Arnaldur Indri冒ason has the rare distinction of having won the Nordic Crime Novel Prize two years running. He is also the winner of the highly respected and world famous CWA Gold Dagger Award for the top crime novel of the year in the English language, Silence of the Grave.
Arnaldur鈥檚 novels have sold over 14 million copies worldwide, in 40 languages, and have won numerous well-respected prizes and received rave reviews all over the world.
We get right into it with the first sentence 鈥淗e knew at once it was a human bone, when he took it from the baby who was sitting on the floor chewing it.鈥�
A skeleton is uncovered at a construction site for a new housing development outside of Reykjavik. The excavation of the skeleton is turned over to a crew from the university: a professor and some anthropology students. This takes weeks. Initially we don鈥檛 even know if it is a male or female skeleton but we do know it鈥檚 been in the ground for 50 or 60 years.
Fortunately Iceland has a low murder rate and three detectives with time on their hands so they immediately start investigating all disappearances 50 years ago in that area. They come up with four people ranging from an Icelandic man who worked at the American Air Force base during WW II to a female who may or may not have thrown herself over a cliff during a love affair.
We learn a bit about the private lives of the three detectives, most notably an older man who has a drug-addicted daughter, and we follow his travails with her. One of the detectives is female so we have the usual gender tension between her and the older man.
A major focus of the story goes back fifty years to the daily life of the man working at the air base.
And near the end a surprise:
A good read that kept my interest to the end. There鈥檚 some local color of Iceland (the book is translated from the Icelandic) and two maps at the front of the book. I wish the author had not given us five character names beginning with 鈥淓鈥� to deal with, especially two of the detectives, Elinborg and Elendur 鈥� a bit confusing at first.
The author (1961-) has written two dozen books, 11 of them in the Detective Erlendur series. All of the Erlendur books have been translated into English.
Photo of Reykjavik from CNBC.com The author from icelandmonitor.mbl.is
Silence of the Grave (Inspector Erlendur #4), Arnaldur Indri冒ason
Inspector Erlendur returns in this gripping Icelandic thriller When a skeleton is discovered half-buried in a construction site outside of Reykjav铆k, Inspector Erlendur finds himself knee-deep in both a crime scene and an archeological dig. Bone by bone, the body is unearthed, and the brutalizing history of a family who lived near the building site comes to light along with it. Was the skeleton a man or a woman, a victim or a killer, and is this a simple case of murder or a long-concealed act of justice? As Erlendur tries to crack this cold case, he must also save his drug-addicted daughter from self destruction and somehow glue his hopelessly fractured family back together.
When I was a teenager, I was a big fan of detective novels, to the effect that I was contemplating the possibility of joining the Police force. I was even conducting my own investigations. When I was around 14, I liked a boy from church who was older than me. I found out his name, where he lived, that he had a sister and other information. I even followed him once. Then, one Sunday after the sermon, I approached him and blurted out everything I had found out about him. I remember I was awfully dressed, with a pair of woolen stockings that wrinkled around my knees. Maybe it was the first time I became aware of my clothes. To my surprise, the boy - Octavian, I remember his name even now - was not shocked by my boldness, instead he was very kind and asked what my name was. Nothing romantic came out of that encounter, but we remained friends. That's the way I was and I don't think I've changed too much over the years. I still like to fit pieces together, make connections and understand things. But one thing I stopped doing was following boys.
That's not a proper review for this book, I know. The point is that I used to love detective novels in my youth. I haven't revisited the genre for quite a long time, but now I'm set upon finding some good such literature that could entertain me when I'm tired or stressed out. I want to get back that wonderful feeling when I was engrossed in a captivating investigation, red in the face with too much tension, oblivious to everything around me, even pretending to be sick so that I could skip school, stay home and read. Well, I'm aware that I might not get that feeling back, as I'm grown up now. But still, there is hope.
