Iceland

When an author switches viewpoint in a long-running, popular series there's always a risk that some readers will be disappointed.  Personally I find it can be one of the more satisfying uses of an ensemble cast, as was the case in OUTRAGE.  Icelandic author Arnaldur Indridason has switched the viewpoint away from his normal main character Erlendur, to one of the lesser characters in the earlier books - Detective Elinborg.  

Erlendur is around, more by way of reference than physically, as he appears to have headed off to the East Fjords, where he lived as a young boy.  Given his fractured family it's possibly not surprising that he's dropped off the radar, although there is something at the end of the book that may intrigue some readers.  Sigurdur Oli is present in this book, but in a low-key way.

Elinborg is investigating the discovery of the body of a young man, throat slashed, lying on the floor of his own home.  Whilst the woman's shawl found in the apartment makes sense as a possible clue, it's a lingering smell that tweaks Elinborg's interest.  Readers of earlier books will know that Elinborg is particularly known for her cooking, and it's that private passion that makes that smell something that she can work with.

This book is really doing what often happens in a debut, introducing and expanding on a central protagonist.  In earlier books Elinborg has been very much a bit player, so OUTRAGE really gives readers a chance to get to know more about another member of Erlunder's team.  The downside of that is that the plot of the book does take a while to get going, although once underway, it's actually quite clever.  And uses some interesting cultural perspectives along the way.  

There's an ongoing thread in all of Indridason's books about the nature of family, parental guilt and the difficulties with balancing personal lives and work commitments.  Earlier books have taken readers into the relationship that Erlendur struggles to maintain with his own children, and the death of his brother when they were both children and the impact that has on his every day life.  This book looks at Elinborg's own difficulties balancing the roles of wife, mother and police detective.  The case revolves around family as well - the family of the victim, as well as the family of the perpetrator all play a part.   Particularly interesting for this reader was the subtle comparison between the young teenage son of Elinborg and his relationship with his mother, and the very different teenage boy and his different relationship with his own mother in the earlier life of the murder victim.  As always this mix of the personal and the professional creates the opportunity for readers to find some way of connecting with these characters, and, as with the early Erlendur books there's a great feeling of place, and culture built into OUTRAGE.  

Despite the different viewpoint, and despite the plot of the book taking a while to move into focus, OUTRAGE really is another excellent, atmospheric, intricate and fascinating book.

Reactions to an author taking a detour away from a much loved series, or style (or both for that matter) can vary.  Some readers love the chance to head into new territory, others find that departure too much of a step, and long to return to the familiarity of the series, the known characters or the styling.  And as with everything, for this reader, it all depends. 

OPERATION NAPOLEON is a thriller, set in Iceland, but based around the mystery of a plane that went down at the very end of World War II.   To take this that little bit further again from the Erlendur Sveinsson Crime Fiction series, this book also has a central female character.   Kristin is pulled into a dangerous world of secrecy and power games when all she is trying to do is discover the truth behind her brother's fate - there on that remote glacier.

I suspect that whether or not a departure from the known works is often to do with the quality of the storytelling.  OPERATION NAPOLEON is, undoubtedly, a thriller.  There are lots of nefarious goings on, there's danger and conflict, there's the unknown of what was in that plane, why there is so much desire to find it, and claim what it is carrying.  So whilst there are many of the elements that a thriller requires, and the pace and plot that supports the discovery of those elements, there are some quintessentially "Indridason" elements to the story.  There are some wonderful characters that the reader can identify and sympathise with - it always helps to have somebody to be "barracking for". 

There is also the way that this author always manages to weave the landscape and the culture of Iceland into his books, and the way that he uses family relationships as a basis for characterisation and exploration.  In this case we have Kirstin and her brother, and the two brothers whose farm sits at the base of the glacier.  The relationship between both sets of siblings is interesting - perhaps more tantalising in the case of the farmers, but undoubtedly the motivation for Kirstin's involvement.

There is a bit of a twist in the tail of this story though, and fans of alternative history may find the final proposition a little difficult to swallow or even maybe a little confronting.   Given that the book declares itself pretty well as a thriller, this reader found OPERATION NAPOLEON less problematic than other stories of the same nature, having said that, alternative histories do make me twitch.

The good thing about OPERATION NAPOLEON is that it has the basic structure, and many of the required elements of a thriller, but with sufficient characterisation, and a great sense of place and culture that would make the book appeal to readers less fond of the pure thriller format, provided that aspect of rewriting history isn't too firmly in your pet hates listing.

Less of a review - closer to a drool, HYPOTHERMIA is the latest in one of my all time favourite series of books from Icelandic author Arnauldur Indridason.  If you've not read any of the earlier books, coming to HYPOTHERMIA from the start could still work, but part of what is really wonderful about this series is the slow unfolding of the backstory of the central detective Erlendur. 

Erlendur is very much of the "rumpled / crumpled" detective genre - somebody who life has dealt some complicated hands to.  Whilst he shuffles those cards, the reader is taken through his current life, his relationships with his estranged children, his childhood and his family tragedy.  Still with that Nordic sense of constraint, thoughtfulness and introspection, there's also something lighter and hopeful in the sub-themes of HYPOTHERMIA, despite the puzzling suicide of a woman in a beautiful lakeside location.  Her obsession with the loss of her mother, and the drowning of her father when she was a child takes Erlendur back to what happened to events from her childhood, somehow giving him permission (or the will) to explore his own history, and the death of his young brother in a blizzard many years before.

Within this series there has always been a strong sense of Icelandic culture and beliefs, from their particular personal name conventions in earlier books, to a real sense of the relationship between the present and the supernatural in this book in particular.  And it's not just Erlendur's personal circumstances that leads to an exploration of the past and the present - there is often a theme within the books that pursues exactly the effect that past events (sometimes hidden, sometimes not) have on the current lives of many of the characters.

Along with the rumpled / crumpled detective styling, Erlendur has an admirable sense of justice and duty.  He doesn't give up, he doesn't accept the obvious (in this case the rapid verdict of suicide) and he is prepared to stick to the task until the truth is revealed - no matter what the consequences.  Having said that he, and this author, are not unaware of the effect of this sort of persistence.  Grief, loss, guilt and confusion are beautifully illustrated, as is there often a cheeky sense of humour.

HYPOTHERMIA is an outstanding example of everything that is wonderful about crime.  The book transports the reader to the place and the culture in which it is set, the landscape, the people, their particular way of looking at the world are woven into the threads of grief, loss, cause and effect seamlessly.  There is pace to the story, alongside lyrical, beautiful storytelling and there are wonderful, believable, flawed characters to follow.  Hopefully for lots of books to come.