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tfpjr492's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
This crime mystery features three different suspicious deaths. The main character Konrad is a widower and retired police detective in Reykjavik, Iceland. In the first case he reluctantly agrees to help grandparents find a missing granddaughter. He tracks down the twenty-year-old granddaughter, but unfortunately, she is an apparent victim of a drug overdose. Konrad immediately informs his friend, a current-generation police detective. The two of them collaborate quite effectively to investigate the circumstances of this tragedy. Over the course of that investigation, the reader comes to understand that retirement has not dulled Konrad’s investigative instincts nor his abilities in dealing with some of the uglier aspects of human nature.
The second death occurred more than thirty years ago. A twelve-year-old girl drowned, when she apparently tried to retrieve her doll from the Pond. The investigation was closed and the event was forgotten. A current-day psychic believes there is more to be discovered about this tragedy, and she knows Konrad. Both of their fathers were partners in dubious enterprises during challenging times. Although Konrad does not believe in the paranormal, he collaborates with the psychic. The two of them struggle to find clues from the past. Why did the police close this investigation so quickly?
The third suspicious death is the unsolved stabbing of Konrad’s father years ago. Of course, this is the mystery that haunts him continuously. He does uncover important details, but is this case related to the other two cases?
This story will appeal to readers, who tolerate dark subject matter. There are many threads to challenge the reader’s attention, but the short chapter format makes the reader’s task somewhat easier. The book is recommended for avid readers of the hard-boiled genre of crime mystery novels.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Minor: Addiction, Cursing, Death, Child death, Drug use, Murder, and Pedophilia
louisekf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
2.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Violence, Adult/minor relationship, Addiction, Car accident, Child death, Pedophilia, Child abuse, Death, and Torture
sckitte's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Rape, Addiction, Pedophilia, Self harm, and Adult/minor relationship
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
2.0
Finished reading: June 26th 2023
"Konrad was especially surprised by just how many women has terrible stories to tell of their relationships with men."
I'm always on the lookout for new nordic noir authors, and I can never seem to resist an Icelandic setting. I knew I simply HAD to add The Girl By The Bridge as soon as I first heard about it; the blurb sounded like it would provide a fascinating story and I was curious about the drugs angle as well. What I didn't realize at the time was that this book is actually the second book of a series, and I wonder if this story would have worked better for me if I had read the books in order. As it is, I sadly struggled considerably with The Girl By The Bridge and I came close to DNFing more than once. I think part of the issue with this story is that everything is just SO vague. There are constant POV switches and the plot jumps between different storylines and completely different points in time without warning. As a result, the plot mostly felt like a jumbled and combobulated mess, and I struggled to keep the different storylines and characters apart. The constant switches also ment that I never felt properly invested in any of the events or characters, and I honestly couldn't care less what happened to any of them nor did I find myself interested in discovering the truth about the past events. There was something about the writing style that put me off as well, and as a result I found myself struggling to find the motivation to keep reading. I confess that I started skimreading well before the halfway mark, and I kind of just wish I had DNFed it instead. I guess it won't come as a surprise when I say I won't be going back and read the first book after all... Sadly I don't think Arnaldur Indridason is the author for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Drug abuse, Domestic abuse, Violence, Murder, Sexual violence, Confinement, Death of parent, Alcoholism, Death, Addiction, Torture, Suicide, Child abuse, and Child death
Moderate: Car accident and Cancer
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