A body is found floating in the harbor of a rural Icelandic fishing village. Was it an accident, or something more sinister? It's up to Officer Gunnhildur, a sardonic female cop, to find out. Her investigation uncovers a web of corruption connected to Iceland's business and banking communities. Meanwhile, a rookie crime journalist latches onto her, looking for a scoop, and an anonymous blogger is stirring up trouble. The complications increase, as do the stakes, when a second murder is committed. Frozen Assets is a piercing look at the endemic corruption that led to the global financial crisis that bankrupted Iceland's major banks and sent the country into an economic tailspin from which it has yet to recover.
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Publisher:
New York : Soho Press, c2011
ISBN:
9781569478677
Branch Call Number:
MYS BAT
MYS BAT
MYS BAT
Characteristics:
330 p. ; 20 cm
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Add a CommentIn this first installment of the series, Gunnhilder (Gunna for short) is a sergeant in a small fishing village southeast of Reykjavik on the eve of the Icelandic economic crash of 2008. Her small town is preparing for major changes as a new aluminum smelting plant is breaking ground nearby. The appearance of a body in the town's harbor causes quite a stir and though there are no marks to indicate foul play, preliminary investigations lead to more questions than answers and by the time the book is over, the first tendrils of the economic crash have begun to reverberate and cause havoc for the elite.
I liked Gunnhildur a lot - she's caring but gruff, takes charge of the investigation without alienating her direct reports, and the author celebrates her robust physique and quirks. The setting could be better developed, descriptions of the spare but beautiful landscape described more fully, but character development takes precedence in Bates' novels and that's not a bad thing. Ready for installment #2, Cold Comfort.
If you like detective novels set in Iceland, also try the Inspector Erlender novels of Arnaulder Indridason or the Ari Thor novels of Ragnar Jonasson.
Just discovered this author and really enjoyed reading about Gunna and her work. Now looking forward to reading the next book. Iceland is a country I know very little about so will now do some research. I like it when I read a book and learn something as well enjoy a good mystery.
The central character is a female police officer who is very real and down to earth. A good book.
I found the characters so interesting and well-developed that I almost didn't care about "who done it"! And wouldn't you expect a novel set in ICELAND to be peopled with characters who have ICELANDIC names? It sometimes took a bit of time to work out some of the genders but other than that, a really compelling read with characters that interested me. I hope Quentin Bates continues the series with Gunnhildur and her various challenges both at work and at home.
The personal nomenclature mentioned in the previous comment was overwhelming to me. Too many characters with too many complicated Icelandic names.
An intricate, well-plotted mystery based on recent events in Iceland. The characters are believable. The book provides insight into Icelandic politics and cultural items such as personal nomenclature.