Last Rituals [Paperback]

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.

First novel featuring attorney Thora Gudmunddottir

This 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.

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.