A man is found murdered in his Reykjavik flat. There are no obvious clues apart from a cryptic note left on the body and a photograph of a young girl's grave. Detective Erlendur is forced to use all the forensic resources available to find any leads at all. Delving into the dead man's life he discovers that forty years ago he was accused of an appalling crime. Did his past come back to haunt him? Finally, Erlendur's search leads him to Iceland's Genetic Research Centre in order to find the disturbing answers to the mystery. This prizewinning international bestseller is the first in a new series of crime novels set in Iceland.
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Review
A chilling read (The Times )
Highly recommended...thoroughly gripping...impressively moving (Time Out )
A chilling Icelandic saga of the DNA age. This careful, sparsely-written book operates at a deeper level than most crime fiction (Independent )
Highly recommended...thoroughly gripping...impressively moving (Time Out )
A chilling Icelandic saga of the DNA age. This careful, sparsely-written book operates at a deeper level than most crime fiction (Independent )
From the Publisher
A fascinating window on an unfamiliar world as well as an original and puzzling mystery - Val McDermid
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
26 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
... Tainted Blood is the SAME BOOK as Jar City.
The name of the book was changed to Jar City in conjunction with the release of the Icelandic film of the same name based on it.
No-one seems to have mentioned it on here, so I thought I should just in case you go and by them both.
The book and the film are excellent, by the way.
The name of the book was changed to Jar City in conjunction with the release of the Icelandic film of the same name based on it.
No-one seems to have mentioned it on here, so I thought I should just in case you go and by them both.
The book and the film are excellent, by the way.
17 of 17 people found the following review helpful
By Linda Oskam
Format:Paperback
Inspecteur Erlendur has to solve the murder of an elderly man, Holberg, who is found with a crushed skull in his own appartment. During the investigation Erlendur finds out that Holberg was a real monster whose past has now caught up with him. Erlendur's quest in the pouring Iceland autumn rain takes him via rapes, heartless policemen, illegitimate children and murder in the past to a solution that has everything to do with modern times. And in the meantime he has to cope with pain in his breast and a daughter that is on drugs.
A book from Iceland in the best tradition of the Scandinavian thrillers: a slightly chagrined police inspector and a lot of attention for the backgrounds of the crimes and victims. A skillful mixture of thriller and literature. Wonderful to read.
19 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By G. Brack
Format:Paperback
Tainted Blood is a wonderful introduction to Indridason's work. The novel is set in a grey, rainy Iceland, with a number of characters whose lives are damaged or flawed. Some parts are suitably depressing, and there is a streak of fatalism in the characters that is reminiscent of Henning Mankell's work.
I shall give none of the plot away, except to note that the Icelandic location proves to be important - part of the plot would be implausible anywhere else. The two leading detectives make a well-matched pair, and Erlandur's relations - or lack of them - with his ex-wife and children are a recurrent theme in the novel. A pat on the back too for the excellent translation; I speak no Icelandic, so I cannot tell whether it is accurate, but it manages to convey differences between characters' backgrounds in the dialogue and to give the strong impression that the book was written in English in the first place.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't be misled
Tainted blood AKA Jar City. Many will say it's my own fault, but if I'd known it was the same story as Jar City I wouldn't have wasted my money. What more can I add.
Published 5 months ago by Treeless wonder
4.0 out of 5 stars
dont read at bed time
i really couldnt sleep after this , its not exactly a spooky read but obviously all the little details [ childs coffin , missing brain etc ] got into my head . Read more
Published 11 months ago by cartoon
4.0 out of 5 stars
A refreshing dip in the Slough of Despond
I feel it incumbent upon me by reason of the sheer weight of tradition to say that while the current name of this book is "Tainted Blood" (a blandly generic title), it was... Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2010 by L. E. Cantrell
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gloomy and yet uplifting
For me, another new author to enjoy, another new crime setting. It's not often Iceland features on the crime/thriller bookshelves but Indridason brings this small island into focus... Read more
Published on 11 Aug 2010 by Michael Watson
3.0 out of 5 stars
A cold hard read
It's a translation. Let's remember that when we go on about the cold, doomy style of writing. The same applies to most Scandacrime. Read more
Published on 17 Jan 2010 by Gargoyle
4.0 out of 5 stars
Liking the glooms
There is a very definite geographical feel to crime writing coming out of cold Scandinavia and Polar regions. Read more
Published on 9 July 2009 by Lady Fancifull
4.0 out of 5 stars
A very good PP, and not grisly, for an unusual change
This offering is welcome news indeed.
I had purchased in the UK and read Indridason's "Silence of the Grave" and "Voices", and found them to be above average (say,... Read more
I had purchased in the UK and read Indridason's "Silence of the Grave" and "Voices", and found them to be above average (say,... Read more
Published on 18 Jan 2009 by WB, Zeno
5.0 out of 5 stars
love this
I saw the film based on this (Jar City) and loved it so decided to give it a whirl. I loved it, it reads well, the central character is interesting which always helps in... Read more
Published on 5 Jan 2009 by lovemurakami
2.0 out of 5 stars
Tainted read
I read 'Tainted Blood' after high recommendations from someone, and was left very disappointed. I found the plot muddy, dragging and hardly interesting at all, with an author I... Read more
Published on 13 Aug 2008 by Ann Fairweather
3.0 out of 5 stars
Maybe 3.5 stars would be right.
It's a bit of a slow-burner but still an okay read. I really enjoy a good crime novel and sadly found this to be a little tame. Read more
Published on 30 May 2008 by SJSmith
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