On an icy January day the Reykjavik police are called to a block of flats where a body has been found in the garden: a young, dark-skinned boy, frozen to the ground in a pool of his own blood. The discovery of a stab wound in his stomach extinguishes any hope that this was a tragic accident. Erlendur and his team embark on their investigation with little to go on but the news that the boy's Thai half-brother is missing. Is he implicated, or simply afraid for his own life? The investigation soon unearths tensions simmering beneath the surface of Iceland's outwardly liberal, multicultural society. A teacher at the boy's school makes no secret of his anti-immigration stance; incidents are reported between Icelandic pupils and the disaffected children of incomers; and, to confuse matters further, a suspected paedophile has been spotted in the area. Meanwhile, the boy's murder forces Erlendur to confront the tragedy in his own past. Soon, facts are emerging from the snow-filled darkness that are more chilling even than the Arctic night.
Arctic Chill (Reykjavik Murder Mysteries)
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Review
'[Arctic Chills] humanity, insight and spare prose make it one of the most memorable crime novels of the year'.
-- Sunday Times
`What is it with those Scandinavians? For many years they have been producing crime novels of the most chilling and engrossing nature. However, one man stands out for his sense of highly believable drama, suspense and an almost effortlessly simple, yet captivating delivery. He is Arnaldur Indridason...one of the brightest sparks on the international crime writing circuit.' **** -- The Mirror
`a rounded, superior example of the genre.'
-- Sunday Telegraph
`beautifully written' -- Literary Review
`trenchantly written'
-- Independent
-- Sunday Times
`What is it with those Scandinavians? For many years they have been producing crime novels of the most chilling and engrossing nature. However, one man stands out for his sense of highly believable drama, suspense and an almost effortlessly simple, yet captivating delivery. He is Arnaldur Indridason...one of the brightest sparks on the international crime writing circuit.' **** -- The Mirror
`a rounded, superior example of the genre.'
-- Sunday Telegraph
`beautifully written' -- Literary Review
`trenchantly written'
-- Independent
Review
`What is it with those Scandinavians? For many years they have been producing crime novels of the most chilling and engrossing nature. However, one man stands out for his sense of highly believable drama, suspense and an almost effortlessly simple, yet captivating delivery. He is Arnaldur Indridason...one of the brightest sparks on the international crime writing circuit.' ****
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
49 of 50 people found the following review helpful
By Simon Clarke
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This captivating novel is Indridason's fifth to be
translated into English from Icelandic,and featuring
the singular Detective Erlendur , backed by his
colleagues Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg.It confirms the
author's status as one of the leading writers of crime/
police procedural novels.
When a 10 year old half-Thai boy is found stabbed on
frozen ground outside his flat,Erlendur wonders whether
there could be a racial motive to the murder.As we follow
the fascinating investigations,the crime opens a national
debate into the consequences of multi-culturalism in Iceland,
and the author's descriptions of the harsh climate,pose
questions as to the effect of this on the Icelandic psyche.
Meanwhile the death of the young boy opens up for Erlendur
memories of the traumatic death of his own young brother.
This is a wonderfully easy to read novel,ably assisted
by excellent translation.It is about as good as crime
writing gets.
translated into English from Icelandic,and featuring
the singular Detective Erlendur , backed by his
colleagues Sigurdur Oli and Elinborg.It confirms the
author's status as one of the leading writers of crime/
police procedural novels.
When a 10 year old half-Thai boy is found stabbed on
frozen ground outside his flat,Erlendur wonders whether
there could be a racial motive to the murder.As we follow
the fascinating investigations,the crime opens a national
debate into the consequences of multi-culturalism in Iceland,
and the author's descriptions of the harsh climate,pose
questions as to the effect of this on the Icelandic psyche.
Meanwhile the death of the young boy opens up for Erlendur
memories of the traumatic death of his own young brother.
This is a wonderfully easy to read novel,ably assisted
by excellent translation.It is about as good as crime
writing gets.
