A REYKJAVIK MURDER MYSTERY. It is a few days before Christmas and a Reykjavik doorman and occasional Santa Claus, Gudlauger, has been found stabbed to death in his hotel room in a sexually compromising position.
Staff Choice: Simone
After reading parts one (Jar City) and two (Silence of the Grave), part three in the Reykjavik mystery series by Arnaldur Indridason was a knock-out.
Detective Erlendur has a troubled private life, both with his ex-wife and his two children, and in this volume you learn more about his past, and the immensely tragic event involving his little brother.
Erlendur is called to a crime scene, where the doorman of a hotel is murdered. Here also, a lot of family relations come into play. The victim was once a child prodigy, but was shunned after reaching puberty, which led to the collapse of the family situation.
It is not often in crime novels that they touch me emotionally, but this one did. These family troubles are easy to recognise in lots of lives.
If possible, read parts one and two first!
Staff Choice: Simone
Jar City and Silence of the Grave are parts 1 and 2 of the Inspector Erlendur series, leading up to Voices, volume 3. Erlendurs private life and his work tend to overlap somewhat, and his personal troubles with parents, siblings and children are issues that come up in his cases as well.
In Voices, these themes are so much at the forefront that I was really moved by all the emotions involved, which doesn't happen very often with me, reading crime novels.