaps you should look elsewhere because this book would seem to fall distinctly in the category of 'noir', defined in Merriam-Webster as “crime fiction
The holidays are approaching, and in the basement of Iceland's very popular Grand Reykjavik Hotel, a body has been found. The victim of the brutal stabbing is the hotel's doorman, discovered half dressed in the suit he was going to wear to play Santa at an employee party. Found with his pants down around his ankles, in a very compromising position, in the nasty, empty little room in which he lived. Called in to investigate is Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson and his team, each with their own very distinct personalities. Erlendur is himself a rather bleak yet compelling character. Divorced for decades, almost a stranger to his two now grown, troubled children, he might seem at first an unlikely sympathetic character. But as with all the folks here, we learn that what we first at see is not all there is to the story.
For example, Erlendur is still haunted by the death of his younger brother when they were both just children, the boy lost forever on a snowy Icelandic moor, while Erlendur was found and saved.
“He was older and was responsible for his sibling. It had always been that way. He had taken care of him. In all their games. When they were home alone. When they were sent off on errands. He had lived up to those expectations. On this occasion he had failed, and perhaps he did not deserve to be saved since his brother had died. He didn't know why he had survived. But he sometimes thought it would have been better if he were the one lying lost on the moor.”
That death and his sense of responsibility for it has colored ever aspect of his life since and is perhaps one reason he find himself at an almost total loss as to how to deal with his own daughter Eva Lind, a drug addict, suffering her own guilt over the death of her prematurely born daughter. Bit it is also why he is so dedicated to his job.
And besides the murder, there is also woven another little subplot of a young boy who has been very severely beaten, maybe by his father. But again, there is more to this than meets the eye.
Yes, there is a lot of angst in beautiful, snowy Iceland this Christmas.
While the story and the setting and the writing itself are spare and a bit bleak, the author's great ability to develop these characters, including even the victim, and a glimpse of Icelandic culture, raises what might otherwise be an ordinary police procedural to another level. The third in a series, along with 'Jar City' and 'Silence of the Grave', 'Voices' is a very fine stand alone mystery. I know that I will be going back and reading the previous two and then will catch up on the latest, 'The Draining Lake'.
Now if I could just get the hang of these Icelandic names...
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featuring hard-boiled cynical characters and bleak sleazy settings.” Yes, cynical...and yes, bleak...and in “Voices” that is a very enjoyable thing.The holidays are approaching, and in the basement of Iceland's very popular Grand Reykjavik Hotel, a body has been found. The victim of the brutal stabbing is the hotel's doorman, discovered half dressed in the suit he was going to wear to play Santa at an employee party. Found with his pants down around his ankles, in a very compromising position, in the nasty, empty little room in which he lived. Called in to investigate is Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson and his team, each with their own very distinct personalities. Erlendur is himself a rather bleak yet compelling character. Divorced for decades, almost a stranger to his two now grown, troubled children, he might seem at first an unlikely sympathetic character. But as with all the folks here, we learn that what we first at see is not all there is to the story.
For example, Erlendur is still haunted by the death of his younger brother when they were both just children, the boy lost forever on a snowy Icelandic moor, while Erlendur was found and saved.
“He was older and was responsible for his sibling. It had always been that way. He had taken care of him. In all their games. When they were home alone. When they were sent off on errands. He had lived up to those expectations. On this occasion he had failed, and perhaps he did not deserve to be saved since his brother had died. He didn't know why he had survived. But he sometimes thought it would have been better if he were the one lying lost on the moor.”
That death and his sense of responsibility for it has colored ever aspect of his life since and is perhaps one reason he find himself at an almost total loss as to how to deal with his own daughter Eva Lind, a drug addict, suffering her own guilt over the death of her prematurely born daughter. Bit it is also why he is so dedicated to his job.
And besides the murder, there is also woven another little subplot of a young boy who has been very severely beaten, maybe by his father. But again, there is more to this than meets the eye.
Yes, there is a lot of angst in beautiful, snowy Iceland this Christmas.
While the story and the setting and the writing itself are spare and a bit bleak, the author's great ability to develop these characters, including even the victim, and a glimpse of Icelandic culture, raises what might otherwise be an ordinary police procedural to another level. The third in a series, along with 'Jar City' and 'Silence of the Grave', 'Voices' is a very fine stand alone mystery. I know that I will be going back and reading the previous two and then will catch up on the latest, 'The Draining Lake'.
Now if I could just get the hang of these Icelandic names...
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LibraryThing member fieldsli
Recommended for fans of dark, introspective, police procedurals.
LibraryThing member jnavia
Voices, by Icelandic author Arnulder Indridason, is a good, gritty, thriller/mystery that takes place during the Christmas season is Inspector Erlunder Sveinsson and his colleagues, Elinborg and Sigurdur Oli, are called to one of the largest hotels in Reykjavik as it is filling with international
The hotel manager would like to have the murder hushed up and rushed out so as not to drive off the tourists. “For God’s sake, it’s only the doorman,” he says, and insists to the police that the crime had to do with drugs or prostitution, but Inspector Erlunder is not convinced. As they delve into Gulli’s personal life and background to try to determine why someone would kill this seemingly affable but lonely man, they find no dearth of possible suspects and other devious characters.