Arnaldur Indri冒ason's novels are moderately good, the cases are puzzling and the investigation procedures keep me interested. I also prick my ears at every mention of Iceland and its people, because I have a genuine interest in this country. Indri冒ason's novels are not what I'm looking for, though, because there is no great tension, no shocking conclusion and - what bothers me the most - there are other layers to the story that I'm not really interested in, mainly the insights into the detectives' personal life. Honestly, they are boring. Still, these parts are way better than what I've found in Camilla L盲ckberg's , which was a kind of soap opera. If you have some expectations from literature, please stay away from Camilla L盲ckberg!
The two stars reflect my interest in only 1/3 of the novel, which dealt with the investigative part. One third was about events that happened long ago - a depressing account of an Icelandic family who had to put up with physical and mental abuse from a monster of a husband and father. This part was heart-wrenching and I couldn't bear it in its entirety, so I mostly read between the lines. The remaining 1/3 of the novel was about the detectives' personal lives, which I found rather boring, so I mostly subjected them to quick-reading techniques. The layers were interspersed, which made the actual plot thin and diluted.
My request to you, the ones who read detective novels, is to recommend me good books that mainly deal with cases, investigations and with a plot that truly builds tension. I want to get that feeling back and I'm really getting frustrated that I can't! Or maybe I should learn to get over it...
Don't pick this one up if you want something warm and fuzzy -- it's definitely the opposite. But then again, it's gloominess somehow seems a propos, considering not only the main story here, but the ongoing story of Erlandur Sveinsson, the main character here. He's not a happy man, nor does he have any reason to be -- his children hate him, his ex-wife lies about him and he's got ghosts from his past that continually haunt him. But as a detective, he's got to let all of that go so that he can do his job.
As the story opens, a baby is discovered playing with a piece of a human rib bone. The baby's mother makes her other child take her to where he found the bone, and an entire skeleton is discovered. The police are called in, and they have no choice but to wait until the archaeologists slowly and carefully work through the excavation to be able to even determine the sex of the bones. All that's known is that the skeleton is probably quite old, rather than recent, anywhere from 50 to 70 years old. While they wait for the archaeologists, Erelendur and his team begin trying to figure out just who may have lived around the area in the past, and to see if anyone may have gone missing around the time whoever it is laying in the ground was put in there. As the police begin their investigations, they become aware that a young woman went missing, presumed a suicide, and that the man to whom she was engaged was the owner of the property years ago, when the area was shared with a military base during WWII. Interwoven with this story is another about a family of former residents of the area, a woman and her children who find themselves victims of the husband/father, a wife beater who not only uses physical violence, but "kills the soul" as he metes out his abuse. Between the two storylines, you'll find yourself literally unable to put the book down. That, along with Erlendur's personal problems and the ghosts of his past coming back to haunt him, make for one incredible read.
If you've read Jar City, you've got to read this one. The author's characterization is realistic, the story is moving and the writing is excellent. Highly recommended to those who enjoy good mysteries in general, or to those who are looking for at good Scandinavian mystery writer.
The routinely glum Reykav铆k based Inspector Erlendur Sveinsson is a man for whom the past weighs heavy on her shoulders, from the childhood loss of his brother in a blizzard to his complicated relationships with the children he walked out on decades earlier. Introspective at the best of times, the discovery of a human skeleton on the Grafarholt hill that has been revealed by the building work on the fringes of an ever expanding Reykav铆k takes him on a quest to piece together the identity of the skeleton and discover how they died. For Erlendur with a legacy of guilt arising from his brothers death his immediate first thought is that this is a typical Icelandic missing persons case of succumbing to the inhospitable landscape. But what he finds buried in a shallow grave that was once open hills is a far more complicated matter and tells a sweeping tale of both the history of Reykjav铆k, its citizens and the secrets that have gone to the grave. Set alongside the investigation is the urgent cry for help from Erlendur鈥檚 drug addicted and pregnant daughter, Eva Lind, and his ensuing vigil at her bedside which leads the detective to face some of his own mistakes of the past. As Eva Lind miscarries and lies in a coma, the harrowing story that is revealed seems fitting as Erlendur awaits a chance to address his own familial woes.
