It is my great pleasure to feature again on my blog and author and a publishing house that I had the chance to discover in the last few years.
Shrouded by Sólveig Pálsdóttir translated from Icelandic by Quentin Bates is published by Corylus Books, a young and dynamic publishing house that until now never disappointed me. It was my third book by Pálsdóttir after Fox and Harm and I was delighted to meet again the ingenious team of investigators of Guðgeir Fransson and Elsa Guðrún.
Arnhildur, a recluse woman of habit is suddenly found dead in a cemetery, following a séance at a medium of compromised reputation. Survived by her disabled daughter, her case may challenge the investigators on one side, by her completely insignificant life and lack of social interactions of any kind, off- or online, but also by the mystery of her last day of life. What was she doing at a medium?
Why she had her newspaper left open at a specific ad?
Estranged by her remaining family, stubborn, lonely. Arnhildur´s death will remain a mystery for several months, and the final solution - don´t hurry up to conclusions until you read the last line of the book - are example of how strong feelings may lead to dramatic decisions. Everything stays in balance at the border between control and lack thereof.
The solution is made of small fragments of truth spread over the story. Written in short installments, the novel unfolds as a roulette, with different characters, with more or less episodic presence within the story, being put on trial as potential culprits. Thanks to the investigators, more elements are added, and some terrible discovery will actually reveal hidden explanations of behavior, but will also bring on the forefront new potential suspects.
The spiritual/medium part plays its own role in the story, although people who don´t believe in such out-of-this world connections may consider it overrated, but it definitely its important for the overall development.
´Shrouded´ means both wrapping for burial and concealing from view and both meanings do fit very well this story. What I also feel was special about the story was how it distributed the police team not only as characters assigned to solve the case, but as individuals with their own choices, emotional burden and family and relationship choices.
Shrouded is just another unique example of Icelandic noir, revealing the banality of everyday crime investigations. You should not be a serial killer to get your place at the table, as more often than not, crimes are committed and shrouded by all the ´normal´ reasons: your every hate, revenge, envy. A recommended summer read for the lovers of Noir, and curious to get another look into everyday challenges of human existence.
Rating: 4 stars
Disclaimer: Book offered as part of the book tour but the opinions are, as usual, my own
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