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MYST IND
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Publication
Minotaur Books (2021), 352 pages
Description
Fiction. Mystery. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML: "Fans of Nordic noir will enjoy this performance. For those new to the genre and looking for an easy start, Barrett offers an expert entry into a world of danger and intrigue." ??AudioFile Magazine Retired detective Konrad returns to a haunting cold case in The Darkness Knows by Arnaldur Indridason, the "undisputed King of the Icelandic thriller." ??The Guardian (UK) A frozen body is discovered in the icy depths of Langjökull glacier, apparently that of a businessman who disappeared thirty years before. At the time, an extensive search and police investigation yielded no results??one of the missing man's business associates was briefly held in custody, but there wasn't enough evidence to charge him. Now the associate is arrested again and Konrad, the retired policeman who originally investigated the disappearance, is called back to reopen the case that has weighed on his mind for decades. When a woman approaches him with new information that she obtained from her deceased brother, progress can finally be made in solving this long-cold case. In The Darkness Knows, the master of Icelandic crime writing reunites listeners with Konrad, the unforgettable retired detective from The Shadow District. This is a powerful and haunting story about the poisonous secrets and cruel truths that time eventually uncovers. A Macmillan Audio production from Minotaur Boo… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Birta
When a body is discovered up in a melting glacier, Konráð, a retired Reykjavík detective is pulled back into an unsolved case. Thirty years after the man went missing, the discovery of the body re-opens more lines of inquiry. Konráð goes back into the old case file and re-visits all the angles.
LibraryThing member jfe16
Review of Uncorrected Digital Galley
The discovery of a body, hidden on the frozen Langjökull glacier some for some thirty years, brings retired Reykjavik detective Konrád back into police work as he works on the sidelines to find answers to who killed the businessman, Sigurvin. When Sigurvin, a
But the discovery of Sigurvin’s body renews the investigation in the cold case and Hjaltalín finds himself under arrest once again. Then, the unexpected happens and a woman comes forward with new information that changes everything.
Anchored by a strong sense of place and peopled with strong, interesting characters, this police procedural highlights the frustrations of dead ends and insufficient information for those investigating the crime. This is as much a character study of Konrád as it is a mystery/police procedural.
The plot takes some unexpected twists along its way to a surprising event involving the often-enigmatic yet sympathetic Konrád. The focus on how the decades-old crime shattered so many lives brings a grim, humanistic reality to the telling of the tale.
Frustratingly, some threads remain dangling, most notably the reference to Konrád having been unfaithful to his wife, Erna. And Konrád’s relationship with his father is never fully resolved.
Despite moments when the story seems to ramble, it holds the reader’s attention; fans of Icelandic noir, police procedurals, and mysteries will find much to appreciate here.
I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#TheDarknessKnows #NetGalley
The discovery of a body, hidden on the frozen Langjökull glacier some for some thirty years, brings retired Reykjavik detective Konrád back into police work as he works on the sidelines to find answers to who killed the businessman, Sigurvin. When Sigurvin, a
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business associate, Hjaltalín, had been the prime suspect when Sigurvin disappeared, and, throughout the investigation, remained the only suspect despite the fact that there was not sufficient evidence to bring charges against him. But the discovery of Sigurvin’s body renews the investigation in the cold case and Hjaltalín finds himself under arrest once again. Then, the unexpected happens and a woman comes forward with new information that changes everything.
Anchored by a strong sense of place and peopled with strong, interesting characters, this police procedural highlights the frustrations of dead ends and insufficient information for those investigating the crime. This is as much a character study of Konrád as it is a mystery/police procedural.
The plot takes some unexpected twists along its way to a surprising event involving the often-enigmatic yet sympathetic Konrád. The focus on how the decades-old crime shattered so many lives brings a grim, humanistic reality to the telling of the tale.
Frustratingly, some threads remain dangling, most notably the reference to Konrád having been unfaithful to his wife, Erna. And Konrád’s relationship with his father is never fully resolved.
