For the first meeting of the year, the 1st Wednesday Group discussed ‘Silence of the Grave’ by Arnaldur Indriason.

About the Author

Arnaldur Indriðason was born in Reykjavík January 28, 1961 and writes crime fiction. He is the son of writer Indriði G. Þorsteinsson. Arnaldur graduated with a degree in history from the University of Iceland in 1996. Arnaldur’s first published book, Sons of Dust (Synir duftsins) in 1997, is the first in the Detective Erlendur series. Arnaldur’s books have been published in twenty-six countries and have been translated into Russian, Polish, German, Greek, Danish, Catalan, English, Italian, Czech, Swedish, Norwegian, Dutch, Finnish, Spanish, Portuguese, Hungarian, Chinese, Croatian, Romanian and French. He won the Crime Writers’ Association Gold Dagger Award in 2005 for the novel Silence of the Grave. Arnaldur lives in Reykjavík with his wife and three children. (Bowker Author Biography)

Group Comments

John – Enjoyed the book may read others by this author; hooked from page 1. Loved the plot, revealed as you go along, very clever!!

Val – Enjoyed the woven plots. Clever authorships, did not suspect the perpetrator.

Kay – Enjoyed the writing. Suggestion of sexual abuse, hard to read domestic violence ‘Red Herring’ re ‘Woman in sea’. Book stayed with me after finishing.

Translation ok, but occasionally slightly off.

Margaret – ‘Not spectacular’. Domestic violence confronting. Learned a lot about Iceland.

Adrianne – Not gripping at beginning, then became more interesting and more complex.

Terry – Fascinating read. Icelandic society present and past. Reflections methodical, chilling incidents and revelations. Good plots. Interesting history e.g. Haylles Comet.

Richard – Enjoyed the book, quality novel; damaged characters.