Last Rituals
and over 900,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle .
Learn more
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Did you know you can trade in your old books for an Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to spend on the things you want? Visit the Amazon.co.uk Trade-In Store for more details. |
Frequently Bought Together
Product details
|
More About the Authors
Discover books, learn about writers, and more.
Product Description
Review
'Dark, deep and icy as an Icelandic fjord; this is a rich and rewarding debut novel of ancient mysteries and very modern murder.' (Mark Billingham 20070801)
'Given the dark subject matter, this is a surprisingly funny book... a quirky and interesting read.' (Guardian )
'..a grisly chiller set in the depths of winter... Her mystery is absorbing and, untypically, instead of the usual gloomy middle-aged man, her sleuth is a young woman... It's an accomplished debut, with credible characters and a personable heroine.' (Sunday Telegraph )
'a unique talent in the field... an exhilarating experience... [She] matches Tess Gerritsen and Kathy Reichs in the bloodchiller stakes.' (Waterstone's Books Quarterly )
'very good... This is entertaining, well-plotted and cleverly combines the historical and macabre with Thora's life.' (Marcel Berlins, The Times )
'an intricately plotted tale that keeps the reader guessing whodunnit, or indeed whether it was murder at all, right until the very end.' (Sunday Express )
'After its grisly opening, LAST RITUALS turns out to be a surprisingly light and playful novel, with a jaunty translation by the late Bernard Scudder.' (Daily Telegraph )
'Suspenseful, compelling and unique.' (Kirkus Reviews )
'Given the dark subject matter, this is a surprisingly funny book... a quirky and interesting read.' (Guardian )
'..a grisly chiller set in the depths of winter... Her mystery is absorbing and, untypically, instead of the usual gloomy middle-aged man, her sleuth is a young woman... It's an accomplished debut, with credible characters and a personable heroine.' (Sunday Telegraph )
'a unique talent in the field... an exhilarating experience... [She] matches Tess Gerritsen and Kathy Reichs in the bloodchiller stakes.' (Waterstone's Books Quarterly )
'very good... This is entertaining, well-plotted and cleverly combines the historical and macabre with Thora's life.' (Marcel Berlins, The Times )
'an intricately plotted tale that keeps the reader guessing whodunnit, or indeed whether it was murder at all, right until the very end.' (Sunday Express )
'After its grisly opening, LAST RITUALS turns out to be a surprisingly light and playful novel, with a jaunty translation by the late Bernard Scudder.' (Daily Telegraph )
'Suspenseful, compelling and unique.' (Kirkus Reviews )
Product Description
A young man is found brutally murdered, his eyes gouged out. A student of Icelandic history in Reykjavik, he came from a wealthy German family who do not share the police’s belief that his drug dealer murdered him. Attorney Thora Gudmundsdottir is commissioned by his mother to find out the truth, with the help – and hindrance – of boorish ex-policeman Matthew Reich. Their investigations into his research take them deep into a grisly world of torture and witchcraft both past and present, as they draw ever closer to a killer gripped by a dangerous obsession... (20080106)
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Browse and search another edition of this book.
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent new voice in Icelandic crime !,
By
This review is from: Last Rituals (Paperback)
I read this book with great delight. It's well-plotted with lots of research in medieval witch-hunt that gives the story depths and an interesting angle. The characters comes alive with originality and the central lawyer-turned-detective is a divorced single mother of two that retained an unfaillible sense of humour thorough the whole grim inquest. Given its macabre character, this dead-pan humour comes as a welcome surprise. Her grounded no-nonsense approach reminded me at times of Inspector Irene Huss in the Helene Tursten books.
The novel has hints of an Icelandic 'Secret History' gone into withcraft. I certainly will read her next one !
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Last Rituals,
By Tom (UK) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Last Rituals (Paperback)
I felt compelled to write a review of this book and drag it out of three and a half star ignominy. I read a number of novels in 2009 and this stood out as one of the most enjoyable; notably, over and above Stieg Larsson's much lauded Swedish crime `caper' The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Undoubtedly Last Rituals is linear in plot structure (although reasonable portions are told from viewpoints other than the heroines) and a low body count may not satisfy every reader. What the book does accomplish well however is a tight, closed, murder mystery, that avoids the `global crisis' pitfall that too many crime books fall into: you know, where one murder turns out to be international terrorism or the end of the world! The characters are somewhat formulaic (headstrong female meets surly, but thaw-able, detective with mysterious client) but likable and with more than hints of realism; conveyed notably via the protagonist frustrated dealings with her kids and secretary. I don't know whether it's appropriate to say but I do think this is probably more of a female book: strong woman with issues, thrown in at the deep end, will-they-won't-they chemistry etc...Whilst the technical nature of the book is nowhere near that of Kathy Reich's it does take many of her character's traits and interactions, adjusting them well to the Icelandic setting (for a measure of the interaction think Brennan and Booth from Bones). A spattering of humour adds to the enjoyment of the book, but there weren't any moments where I cringed, either as a result of the humour or the plot. In terms of the plot it is at times dark but never inaccessible, there are diverse and varied twists that come fast enough to create a compelling narrative. Nothing ever seemed too fortuitous either (another common pitfall), instead steps forward are achieved through rational and realistic logic, with some genuinely interesting and intriguing questions and leads. The cast of secondary characters in also diverse, from University professors to `magic' fixated Goths, and as a result does keep you guessing. Part of the attraction of Scandinavian crime fiction is (and correct me if I'm wrong) the picturesque image of the settings. The depiction of Iceland is great and the one prolonged foray outside Reykjavík is necessary and conveys a further enjoyable image. The atmosphere throughout the whole book is very well measured. I am very much looking forward to the second book in paperback: out April.
30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Captivating,
By
This review is from: Last Rituals (Paperback)
On the basis of this captivating novel,Iceland has produced
another great crime novelist to rival the award-winning Arnaldur Indridason. A wealthy German student of withcraft and sorcery is brutally murdered in Reykjavik.His parents consider that the police have arrested the wrong culprit and hire a female Icelandic lawyer and German security man to investigate.Their meticulous enquiries take them deep into the history of sorcery,whilst their own relationship grows.The effects of the dead man's dark interests on his friends is chillingly conveyed.This is an intelligent enthralling read,not without moments of humour.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Would you like to see more reviews about this item?
|
Most Recent Customer Reviews |
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
Listmania!
|
|
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
- Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
- I am the Author, and I want to comment on my book.
- I am the Publisher, and I want to comment on this book.
|
