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Product Description
Product Description
The discovery of a corpse washed up on a beach in an Icelandic backwater sparks a series of events that propels the village of Hvalvik's police sergeant Gunnhildur into deep waters. Although under pressure to deal with the matter quickly, she is suspicious that the man's death was no accident and once she has identified the body, sets about investigating his final hours. The case takes Gunnhildur away from her village and into a cosmopolitan world of shady deals, government corruption and violence. She finds herself alone and less than welcome in this hostile environment as she tries to find out who it was that made sure the young man drowned on a dark night one hundred kilometres from where he should have been - and why.
About the Author
Although born in the UK in 1962, through a series of coincidences Quentin Bates found himself working in Iceland in his gap year. The gap year then became 10 years, during which time he managed to get himself married, produce a family, and generally go native in Iceland. The family then moved back to the UK in 1990 where Quentin became a full-time journalist on a commercial fishing magazine. Frozen Assets was born through the author's own inside knowledge of Iceland and its society, along with exploring the world of crime. He and his (Icelandic) wife frequently return to Iceland, where they have many friends, including several in the Reykjavik police.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This is a well crafted first crime novel by a new author featuring an Icelandic village police sergeant Gunnhildur Gisladottir, a "big fat lass with a face that frightens the horses", whose single-minded and sometimes unwanted investigation into a local drowning leads her and her team into the murky world of big business and corruption at high government levels.
Quentin Bates presents a study of modern Iceland and its inhabitants that cleverly encourages readers to wish to know more about both the country and sergeant Gunnhildur, hopefully pointing to future books. His comments and asides on things such as social niceties, food, personal names and so forth add authentic detail to his tale, Scandinavian names were not as great a problem as I first feared and in fact add a sense of place to the story. I would have wished perhaps for a little more on Icelandic flora and fauna in order to help me see the country through Gunnhildurs eyes but a minor quibble on what is otherwise an excellent book.
Iceland is presented as a country where everyone knows everyone and everyones business, moving at its owned relaxed pace but now rapidly becoming more cosmopolitan and having to deal with the problems that such modernity can bring. In this case big money, corruption and murder - never again will I think of Iceland as just fishing boats, volcanoes and Vikings!!
Quentin Bates presents a study of modern Iceland and its inhabitants that cleverly encourages readers to wish to know more about both the country and sergeant Gunnhildur, hopefully pointing to future books. His comments and asides on things such as social niceties, food, personal names and so forth add authentic detail to his tale, Scandinavian names were not as great a problem as I first feared and in fact add a sense of place to the story. I would have wished perhaps for a little more on Icelandic flora and fauna in order to help me see the country through Gunnhildurs eyes but a minor quibble on what is otherwise an excellent book.
Iceland is presented as a country where everyone knows everyone and everyones business, moving at its owned relaxed pace but now rapidly becoming more cosmopolitan and having to deal with the problems that such modernity can bring. In this case big money, corruption and murder - never again will I think of Iceland as just fishing boats, volcanoes and Vikings!!
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
This novel is set at the time of the first rumblings of the Icelandic financial crisis in 2008. It's a fairly straightforward police procedural, with a lot of legwork for the team which has been assembled to investigate two murders apparently linked to less than transparent business dealings involving at least one dodgy politician and his wife.
The real appeal of the book, however, lies in the characters and in particular Gunnhildur, a sergeant who, because of her conviction that the first death is murder, ends up leading the investigating team. Gunna is a breath of fresh air; a single parent with two children - neither of whom have drug problems, are runaways or are estranged - who uses her investigative skills, common sense, determination and leadership abilities to discover the truth.
The supporting cast is lively with some excellent characterisation; the dialogue is well written and convincing with plenty of humour throughout.
I would count myself as a fan of authors like Mankell, Nesbo, Karin Fossum and Hakan Nesser and have no problem with gritty stories and troubled main characters. It is good, though, to sometimes read a well written crime novel which is not persistently dark. This novel is more reminiscent of the Montalbano stories by Andrea Camilleri, which have great characterisation, humour and satisfying stories that are not always resolved in that justice is not always seen to be done. Gunna has the potential to be a memorable addition to detective fiction; I felt cheered by the time I finished the book, purely because of her energetic determination and her sense of excitement at what the future could hold. I hope that there is a sequel.
The real appeal of the book, however, lies in the characters and in particular Gunnhildur, a sergeant who, because of her conviction that the first death is murder, ends up leading the investigating team. Gunna is a breath of fresh air; a single parent with two children - neither of whom have drug problems, are runaways or are estranged - who uses her investigative skills, common sense, determination and leadership abilities to discover the truth.
The supporting cast is lively with some excellent characterisation; the dialogue is well written and convincing with plenty of humour throughout.
I would count myself as a fan of authors like Mankell, Nesbo, Karin Fossum and Hakan Nesser and have no problem with gritty stories and troubled main characters. It is good, though, to sometimes read a well written crime novel which is not persistently dark. This novel is more reminiscent of the Montalbano stories by Andrea Camilleri, which have great characterisation, humour and satisfying stories that are not always resolved in that justice is not always seen to be done. Gunna has the potential to be a memorable addition to detective fiction; I felt cheered by the time I finished the book, purely because of her energetic determination and her sense of excitement at what the future could hold. I hope that there is a sequel.
