Reviews

This book was fine. A very convoluted mystery that was simpler than it seemed. Likely, I missed character growth and exposition by not reading the other books in the series. The main character frequently finds himself confronted with confusing ideas about family, genealogy, familial relationships, etc.... but he never really has a solid idea about what his ideas are. He and his addict daughter have an antagonistic and complicated relationship where they both tend to act on instinct: she has a friend who was abused by her father: he meets a doctor who does not want a family but who has a collection of organs he studies in his spare time: mothers who cherish their children despite their violent parentage: etc. But this pastiche does not very much impact the protagonists own relationship with his daughter, so..... yes, a fast read, interesting concepts, a lack of (for me) true substance.

snowflakeanddan's review against another edition

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mysterious medium-paced

3.75

charelia's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

3.75

A textbook example of a chilling Nordic noir. It took a few chapters for me to get used to Arnaldur's minimalistic writing style, but then things really picked up and I was hooked. Some of the translation decisions did feel a little out of place though; every "bloody", "bugger", “poofter”, or "bollocks" briefly yanked me out of Reykjavík and deposited me in the middle of London for a paragraph or two.
What particularly makes Jar City's characters stand out from others in the noir genre, is that they're not cool and emotionless; they're refreshingly empathetic. They often express the same outrage that the reader is expected to feel when confronted with details of human depravity. Poor Erlendur needs a holiday.

Content Warnings