In a novel which begins with a painstaking excavation of a skeleton that has lain buried for what appears to be some fifty to seventy years it is the pedantic museum archaeologist, Skarph茅dinn, and his urge for patience that sets the pace for a novel of minimal action with a negligible police procedural element. Readers hoping for a rapid identification of the bones may be disappointed, however Indri冒ason does something far superior and uses this gradual unearthing to weave a compelling story of the past and a touching exploration of some very poignant stories which lie buried. Given the paucity of leads forthcoming from the haphazard record keeping over the years at time of both a housing shortage, the rapid expansion of the outskirts of Reykjav铆k and the wartime stationing of first British and then an American army barracks the investigation proves a frustrating experience for the police. As Erlendur revisits a time when the landscape was formerly made up of chalets he manages to track down both the remaining survivors and the descendants of those who once lived there. Intrigued by the redcurrant bushes planted alongside the shallow grave and their significance Erlendur uncovers two tragic stories, one of the owner of a chalet and the suspected suicide of his fianc茅e which left him heartbroken and a second in the story of a family of five who later occupied this chalet and the military bases part in their story. In a parallel narrative a shocking story of a mother and her three children鈥檚 lives at the hands of a sadistic and tyrannical husband whose verbal and physical abuse crushes her self-respect and causes her to retreat from life unfolds. As Indri冒ason spins a bewitching tale of past atrocities that both captivates and simultaneously horrifies a meticulous Erlendur peels back the layers to reveal a story that begun in the time of World War II.
In an fascinating mystery and a profound emotional journey Silence of the Grave is an absorbing search for answers with a multi-layered narrative that slowly unites past and present. Between the two historic threads and the powerful story of a monstrous brute of a husband and father the resultant narrative suspense heightens to a stunning denouement in which not only the identity of the skeleton is revealed but also delivers answer to both historic puzzles.
In the second novel to have been translated into English after Jar City, the focus on Erlendur鈥檚 own history and failed marriage provides an insight into his dissatisfaction with life and his tetchy disposition. Divorced for over twenty years from a poisonous ex-wife who has manipulated his children and turned them against him, it is understandable how his fractured relationships with his children has left a feeling of responsibility and guilt for Eva Lind鈥檚 demons.
A powerful and absorbing story of the forgotten victims of unsolved crime and a detective reconciling himself with the ghosts of his past.
Maz膩k trilleris, vair膩k st膩sts par t膩lajiem kara gadiem 莫sland膿, par to, ko iesaist墨tajiem nodara 拧膩da 鈥渒lus膩鈥� vardarb墨ba. Un par neredzamaj膩m sait膿m, kas vieno b膿rn墨bas traumas piedz墨voju拧os, kad tie jau pieaugu拧i un devu拧ies sav膩 dz墨v膿.
Mans otrais Indri冒asona darbs - 鈥淧urvs鈥� ar savu r膩mo dr奴mumu 募oti uzrun膩ja, t膩p膿c ar nepaciet墨bu gaid墨ju n膩kamo 拧墨 islandie拧u autora darba tulkojumu latvie拧u valod膩. Dena Dimi艈a k膩 tulkot膩ja v膩rds koment膩rus neprasa un bija patiesa bauda las墨t gr膩matas versiju m奴su valod膩.
鈥淜lus膿拧ana鈥� at拧姆墨r膩s no 鈥淧urva鈥� ar to, ka liela da募a notikumu risin膩j膩s 莫slandes v膿stures l墨klo膷os - 2.pasaules kara norises, kuru sekas iesniedz膩s m奴sdien膩s. Reikjav墨kas nomal膿 k膩d膩 jaunceltn膿 tiek atrasti cilv膿ka kauli un izmekl膿t膩js Erlends ar saviem kol膿模iem 拧姆etina pag膩tnes nosl膿pumus, lai atrastu vain墨gos un saprastu notikumus, kuru rezult膩t膩 notika apbed墨拧ana 膩rpus kaps膿tas.
