Yrsa Sigur冒ard贸ttir is an Icelandic writer, of both crime-novels and children's fiction. She has been writing since 1998. Her d茅but crime-novel "Last Rituals" published in the US in 2007, and the UK in January 2008 was translated into English by Bernard Scudder, and is book 1 of the Th贸ra Gudmundsd贸ttir series.
Yrsa Sigur冒ard贸ttir graduated from high-school in 1983, finished a B.Sc. in civil engineering from the University of Iceland in 1988 and M.Sc in the same field from Concordia University in Montreal in 1997.
Yrsa now works as a civil engineer for the company Fjarhitun, as well as being a writer.
In 2000 the Icelandic department of IBBY (International Board on Books for Young People) awarded Yrsa for her book Vi冒 viljum j贸lin 铆 j煤l铆 (We Want Christmas in July).
Yrsa lives in the Reykjav铆k suburb of Seltjarnarnes. She is married with two children.
This was my first novel by this author. It is book two in the series, but worked as a stand-alone. Although, I do feel like I missed out on some of the backstory in book one.
Detective Huldar and a child psychologist named Freyja are trying to solve a case that involves a note that was found in a school鈥檚 time capsule. It is an interesting premise and a much darker plot than I usually read. A few cringe-worthy scenes to be sure. I wasn't able to predict what would happen in the end.
I think fans of Scandinavian crime fiction would enjoy it.
Thanks to NG for my review copy. Out on Feb 12,2019
4.5/5 stars for this outstanding Nordic crime novel! Iceland鈥檚 Queen of Crime returns in 2019 with the second installment in her superb Children鈥檚 House series: THE RECKONING. Picking up where her 2018 release THE LEGACY left off, Sigurdardottir鈥檚 newest crime novel delivers a gritty, layered procedural exploring the longstanding implications of childhood trauma. In a story both gruesome and heart-wrenching, Sigurdardottir weaves a masterful mystery that belongs on the bookshelf of every Scandinavian crime fiction reader.
A solid entry in the genre of Nordic Noir police procedurals. Not as broody as Henning Mankell or Arnoldur Indriason (my two faves), but it combines a bit of Mankell鈥檚 social conscience with Indriason鈥檚 unique take on Iceland.
A series of bizarre murders appears to be linked to a list of initials of people selected to be killed that was left in a high school time capsule 10 years earlier. It is all clearly tied to the family of a man who was convicted of the sexual abuse and murder of a little girl some time before the time capsule was buried.
So that is our link between the two protagonists, police detective Huldar and child psychologist Freyja, who evidently have a history in the first book of the series (which I haven鈥檛 read). I really don鈥檛 look for romance in my crime fiction, and although the relationship between these two never really gets off the ground, I could have done without it.
Still, it was an entertaining read. I鈥檓 not tempted to read more in the series (TMB, TLT) but I don鈥檛 feel my time was wasted. And the narrator, Lucy Patterson, was brilliant. Her nuanced, ironic voice really added to my appreciation of the story.
This book was a big disappointment for me, being a devoted fan of Yrsa Sigurdardottir's novels and Icelandic crime fiction in general. While the first book in this new series (Freya and Huldar), titled ''DNA'', was aligned with the previous dark, suspenseful and gory novels of the so-called ''Queen of Icelandic Noir'', the ''Reckoning'' fell short to my expectations as it is a rather conventional police procedural crime novel which focuses more on the whodunit part rather than the horrendous atmosphere which is a trademark of the writer herself. That being said, I would like to underline the fact that this is not a bad novel, you still want to turn the pages but it lacks the graphic horror descriptions which bring goosebumps to the reader and keep you on the edge of your seat the whole time you spend reading it. I would like to think that the ''Reckoning'' is only a mediocre parenthesis to the truly talented Icelandic author's work. I am eagerly expecting the English edition of the third book in the series, hoping for the best! RATING:2,5/5.