Despite moments when the story seems to ramble, it holds the reader’s attention; fans of Icelandic noir, police procedurals, and mysteries will find much to appreciate here.
I received a free copy of this eBook from St. Martin’s Press / Minotaur Books and NetGalley
#TheDarknessKnows #NetGalley
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LibraryThing member bfister
A body is found exposed on a glacier in Iceland, resurrecting a (literally) cold case. A retired cop, still bothered by that murder case, is asked to visit a man who has always insisted on his innocence, but who is also a compulsive liar, which doesn't help his case. When a woman asks the former
And I mean slowly. I'm a great fan of Arnaldur's books but this one didn't draw me in as the others did. Konrad, the retired detective, is as gloomy as Erlander but without a team of detectives to lighten things up and provide some contrast. The mystery itself didn't have the social roots that made many of the Erlander series engaging, or the narrative brio (such as the two timelines in Silence of the Grave). The pace picked up toward the end, but overall I found myself disappointed, perhaps because my expectations for this author are high.
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detective to find out who killed her brother in a hit and run, a connection between the two deaths slowly emerges. And I mean slowly. I'm a great fan of Arnaldur's books but this one didn't draw me in as the others did. Konrad, the retired detective, is as gloomy as Erlander but without a team of detectives to lighten things up and provide some contrast. The mystery itself didn't have the social roots that made many of the Erlander series engaging, or the narrative brio (such as the two timelines in Silence of the Grave). The pace picked up toward the end, but overall I found myself disappointed, perhaps because my expectations for this author are high.
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LibraryThing member eyes.2c
As always an impressive contribution to the Nordic Noir arc by Indridason!
Climate change has revealed a body in a glacier. A case that goes back 30 years or so and that has haunted retired detective Konrad.
Called back to investigate the case he and we, start slowly but as the trajectory gains
A St. Martin's Press ARC via NetGalley
Climate change has revealed a body in a glacier. A case that goes back 30 years or so and that has haunted retired detective Konrad.
Called back to investigate the case he and we, start slowly but as the trajectory gains
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momentum Konrad uncovers twists and turns that intrigue and satisfy.A St. Martin's Press ARC via NetGalley
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LibraryThing member TomDonaghey
The Darkness Knows (2021) (Konrad #1) by Arnaldur Indridason. This is another very good entry into the Nordic Noir genre. It is a police procedural and private deceive novel rolled into one. As a setting, Iceland is a very good place to be. It is small but, to most Americans, somewhat exotic. The
Konrad was a Police detective and retired several years before the beginning of this story. There is a lot of his back story herein, given in small chunks that make them more palatable. There is the death of his wife which triggered his retirement. There is the murder of his father when he was a child that may have spurred him into the Police. There is a thirty ear old cold case, one of the few possible murder cases that has gone unsolved in Iceland. And there is the emergence of the missing man’s body from a glacier, thanks to Global Warming.
In 1985 a businessman goes missing. He was last seen being yelled at by his former partner, who is supposed to have threatened to kill him. But there was no body discovered, no crime scene revealed, and the partner swears to an alibi, but will not give details. He is allowed to go free but suspicion hangs over him and ruins his life.
The case had been Konrad’s and he is now lured into investigating for two reasons. First, he is asked by his friend, Marta, now a high ranking official, to talk with the newly redetained suspect from the past. The suspect will only talk to Konrad. He proclaims his continued innocence.
Secondly, the sister of a man who was killed seven years ago in a hit and run incident asks him to search into the incident. Her brother, Villi, had long talked about seeing a mystery vehicle near where the dead man’s car was found. Perhaps Villi had finally spoke to the wrong person.
This is a rather lengthy book. but there is a lot of back story. The mystery surrounding his own father’s murder haunts Konrad to this day and events in the book look to harken a second story into the past.
I enjoyed reading this although there were times when is seemed to drag. Overall is was a very good story of detection, undoing the lies of the past, digging up new leads and finally bringing justice to the guilty parties. It is only too bad that real life doesn’t always work this neatly.
