Why a Booktrail?
This is the Erlendur novel where Erlendur himself does not appear!
Black Skies (Erlendur 10)
What you need to know before your trail
In the last of the Erlendur series, Outrage, detective Erlendur disappeared for an extended leave of absence which he is still on when this book opens and so the investigation into a couple of blackmailers falls to his colleague Sigurdur Óli.
At a high school reunion a friend tells him that he is being blackmailed by someone who photographed him and his wife at a swingers party. He agrees to approach the blackmailer – a woman – only to see her being killed by an unknown assailant.
Not wanting to tell the police why he was there at the murder scene, but wanting to remain close to the investigation, he has to play it carefully. but when more events start happening around him, he finds himself in a very tricky position indeed.
Travel Guide
Wife swapping parties, blackmail, an investigator with secrets of his own, the greed of the banks and the rather strange justice system that Iceland seems to have. Yes it’s all here although Erlendur isn’t. He’s somewhere in the countryside in Eastern Iceland remaining incommunicado. But the setting is just as chilly and perhaps even more so since Sigurdor is not exactly a happy chap.
There is a lot to discover in this novel not least the character of Sigurdor and his view of the police work and the Icelandic criminal fraternity. He delves in to the mad financial situation which leads to the collapse of the economy. Even the banks are described in the dark Icelandic way –
“…loomed the Central bank headquarters, clad with heavy, pitch black gabbro from the East Fjords”
The Ice parks and the huge vatnajokulsthjodgardur
Gabbro we are informed is ‘a dense, mafic intrusive rock’ – this came from a geologist so roughly translated its black ugly looking rock. Hm atmosphere and setting again!?
Money and opulence of the banks play a huge role here but its not all financial gloom since there are quite a few nice tidbits about life in Iceland, how life is different in the satellite towns as opposed to the city and yes, of course, murder in the glaciers.
Where Next?