Cum poate un copil s膬 prevad膬 葯ase crime ce se vor petrece peste zece ani? Scrisoarea lui este o amenin葲are sau un semnal de alarm膬 dat adul葲ilor? C芒nd tat膬l t膬u este cel mai cunoscut pedofil al Islandei, tu e葯ti victim膬 sau martorul ce refuz膬 s膬 denun葲e?
Yrsa Sigur冒ard贸ttir nu d膬 semne c膬 卯n acest al doilea volum al seriei Freyja 葯i Huldar 卯ncetine葯te ritmul sau 卯mb芒nze葯te crimele, ci dimpotriv膬. Crimele sunt brutale, detaliile 卯nfior膬toare 葯i incursiunile psihologice mai profunde. Continu膬 tema familiei, complic芒nd rela葲iile 葯i discut膬 despre traumele profunde ale copil膬riei 葯i efectele sale asupra adul葲ilor.
Freyja 葯i Huldar au c膬zut 卯n dizgra葲ie dup膬 sf芒r葯itul primului roman. De葯i se afla 卯n legitim膬 ap膬rare, Freyja folose葯te o arm膬 de foc 卯n Casa Copiilor. Problema cea mai mare este c膬 nu poate justifica de unde avea arma, a葯a c膬 este retrogradat膬 la simplu psiholog 卯n cadrul centrului. De葯i Huldar fusese cel care rezolvase cazul, 卯n timp ce colegii s膬i erau perfect mul葲umi葯i s膬 卯l considere pe Karl vinovat, fiind proasp膬t avansat, acestuia i se ia 卯napoi pozi葲ia, care 卯i este dat膬 Erlei 葯i el cade 卯n dizgra葲ie, at芒t cu superiorii s膬i, c芒t 葯i printre colegii s膬i. A葯adar am芒ndoi sunt nevoi葲i s膬 o ia de la zero 卯n privin葲a carierelor, iar rela葲iile dintre ei nu sunt cu nimic mai bune ca 卯nainte.
In reality, Iceland has virtually no violent crime. It鈥檚 worth some quick research to discover why. But this is a work of fiction, and the detectives in Reykjavik are busy.
One afternoon, Vaka鈥檚 father is late picking her up from school with tragic results. A decade later, a series of murders appear connected to the girl鈥檚 violent death.
It鈥檚 impossible to compete with Tana French, but The Reckoning will appeal to her fans. Just as French brings Ireland to life, Yrsa does the same for Iceland. The exotic location is intoxicating, and thank God for the character pronunciation guide in the beginning. I was a bit worried to see the text was translated from its original Icelandic, but the author鈥檚 way with words was preserved.
The protagonist is flawed, the murders are grisly, and the mystery will keep you turning pages after your bedtime. Read to the end. There鈥檚 a surprise on the last page or two.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and Net Galley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review. My thoughts on this book can also be found on my blog, Cheap Thrill Book Reviews.
I find I am really liking this series. Well translated with a complicated plot. It begins in 2004 when eight year old Vaka goes missing while waiting for her dad to pick her up after school. It turns out she has gone to the nearby home of a classmate. Sigrun, to call him 鈥� not knowing the classmate鈥檚 father is home, drunk, and not anyone you really want to meet. Fast forward to 2016 鈥� a series of bizarre, gruesome killings has begun 鈥� but only after Sigrun鈥檚 father Jon Jonsson has been released from prison. Police detective Huldar and child psychologist Freyja are once again thrown together. Huldar no longer heads up any investigations having been demoted after the last case he worked on. He鈥檚 now been relegated to investigating a letter in a time capsule written by school children in 2006 saying six people will be killed in ten years 鈥� listed by initials only. Freyja is no longer held in high esteem either. Her last work with the police department didn鈥檛 turn out well.