Atz墨拧os, ka br墨啪iem las墨拧ana bija gr奴ta, jo cauri vij膩s fiziskas un emocion膩las vardarb墨bas 模imen膿 t膿ma. Iesaist墨ti bija ar墨 b膿rni, t膩p膿c bie啪i p膩r艈膿ma klusas dusmas un bezpal墨dz墨bas saj奴ta. Nav br墨nums, jo ar墨 m奴sdien膩s 拧膩da tipa noziegumi bie啪i vien notiek aiz sl膿gtam durv墨m un par tiem uzzin膩m tikai, kad jau ir par v膿lu.
La primera novela que le铆 de Arnaldur Indridason fue 鈥淪ilence of the grave鈥�, en espa帽ol 鈥淟a mujer de verde鈥�. A pesar de que su traducci贸n al ingl茅s tiene llamativas lagunas, la descripci贸n de la atm贸sfera general est谩 muy lograda. De nuevo asistimos al t铆pico 鈥淣ordic noir鈥�, con su dosis de violencia dom茅stica, y una sociedad que por dentro est谩 mucho m谩s podrida de lo que aparenta. Pero lo hacemos de la mano del inspector Erlendur, que bajo la pluma del escritor island茅s nos garantiza una buena lectura. Adem谩s, encuentro que sus novelas son menos depresivas que las de Mankell o Jo Nesbo, escritores que tambi茅n me parecen fant谩sticos. A partir del descubrimiento de un cad谩ver perteneciente a la 茅poca de la segunda guerra mundial, el autor teje una historia entrelazada con la de una familia que sufre los abusos de un padre que les amarga la vida. Todo en un relato de unas trescientas p谩ginas repletas de un thriller n贸rdico de gran calidad. No es el que m谩s me ha gustado de este autor, pero casi.
Excellent follow-up to . Earlier themes and character development continue to advance while a new cold case, involving bones found in a hillside, provides an interesting mystery. This time Erlendur is more open to the reader. There is now a background to his sadness and his behavior.
"Maybe I should have done that long ago, to come to terms with the life that was saved and give it a purpose. But that didn't happen...We all have our burdens. Maybe I don't suffer any more than anyone else who has lost a loved one, but I can't deal with it at all. Something switched off in me..." (loc 3622)
As for the mystery itself, it involves both flashback and present day in a clever way and themes that are ageless.
I will very definitely read more of Indridason's books in the future. I'll seek them out. Highly recommended.
One of the few novels spoiled by the main character... We are talking about a Dickensian type of story: an evil character, unprovoked domestic violence, drug addicts, unhappy characters and sad lives, a crippled child, an oppressive atmosphere. But we have also a free spirit, a love story and the good hand of destiny. Unfortunately, we have a secondary plot involving Erlendur, and that is too much to be endured by an average reader like myself.
Erlendur Sveinsson must be the only person in Iceland who prefers the 鈥渉eavy, dark鈥� days of winter over the 鈥渂right,鈥� 鈥渇rivolous鈥� days of summer. Then again, that鈥檚 not so surprising. His dour disposition would make Edinburgh鈥檚 Rebus, Oxford鈥檚 Morse, or Ystad鈥檚 Wallander look like the cheery court of a homecoming princess.
He has reason to be depressed. Estranged from his grown children, hated by his ex-wife, and guilt-ridden for his real and imagined failures, Erlendur spends evenings by the bedside of his daughter鈥檚 hospital bed, doubtful if she鈥檒l ever awaken from a drug-induced coma. He mulls over why he left his family, wondering if he should have or could have been more involved in his children鈥檚 lives and struggles to say anything to fill the empty space surrounding his daughter. His emotional frigidity matches the desolation of his world outside, echoing themes of isolation and despair. So when a skeleton surfaces at a housing development, it represents not only a crime, but Erlendur鈥檚 biggest fears and regrets as a father, son, and brother.