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Gunnhildur Gisladottir, otherwise known as Gunna the Cop, is an experienced sergeant who runs a police team in Hvlalvik, south-west Iceland. She's dedicated and talented, but being a middle-aged woman she's been sidelined by various ambitious (mainly) male colleagues who have ended up with plum jobs in more central locations. Gunna is happy enough, though: she loves her job and though she's had sadnesses in her past (revealed as the book progresses) she lives a calm-enough existence with her teenage daughter, occasionally visited by her grown-up son.
The calm does not last for long, though, as a young man's body is found early one morning in the harbour, by one of the local fishermen. Gunna soon tracks down his identity, which causes her unpleasant boss palpitations. Gunna isn't deterred by this nervousness from on-high, of course, and pursues her investigation relentlessly, soon connecting the death with a hit-and-run accident of a year or so ago elsewhere in the country, and gradually realising that many forces - environmental, financial and more - are involved.
Iceland is rich in crime fiction - Arnaldur Indridason and Yrsa Sigurdardottir's novels, the former police procedurals featuring a depressed detective inspector and the latter mysteries solved by the insatiably curious Thora, an independently minded lawyer, are translated into English and deservedly popular internationally. Michael Ridpath last year published the first in a series of Iceland-set thrillers, which provide a more tourist-like perspective of the country. Quentin Bates's novel is a welcome addition to this geographical genre. The book is a classic police procedural: extremely well written with a good ear for dialogue and characterisation. It is replete with local detail and will satisfy the most avid person's curiosity about the Icelandic way of life (including the diet!) and psyche. (The author has lived in Iceland for many years.) Gunna is an admirable protagonist: sensible, intelligent and determined. The plot is strong and with its interspersed chapters by an anonymous blogger who writes scandalous pieces about the country's great and the good (much to their discomfort) bang up to date - not least in its themes of financial meltdown. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and can recommend it very highly as a flying start to what seems to be shaping up to be a superb new series.
Review first published at Euro Crime, www.eurocrime.co.uk
The calm does not last for long, though, as a young man's body is found early one morning in the harbour, by one of the local fishermen. Gunna soon tracks down his identity, which causes her unpleasant boss palpitations. Gunna isn't deterred by this nervousness from on-high, of course, and pursues her investigation relentlessly, soon connecting the death with a hit-and-run accident of a year or so ago elsewhere in the country, and gradually realising that many forces - environmental, financial and more - are involved.
Iceland is rich in crime fiction - Arnaldur Indridason and Yrsa Sigurdardottir's novels, the former police procedurals featuring a depressed detective inspector and the latter mysteries solved by the insatiably curious Thora, an independently minded lawyer, are translated into English and deservedly popular internationally. Michael Ridpath last year published the first in a series of Iceland-set thrillers, which provide a more tourist-like perspective of the country. Quentin Bates's novel is a welcome addition to this geographical genre. The book is a classic police procedural: extremely well written with a good ear for dialogue and characterisation. It is replete with local detail and will satisfy the most avid person's curiosity about the Icelandic way of life (including the diet!) and psyche. (The author has lived in Iceland for many years.) Gunna is an admirable protagonist: sensible, intelligent and determined. The plot is strong and with its interspersed chapters by an anonymous blogger who writes scandalous pieces about the country's great and the good (much to their discomfort) bang up to date - not least in its themes of financial meltdown. I thoroughly enjoyed this novel and can recommend it very highly as a flying start to what seems to be shaping up to be a superb new series.
Review first published at Euro Crime, www.eurocrime.co.uk
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Scandinavian Crime
I enjoyed the book, but found nearer the end it seemed to lose its momentum. Easy to read and enjoy
Published 26 days ago by J. Morrison
Frozen Out
I came across Frozen Out by accident and ordered it just to see if Quentin Bates, an Englishman writing Icelandic crime fiction, was worth a read. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Mr. W. Darby-jones
Frozen out
This book starts with a dead body being dumped into the sea and from then on the story flows from the beginings of the Icelandic financial crisis, environmentalists, profiteering... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Bookaholic
Brilliant!!
Considering this is his first novel, I thought it was brilliant!! You get to like the characters as they develop throughout the book and the characters relationships with one... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Amanda
New and Interesting
I bought this book as one of several cheap thrillers on Kindle and I enjoyed it the most. The characters use their brains and connections rather than guns and macho car chases. Read more
Published 5 months ago by M T Vessel
Favourite book of the year
A splendid opening to what will hopefully be a series of Gunna crime stories.
The discovery of the corpse in a lowly Icelandic port unravels into a labyrinth of dark... Read more
The discovery of the corpse in a lowly Icelandic port unravels into a labyrinth of dark... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mr. K. Coppack
Gunna - refreshing arctic breeze
I won't repeat what the other reviewers have already described but let me tell you what makes this book such a gem. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Velo Mitrovich
Promising start
The last Icelandic thriller I tried floored me completely. The various names of all those involved left me floundering which is a bit daft considering I attend opera performances... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Elaine Simpson-long
Great Nordic Thriller
Frozen Out' is the first in a new police procedure thriller series. Set in Iceland in 2008, just as the financial meltdown begins, it features Sergeant Gunnhildur (or Gunna for... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Lincs Reader
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