This is Indridason’s third Reykjavik mystery translated into English by Bernard Scudder. All three, Jar City, Silence of the Grave, and now Voices, involve Inspectors Erlunder, Elinborg and Sigordor Oli. Erlunder’s personal life, especially his relationship with his troubled, drug-addicted daughter Eva Lind, features prominently in the series. These mysteries are not only powerful, fascinating detective novels, but they also explore current social issues in the dark, disturbed underside of Reykjavik. Although you may want to read all three in order to understand Erlunder and his daughter’s relationship better, the mysteries stand alone and the books can be read out of order. The beautiful ending to this novel has stayed with me since I finished reading it early last month.
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tourists come to celebrate the holiday in Iceland. The recently-fired doorman of twenty years, Gudlaurgur "Gulli" Egilsson, has been found in the basement room of the hotel where he had lived since he started working there. Every year, Gulli had entertained tourists in his Santa suit, and that is what he is dressed in when a maid finds him slumped on his bed, his head against the wall, his red trousers down around his ankles. He was obviously interrupted during a sex act; a fresh, fatal knife wound glistens on his chest.The hotel manager would like to have the murder hushed up and rushed out so as not to drive off the tourists. “For God’s sake, it’s only the doorman,” he says, and insists to the police that the crime had to do with drugs or prostitution, but Inspector Erlunder is not convinced. As they delve into Gulli’s personal life and background to try to determine why someone would kill this seemingly affable but lonely man, they find no dearth of possible suspects and other devious characters.
This is Indridason’s third Reykjavik mystery translated into English by Bernard Scudder. All three, Jar City, Silence of the Grave, and now Voices, involve Inspectors Erlunder, Elinborg and Sigordor Oli. Erlunder’s personal life, especially his relationship with his troubled, drug-addicted daughter Eva Lind, features prominently in the series. These mysteries are not only powerful, fascinating detective novels, but they also explore current social issues in the dark, disturbed underside of Reykjavik. Although you may want to read all three in order to understand Erlunder and his daughter’s relationship better, the mysteries stand alone and the books can be read out of order. The beautiful ending to this novel has stayed with me since I finished reading it early last month.
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LibraryThing member mfh1399
Excellent mystery, right up there with Henning Mankell series..a fast read , also.
LibraryThing member lovemybooks
This is about as good as crime fiction gets, with a dark landscape, an interesting lead inspector, and a heartbreaking crime. Full of psychological insight and small bits of subtle humor woven throughout keeps the book from being overwhelmingly depressing. A fast and easy read that you will want to
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finish in one setting. I can't wait to read more from this series. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mijk
Indriðason does it again. This is seedy, dirty, claustrophobic Iceland seen through the muting shades of a thin, stretched stained sheet, from the inescapable cruelties of village life to the hidden, secret squalor of the city behind the tacky, deceitful facades of tourism. It's Iceland and
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couldn't be anywhere else, but it's also the anywhere of the backstage of consumer globalization. It's about the way the beauties of the past are lost while their traumas shape forever those who live through them, or who die inside long before their time on the planet is over, casting their life and soul into shadow forever, for whom even death becomes humiliation. So it's great, but not in a good way, not at all. Show Less
LibraryThing member reader68
Read in paperback form. English translation published in 2006. No. 3 in Detective Erlendur series. Different from first two books (Jar City, Silence of the Grave) - not as grim or dark. Includes some pleasant descriptions of Icelanic winter scenes. Hotel doorman found dead in his small room in
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basement of hotel. Everyone has a secret. Read in March. Show Less
LibraryThing member usuallee
Solid Scandinavain mystery. 3rd in the excellent erledur series.
LibraryThing member ASKelmore
Best for:
People who like mysteries set around Christmastime.
In a nutshell:
Detective Erlendur is called to investigate a murder that took place at a hotel a week before Christmas.
Worth quoting:
N/A
Why I chose it:
I’m enjoying having something somewhat easy to read in between more substantial books.
Review:
I said in my last review that I was hoping this author wasn’t committed to having women always (only?) be the victims of the crimes his detective investigates, and I got my wish with this one. While a woman does play a prominent role in the investigation, the story involves the murder of a man who was formerly a renowned choirboy.
This story definitely has a more claustrophobic feel than the previous two books. Erlendur spends the duration of the novel staying in the hotel where the murder took place, taking his meals, meeting with his daughter, and of course, investigating the crime. It’s snowing out, Christmas is approaching, and there’s both a sense of urgency and a sense of calm in the book.
The book also does an interesting job of exploring the expectations families put on children, and how when they may not live up to those expectations — either by circumstances, or by choice — parents can be cruel in response. It also looks at how people who are perceived as being different are treated, both as children and as adults. Kind of a lot of a mystery, eh?
It took my a month to read the book, but not because it was a hard read. I just had to allow myself the time to get into it - this can’t be a book you read a couple of chapters at a time - this is a good book to pick up at lunch and commit to reading all afternoon.