Silence of the Grave is structured with parallel plot lines: the police investigation Erlendur heads and the story of a woman and her abusive husband living on the outskirts of Reykjavik during WWII. Her story is brutal, and it鈥檚 difficult to get through scenes showing the husband鈥檚 emotional and physical battering of his wife and children. Much of the novel unearths family silences and secrets, and the subsequent police investigation uncovers how much abuse of that time remained as invisible as the deeply buried skeleton.
For those who enjoy mysteries and crime fiction, this novel doesn鈥檛 have the switchbacks, and the twists & turns that make crime fiction a page-turning addiction. What does make it engrossing are the fully realized characters, both major and minor, and their responses to a half-century old murder, family taboos, and questions about what gives life meaning.
The first time i read this gorgeous novel when I was at 16 i see myself in some pieces in this story. I was struggling to read fast so maybe I see conclusions that make world and especially my reality better. But i shocked at the end. It was ultimate nightmare Kafka!!. This novel make you give up the world line by line and become accomplice with your annihilation. Silence of the grave it is shortly best novel I have read in literature... Waring :Don't read it if you optimistic!!
La primera novela que le铆 de Arnaldur Indridason fue 鈥淪ilence of the grave鈥�, en espa帽ol 鈥淟a mujer de verde鈥�. A pesar de que su traducci贸n al ingl茅s tiene llamativas lagunas, la descripci贸n de la atm贸sfera general est谩 muy lograda. De nuevo asistimos al t铆pico 鈥淣ordic noir鈥�, con su dosis de violencia dom茅stica, y una sociedad que por dentro est谩 mucho m谩s podrida de lo que aparenta. Pero lo hacemos de la mano del inspector Erlendur, que bajo la pluma del escritor island茅s nos garantiza una buena lectura. Adem谩s, encuentro que sus novelas son menos depresivas que las de Mankell o Jo Nesbo, escritores que tambi茅n me parecen fant谩sticos. A partir del descubrimiento de un cad谩ver perteneciente a la 茅poca de la segunda guerra mundial, el autor teje una historia entrelazada con la de una familia que sufre los abusos de un padre que les amarga la vida. Todo en un relato de unas trescientas p谩ginas repletas de un thriller n贸rdico de gran calidad. No es el que m谩s me ha gustado de este autor, pero casi.
, the fourth installment of Arnaldur Indri冒ason鈥檚 Inspector Erlendur series, is sneaky good. Rather than hitting you over the head with a sudden, grisly murder and in-depth character studies, the story unfolds so slowly that you might wonder if there really was a crime at all.
It begins when a medical student spots a toddler gnawing on what appears to be an old bone while he waits for his younger brother at a child鈥檚 birthday party. This leads to Inspector Erlendur and his team being called in to investigate. The scene turns out to be an archeological dig of sorts; although it is not ancient, it probably dates back to World War II. Despite the fact that the unknown skeleton has been interred for decades, Erlendur is impatient to learn the identity of the deceased, but the forensic team will not be rushed.
As the recovery effort inches ahead and the police investigation ensue, Erlendur notices redcurrant bushes. Who planted them, Erlendur wonders. Who lived here? Later, he learns that there was a chalet. Eventually, he has a name, information to follow, some of it leading nowhere. Whose body is buried in the wall? Is it male or female?
The author gives us ideas as he shows us who lived in that run-down building. A family of five. A mother, husband, two boys and a girl. All are magnificently developed over the course of the book. I must caution readers: There is domestic abuse here, physical, emotional, and psychological abuse that recurs throughout the book. It cannot be skimmed, in my opinion, unless one totally skips these chapters, and to do so is to miss the much of the essence of the story.
Would it be possible to continue this series without reading Silence of the Grave? Since I have not yet read the next book, I cannot presume to answer that question. However, knowing what Arnaldur Indri冒ason reveals about Erlendur during the course of this book as he sits with his gravely ill daughter Eva Lind, I would say that it is an important book to read because of what we learn about Erlendur. We see him being more introspective than at any time in previous books. More honest. Perhaps, even though he doesn鈥檛 wear his feelings on his sleeve, more emotional.
