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Readers' rating:
Published Nov 2017
352 pages
Genre: Mysteries
Publication Information
A deeply compassionate story of old crimes and their consequences, The Shadow District is the first in a thrilling new series by internationally bestselling author Arnaldur Indridason.
THE PAST
In wartime Reykjavik, Iceland, a young woman is found strangled in 'the shadow district', a rough and dangerous area of the city. An Icelandic detective and a member of the American military police are on the trail of a brutal killer.
THE PRESENT
A 90-year-old man is discovered dead on his bed, smothered with his own pillow. Konrad, a former detective now bored with retirement, finds newspaper cuttings reporting the WWII shadow district murder in the dead man's home. It's a crime that Konrad remembers, having grown up in the same neighborhood.
A MISSING LINK
Why, after all this time, would an old crime resurface? Did the police arrest the wrong man? Will Konrad's link to the past help him solve the case and finally lay the ghosts of WWII Reykjavik to rest?
"Starred Review. Outstanding series launch...Indridason provides a great window into Icelandic culture as he explores his recurring themes of greed and abuse of power." - Publishers Weekly
"Starred Review. A welcome addition from a master of the genre." - Library Journal
"The intertwining stories will keep readers engaged until the book's unexpected ending; also absorbing are Indridason's characters, who make wartime and today's Iceland come to life. The dialogue rings true and impart a forthright yet gentle tone that matches the harsh but dreamy landscape, which is lovingly described." - Booklist
"With minimalist prose, Indridason skillfully weaves the present-day murder with the past in this classic whodunit that ends with a satisfying and logical resolution." - Kirkus
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Arnaldur Indridason is an Icelandic writer of crime fiction; most of his books feature the protagonist Detective Erlendur. He worked for many years as a journalist and critic before he began writing novels. Outside Iceland, he is best known for his crime novels featuring Erlendur and Sigurdur Óli, which are consistent bestsellers across Europe.
Arnaldur received the Glass Key award, a literature prize for the best Nordic crime novel, in 2002 and 2003. He won the Crime Writers' Association Gold Dagger Award in 2005 for his novel Silence of the Grave. He won the world's most lucrative crime fiction award, the RBA International Prize for Crime Writing worth €125,000, in 2013 for Shadow Alley (Skuggasund).
Inspector Erlundur Series to Date
1. Jar City (2004, aka Tainted Blood)
2...
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