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Northern Lights compete with erupting volcanos, either extremely long or short days, and a people proud of their land.Konrad was a Police detective and retired several years before the beginning of this story. There is a lot of his back story herein, given in small chunks that make them more palatable. There is the death of his wife which triggered his retirement. There is the murder of his father when he was a child that may have spurred him into the Police. There is a thirty ear old cold case, one of the few possible murder cases that has gone unsolved in Iceland. And there is the emergence of the missing man’s body from a glacier, thanks to Global Warming.
In 1985 a businessman goes missing. He was last seen being yelled at by his former partner, who is supposed to have threatened to kill him. But there was no body discovered, no crime scene revealed, and the partner swears to an alibi, but will not give details. He is allowed to go free but suspicion hangs over him and ruins his life.
The case had been Konrad’s and he is now lured into investigating for two reasons. First, he is asked by his friend, Marta, now a high ranking official, to talk with the newly redetained suspect from the past. The suspect will only talk to Konrad. He proclaims his continued innocence.
Secondly, the sister of a man who was killed seven years ago in a hit and run incident asks him to search into the incident. Her brother, Villi, had long talked about seeing a mystery vehicle near where the dead man’s car was found. Perhaps Villi had finally spoke to the wrong person.
This is a rather lengthy book. but there is a lot of back story. The mystery surrounding his own father’s murder haunts Konrad to this day and events in the book look to harken a second story into the past.
I enjoyed reading this although there were times when is seemed to drag. Overall is was a very good story of detection, undoing the lies of the past, digging up new leads and finally bringing justice to the guilty parties. It is only too bad that real life doesn’t always work this neatly.
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LibraryThing member EdGoldberg
Climate change has melted some of the ice covering on Iceland’s glaciers, unfortunately revealing a frozen and preserved body to a group of German tourists. The body is identified as that of businessman Sigurvin, who disappeared 30 years prior. A person of interest, Hjaltalin, was seen arguing
With the discovery of the body, Hjaltalin is rearrested. Forensic evidence shows that Sigurvin was murdered by a blow to the head. Hjaltalin has consistently declared his innocence and tells the police he will speak to no one but Konrad, who, he believes, was not convinced of his guilt 30 years earlier. Thus, Konrad is drawn into the case.
Simultaneously, Konrad is visited by a woman, Herdis, whose brother, Villi, was killed in a hit and run 8 years earlier. That case, too, was never solved. Herdis is convinced that Villi’s death was no accidental hit and run, but is somehow involved in Sigurvin’s murder, that her brother had witnessed something as a child that ultimately got him killed.
Obviously, there would be no book if Konrad in his ‘unofficial’ investigation didn’t uncover new evidence, lies made in the original investigation, and ineptness of investigating officers.
The Darkness Knows is pure Arnuldur Indridason. While not as dark as his Erlendur series, it still has its moments. Konrad muses about the death of his wife six years earlier and his living alone. He thinks about the murder of his scheming father, another case that was never solved. He still antagonizes former colleagues. He is still dedicated to the cause of truth. And he still ruminates about the case he couldn’t solve.
One review called Konrad an “irresistible lead.” Arnuldur never fails to please. His favorite authors are Martin Beck and Maj Sjowall and Per Whaloo, so I’d suggest these authors for great reads.
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with Sigurvin prior to his disappearance but there was no evidence and no body. Thus, although Hjaltalin was skewered by the press, no charges were brought. The detective on the case was Konrad, currently retired. With the discovery of the body, Hjaltalin is rearrested. Forensic evidence shows that Sigurvin was murdered by a blow to the head. Hjaltalin has consistently declared his innocence and tells the police he will speak to no one but Konrad, who, he believes, was not convinced of his guilt 30 years earlier. Thus, Konrad is drawn into the case.
