Working on the sequel

Right now I’m reading The Nobodies juvie book, but before that I read two thriller mysteries from Icelandic author Arnaldur Indriðason, a former journalist and film critic at Morgunbladið. Both books, Tainted Blood and Silence of the Grave (inexplicably published in English again under the title Jar City), featured the same team of detectives headed by an Inspector Erlendur. I found myself wishing he had a different name because my mind automatically translated it to Foreigner every time it was printed and that was disconcerting. Written with attention to the backgrounds of the victims, Erlendur works to piece together clues and hidden secrets to determine what happened and who was responsible. Faced paced and haunting, the books show the less than savoury side of Reykjavík and surrounding area, unlike Zane Radcliffe’s mystery The Killer’s Guide to Iceland which too often sounded like a travel brochure. I especially enjoyed the mention of Halldór Laxness’s short story Lilly, one of my fav’s.