3.5 Stars
This is the
first volume of the Dark Iceland series.
Rookie
policeman Ari Thór Arason takes a posting in Siglufjörður, a remote, isolated village in northern Iceland, just south of the
Arctic Circle. Soon, in the place where “nothing
ever happens”, Ari Thór is involved in investigating two
cases: the death of a celebrated author
and an assault on a woman found half-naked in her garden.
This is
very much a type of closed-room mystery.
An avalanche blocks the only tunnel leading through the mountains to the
rest of the country. That event and the
oppressive, unrelenting snow create an overwhelming sense of
claustrophobia.
Ari Thór is developed as an interesting protagonist. He is young and keen to prove himself. Thus far he has been rather directionless; he
dropped out of philosophy and theology studies to become a policeman. His boss describes him as “inclined to be
temperamental and impulsive [but] his intentions were always good.” He is intelligent, except when it comes to
women; for instance, he takes the policing job without discussing it beforehand
with his live-in girlfriend whom he knows will not be able to leave Reykjavik.
The book is
not especially fast-paced. A great deal
of time is devoted to giving the background of various characters. Keeping everyone straight can be difficult,
but providing so much information does make the reader feel like Ari Thór, a newcomer to a close-knit community in which everyone knows
everyone. We get to know the villagers as Ari Thór gets to know them. And, of
course, these various people often have motives that make them possible
suspects.
I
appreciated that clues are not withheld.
All the information is there; it just needs to be pieced together into
an intelligible whole. The only
technique that is artificial and feels awkward is the intentional omission of
specific details as Ari Thór gets close to solving the
cases: “It was the name that she
mentioned that took Ari Thór by surprise” (without revealing
the name) and “Ari Thór asked his question” (without
indicating the actual question).
I am
planning a trip to Iceland so I must admit that part of the appeal is the
setting of the novel. I may not quite
make it to Siglufjörður, but I have come across it in my itinerary research. Certainly, the book interested me enough that
I’m off to read Blackout; the events
in it supposedly follow those of Snowblind.
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