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unabridgedchick's review against another edition
5.0
Love/Hate?: Subtle love
Rating: 5/5
Did you finish?: Couldn't finish fast enough!
One-sentence summary: Icelandic police investigator is nagged by a suicide that doesn't seem right.
Why did you get this book?: Goodreads Giveaway
Do you like the cover?: Eh -- I don't hate it, but it doesn't stick out in my mind.
First line from book: Maria hardly registered what was happening during the funeral.
Review: Apparently this is the 6th book in a series, which I didn't know when I requested this book. (I likely wouldn't have requested it then as I hate arriving at a series in the middle.) However, this book easily reads as a satisfying standalone thriller, and I didn't feel at anytime that I was lost or missing an inside joke or reference.
I've seen this book compared to Larsson's Millennium trilogy, but other than both being Scandinavian authors, I fail to see the similarities. Larsson's hero is in his prime, slightly disreputable but clearly moral, irresistible to women; Indridason's Erlendur is in his 60s, reticent and withdrawn, emotionally distant. The pacing of this book is different than Larsson as well: we're treated to flashbacks leading up to Maria's death, breaking up Erlendur's careful investigation. The tension comes from the slow, inevitable confirmation of what we -- and Erlendur -- suspect and fear. It's not an exciting book, per se, but it's definitely not boring.
Tropes?: Distant daddy, angry daughter, smothering mother-in-law
FTC Disclosure: I received this book via GoodReads First Reads giveaway.
Rating: 5/5
Did you finish?: Couldn't finish fast enough!
One-sentence summary: Icelandic police investigator is nagged by a suicide that doesn't seem right.
Why did you get this book?: Goodreads Giveaway
Do you like the cover?: Eh -- I don't hate it, but it doesn't stick out in my mind.
First line from book: Maria hardly registered what was happening during the funeral.
Review: Apparently this is the 6th book in a series, which I didn't know when I requested this book. (I likely wouldn't have requested it then as I hate arriving at a series in the middle.) However, this book easily reads as a satisfying standalone thriller, and I didn't feel at anytime that I was lost or missing an inside joke or reference.
I've seen this book compared to Larsson's Millennium trilogy, but other than both being Scandinavian authors, I fail to see the similarities. Larsson's hero is in his prime, slightly disreputable but clearly moral, irresistible to women; Indridason's Erlendur is in his 60s, reticent and withdrawn, emotionally distant. The pacing of this book is different than Larsson as well: we're treated to flashbacks leading up to Maria's death, breaking up Erlendur's careful investigation. The tension comes from the slow, inevitable confirmation of what we -- and Erlendur -- suspect and fear. It's not an exciting book, per se, but it's definitely not boring.
Tropes?: Distant daddy, angry daughter, smothering mother-in-law
FTC Disclosure: I received this book via GoodReads First Reads giveaway.
librarylove4eva's review against another edition
5.0
Another excellent entry in the Inspector Erlendur series. Two unrelated missing persons cases from 30 years ago haunt the inspector and finally get connected and solved by the depressive detective in this Icelandic mystery. The detective's son and daughter figure more in this book than others I have read, with Eva Lind (daughter) requesting a meeting between her long separated parents. There is also a suspected "suicide" being investigated off-the-books. With his obvious police intuition, Erlendur smells and discovers something fishy. Again, excellent read and definite recommend to fans of mystery, Indridason or Erlendur.
ptibouh's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
angrygreycatreads's review against another edition
4.0
This is book 8 in the Inspector Erlendur mystery series. Themes of loss, regret, and secrets are weaved throughout connecting Erlendur’s personal life and relationship with his ex-wife and daughter, a series of old missing persons cases, and a current suicide. Erlendur works mainly solo in this book as he is not really on an official case for the most part. A woman has hung herself and it is found to be suicide, however Erlendur, at the prompting of one of the woman’s friends has to know why. The area is the same as earlier missing persons cases, definitely cold cases but never closed. Finally, his daughter is convinced that a meeting between Erlendur and her mother will resolve old issues and give her the family she is craving.
Really well done mystery with lots of interconnected stories and clues from one plot line to the next. This is not really a traditional police procedural but more of a straight forward mystery. Erlendur is a great character and stood well on his own without his team to interact with and assist with the case(s).
Really well done mystery with lots of interconnected stories and clues from one plot line to the next. This is not really a traditional police procedural but more of a straight forward mystery. Erlendur is a great character and stood well on his own without his team to interact with and assist with the case(s).
psalmcat's review against another edition
4.0
Great story! I wish I'd've read it with my eyes. All about missing people and life after death. Also some really really awful people, although that doesn't really come out till very late in the book. I need to find some of the other Erlendur books.
My only reasons for lowering the review to four stars is that the translation into English was done by someone British, but it was read by an American. Granted, George Guidall is good, but his pseudo-not-quite-foreign-but-not-American accents got irritating and the language ("holiday cottage" got to the point of me screaming at him in the car; also "boot" and some other translation choices). I would have been FINE if it were read by a Brit.
On the upside, Guidall seemed to be doing a valiant job of pronouncing all the Icelandic words properly (Icelandic-style): Erlandur's name was consistently said "AIR-lan-tur" and Baldvun was always "PALT-wun." That was fun.