Once we鈥檙e brought up to speed as to why Huldar and Freyja are in their current positions doing what they鈥檙e doing, the author sucks you into the stories of the time capsule, two families destroyed by Jon Jonsson鈥檚 actions 鈥� his own and Vaka鈥檚, bizarre killings, children falling through the cracks 鈥� no actually they鈥檙e intentionally pushed into them, bribing people in high places to look the other way, and then tying everything together so neatly in the end. Once again, Huldar and Freyja make a great team. Huldar has some amazing powers of perception in putting all the clues together. I didn鈥檛 give this author enough credit with her first book. She covers a lot of ground, comes up with a complicated plot, complicated people, and forces the reader to think. I think I have a soft spot for books written by Icelandic writers and set in Iceland 鈥� having been there a couple of times. I definitely plan on continuing with this series.
"O Abismo" foi uma leitura espetacular. Se j谩 tinha gostado de Huldar e Freyja em "O Legado", aqui ent茫o gostei muito mais. Diverti-me muito com eles, ri-me e o caso policial era t茫o intrigante que manteve a aten莽茫o desde o in铆cio.
Alguns eventos bizarros, mais bizarros mesmo, acontecem; mas como 茅 que se ligam uns aos outros? N茫o consegui adivinhar nada, deixem que vos diga.
No final, fiquei satisfeita, por um lado; mas por outro, achei pouco convincente um pequeno aspeto:
Aguardo ansiosamente pelo pr贸ximo livro desta s茅rie que se est谩 a tornar viciante.
Am impresia c膬 despre 葲膬rile nordice scandinave s-a creat o imagine idilic膬 complet fals膬, aceea de oameni ferici葲i, cu venituri mult peste medie, care nu merg dec芒t vreo c芒teva ore la munc膬, apoi le r膬m芒ne o gr膬mad膬 de timp pe care s膬-l petreac膬 acas膬, cu familia, ori 卯n concedii 卯n 葲膬ri exotice, cu clim膬 cald膬, ori pe mare, cu iahtul personal, la pescuit, la v芒n膬toare 葯i a葯a mai departe. 脦ns膬 autorii care scriu literatur膬 卯ncadrat膬 卯n genul 鈥瀗ordic-noir鈥� se str膬duiesc din r膬sputeri s膬 ne deschid膬 ochii la problemele lor. Care sunt multe, ur芒te, morbide, gre葲oase de multe ori. Da, la noi poate c膬 lipsa banilor, absen葲a p膬rin葲ilor, traiul greu, concep葲iile 卯nvechite, guvernan葲ii ho葲i 葯i incompeten葲i sunt principalele cauze ale depresiei 葯i problemelor cu care ne confrunt膬m zi de zi. La ei... nu 葯tiu ce s膬 zic. Nu to葲i au iahturi sau m膬car o 葯alup膬 卯n garaj, pe care s-o aga葲e de ma葯ina scump膬 卯n weekend, pentru o plimbare pe mare sau o 葯edin葲膬 de pescuit. Unii sunt nevoi葲i s膬 卯ndeplineasc膬 slujbe mizere 葯i prost pl膬tite, chiar dac膬 noi ne imagin膬m cu totul altceva. Iar pe unii banii i-au transformat 卯n mon葯tri gre葲o葯i, care cred c膬 li se cuvine totul, inclusiv dreptul de via葲膬 葯i de moarte asupra semenilor mai pu葲in noroco葯i. Yrsa Sigurdardottir este, al膬turi de Arnaldur Indridasson (葯i, mai nou, de noua senza葲ie Lilja Sigurdardottir), cel mai de seam膬 exponent al literaturii nordic-noir islandeze. 葮i se str膬duie葯te din r膬sputeri s膬 deschid膬 ochii lumii asupra problemelor de zi cu zi cu care se confrunt膬 mica societate islandez膬, a c膬rei popula葲ii se poate compara cu cea a unui ora葯 ceva mai m膬ricel de la noi: be葲ivi, 葯omaj, crime, violuri, pedofilie, molest膬ri, copii agresa葲i, violen葲膬 domestic膬, politicieni corup葲i, poli葲i葯ti blaza葲i, 葲膬rani ce-葯i violeaz膬 fiicele, mame ce-葯i ucid pruncii, escroci ce fraieresc b膬ncile 葯i a葯a mai departe. Volumul de fa葲膬 este probabil cel mai trist, mai 卯ntunecat 葯i mai revolt膬tor roman pe care l-am tradus p芒n膬 acum. O intrig膬 extrem de complicat膬, personaje oribile (din cauza faptelor lor, nu insinuez c膬 ar fi prost construite), crime la fel de oribile, criminali pe care ajungi s膬-i 卯n葲elegi la un moment dat 葯i un sistem judiciar care las膬 卯n libertate un criminal pedofil dup膬 doar zece ani 葯i jum膬tate.
