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hammychop's review against another edition
4.0
A little more sassy than the previous book! I liked it!
sljbook's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.5
kimgabriel's review against another edition
5.0
I love Erlendur, I love his sad abysmal life. The mystery is more about him than anything else.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
3.0
‘Who appointed you the conscience of the world?’
Just days before Christmas, Gudlauger Egilsson, Reykjavik hotel doorman, handyman and occasional Santa Claus is found stabbed to death in his room in the hotel basement. Detective Erlundur , and his team of Óli and Elínborg are called in to investigate.
It seems that Gudlauger , a long-term hotel employee, was largely invisible to his co-workers. And none of the staff seem very keen to assist the police. Erlendur takes a room at the hotel, partly to irritate the manager and partly because he cannot face the emptiness of his flat. Staying in this room, which is neither nice nor effectively heated, gives Erlendur an opportunity to observe the hotel at work and to focus on the case.
As Erlendur discovers more about the life of the victim, he also becomes introspective about his own life. Elínborg is distracted by the concurrent case of a schoolboy who has been badly beaten. A gang of young bullies may be involved, but Elínborg thinks the boy’s father may be involved.
Each of these strands involves some level of dysfunction in families, and an absence of effective communication. Each of the storylines complement each other without slowing the pace of the story. And the answers? Who did kill Gudlauger, and why? The mystery is solved in the final pages, but what a sad journey it is.
This is the third novel in the Reykjavik Murder Mysteries, which now totals six. It is the first I’ve read, but I’ll be looking to read the others (in order).
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
Just days before Christmas, Gudlauger Egilsson, Reykjavik hotel doorman, handyman and occasional Santa Claus is found stabbed to death in his room in the hotel basement. Detective Erlundur , and his team of Óli and Elínborg are called in to investigate.
It seems that Gudlauger , a long-term hotel employee, was largely invisible to his co-workers. And none of the staff seem very keen to assist the police. Erlendur takes a room at the hotel, partly to irritate the manager and partly because he cannot face the emptiness of his flat. Staying in this room, which is neither nice nor effectively heated, gives Erlendur an opportunity to observe the hotel at work and to focus on the case.
As Erlendur discovers more about the life of the victim, he also becomes introspective about his own life. Elínborg is distracted by the concurrent case of a schoolboy who has been badly beaten. A gang of young bullies may be involved, but Elínborg thinks the boy’s father may be involved.
Each of these strands involves some level of dysfunction in families, and an absence of effective communication. Each of the storylines complement each other without slowing the pace of the story. And the answers? Who did kill Gudlauger, and why? The mystery is solved in the final pages, but what a sad journey it is.
This is the third novel in the Reykjavik Murder Mysteries, which now totals six. It is the first I’ve read, but I’ll be looking to read the others (in order).
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
booktwitcher23's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
st4rlight's review against another edition
3.0
قرأت الرواية منذ العام 2012 ولا أدري لِمَ لم أضفها حينها ..
كانت العمل الأول الذي أقرؤه لـ أرنالدور أندريداسون والذي باتَ لاحقاً أحد كتاب الجريمة والغموض المفضلين لدي ..
لم تعجبني الرواية كثيراً حينها ولكنها أيضاً لم تجعلني أتوقف عن القراءة للكاتب كما يحدث معي عادة عندما أواجه تجربة سيئة في رواية ما لكاتبٍ أقرأ له للمرة الأولى .
قرأت له لاحقاً روايتيه :
- صمت القبر
-مخزن الأعضاء البشرية ..
هذه الرواية هي في الوسط ، لم تكن بقوة صمت القبر ولكنها أفضل من مخزن الأعضاء البشرية .
كانت العمل الأول الذي أقرؤه لـ أرنالدور أندريداسون والذي باتَ لاحقاً أحد كتاب الجريمة والغموض المفضلين لدي ..
لم تعجبني الرواية كثيراً حينها ولكنها أيضاً لم تجعلني أتوقف عن القراءة للكاتب كما يحدث معي عادة عندما أواجه تجربة سيئة في رواية ما لكاتبٍ أقرأ له للمرة الأولى .
قرأت له لاحقاً روايتيه :
- صمت القبر
-مخزن الأعضاء البشرية ..
هذه الرواية هي في الوسط ، لم تكن بقوة صمت القبر ولكنها أفضل من مخزن الأعضاء البشرية .
moudi's review against another edition
3.0
هذا الجزء من السلسله صدمني فلم اتوقع ان تكون الجريمه بهذه الحبكه التي من وجهة نظري تافهه فلم اجد روح الحماس في معرفة القاتل لكني اكملت الروايه كي اكمل حكاية الشخصيات الرئيسية في السلسله ..
كذلك لا توقع بأن من يقرأ الروايه قبل ان يقرأ الجزء السابق لها سيتعاطف مع الشخصيات وربما لن يفهم بعض حديثهم ، فالجزء السابق مرتبط بهذا الجزء في نقاط معينه
احببت قضية الروايه وهي التربيه العائلية السيئة للابناء و كيف ان الاباء يسعون دائما لتحقيق الافضل لابنائهم دون إقناعهم او ترغيبهم وهذا ينعكس على الطفل بالتأكيد ..