We also get to know his partners, El脥nborg and Sigurdur 脫li, better. Now, this doesn鈥檛 come easily in the first chapter or two. It takes patience to get to know these characters because that鈥檚 the way Indri冒ason writes. Slow and steady wins the race. Imagine my surprise when I got to the end and found that I really enjoyed this book. When all is said and done, there is a lot more to it than would appear after the first, oh, one-third of the book. If you expect and need a fast-paced, action-packed thriller, then this book, this series, is not for you. But if you enjoy a skillfully drawn tale that takes you to another time and place, then you quite possibly could love this book.
Crime fiction doesn't get much less cosy than this. I'd been nervous about trying Nordic noir, thinking it would be too depressing - but, although this book is just as bleak and dark as I expected, I found it a compelling read.
The story begins as a buried skeleton is discovered on a building site. As archaeologists slowly dig it up, but it becomes apparent that the bones are the remains of a crime committed during the Second World War. Even though it is likely that the perpetrator is long dead, Inspector Erlendur and his team search for the truth about what happens.
The novel switches between the present-day investigation and the events of decades ago which led to the tragedy, focusing on a horrific tale of domestic abuse. There is also plenty of suffering in the novel's present day, as Erlendur is forced to confront his long-lost daughter's drug addiction. At times the misery could become overwhelming, but Indri冒ason writes concisely and says just as much as is needed, without wallowing in violence.
All in all, I couldn't exactly say that I enjoyed this novel, but I found it powerful and I'm sure I will remember it. I may read more in the series in the future.
Lo schema rimane sempre lo stesso: persone scomparse (non immaginavo che in Islanda le persona scomparse fossero cos矛 numerose!), disagio sociale, difficili (per usare un eufemismo) rapporti familiari. Questa volta l'autore ci porta nell'Islanda della seconda guerra mondiale e, a differenza degli altri libri della serie, l'aspetto emotivo dei personaggi emerge con maggior vigore (eh, sempre in relazione all'analfabetismo emozionale di base dei vari personaggi).
Jedan od osam (za sada) naslova koje je Booka izdala u svojoj ediciji 沤anr je i pri膷a "Grobna ti拧ina" Arnaldura Indridasona koja prati inspektora Erlendura i njegove kolege u rasvetljavanju zlo膷ina.
Kost biva na膽ena sasvim slu膷ajno od strane de膷aka koji se igrao na gradili拧tu sa drugarima i ispitivanje tla po膷inje momentalno, brzo daju膰i rezultate. Ispostavlja se da je na膽eno telo u zemlji provelo vi拧e desetina godina. Kako bi dokazi usled starosti bili pa啪ljivo sa膷uvani, anga啪ovan je i tim arheologa za potrebe iskopavanja. Sa po膷etkom iskopavanja tela, po膷inje i kopanje po pro拧losti gde se na jedno odgovoreno pitanje postavlja deset novih, a pretpostavke daju najneverovatnije prognoze. Paralelno pratimo nekoliko radnji 拧to u sada拧njosti, 拧to u pro拧losti, otkrivaju膰i me膽uljudske odnose i tajne koje oni nose sa sobom. Tenzija i i拧膷ekivanje se lagano gradi i odr啪ava tokom celog toka pri膷e, do trenutka kada se pro拧lost i sada拧njost sretnu u spoznaji istine.
Pomalo mi je krivo 拧to sam za Arnaldura Indridasona saznala tek ove godine jer je u pitanju jedan od boljih trilera koje sam skoro pro膷itala. Ujedno me raduje to 拧to je Booka u okviru iste edicije objavila jo拧 jednu njegovu knjigu "Mo膷vara" koja 膷eka svoj red. Topla preporuka, kako za knjigu, tako i za fantasti膷nu ediciju 沤anr.