My only reasons for lowering the review to four stars is that the translation into English was done by someone British, but it was read by an American. Granted, George Guidall is good, but his pseudo-not-quite-foreign-but-not-American accents got irritating and the language ("holiday cottage" got to the point of me screaming at him in the car; also "boot" and some other translation choices). I would have been FINE if it were read by a Brit.
On the upside, Guidall seemed to be doing a valiant job of pronouncing all the Icelandic words properly (Icelandic-style): Erlandur's name was consistently said "AIR-lan-tur" and Baldvun was always "PALT-wun." That was fun.
eyre's review against another edition
1.0
Na początku winą chciałam obarczyć tłumacza, ale po przeczytaniu całości już nie jestem pewna; w każdym razie książkę czyta się beznadziejnie.
Smaczki od tłumacza to na pewno -
"Starszy pan czekał na niego w recepcji. Niegdyś przychodził na komisariat z żoną, lecz tej się zmarło" -zmarło jej się???
"Pastor, z którym Maria najczęściej się kontaktowała, miał na imię Evyvör. Nie pełniła posługi w Grafarvogur, lecz w sąsiedniej parafii" - zdanie, które musiałam czytać kilkukrotnie, aby zorientować się, że mowa w rzeczywistości o pastorce - feminatywy naprawdę się przydają. A jeśli tłumacz akurat byłby im niechętny, to może chociaż warto utrzymać pewien porządek w czasownikach - nie 'miał' na imię, tylko 'miała'?
Korektorka też nie bez winy, w książce są literówki, albo zdania takie jak: "wrócił wieczorem do domu, posmarował podpłomyk masłem, położył na nią szynkę baranią" - na jaką nią?
itd. itd.
I teraz jeśli chodzi o fabułę - zamysł może ciekawy, ale to, w jaki sposób nasz główny bohater dowiaduje się rzeczy, jest tak naciągane, że naprawdę nie da się przymknąć na to oka.
A najzabawniejsze jest to, że te zaginięcia są jakby obok drugiej sprawy - samobójstwa ("samobójstwa") pewnej kobiety. Policjant rozwiązuje je niemal równocześnie: jest moment, w którym wie, co naprawdę stało się z kobietą, wie, jak zaginął syn. Dostaje informację, że starszemu panu ZARAZ SIĘ UMRZE (kwestia godzin), dlatego... najpierw konfrontuje się z zabójcą kobiety -zdając sobie sprawę, że nie ma absolutnie żadnych dowodów na zbrodnię, po prostu chce sobie z nim porozmawiać, SERIO) - i dlatego nie zdąża przed śmiercią staruszka = ten nigdy nie dowiaduje się, co stało się z synem. Suuuuper historia.
Trudno też właściwie polubić któregokolwiek z bohaterów, autor stara się dać jakieś tło ich historiom, ale moim zdaniem mu to nie wychodzi, ich zachowania nadal pozostają niezrozumiałe, a charaktery - nieznośne. Podsumowując - nie polecam.
Smaczki od tłumacza to na pewno -
"Starszy pan czekał na niego w recepcji. Niegdyś przychodził na komisariat z żoną, lecz tej się zmarło" -zmarło jej się???
"Pastor, z którym Maria najczęściej się kontaktowała, miał na imię Evyvör. Nie pełniła posługi w Grafarvogur, lecz w sąsiedniej parafii" - zdanie, które musiałam czytać kilkukrotnie, aby zorientować się, że mowa w rzeczywistości o pastorce - feminatywy naprawdę się przydają. A jeśli tłumacz akurat byłby im niechętny, to może chociaż warto utrzymać pewien porządek w czasownikach - nie 'miał' na imię, tylko 'miała'?
Korektorka też nie bez winy, w książce są literówki, albo zdania takie jak: "wrócił wieczorem do domu, posmarował podpłomyk masłem, położył na nią szynkę baranią" - na jaką nią?
itd. itd.
I teraz jeśli chodzi o fabułę - zamysł może ciekawy, ale to, w jaki sposób nasz główny bohater dowiaduje się rzeczy, jest tak naciągane, że naprawdę nie da się przymknąć na to oka.
Spoiler
Głównego bohatera - policjanta - odwiedza na komisariacie regularnie od trzydziestu lat starszy pan, aby zapytać, czy są jakieś wieści w sprawie jego zaginionego syna. Pewnego razu starszy pan wyznaje, że niewiele zostało mu już życia, więc naszego policjanta chyba rusza sumienie i decyduje się ponownie przyjrzeć starej sprawie. Świadkowie, oczywiście, doskonale pamiętają, co robili, z kim rozmawiali, jak się czuli przed TRZYDZIESTU LATY, no i uwaga, uwaga, policjantowi udaje się nawet połączyć to zaginięcie z jakimś innym, równie starym - proszę bardzo, dwie pieczenie na jednym ogniu, cóż za umiejętności detektywistyczne! Szkoda, że uruchomiły się tak późno.A najzabawniejsze jest to, że te zaginięcia są jakby obok drugiej sprawy - samobójstwa ("samobójstwa") pewnej kobiety. Policjant rozwiązuje je niemal równocześnie: jest moment, w którym wie, co naprawdę stało się z kobietą, wie, jak zaginął syn. Dostaje informację, że starszemu panu ZARAZ SIĘ UMRZE (kwestia godzin), dlatego... najpierw konfrontuje się z zabójcą kobiety -zdając sobie sprawę, że nie ma absolutnie żadnych dowodów na zbrodnię, po prostu chce sobie z nim porozmawiać, SERIO) - i dlatego nie zdąża przed śmiercią staruszka = ten nigdy nie dowiaduje się, co stało się z synem. Suuuuper historia.
