Until Thy Wrath be Past

Until Thy Wrath be Past

Until Thy Wrath be Past by Åsa Larsson
Published by SilverOak on November 1, 2011
Series: Rebecka Martinsson, #4
Pages: 256
Format: hardback
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Scandinavian and Nordic Mysteries & Thrillers
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Synopsis

It is the first thaw of spring and the body of a young woman surfaces in the River Thorne in the far north of Sweden. Rebecka Martinsson is working as a prosecutor in nearby Karuna. Her sleep has been disturbed by haunting visions of a shadowy, accusing figure. Could the body belong to the ghost in her dreams? And where is the dead girl's boyfriend? Joining forces once again with Police Inspectors Anna-Maria Mella, Rebecka is drawn into an investigation that centres on old rumours of a German supply plane that mysteriously disappeared in 1943.

The Island

The Island

The Island by Ragnar Jónasson
Published by Minotaur Books on May 21, 2019
Series: Hidden Iceland #2
Pages: 336
Format: hardback
Genres: Mystery, Scandinavian and Nordic Mysteries & Thrillers
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Synopsis

Elliðaey is an isolated island off the coast of Iceland. It is has a beautiful, unforgiving terrain and is an easy place to vanish.

The Island is the second thrilling book in Ragnar Jonasson's Hidden Iceland trilogy. This time Hulda is at the peak of her career and is sent to investigate what happened on Elliðaey after a group of friends visited but one failed to return.

Could this have links to the disappearance of a couple ten years previously out on the Westfjords? Is there a killer stalking these barren outposts?

Written with Ragnar's haunting and suspenseful prose The Island follows Hulda's journey to uncover the island's secrets and find the truth hidden in its darkest shadows.

The Blood Strand

The Blood Strand

The Blood Strand by Chris Ould
Published by Titan Books on February 16, 2016
Series: Faroes #1
Pages: 352
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Scandinavian and Nordic Mysteries & Thrillers
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Synopsis

Having left the Faroes as a child, Jan Reyna is now a British police detective, and the islands are foreign to him. But he is drawn back when his estranged father is found unconscious with a shotgun by his side and someone else’s blood at the scene. Then a man’s body is washed up on an isolated beach. Is Reyna’s father responsible?

Looking for answers, Reyna falls in with local detective Hjalti Hentze. But as the stakes get higher and Reyna learns more about his family and the truth behind his mother’s flight from the Faroes, he must decide whether to stay, or to forsake the strange, windswept islands for good.

About the Faroe Islands:

Located in the Northeast Atlantic, the Faroe Islands comprise 18 small islands, characterised by steep cliffs, tall mountains, narrow fjords – and a population of 50,000.

The Faroese language derives from Old Norse; which was spoken by the; Norsemen who settled the islands 1200 years ago.

Through the centuries, the Faroese have defied the harsh nature and living conditions. Enduring today is a nation in which the living standard is one of the highest in the world. A highly industrial economy mainly based on fisheries and aquaculture continues to flourish, while a Nordic welfare model ensures everyone the opportunity to explore his or her potential. Faroese maritime expertise is widely renowned and; the Faroe Islands export seafood to all six continents.

Positioned strategically between Europe and North America, the Faroe Islands are only a couple of hours’ flight from the metropolitan centres in Northern Europe. Upon arrival, the scenery renders visitors a ravishing natural experience in a society with advanced infrastructure and digital networks.

Centuries of relative isolation have resulted in the preservation of ancient traditions that to this day shape life in the Faroe Islands. The unique mixture of traditional and modern culture characterizes the Faroese society, constituting a strong sense of local community and an active outlook as a globalized Nordic nation.[1. faroeislands.fo – The Offical Gateway to the Faroe Islands ]

The Shadow District

The Shadow District

The Shadow District by Arnaldur Indriðason
Published by Harvill Secker on May 18th 2017
Series: Reykjavik Wartime Mystery #1
Pages: 360
Format: hardback
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Synopsis

A 90-year-old man is found dead in his bed, smothered with his own pillow.

On his desk the police find newspaper cuttings about a murder case dating from the Second World War, when a young woman was found strangled behind Reykjavík’s National Theatre.

Konrád, a former detective, is bored with retirement and remembers the crime. He grew up in ‘the shadow district’, a rough neighbourhood bordered by the National Theatre and an abattoir. Why would someone be interested in that crime now? He starts his own unofficial enquiry.

Alternating between Konrád’s investigation and the original police inquiry, we discover that two girls had been attacked in oddly similar circumstances. Did the police arrest the wrong man? How are these cases linked across the decades? And who is the old man?

A deeply compassionate story of old crimes and their consequences, The Man from Manitoba is the first in a thrilling new series of novels by the worldwide bestseller Arnaldur Indridason.

The Shadow District is the first book in a new series Reykjavik Wartime Mysteries by Arnaldur Indriðason.
Moving from past to present, the book explores the death of a 90-year-old man whom during World War II investigated the murder of a young woman. To add another layer to the story, Konrad, a retired policeman is looking into the death as he believes it was a murder, not just an old man who died peacefully in his sleep.
Indriðason weaves a compelling story of wartime Reykjavik, just on the verge of independence from Danish rule, dealing with the onset of American soldiers fraternizing with Icelanders.
While I noticed that in places the translation was “rough” I don’t believe that it detracted from the book.
I am very interested to see the direction Indriðason will take this new series.