A fab read, intelligently written and well paced. A cracker.

A luxury yacht sets sail from Lisbon with three crew members and a family of four on board. It is not seen or heard from again until it crashes into Reykjavik harbour; its crew and passengers are not on board. Thóra Gudmundsdóttir, a lawyer, is drawn deep into the mystery in her attempts to solve it.

I’ve read a few Scandinavian authors, Henning Mankell, Stieg Larsson, Mons Kallentoft, Jo Nesbo, Anders Roslund and Borge Hellstrom chief among them. This, though, is my first exposure to Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Sigurðardóttir is regarded as crime writing royalty in her native Iceland and, on the basis of this, the sixth novel to feature Thóra Gudmundsdóttir, I can fully understand why.

It is a clever plot with interesting and intriguing characters. I didn’t feel at a disadvantage by beginning with the sixth in the series; sometimes the reader can be at a disadvantage by joining an establish series when the characters have already developed personalities and histories; however, I didn’t experience that. I felt quite at home with them and am keen to read the earlier books to learn more about the characters.

Mention must be made of the translation from the original Icelandic text, as translations can often be awkward, hindering the reading enjoyment a little. This one flowed well and credit must go to Victoria Cribb for that.

My verdict? I loved it and urge you all to visit Sigurðardóttir’s Iceland.

The-Mustachioed-Reader

My Rating: 4.0* out of 5.0*

ANTICIPATED PUBLICATION DATE: 26th March 2015

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