Simultaneously, Konrad is visited by a woman, Herdis, whose brother, Villi, was killed in a hit and run 8 years earlier. That case, too, was never solved. Herdis is convinced that Villi’s death was no accidental hit and run, but is somehow involved in Sigurvin’s murder, that her brother had witnessed something as a child that ultimately got him killed.
Obviously, there would be no book if Konrad in his ‘unofficial’ investigation didn’t uncover new evidence, lies made in the original investigation, and ineptness of investigating officers.
The Darkness Knows is pure Arnuldur Indridason. While not as dark as his Erlendur series, it still has its moments. Konrad muses about the death of his wife six years earlier and his living alone. He thinks about the murder of his scheming father, another case that was never solved. He still antagonizes former colleagues. He is still dedicated to the cause of truth. And he still ruminates about the case he couldn’t solve.
One review called Konrad an “irresistible lead.” Arnuldur never fails to please. His favorite authors are Martin Beck and Maj Sjowall and Per Whaloo, so I’d suggest these authors for great reads.
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LibraryThing member nbmars
I enjoyed the premise of this Icelandic crime novel. A murder victim named Sigurvin was thrown into the crevasse of Langjökull glacier, with the idea the man’s body would never be found. Alas, thanks to global warming, the glacier changed radically since he had been deposited there. It had lost
Konrád Flovent, 71, is the retired detective who originally investigated the cold case (so to speak), and it continued to haunt him all these years. After the body was found, and the original main suspect refused to talk to anyone but Konrád, he found himself involved once again.
Slowly and methodically he goes back to see the people involved in that case and also that of the hit-and-run murder of Vilmar Hákonarson six years ago. Villi’s sister is convinced the deaths are related, and Konrád comes around to her point of view.
The story behind the deaths unfolds slowly in the cold, dark setting, which is also of interest. In Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, the shortest day of the year only lasts 4 hours and 8 minutes. Darkness indeed!
I also liked the unusual twist at the end of the story. Unlike most twists in crime novels, this one had nothing to do with the crime itself or even the criminals.
Evaluation: I found this story a bit slow for my tastes, but not without some appeal. The Icelandic setting is unique for me, and I enjoyed learning more about that country. In addition, Konrád certainly has a number of unexpected and interesting layers. I don’t anticipate continuing with the series, although the first book has a lot to recommend it.
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some three meters in height, and the ice cap had shrunk by more than seven cubic kilometers. [According to a Guide to Iceland, some researchers fear that if climate change continues at its current rate the glacier may be gone in 150 years. Less optimistic scientists have said it could be gone in as few as 50.] The victim's body, well preserved even after thirty years, thus emerged, much to the consternation of some tourists who came upon it while visiting the glacier. Konrád Flovent, 71, is the retired detective who originally investigated the cold case (so to speak), and it continued to haunt him all these years. After the body was found, and the original main suspect refused to talk to anyone but Konrád, he found himself involved once again.
Slowly and methodically he goes back to see the people involved in that case and also that of the hit-and-run murder of Vilmar Hákonarson six years ago. Villi’s sister is convinced the deaths are related, and Konrád comes around to her point of view.
The story behind the deaths unfolds slowly in the cold, dark setting, which is also of interest. In Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland, the shortest day of the year only lasts 4 hours and 8 minutes. Darkness indeed!
I also liked the unusual twist at the end of the story. Unlike most twists in crime novels, this one had nothing to do with the crime itself or even the criminals.
Evaluation: I found this story a bit slow for my tastes, but not without some appeal. The Icelandic setting is unique for me, and I enjoyed learning more about that country. In addition, Konrád certainly has a number of unexpected and interesting layers. I don’t anticipate continuing with the series, although the first book has a lot to recommend it.
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LibraryThing member norinrad10
Lord knows I love a Nordic crime novel and this one by Arnaldur Indridason further fuels that love.
When a body is discovered by a tourist group, and it's revealed to be the missing body of a long-unsolved murder case, Detective Konrad is lured back into investigating a case that has haunted him
Along the way, we learn more about the complex Detective and his complicated past. A welcome addition to the world of literary detectives.
