Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.4 AVERAGE
3.4 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Too formulaic and predictable - and one of these stars is due to the personal daydreamy satisfaction of thrusting the characters & setting into my own Icelandic vacation memories.
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I’ve yet to read a book by this author (I think this is the fourth) that I haven’t enjoyed. Like his other books, the setting is brilliantly evoked and the plot teasingly, subtly unfurled. The characters are vivid, the tension palpable. It’s not quite as bleak as some of his others, but neither is the ending neatly tied up; there are solutions, but justice is neither easy nor ever present.
I can state categorically that I will never visit Iceland. My wandering days are done, my adventuring spirit is long in the past, my financial situation is irrecoverable (that makes everything sound worse than it is, but there's nothing like a little hyperbole every now and then). However, I can visit anywhere in the world, and beyond, through books and so I enjoyed this trip to Iceland very much indeed. One of the best parts of it is that I could shiver in my imagination, unlike poor Ari Thór who idiotically found himself in one of the most remote parts of the island in the depths of winter and being cold and depressed.
Ari is a bit of an idiot. I mean, who accepts a job in an almost inaccessible location hours away from your home into which your gorgeous girlfriend has only recently moved, and without even thinking of asking her opinion?! Maybe it's the cold - it makes sensible thinking a difficult proposition. I mean, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to function in those temperatures. BUT, he was inside the house at a reasonable temperature and she was in the next room.
Anyway, Ari's lack of thought aside, I enjoyed this book. There are plenty of interesting characters, and I didn't even get them muddled up despite being unable to pronounce their names (I find I have to make a decision, right or wrong, and stick to it - otherwise I fumble to a stop every time I read one of them), there is more than one body, there's a not-necessarily-perfect ending but a resolution nevertheless, and there's the scenery.
My son is looking for a police procedural novel that doesn't do all the personal and social stuff. He'd have got impatient with this book. I, on the other hand, am going to put #2 on my to-read list because I want to know how Ari deals with his personal life (in which he keeps making more mistakes).
Ari is a bit of an idiot. I mean, who accepts a job in an almost inaccessible location hours away from your home into which your gorgeous girlfriend has only recently moved, and without even thinking of asking her opinion?! Maybe it's the cold - it makes sensible thinking a difficult proposition. I mean, I'm sure I wouldn't be able to function in those temperatures. BUT, he was inside the house at a reasonable temperature and she was in the next room.
Anyway, Ari's lack of thought aside, I enjoyed this book. There are plenty of interesting characters, and I didn't even get them muddled up despite being unable to pronounce their names (I find I have to make a decision, right or wrong, and stick to it - otherwise I fumble to a stop every time I read one of them), there is more than one body, there's a not-necessarily-perfect ending but a resolution nevertheless, and there's the scenery.
My son is looking for a police procedural novel that doesn't do all the personal and social stuff. He'd have got impatient with this book. I, on the other hand, am going to put #2 on my to-read list because I want to know how Ari deals with his personal life (in which he keeps making more mistakes).
Love the atmosphere and love the great characters. I can't wait to jump onto the next one in the series
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The first in a series, this was a solid start and introduction to protagonist in his younger form. The mysteries were well paced and layered. The ending came together well, if a little bit rushed. The author is a fan and professional translator of Agatha Christie novels and her influence is clear.
Very enjoyable read.
Very enjoyable read.
I really wanted to like Ari Thor and this mystery but didn’t feel like I got to know him. And couldn’t figure out how he solved the mysteries. I wished there was more tension as he questioned people. Felt the author was setting up each next big reveal and I never felt like I was following the story.