Customer Reviews

Black Skies

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Indridason's latest crime novel focuses on the detective Sigurdur Oli,
his boss,Erlendur,having taken leave in his native rural Iceland.
Sigurdur is helping a friend of a friend who is being blackmailed,
when he walks in on the woman he wants to speak to,finding her beaten
unconscious with a baseball bat.Although this compromises his position
as a detective,he continues investigating,largely on his own.This leads
to him uncovering some shady financial transactions.

Whilst this is primarily an excellent crime novel,with many a twist and
turn,it is also a social commentary on the greed and moral torpitude in
Iceland in the boom time,just prior to its collapse.Additionally,it
skillfully shows the main character,Sigurdur Oli,growing as a human
being as he re-assesses his broken marriage,his parents,and many of his
preconceived views.
A highly readable novel of considerable breadth.

Having read all seven, translated police procedural novels by Arnaldur Indridason featuring Erlandur and his team, I was looking forward to reading Black Skies. It was, however, a book I struggled to get into and I might have put it to one side to pick up again later except for the fact that it was the only reading material I had on a flight. The first hundred pages or so seemed ponderous and lifeless, the writing, especially the dialogue, flat. Sigurdur Oli is out of sorts and so is the tale. Indridason's writing is always a little ponderous, building up in layers, gently engulfing the reader in an atmospheric fog, but it didn't quite work in the first half of Black Skies. However, by the second half of the book the story took on more shape, purpose and pace, with the various strands being woven together to create a nice tapestry. It was almost if Indridason started off without really knowing Sigurdur or the plot and developed each as the story unfolded, slowly putting a form on each. The tale itself, with its three interconnected storylines - the murder investigation, Sigurdur's private life, and Andreas' disassembly - eventually work themselves out nicely. Moreover, given that the story is set just prior to the Icelandic financial meltdown it provides a nice insight into the national psyche concerning its new found wealth and its trappings. Overall, a book that takes a while to get going, but rounds out into a satisfactory police procedural.

With Erlendur traveling and incommunicado and Elinborg away from the Reykjavik police station, only Sigurdur Oli is left of the team to conduct police business. However, first he's asked by his good friend Patrekur to do him a favor. It seems that his sister-in-law and her husband got involved in wife-swapping, and now are being threatened with exposure if they don't pay blackmail money. Sigurdur Oli is asked to have a word with the female blackmailer, retrieve the pictures and get her off the couple's back.

When Sigurdur Oli goes to the blackmailer's home, he finds the door unlocked. When he enters he discovers her body on the floor and determines that she's been killed by a blow to the head. And then he's hit with a baseball bat, and the perpetrator runs out of the house. The policeman chases but loses his quarry. Thus begins a long and complicated plot which ultimately also involves a banking scandal and another murder.

The novel is pretty much a straightforward police procedural, and an intense look at Sigurdur Oli's personal life. It is a departure from other of the author's efforts, and certainly not as intense as "Jar City" or "Hypothermia." This reader can't tell whether it is the translation or the original prose which is different from the haunting style of the author's previous works. In any event, it should be read, and is recommended.

having loved all the other Indridason books I decided to break from my usual practise [ waiting until they became very cheap and or second hand etc] and I bought myself this in hardback/ full price . Oh dear . Its not a bad book , just not as gripping . I have never warmed to Sigurdur Oli and so I was left with a rather disappointed/ can I be bothered to read this . yes the turn in the plot to take on the recent financial problems in Iceland was interesting , but this reall isnt of the standard I had expected from Indridason , you have to care about the characters and here I was just cold cold cold . Please bring back Erlendur .

Having read most of the other books in this Icelandic police series, I was slightly worried when it became obvious that Sigurdur Oli was going to be centre stage in the plot this time. He has always been the most difficult of the trio of detectives to like and, indeed, to even understand. However, the device works better than I expected and (as previous reviewers have said) you come to understand him better. The main plot line - the woman found with her head bashed in, isn't particularly gripping. Frankly she, and the characters associated with her, were so unpleasant, it was hard to care. However the background of the boom in the Icelandic financial economy, just before the spectacular 'bust' was interesting. And the interwoven story of Andreas and the feeling of 'if only' that it created was strangely moving; read it and you'll find it hard to look at an alcoholic down-and-out the same way again.

At one point, Arnaldur Indridason is at pains to establish that his original main character has only been on leave for two weeks. This is bad news for readers of the series because (in writing/publishing time) they have been waiting for close on two years for Erlendur to return. Meanwhile we are left with Sigurdur Oli, the less interesting of the two sidekicks. To state the obvious, there are very good reasons why sidekicks are not main characters. The main story is well-plotted but it is unfortunate that the promoted sidekick is rather less interesting and sympathetic than the alcoholic in the subplot. With apologies to the author, my main concern now is how long can it be before Erlendur returns. If he's not coming back, Reykjavik needs a new senior investigator. In Black Skies, Sigurdur Oli has shown that he isn't up to the job.

Black Skies is one of the best novels in the series - I recoiled inside when I learnt that Erlendur was going to be absent for yet another book, and at first it's hard to warm to Oli because, let's say, he and I share a very different attitude to life, but soon enough you do warm to him, even if you don't agree with him. His company becomes rather enjoyable, and even though some of his opinions are rather bigotted, his overall sense of morality and duty win over and, like all great characters in crime fiction, the case works the detective rather than the detective working the case. Oli is a slightly different figure by the end of the book. The crime itself is relevant, surprising, and Indridason teases a gripping and surprising mystery out of rather little substance. This is a very very strong entry in the series, on the face of it quite straightforward, but it soon develops into something very gripping indeed. A great crime novel.

...I far preferred the other books. Sigurdi Oli is not as good a protagonist as Erlendur and the book meanders a bit because of this. Still enjoyable though.

This is the latest book from Arnaldur that I have enjoyed. The plot rattles along nicely. As with other books from this author it takes a bit of getting used to Icelandic names, but it is worth sticking to.

Good pace, twists and turns in the plot, well up to the standard of his other books. look forward to more