و على عكس الجزء السابق نهاية الروايه لم تكن مشوقه لتكمل بقية الاجزاء
لا بأس بها ككل
كذلك لا توقع بأن من يقرأ الروايه قبل ان يقرأ الجزء السابق لها سيتعاطف مع الشخصيات وربما لن يفهم بعض حديثهم ، فالجزء السابق مرتبط بهذا الجزء في نقاط معينه
احببت قضية الروايه وهي التربيه العائلية السيئة للابناء و كيف ان الاباء يسعون دائما لتحقيق الافضل لابنائهم دون إقناعهم او ترغيبهم وهذا ينعكس على الطفل بالتأكيد ..
و على عكس الجزء السابق نهاية الروايه لم تكن مشوقه لتكمل بقية الاجزاء
لا بأس بها ككل
lbrex's review
5.0
Another great detective thriller from Inridason. This doesn't have the formal complexity or the weight of _Silence of the Grave_, but it's still a fascinating story set in a Reykjavik hotel during the holidays and involving many secrets and machinations of the different members of the hotel staff. I found it amusing that Detective Erlendur decides to stay in the hotel while he is solving this mystery, and I appreciate the way that the book did even more to advance his character and reveal aspects of his past. The ending was especially moving, and the book's exploration of the beauty and fragility of childhood was accomplished with Indridason's signature deftness. Suffice it to say that I'm hooked on the Erlendur series, so don't be surprised if _The Draining Lake_ shows up on my "reading" shelf soon.
margeryk101's review against another edition
3.0
Read this one quickly, and of the three Reykjavik novels I've read, I'd say this is the weakest. It is also the earliest Erlender story.
Santa is found stabbed in the basement of a hotel. The hotel workers are scrutinized and slowly the Santa's back story emerged. The hotel setting reminded me of a Miss Marple mystery.
Will be giving Indridason a rest for the forseeable. Not sure what to read next.
Santa is found stabbed in the basement of a hotel. The hotel workers are scrutinized and slowly the Santa's back story emerged. The hotel setting reminded me of a Miss Marple mystery.
Will be giving Indridason a rest for the forseeable. Not sure what to read next.
yoda_bor's review against another edition
4.0
Avec son climat typiquement islandais, j’aime particulièrement lire les aventures d’Erlendur l’été, pendant que je brûle au soleil.
Pour ajouter encore à son humeur massacrante, cette enquête se déroule à Noël, avec le meurtre d’un Père Noël dans le sous-sol d’un hôtel de luxe.
Si Sigurdur Oli et Elinborg, les acolytes habituels, ont envie de passer de bonnes fêtes, Erlendur, lui, décide de s’installer dans une chambre sans chauffage, histoire de découvrir qui était Gulli et ce qui avait bien pu le pousser à s’installer dans ce réduit, vingt ans auparavant. L’occasion de replonger dans le passé de la victime, quitte à bousculer les vivants.
Comme à son habitude, Erlendur est hanté par son propre passé.
Si on avait pu en compléter des bribes dans les tomes précédents, toute l’histoire de son frère est ici dévoilée et on peut comprendre à quel point ce traumatisme a pu être la base de sa vie.
Mais il y a tout de même une enquête à mener et Erlendur et ses adjoints ne vont rien lâcher, se montrant opiniâtres jusqu’au bout.
Gulli était peut-être oublié de tous ses proches mais lui aussi avait un passé avant de se faire assassiner.
On touche là à quelque chose que j’apprécie toujours dans les aventures d’Erlendur, c’est qu’il essaie au maximum de rendre hommage à ce qu’on vécu les personnes disparues.
Et c’est une de ses plus belle forces.
Pour ajouter encore à son humeur massacrante, cette enquête se déroule à Noël, avec le meurtre d’un Père Noël dans le sous-sol d’un hôtel de luxe.
Si Sigurdur Oli et Elinborg, les acolytes habituels, ont envie de passer de bonnes fêtes, Erlendur, lui, décide de s’installer dans une chambre sans chauffage, histoire de découvrir qui était Gulli et ce qui avait bien pu le pousser à s’installer dans ce réduit, vingt ans auparavant. L’occasion de replonger dans le passé de la victime, quitte à bousculer les vivants.
Comme à son habitude, Erlendur est hanté par son propre passé.
Si on avait pu en compléter des bribes dans les tomes précédents, toute l’histoire de son frère est ici dévoilée et on peut comprendre à quel point ce traumatisme a pu être la base de sa vie.
Mais il y a tout de même une enquête à mener et Erlendur et ses adjoints ne vont rien lâcher, se montrant opiniâtres jusqu’au bout.
Gulli était peut-être oublié de tous ses proches mais lui aussi avait un passé avant de se faire assassiner.
On touche là à quelque chose que j’apprécie toujours dans les aventures d’Erlendur, c’est qu’il essaie au maximum de rendre hommage à ce qu’on vécu les personnes disparues.
Et c’est une de ses plus belle forces.