Trudno też właściwie polubić któregokolwiek z bohaterów, autor stara się dać jakieś tło ich historiom, ale moim zdaniem mu to nie wychodzi, ich zachowania nadal pozostają niezrozumiałe, a charaktery - nieznośne. Podsumowując - nie polecam.
elleemgee's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Terminal illness and Death of parent
kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition
4.0
Full disclosure: I won this via Firstreads giveaway. I haven't read much Icelandic literature except for the odd short story.
One of the really good things about Goodreads and the giveaway program is that you are exposed to wrkt hat you wouldn't otherwise read or, at the very least, exposes you to such work faster. This is yet another case of Goodreads fulfilling that function one.
Hypothermia is one of those books where the author trusts the reader. Any person who has seen at least two films (one American, one French) will be able to figure out the mystery before the end of the novel. In truth, however, the mystery does not seem to be the focus of the novel. Or at the least the death doesn't seem to be focus of the novel.
Erlendur, the detective probing the case, is just as much as a mystery to this first time reader of this series as the mystery mentioned on the back cover. It is not so much mystery of who did that, but more of what makes us who we are. If anything the focus is on human motive and not motive for a killing.
The book also deals with how we come to terms with loss, how each person comes to terms with such a loss in a different way. Perhaps this is why the book has a chill to it, a forboding that isn't present in the Wallander novel or the Stieg Lawson's [b:The Girl Who Played with Fire|5060378|The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium, #2)|Stieg Larsson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255570680s/5060378.jpg|6976108]. Yet, despite this, there is something that speaks in this thriller, though I hesitate to use that term.
It avoids being simple, easy, and even stupid because it confronts humanity. As I was reading the book, I was struck by how a modern television show such as Law & Order, Hawaii Five-0 or any of the C.S.I.s would goof it up and make it some emotionally cheap clap trap. It is on par with the great shows, like The Wire or Homicide:Life on the Street. Serieses that could take such a plotline as a death of a little girl and present as something more than a reason for a detective to indulge in a self rightous monologue or stare moodily at the picture of the children lost in the divorce.
In the wake of a suicide and a missing person's case, Erlendur and his creator take the reader on an exploration of the human pysche in terms of the big issues - love, death, and marriage.
One of the really good things about Goodreads and the giveaway program is that you are exposed to wrkt hat you wouldn't otherwise read or, at the very least, exposes you to such work faster. This is yet another case of Goodreads fulfilling that function one.
Hypothermia is one of those books where the author trusts the reader. Any person who has seen at least two films (one American, one French) will be able to figure out the mystery before the end of the novel. In truth, however, the mystery does not seem to be the focus of the novel. Or at the least the death doesn't seem to be focus of the novel.
Erlendur, the detective probing the case, is just as much as a mystery to this first time reader of this series as the mystery mentioned on the back cover. It is not so much mystery of who did that, but more of what makes us who we are. If anything the focus is on human motive and not motive for a killing.
The book also deals with how we come to terms with loss, how each person comes to terms with such a loss in a different way. Perhaps this is why the book has a chill to it, a forboding that isn't present in the Wallander novel or the Stieg Lawson's [b:The Girl Who Played with Fire|5060378|The Girl Who Played with Fire (Millennium, #2)|Stieg Larsson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255570680s/5060378.jpg|6976108]. Yet, despite this, there is something that speaks in this thriller, though I hesitate to use that term.
It avoids being simple, easy, and even stupid because it confronts humanity. As I was reading the book, I was struck by how a modern television show such as Law & Order, Hawaii Five-0 or any of the C.S.I.s would goof it up and make it some emotionally cheap clap trap. It is on par with the great shows, like The Wire or Homicide:Life on the Street. Serieses that could take such a plotline as a death of a little girl and present as something more than a reason for a detective to indulge in a self rightous monologue or stare moodily at the picture of the children lost in the divorce.
In the wake of a suicide and a missing person's case, Erlendur and his creator take the reader on an exploration of the human pysche in terms of the big issues - love, death, and marriage.
djrmelvin's review against another edition
3.0
A basic procedural made more interesting in that none of the cases being investigated by missing persons detective Erlendur are "on the books" investigations. This is a realistic investigation: it's solved through dogged police work. That doesn't make for a flashy story, but it does make the heavy amount of coincidence believable in the end. The setting was entirely new to me, and I liked reading a book that was written as if I'd be familiar with the place. No heavy cultural or geographic information dumps, it was immersion from the very beginning.