Don't sleep on this one.
When a body is discovered by a tourist group, and it's revealed to be the missing body of a long-unsolved murder case, Detective Konrad is lured back into investigating a case that has haunted him
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for decades. . What follows is a twisting and introspective tale that will leave the reader guessing until the end. Along the way, we learn more about the complex Detective and his complicated past. A welcome addition to the world of literary detectives.
Don't sleep on this one.
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LibraryThing member AnnieMod
This may be the beginning of a series but if you had read some of Indridason's recent novels, you had already met the main character Konrád - in [The Shadow District]. If you had not read it and plan to, you may want to do that before you continue here - the main story is not spoiled but a lot of
But that is not what he ends up solving in this book. 30 years ago, a young man called Sigurvin disappeared. The police, with Konrád as the lead detective, was pretty sure he was dead but they could not prove it and the man they believed to have killed him never admitted. And now, with one of the glaciers slowly melting, the body of the missing man shows up, turning the very cold case into a frozen one (ok... I could not resist).
The police expect an easy solution but the "killer" keeps refusing to admit to the murder. Meanwhile, Konrád is visited by the sister of a man who died a few years earlier and who may have had information our detective never got. Even without the extra scene that the readers got (and the police did not), it is obvious that these two cases are connected - and Konrád resolves to try to solve Villi's death which looks less and less as the accident it was recorded as.
Before long the first of the alibis from 30 years ago shatters and the foundation of the old case crumbles and old lies emerge. But it is not a fat moving case - it moves slow and methodically, even when the police does not much care (but at least they do not block Konrád - plus he is trying to solve Villi's death, not Sigurvin's. The end is as surprising as it it is logical - but then Indridason knows how to write tight plots. We do get some interesting details of Iceland in the mid 80s but even they don't offset the slowness.
But as much as I like his style, this novel could have been half its length and possibly worked better. Yes, lulling you into believing that you know what happened and then pulling the rug under you repeatedly, is part of the charm of the novel but the constant slowing down got a bit annoying at one point. It is not a bad story and it make you wonder about witnesses and who can be trusted. I still plan to check the rest of the series if they get translated - but I hope that the tempo will speed up a bit in the next one.
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the additional ones, especially the ones around Konrád, get revisited. This story opens a few months after the first one, Konrád is still retired, mourns the loss of his wife and still had done nothing to solve the murder of his own father all those years ago. But that is not what he ends up solving in this book. 30 years ago, a young man called Sigurvin disappeared. The police, with Konrád as the lead detective, was pretty sure he was dead but they could not prove it and the man they believed to have killed him never admitted. And now, with one of the glaciers slowly melting, the body of the missing man shows up, turning the very cold case into a frozen one (ok... I could not resist).
The police expect an easy solution but the "killer" keeps refusing to admit to the murder. Meanwhile, Konrád is visited by the sister of a man who died a few years earlier and who may have had information our detective never got. Even without the extra scene that the readers got (and the police did not), it is obvious that these two cases are connected - and Konrád resolves to try to solve Villi's death which looks less and less as the accident it was recorded as.
Before long the first of the alibis from 30 years ago shatters and the foundation of the old case crumbles and old lies emerge. But it is not a fat moving case - it moves slow and methodically, even when the police does not much care (but at least they do not block Konrád - plus he is trying to solve Villi's death, not Sigurvin's. The end is as surprising as it it is logical - but then Indridason knows how to write tight plots. We do get some interesting details of Iceland in the mid 80s but even they don't offset the slowness.
But as much as I like his style, this novel could have been half its length and possibly worked better. Yes, lulling you into believing that you know what happened and then pulling the rug under you repeatedly, is part of the charm of the novel but the constant slowing down got a bit annoying at one point. It is not a bad story and it make you wonder about witnesses and who can be trusted. I still plan to check the rest of the series if they get translated - but I hope that the tempo will speed up a bit in the next one.
