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Product Description
From Publishers Weekly
Similar in plot to Swedish author Helene Tursten's The Glass Devil, this first in a new series from Icelandic author Sigurdardottir offers little readers have not seen before. As with Tursten's novel, the spectre of demon-worship is at the heart of the mystery, after the strangled corpse of Harald Guntlieb is discovered with his eyes gouged out. Guntlieb, a German student, was attending graduate school in Iceland, examining the latter country's history of witch-hunting, an academic pursuit that may have taken on more personal overtones. His grieving parents, who had already suffered the loss of a child, enlist attorney and single mother Thóra Gudmundsdôttir to objectively assess the police case against a drug addict arrested for the murder. Aided by an attractive ex-German police officer, Gudmundsdôttir diligently tracks down the dead man's friends and colleagues, before arriving at the truth. The author gives less of a sense of her native land than other contemporary Scandinavian crime writers like Karin Fossum, and the identity of the killer will surprise few.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Review
'Given the dark subject matter, this is a surprisingly funny book... a quirky and interesting read.' -- Guardian 20071222 '..a grisly chiller set in the depths of winter... Her mystery is absorbing and, untypically, instead of the usual gloomy middle-aged man, her sleuth is a young woman... It's an accomplished debut, with credible characters and a personable heroine.' -- Sunday Telegraph 20080106 'a unique talent in the field... an exhilarating experience... [She] matches Tess Gerritsen and Kathy Reichs in the bloodchiller stakes.' -- Waterstone's Books Quarterly 20080129 'very good... This is entertaining, well-plotted and cleverly combines the historical and macabre with Thora's life.' -- Marcel Berlins, The Times 20080120 'an intricately plotted tale that keeps the reader guessing whodunnit, or indeed whether it was murder at all, right until the very end.' -- Sunday Express 20080225 'After its grisly opening, LAST RITUALS turns out to be a surprisingly light and playful novel, with a jaunty translation by the late Bernard Scudder.' -- Daily Telegraph 20080120 'Suspenseful, compelling and unique.' -- Kirkus Reviews 20070801 'Dark, deep and icy as an Icelandic fjord; this is a rich and rewarding debut novel of ancient mysteries and very modern murder.' -- Mark Billingham 20071207
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Most helpful customer reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars
More Educational Than Action Packed,
By
This review is from: Last Rituals (Hardcover)
Icelandic lawyer, Thóra Gudmundsdottir is puzzled when German resident, Amelia Guntlieb, wants to hire her to find out who really murdered her son, Harald. The Guntlieb family believes the police arrested the wrong man, and because Harald was studying at a university in Reykjavík, where Thóra lives, they ask her to look into the matter. Thóra doubts she can find evidence to change events, but since she needs the Guntlieb's generous fee, she agrees to investigate. Sent to assist her, is the family's representative Matthew, a stoic, condescending man. But as Thóra delves into Harald's somewhat disturbing life, she comes to appreciate Matthew's presence.The development of this relationship is one of the book's positive aspects, but I had problems with Yrsa Sigurdardóttir's debut mystery, LAST RITUALS. First, there's little emotion throughout most of the book. Other than doing a good job, nothing's at stake for Thóra. No threats, no violence, and little action. Interviews, some leg work, and document reading makes the novel's pacing painfully slow in places. For instance, sixteen pages show Thóra reading a report about Harald's life. Granted, Harald's life was odd and he was working on a comparison of witch hunts in Iceland and Germany (plenty of historical detail is provided), but the novel was easy to put down in a number of places. Another problem is that Thóra's voice is so intellectual and formal much of the time that it was tough to warm up to the character. The long, carefully articulated inner monologue didn't sound natural, even for a smart lawyer. This book was translated so who knows if this was the author's style or a translation issue? The same applies to the use of clichés like "barrel of laughs" or "for all the tea in China". On the upside, we see more emotion from Thóra with her children in a tense subplot. Also, the main plot is intriguing and the identity of the killer surprised me, but then I rarely guess the killer's identity. There weren't many descriptions of Iceland, but the few I read were great, and I'd love to read more stories set in this country.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
Untypical Mystery,
By
This review is from: Last Rituals: A Novel of Suspense (Paperback)
First novel featuring attorney Thora GudmunddottirThis crime fiction captures and brings our attention to the witch hunts of the 1600s, a darker side of Iceland's rich history. The setting is contemporary and the historical elements are flawlessly interwoven into the story. As a main plot, the author recounts the murder of a German student Harald Guntlieb, known to be unconventional and born into a wealthy Bavarian family. His body was discovered at the University of Iceland and police hastily arrested Harald's drug dealing friend. His parents felt that there was insufficient evidence and hired the investigator Matthew Reich, not fluent in the local language he in turn summoned the help of Thora Gudmundstottir, a well known lawyer. Full of mysteries, this tale piques one's interest from the start by bringing forward a multitude of interesting characters in sub-plots. We learn the amazing puzzle has a dark side; Harald was obsessed with tattoos and body piercing and practiced erotic asphyxiation. He was also highly influenced by the local history of witch hunts involving torture and execution. The author doesn't mince her words but skilfully uses humour to give us a lighter side. The characterization is superbly presented, Thora is a delightful protagonist with a sharp tongue and a spunky attitude, Matthew has a wicked sense of humour to go with his sex appeal. The strong contrast in their characters present an entertaining combination. I enjoyed this mystery for its absorbing, untypical and compelling subject matter, a unique launch into a promising series.
5.0 out of 5 stars
excellent book,
By
This review is from: Last Rituals: A Novel of Suspense (Paperback)
This first book from the Icelandic author is an excellent book. I've read many books recently by authors with English as a second language and feared the same issues with this book - stilted English or poor proofing. However, this book had impeccable English. The story is basically an exciting murder mystery. While the story involves delving into the dark side of magic and witch hunting, that is not really what the story is about. The ending isn't incredibly surprising, but does offer a few twists and turns. For a character who is found dead on the first page, Harald turns out to be a very interesting fellow and the story leads to revealing his murderer and also the story behind why Harald was such an odd person in life. Sigurdardottir has let loose a writing talent that will see me looking for future books from her.
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