Lead Review
- Book: Night Shadows (Forbidden Iceland Book 3)
- Location: Iceland
- Author: Eva Björg Ægisdóttir
Detective Elma of West Iceland CID has a puzzle on her hands when a young man called Marinó dies in a house fire in the small Icelandic town of Akranes. Investigations reveal that the fire was set deliberately, and that Marinó had left a clue. It seems that he might not be the only person who has been the victim of an untimely death. No-one appears to have a good motive for the killing, yet many of those interviewed by the police appear to have something to hide.
Night Shadows by Eva Björg Ægisdottir is a police procedural novel and psychological thriller, the third in the award-winning series featuring Detective Elma, and it is already a best-seller in Iceland. It is an engaging and tense read, and you definitely don’t need to have read the earlier books (The Creak on the Stairs and Girls Who Lie) in order to enjoy it. They are all translated by Victoria Cribb.
At first, Detective Elma’s investigation proceeds slowly and methodically. She and her colleagues struggle with the little information they can trust, as it seems that certain witnesses are being deceptive. Gradually the forensic test results and technical information are added to the mix and Elma’s thought processes are revealed as she attempts to make sense of the crime scene and the information that the witnesses reluctantly share with her. The case makes steady progress, with the sort of necessary delays that one images would occur in such an investigation, creating a genuine tension. Finally, the drama is heightened when Elma returns to pursue a line of enquiry that has been bothering her and finds herself in terrible danger, with no one likely to come to her aid.
The author deftly weaves personal information about both Elma and the witnesses into the plot, again gradually revealing the links and entanglements that cause them to act the way that they do. The love of parents for their children is a major theme, illustrated by Elma’s bereaved boss and his daughter; the family of the murdered boy and those of his friends. In Elma’s case, we aren’t at first sure whether she is in a relationship or has just ended one. Eventually the identity of her lover emerges, and it becomes apparent that her personal life is nowhere near as neat and orderly as her professional life. There are contrasts between the self-seeking actions of some of the characters and the selflessness of others. Power seems to be in the hands of the men, for the most part, with many of the female characters shown to be vulnerable and exploited. However, much of what we think we can trust is later called into question.
This is a thoroughly engaging book, with many false leads, twists and turns. The timeframe includes flashbacks to a period that is just before the crime was committed, which is a clever device to reveal more detail about the characters and the actions that led to the murder.
The names and attitudes of the characters are the main things that indicate that the novel is set in Iceland. As is usual in Nordic Noir, we are reminded of the ‘white nights’ of constant daylight during summer, together with the almost perpetual darkness in winter, and the prevailing bad weather. There are few passages that depict the unique Icelandic landscape; as the translator explained in an interview, “Landscapes aren’t depicted that much in Icelandic literature, simply because everyone knows what the landscape looks like.” Nevertheless, we see some characters enjoying a relaxing dip in the hot geothermal pools and sledging after a sudden snowfall on a mountainside just outside the town.
Akranes is seen through the eyes of the newcomer, Lise, who is working as an au pair for a local family. She admires the views from the snowfields of Mount Akrafjall, across the blue fjord to the snowy peaks beyond. Her new home is briefly contrasted with the Dutch city of Amsterdam, where she was born and brought up. The Icelandic town is a backwater compared with the bustle of the city, and everyone seems to be aware of others’ business, whereas in Amsterdam it is possible to be anonymous.
The publisher has included a handy pronunciation guide for English-speaking readers, which allows you to read the names of the Icelandic characters and places in an authentic way. (This can mean flicking back to check initially, but you soon get the hang of it!)
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