Why a Booktrail?
2000s: On a jagged, bleak lava field just outside Reykjavik stands the Gallows Rock.
2000s: On a jagged, bleak lava field just outside Reykjavik stands the Gallows Rock.
On a jagged, bleak lava field just outside Reykjavik stands the Gallows Rock. Once a place of execution, it is now a tourist attraction. Until this morning, when a man was found hanging from it…
The nail embedded in his chest proves it wasn’t suicide. But when the police go to his flat, a further puzzle awaits: a four-year-old boy has been left there. He doesn’t seem to have any link with the victim, his parents cannot be found, and his drawings show he witnessed something terrible.
As detective Huldar hunts the killer, and child psychologist Freyja looks for the boy’s parents, the mystery unfolds: a story of violence, entitlement, and revenge.
The location of the murder is in the middle of a lava field near the President’s residence This land is vast, raw and remote. The land where the original Icelandic settlers put down roots make this a very important part of the story.
History, gore and death contrast with the glorious landscape, beautiful setting and crisp fresh air. There is a stench of murder here and just across the water, the police want tto protect the view from the village of Bessastadir. This is a tourist attraction, part of the country’s history. It is not supposed to be history coming back to haunt the people of Iceland.
Destination/Location: Iceland Author: Yrsa Sigurdardottir Departure: 2000s
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