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LibraryThing member ritaer
Convoluted and depressing. Body found in glacier. A possible witness may have been killed. When solution finally reached I wasn't sure what the connection was.
LibraryThing member hardlyhardy
Talk about cold cases ... In “The Darkness Knows” (2017), a fascinating mystery by Arnaldur Indridason, the well-preserved body of a man missing for 30 years is found in a melting glacier in Iceland. Konrad was the cop who led the investigation at the time. Now retired and restless, he is
A witness at the time of Sigurvin's disappearance had said that a business associate named Hjaltalin had threatened to kill him, making Hjaltalin the prime suspect. Yet there was never sufficient evidence to charge him with anything, especially with no body, and Konrad had always had doubts about his guilt. Yet now the police are again focusing on Hjaltalin, who is dying of cancer.
The key to solving the case turns out to be another death, this of a man who may have been a witness to the original crime but, because he was a boy at the time, had never come forward. Later he may have talked about it too much, for he has been killed in a suspicious hit-and-run. If Konrad can solve this case, perhaps he can solve the much older one.
Subplots abound in this fine murder mystery, including an even colder case involving the murder of Konrad's own father, also a cop, but reputed to be a dirty one.
Arnaldur (I am following the Icelandic tradition of referring to people by their first names) has written a number of fine mysteries and thriller, and “The Darkness Knows” ranks among the best.
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prompted by the discovery of the body to pursue his own independent investigation of what is now clearly a murder.A witness at the time of Sigurvin's disappearance had said that a business associate named Hjaltalin had threatened to kill him, making Hjaltalin the prime suspect. Yet there was never sufficient evidence to charge him with anything, especially with no body, and Konrad had always had doubts about his guilt. Yet now the police are again focusing on Hjaltalin, who is dying of cancer.
The key to solving the case turns out to be another death, this of a man who may have been a witness to the original crime but, because he was a boy at the time, had never come forward. Later he may have talked about it too much, for he has been killed in a suspicious hit-and-run. If Konrad can solve this case, perhaps he can solve the much older one.
Subplots abound in this fine murder mystery, including an even colder case involving the murder of Konrad's own father, also a cop, but reputed to be a dirty one.
Arnaldur (I am following the Icelandic tradition of referring to people by their first names) has written a number of fine mysteries and thriller, and “The Darkness Knows” ranks among the best.
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LibraryThing member mookie86
Thanks to Netgalley, St. Martins Press, and Minotaur Books for this ARC.
This is my first time reading author Arnaldur Indridason and thoroughly enjoyed it. There's something about Icelandic thrillers that is just different (in a good way) - the atmosphere, dread, and intrigue all seem to have your
This is my first time reading author Arnaldur Indridason and thoroughly enjoyed it. There's something about Icelandic thrillers that is just different (in a good way) - the atmosphere, dread, and intrigue all seem to have your
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attention from the get-go. I will be seeking out other similar authors because of this and look forward to reading more by Indridason. 4 stars Show Less
LibraryThing member BridgetteS
The Darkness Knows is an Icelandic mystery that does not disappoint! A cold case is reopened and, thoughtout the story, secrets and truths are uncovered that have been hidden for 30 years! Wonderfully written and suspenseful. Highly recommend!
LibraryThing member JBD1
Perfectly fine but fairly Route 1 Scandi noir-type book. Nothing much stands out.
LibraryThing member decaturmamaof2
This is my first Indridason book, although he's quite renowned. I wasn't sure what to expect, and the opening chapters are a bit grim, almost "grimy" feeling. However, the story grew on me, and I got quite invested in Konrád and the other characters.
In addition to bring a crime thriller, on
Thankful to Netgalley and the publisher (Minotaur) for the ARC!
In addition to bring a crime thriller, on
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another level this story is a tableau of Iceland the way it IS... not the way we might romanticize it as tourists. Really insightful - recommend! I will now seek out other works by Indridason.Thankful to Netgalley and the publisher (Minotaur) for the ARC!
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ISBN
1250765463 / 9781250765468