Sigurdardottir is very good at this, in many ways this is a right on the money procedural. I particularly love how instead of giving our male and female leads sexual chemistry it is just nonstop sexual awkwardness, it's a great touch. Like the previous in the series it's very brutal, awfully gory, and filled with horrific stories. (Big content warnings for sexual assault of a child, more than once, on the page in some cases.) The ruthlessness of Karin Slaughter but going for procedural pacing instead of thriller.
The start to this one is a bit bumpy, it takes it a while to feel like there's an actual mystery. And like any Icelandic crime novel where there are these wild, complicated crimes it's kind of ridiculous especially since characters often note how rare violent crime is in Iceland. Except for this string of absolutely off the wall murders every so often, I guess.
I have a lot less patience for police procedurals these days and while Sigurdardottir does acknowledge that not all cops are good cops and that they make mistakes and are prone to corruption, there's still too much of a "don't worry the good guys will fix this" happening for my liking.
This time, after the events from the first book (DNA), Fuldar and Freyja are on the new case.
The prologue of the novel is very scary. Two little schoolgirls go to the house of one of them where something terrible will happen.
After digging up the time capsule from school, in one of them there was threat that certain people will die very soon. Detectives are trying to find the student who wrote the message, while on the other hand, two hands of a dead man were found in another man's backyard.
How are these events connected? Readers will find out in this interesting thriller with many twists til the very end.
3.5 STARS. 鈦� I finally finished book two in the Children鈥檚 House series and while I didn鈥檛 enjoy it as much as the first book, I can definitely say that this is a solid series so far and I can鈥檛 wait to read the next book 馃憣馃徏鈦� 鈦� What I enjoyed the most about this book was that it was full of rich character development. I will admit that I had a hard time connecting with Huldar鈥檚 character in the first book, but I actually really enjoyed his character in this book. I also really enjoyed how Yrsa definitely doesn鈥檛 cut back on the gory details 馃槵馃敧 The crimes that are described in this book are pretty horrific, but I loved how there was the perfect amount of detail and it was never overdone. 鈦� 鈦� While I did enjoy several aspects of this book, I ultimately just didn鈥檛 find the plot as compelling as I did with the first book. This is honestly just personal preference, but I was way more invested in The Legacy鈥檚 plot than I was with this one. I just didn鈥檛 find the killings as intriguing and I wasn鈥檛 as eager to find out how it ended. However, I actually found the ending to be very satisfying and it wrapped up the book extremely well 馃檶馃徏鈦� 鈦� TRIGGERS: Rape, Child Sexual Abuse, Suicide (very brief mention)鈦� 鈦� Overall, I would definitely recommend this book and series to you guys! Note: because there is a ton of character development and background information provided in the first book, it鈥檚 definitely best to read the books in order 馃鈦�
Yrsa Sigurdard贸ttir is one of my favorite Nordic Noir authors. The Reckoning is book 2 in the Children鈥檚 House series featuring Detective Huldar and child psychologist Freyja. A note is found in a time capsule at a school threatening to kill 6 people identified only initials. Since the note was written by a child, Huldar brings Freyja in to help. This novel has everything I love about good crime fiction. It is multi-layered with many interesting characters and I did not guess the killer. I am looking forward to seeing Huldar and Freyja鈥檚 characters develop more throughout this series.