31 of 32 people found the following review helpful
By Mick Nagle
Format:Paperback
If you haven't yet joined the Indridason fanclub - I'd recommend reading the Erlandur books in order (first one is Tainted Blood), because. although the stories sit well on their own, there are themes and threads that develop through the series. There's a strong similarity to the Wallender books of Hening Mankell - in particular the underlying sense of a man struggling to find his place in a world whose values are changing - but in my view Indridason stands out from any of his Scandinavian contemporaries for the quality of writing. He has a very simple style but a fantastic sense of narrative structure and characterisation; very understated (exceptionally well translated), and with a minimum of anachronistic plot devices. Highly recommend for anyone who enjoys Mankell, Rankin, Jo Nesbo or Stieg Larson
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By J. Milton
VINE™ VOICE
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
The fifth in the Reykjavik Murder Mystery series follows Erlendur, Elinborg and Sigurdur Oli as they hunt for the killer of an Icelandic/Thai boy outside his home. This book has none of the international intrigue or twist per page count of other Scandinavian thrillers out there. Instead, this title follows the investigation slowly as any possible lead is explored, which is where this title sets itself apart from the rest.
Through the investigation we not only start to get a better understanding of Sigurdur Oli's character, through him revealing some of his past, but we also get a little bit more about a small country facing up to the pitfalls of globalisation and how the people of Iceland are responding and worrying about cultural dilution, race relations etc.
This is not a thrill a second crime novel, but a slow paced investigation and thoughtful exploration of a small country and its response to the fast changing, inter-connected world in which we live. More Martin Beck than Harry Hole. Excellent.
Through the investigation we not only start to get a better understanding of Sigurdur Oli's character, through him revealing some of his past, but we also get a little bit more about a small country facing up to the pitfalls of globalisation and how the people of Iceland are responding and worrying about cultural dilution, race relations etc.
This is not a thrill a second crime novel, but a slow paced investigation and thoughtful exploration of a small country and its response to the fast changing, inter-connected world in which we live. More Martin Beck than Harry Hole. Excellent.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If you like your crime writing complex and theatrical, with many twists and turns, Indridason is not for you. If on the other hand you like a book that almost seems to unfold with the random stops and starts of real life - its boredom, its ugliness, its repetitiveness and its pain - this book is to be recommended. A ten year old boy is stabbed, for no reason that anyone seems to be able to gauge for most of the book. The police officers go over and over the same ground, sometimes to the frustration of the reader. Eventually the crime is solved, but pretty much by a bizarre coincidence of recognition. A cold, tough book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By helen reader
Format:Paperback
I read the negative review on the website before I got it, and so was not expecting much, but this was one of the best ones in the series... I am so looking forward to the next (which unfortunately I have to wait until Christmas to get as I know my father has bought it me)
The story of his son and daughter is really building up, and I like how the books mix cases together (which leads to misunderstandings) I also found the immigrant story line very plausible and had strong echoes of the concern over the far right in Sweden...
This was good and I recommend the whole series.
The story of his son and daughter is really building up, and I like how the books mix cases together (which leads to misunderstandings) I also found the immigrant story line very plausible and had strong echoes of the concern over the far right in Sweden...
This was good and I recommend the whole series.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Unlike so many other crime novels I felt this one had a plausible plot and credible characters. No hugely complex denouements this focussed more on the characters and dispelled the Scandinavian stereotype of liberal tolerance. The sub-zero temperatures and the exhaustion of the police comes across in the prose and while the ending is not earth-shattering it is nevertheless satisfying. A recommended read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By P. Bird
Format:Paperback
A good read hardly cheery reading as our detective hero appears to be almost depressed most of the time. The manner and style of writing jump out at me and I feel very drawn to the characters and invoved in the book other reviewers will give you the books synopsis, this absorbing and interesting book seems to shine a little light into a different culture and mind-set that is similar to ours but grounded in the effects of the icelandic weather.
By Dr R
Format:Paperback
This is the seventh of Indridason's Reykjavik series featuring Detective Erlendur and his departmental colleagues, Elinborg and Sigurdur Oli. The translator of the earlier novels, Bernard Scudder, died before his work was completed and the book has been completed by Victoria Cribb.