Keep it / Pass to a Friend / Donate it / Toss it:
Donate it
People who like mysteries set around Christmastime.
In a nutshell:
Detective Erlendur is called to investigate a murder that took place at a hotel a week before Christmas.
Worth quoting:
N/A
Why I chose it:
I’m enjoying having something somewhat easy to read in between more substantial books.
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That sounds like an insult, but I don’t mean it that way at all.Review:
I said in my last review that I was hoping this author wasn’t committed to having women always (only?) be the victims of the crimes his detective investigates, and I got my wish with this one. While a woman does play a prominent role in the investigation, the story involves the murder of a man who was formerly a renowned choirboy.
This story definitely has a more claustrophobic feel than the previous two books. Erlendur spends the duration of the novel staying in the hotel where the murder took place, taking his meals, meeting with his daughter, and of course, investigating the crime. It’s snowing out, Christmas is approaching, and there’s both a sense of urgency and a sense of calm in the book.
The book also does an interesting job of exploring the expectations families put on children, and how when they may not live up to those expectations — either by circumstances, or by choice — parents can be cruel in response. It also looks at how people who are perceived as being different are treated, both as children and as adults. Kind of a lot of a mystery, eh?
It took my a month to read the book, but not because it was a hard read. I just had to allow myself the time to get into it - this can’t be a book you read a couple of chapters at a time - this is a good book to pick up at lunch and commit to reading all afternoon.
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LibraryThing member Brumby18
Excellent whodunit, found the characters complex, complete and cryptic. All good
LibraryThing member gypsysmom
I've read several of these Detective Erlendur books now but I started with one of the later ones, Arctic Chill, which spurred me on to find some of the earlier books in the series. I actually read the first book twice because it goes by two different titles, Tainted Blood and Jar City. This is Book
This book is set just before Christmas and Christmas in Iceland seems to be quite a big deal. In fact quite a few tourists come to Reykjavik at this time of year to take in the celebrations. So when a murder takes place in a hotel the manager is concerned that the investigation not disturb any of the guests. The victim was the hotel doorman, Gulli, and he was killed just before he was due to appear as Santa Claus at the party given for the children of the hotel employees. He appeared to have been killed in the middle of a sex act because he had a condom hanging from his penis. Gulli lived in a small room in the basement of the hotel and that was where his body was found. He didn't own much and the only decoration in the room was a poster from a Shirley Temple film called "The Little Princess".
Bit by bit Detective Erlendur and his associates find out details about Gulli's life. When he was a young boy he had an angelic voice and two recordings were made of him singing. His voice broke when he was appearing on stage for a big concert at the age of 12. The two recordings are now quite valuable as a collector from Britain tells Erlendur. This collector becomes the prime suspect but he denies that he was responsible for Gulli's death. Erlendur stays in a room in the hotel partly to immerse himself in the case but also because Christmas is a lonely time of year for him. His daughter, a drug addict trying to stay clean, visits him a number of times and even provides some help with the case. Erlendur is hoping to clear up the case before Christmas and then take his daughter to his apartment for a Christmas Eve dinner. He is able to meet this deadline but his daughter has started using again which certainly puts her at risk. Nevertheless they head off into the night to have a traditional meal of lamb and Erlendur gets a call from a woman who might become someone important in his life wishing him Merry Christmas.
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#3 so I have missed one book, Silence of the Grave, which I may try to read if I run across it.This book is set just before Christmas and Christmas in Iceland seems to be quite a big deal. In fact quite a few tourists come to Reykjavik at this time of year to take in the celebrations. So when a murder takes place in a hotel the manager is concerned that the investigation not disturb any of the guests. The victim was the hotel doorman, Gulli, and he was killed just before he was due to appear as Santa Claus at the party given for the children of the hotel employees. He appeared to have been killed in the middle of a sex act because he had a condom hanging from his penis. Gulli lived in a small room in the basement of the hotel and that was where his body was found. He didn't own much and the only decoration in the room was a poster from a Shirley Temple film called "The Little Princess".
Bit by bit Detective Erlendur and his associates find out details about Gulli's life. When he was a young boy he had an angelic voice and two recordings were made of him singing. His voice broke when he was appearing on stage for a big concert at the age of 12. The two recordings are now quite valuable as a collector from Britain tells Erlendur. This collector becomes the prime suspect but he denies that he was responsible for Gulli's death. Erlendur stays in a room in the hotel partly to immerse himself in the case but also because Christmas is a lonely time of year for him. His daughter, a drug addict trying to stay clean, visits him a number of times and even provides some help with the case. Erlendur is hoping to clear up the case before Christmas and then take his daughter to his apartment for a Christmas Eve dinner. He is able to meet this deadline but his daughter has started using again which certainly puts her at risk. Nevertheless they head off into the night to have a traditional meal of lamb and Erlendur gets a call from a woman who might become someone important in his life wishing him Merry Christmas.
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Language
Original language
Icelandic
ISBN
9780099494171
Original publication date
2003
2006 [English: Scudder]