MEME: Crime Fiction Alphabet

Mysteries in Paradise hosts a weekly meme on mystery authors and books, highlighting a different letter each week. Beginning March 15, 2010, posts with the letter V, for author first or last name or book title are being collected here.

Here's my review from December 2008:

Voices by Arnaldur Indridason, 344 pages

translated from the Icelandic by Bernard Scudder

genre challenge: detective

My second read in the Reykjavik Thriller series, but definitely not my last. The Draining Lake is next and I think a new one is being released this spring, Arctic Chill.

Detective Erlunder is back investigating the death of a hotel doorman, killed in his Santa suit. As with all good mystery series, the detectives, including Erlunder, Elinborg, and Sigurdur Oli, are as interesting as the mystery itself. Erlunder is the classic cop - alone, miserable, and fighting crime to avoid fighting his own demons. This case brings up more from his past, and his daughter Eva Lind is back, pushing him, and in his face, trying to make him face the decisions he has made with his family. He seems to be on the verge of a break through. The development of the main characters, plus the bleak Icelandic setting make this a great series to read.

Appropriately, and entirely accidentally, I read this at Christmas time. Set the week before Christmas, Erlunder doesn't want to go home and all his detectives are worrying about getting home in time and getting everything done more than finishing the case. There wasn't as much emphasis on Elinborg or Sigurdur Oli in this book, hopefully there will be more in the next one.