3.5 rounded up

Location:- Reykjavik

In 1961 a young man, a wannabe poet, sees a doll in a pond; he fishes it out and to his horror submerged beneath lies the body of a twelve year old girl. Two years on Eygló believes she sees a ghost of a young girl at a birthday party attended by all her classmates. Fast forward to the present day when twenty year old Danni goes missing who is believed to be a drug mule. Her very concerned grandparents, under no illusions, consult retired detective Konráð and ask for his help. Could there possibly be a connection to the drowned girl decades before?????

This Icelandic (very) noir has several complex storylines to it so it’s a bit disjointed and confusing at the start. However, it begins to click and settle and you see the direction it’s heading. It’s quite hard to discern the character of Konráð, he’s a complicated man and not necessarily easy to like but you do admire his dogged spirit and determination to ferret out the truth. To this day he is haunted by the death of his father in 1963 who was fatally stabbed with the case still unsolved. Eygló’s father is connected to Konráð’s and I do enjoy the supernatural element that she brings to the storytelling. This does in fact help to tie the plot strands together though initially is puzzling.

The writing is solid, it’s not especially exciting in tone but is told in a straightforward, logical manner. It is very dark in places, taking a deep dive into a horrifying topic and is as stark as the Icelandic winter landscape and leaves you feeling the chill. The backdrop of Iceland, especially Reykjavik adds just the right atmosphere to the plot.

This is a novel that is well worth sticking with, it gets better as it goes along though it’s far from a pretty tale.

With thanks to NetGalley and especially to Random House UK/ Vintage for the much appreciated arc in return for an honest review.