Jar City
The thrilling first installation of the Reykjavic Murder Mystery Series
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3.6 • 37 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
An old man, murdered in his Reykjavik flat...
Only a cryptic note and a photograph of a young girl's grave are left behind..
DID THE DEAD MAN'S PAST COME BACK TO HAUNT HIM?
Inspector Erlendur discovers that several decades ago the victim was accused, but not convicted, of an unsolved crime. As he follows a fascinating trail of strange forensic evidence, Inspector Erlendur uncovers secrets that are much larger than the murder of one man - dark secrets that have been carefully guarded for many, many years...
The acclaimed first installation in the bestselling Reykjavik Murder Mysteries series, Jar City introduces us into the world of the quiet, complex and dryly witty Inspector Erlendur. Arnaldur Indridason's atmospheric, powerfully psychological novel is bursting with twists that will keep you hooked from the first page to the last.
'A fascinating window on an unfamiliar world as well as an original and puzzling mystery' Val McDermid
'A chilling Icelandic saga of the DNA age' Independent
FROM CWA GOLD DAGGER AWARD-WINNING CRIME WRITER ARNALDUR INDRIDASON
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When a lone septuagenarian is murdered in his apartment in the Nordurm ri district of Reykjav k, detective inspector Erlendur Sveinsson is called in, along with partner Sigurdur li and female colleague El nborg. Everyone is related to everyone else in Iceland and refer to one another by first name, even formally. Erlendur is about 50, long divorced, with two kids in varying degrees of drug addiction. The victim, a man called Holberg, turns out to have been a nasty piece of work, and Erlendur is disgusted by the series of rapes Holberg apparently committed. The rapes and the deaths of a number of young women may be connected, and the search brings Erlendur to the forensic lab, whose old "jar city," since disbanded, held research organs. Meanwhile, Erlendur's daughter, Eva Lind, is pregnant and still using; she flits in and out of his life angrily, but may be crying out for help. Reykjav k's physicality, and the fact that crimes are relatively rare in Iceland, gives things a defamiliarizing cast. The writing, plot and resolution are nicely done, but remain fully within genre boundaries.
Customer Reviews
Jar City
Probably one of the most boring books I have read for a while. I could not bring myself to care about any character. Forced, paint by number.