A review by alliepeduto
Jar City by Arnaldur Indriðason

3.0

This was definitely classic Nordic Noir: dark and and more than a little depressing. I picked this up since I’m going to Iceland next month and I love reading books by people who are actually from the country I’m visiting. I really enjoyed reading the tidbits of Icelandic culture scattered throughout the novel, and the descriptions were very evocative of what I expect Reykjavik look like. As for the mystery itself, I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of intrigue. There were multiple leads in the investigation that all merged together to develop a very satisfying ending. My only complaint is that is has a very dark feel, so I finished it feeling a bit hopeless. It’s still a really well done novel, but it’s more a 3 read for me because of all the great mystery elements than it is because I liked the book.