This book focusses on the Icelandic immigrant community, Thais, Vietnamese and Filipinos, and their relationship to mainstream Icelanders. One day in January, a young boy, Elias, who has a Thai mother and an Icelandic father, is found stabbed to death, frozen into the snow. The mother, Sunee, now divorced from her husband, works in a chocolate factory to support herself and her two sons; Niran, the elder, being the son from an earlier marriage in Thailand who has not settled in Iceland, largely due to his inability to speak the language.
In their efforts to find the killer, Erlendur and his team talk, through an interpreter, with Sunee and her brother, Virote, who is also living in Iceland, and with her ex-husband. From this we get a good idea of the attitudes of such immigrants to their new country and its citizens. In parallel, the detectives talk with teachers, pupils and parents to try to identify a motive for the murder. This provides fascinating information about how immigrant families are seen by Icelanders. Rather depressingly, but not unexpectedly, Iceland seems little different from the UK and other parts of Europe.... Read more ›
This book focusses on the Icelandic immigrant community, Thais, Vietnamese and Filipinos, and their relationship to mainstream Icelanders. One day in January, a young boy, Elias, who has a Thai mother and an Icelandic father, is found stabbed to death, frozen into the snow. The mother, Sunee, now divorced from her husband, works in a chocolate factory to support herself and her two sons; Niran, the elder, being the son from an earlier marriage in Thailand who has not settled in Iceland, largely due to his inability to speak the language.
In their efforts to find the killer, Erlendur and his team talk, through an interpreter, with Sunee and her brother, Virote, who is also living in Iceland, and with her ex-husband. From this we get a good idea of the attitudes of such immigrants to their new country and its citizens. In parallel, the detectives talk with teachers, pupils and parents to try to identify a motive for the murder. This provides fascinating information about how immigrant families are seen by Icelanders. Rather depressingly, but not unexpectedly, Iceland seems little different from the UK and other parts of Europe.... Read more ›
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4.4 out of 5 stars
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautifully understated story telling
Like several other Amazon reviewers here, I would have to agree that Indridason produces superior thrillers amongst those now writing under the 'Scandi crime' label. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Jl Adcock
5.0 out of 5 stars
Arctic Chill
Indridason is equal to Mankell. His charcters knit well togather and the story lines hold fast. I have injoyed all his books and look forward to more.
Published 2 months ago by john hughes
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great
Slow compared to the others in the series, but thoroughly enjoyable. As a character Erlendur is very engaging for me.
Published 2 months ago by Shaun Wright
4.0 out of 5 stars
Arnaldur is back on track
After the rather dull The drowning lake I decided to still stick with Arnaldur and how good is this . Read more
Published 10 months ago by cartoon
3.0 out of 5 stars
Arctic Chill
Not quite up to the standard of the usual Nordic chillers, but still a decent yarn for a couple of nights entertainment, will certainly try some of the others from the series
Published 10 months ago by Wendy Mcdonald
2.0 out of 5 stars
weak and plodding
Indridason likes his big themes (e.g. genetic research, domestic violence in other novels) but here the theme of racism/immigration/multiculturalism could not salvage a weak... Read more
Published 11 months ago by pierre
4.0 out of 5 stars
ARCTIC CHILL
Another good read from Indridason. If you are familiar with his work you know what to expect and will not be disappointed. Evocative desription of the bleakness of Iceland. Read more
Published 16 months ago by TonyT
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent, my favourite of Indridason's so far
I am surprised that the reviews on here are such a mixed bag, as for me this was my favourite of Indridason's so far. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Dyane
4.0 out of 5 stars
More murders in the north
Another enjoyable read - is Erlandur related to Wallander? They seem to be similar characters and heaven for the cigarette co. advertising gurus.
Published 19 months ago by Siouxie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great... Arctic crime fiction
This is the first book by this famous Icelander than I read and as the title indicates the action takes place in the Arctic Chill. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Lakis Fourouklas
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